Notes: Just an FYI for anyone who follows my other stories: my laptop will not currently allow me access to any of my files, hence why GUBY didn't get updated this week. I'm hoping that I can get it fixed tomorrow, and that I don't lose any of my files. Cross your fingers for me! This one was written on my iPad (which I HATE doing) so I apologize it it's rough.

NOVEMBER – MONDAY

CAROLINE:

"Come in!" Caroline calls, in response to the tapping at her door.

Megan, the assistant Caroline shares with 3 other planners, pokes her head in, "There's a guy here to see you. You didn't tell us you were seeing anyone!"

Caroline fights the urge to roll her eyes. Megan lived for the office gossip. It was entertaining enough, when it wasn't about her. Kind of annoying when it was, but Megan was crazy efficient, and baked something delicious for the office every weekend, so Caroline had learned to deal, "I'm not seeing anyone. Did he give you a name?"

"Nope. Hot dude with a British accent shows up with presents? I came right to you for the details. If you're not dating him you totally should. Also, tell me where you hang out. Enzo's eye candy for sure, but this guy? Damn. Where is it you find them?"

Caroline can't help but crack a smile. That certainly narrowed things down, "Send him back. And thanks, Megan."

Megan retreats with a mocking salute.

She straightens her desk as she waits to see which Mikaelson has decided to grace her with his presence. There's another knock a few minutes later and Megan opens the door and ushers Klaus inside. She gives Klaus a very obvious once over and fans herself from behind his back. Caroline bites the inside of her cheek to maintain a straight face and waves Megan away.

"She seems friendly," Klaus remarks, helping himself to one of the chairs in front of her desk, and setting the gift bag that had dangled from his fingers on the one beside him. He hands her a cup, "a non-fat, no whip peppermint mocha for you."

Caroline accepts it with a raised eyebrow, "Someone's been doing his homework."

Klaus shrugs, unapologetic, "It seems only fair. Kol tells me I'm not the only one studying up."

"Ah ha!" Caroline crows, "A motive appears. You Mikaelson's think you're so sneaky with your bribes. Are you here to attempt to derail me? Don't bother. I will have every issue of your comic book, excuse me, graphic novel, in my hot little hands by tomorrow night. And, FYI, you're totally going to autograph a couple of them for me so I can sell them to your devoted followers on EBay and recoup my costs."

Klaus sips his coffee, eyes her over the top of it with amusement, "I'm not here to cause any trouble, love. In fact," he reaches over, extracts something from the gift bag and hands it to her, "an advanced copy of the fiftieth issue."

Caroline slams her eyes shut, squeals, "Spoilers!" and blindly gropes in front of her.

Klaus chuckles and presses it into her hands. She grabs it and shoves it into a desk drawer, "You're taking this very seriously," he notes.

"I'm very detail oriented. It's why I'm awesome at my job. I will blow your mind with the thoroughness of my interrogation, just you wait."

A smirk appears on the edge of Klaus mouth, "Ah yes. Kol mentioned that you seemed to have a bit of a cop fetish. He mentioned something about handcuffs that I'll spare you."

"Thanks for that, though don't feel like you have to protect my delicate sensibilities."

Klaus laughs again, and damn it the dimples are adorable. God, had he acted like this from the beginning she's pretty sure she'd have nursed a serious crush, rather than just random dirty fantasies.

"In that case he pondered, for a rather long time, whether you'd be the one cuffed, or the cuffer."

Yeah, Klaus sitting in her office, talking about handcuffs? Totally not helping her shake those fantasies. He's got a vaguely challenging air about him, as he studies her, and she fights not to shift in her seat. If he thought he could make her blush, he had another thing coming. There were no demure fainting flowers in this room.

"For the record," Caroline says, pitching her voice just a tiny bit husky, noting the twitch of interest that crosses his face, "I'm not opposed to either scenario."

It's Klaus who fidgets, and Caroline delights internally at the victory, files the fact that he seems to be at least a little attracted to her away for examination later.

He clears his throat, "Noted, sweetheart. It's probably silly of me to think you'd have any delicate sensibilities left. Kol would have crushed them straightaway."

"Ugh," Caroline groans, leaning back in her seat in frustration at the mention of her roommate, "You're not wrong. The other day he told me that my ass looked fantastic and I didn't even blink."

"That actually relates to the second part of my gift."

Caroline accepts the gift bag Klaus hands her, but resists her instinct to dive right in. Sue her, she likes presents, okay? And as an only child she's never exactly had to wait to start tearing into her pile on Christmas morning.

"Don't think you can worm your way into my good graces, Klaus."

"Oh please Caroline, I'm already there. You enjoy me."

The ego was truly impressive, but he wasn't wrong. Not that she'd admit that, ever.

"'Enjoy' is a stretch. I tolerate you."

The disbelieving look he shot her was incredibly annoying, she shot him a glare to halt whatever was about to come out of his mouth. Caroline turns her attention to the bag (subtle black and white pattern, royal blue tissue paper. It's classy and she's kind of impressed. Her last boyfriend had wrapped a birthday present in Rudolph wrapping paper). She touches a handful of plastic tubes first, and pulls them out curiously, "Glitter?" she questions, seeing the sparkles the tubes contain.

"Infernal stuff," Klaus complains distastefully. "Kol hates it too. Rebekah went through a crafting phase as a child. Tracked it all over the house."

"And yet you're gifting it to me?"

"It goes with the next part."

Caroline sets the glitter aside and unearths a glass jar from the bag. A loud laugh is torn from her throat when she examines it and she claps a hand over her mouth.

There's three drawings pasted to the jar, each featuring two people who are clearly Caroline and Kol. The little cartoon version of her looks peeved in the first one, hands on her hips. In the next one she's brandishing a rolled up magazine, and then a spray bottle in the third. The Kol in the images looked at turns mischievous, chastised and forlorn.

The words 'Perv Jar' were outlined and Caroline suspected that the glitter was meant to fill them in. She was already planning on sparklifying the outfits cartoon-her and cartoon-Kol were wearing too. Maybe even the furniture in the background. She might have to track down more colors.

"I love it," Caroline declares, looking up to meet Klaus eyes. He's smiling softly, seems genuinely pleased with her reaction.

"I'm glad," he replies simply.

"Are you sure you don't have an evil twin, or something?" Caroline blurts out, and then immediately cringes. He really does cause her brain to mouth filter to fail spectacularly, "I just mean… you were so…" she gropes for the right word, 'standoffish. For years. This personality 180 keeps freaking me out."

"Sorry, love. No evil twin."

Caroline blows out a breath, "All this is just making me super nervous about what I'll find in the comic books, you know."

Klaus avoids her gaze, "You really haven't just looked it up online?"

"Nope. I want the big picture and I don't want to read other people's opinions before I get to form my own."

Klaus nods in understanding.

"I think…" Caroline trails off, waits for him to look at her, "At least, I'm pretty sure, I'm in it, somehow. Marcel called me Violet."

He meets her gaze steadily, but gives no indication that she's right or wrong. "Rebekah always complains about the character based on her so I'm guessing my character is awful. Am I a psycho killer, or something?"

"Are we doing the questions now, then?"

"You won't even answer one teensy-tiny question?" Caroline wheedles, pouting a little.

Klaus' expression turns mulish, for a second, but he folds easily enough, "Violet's not a psycho, if that helps."

But she was a killer, Caroline assumed, from what he wasn't saying. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Marcel had indicated there were copious amounts of violence in Klaus' work, so Caroline guessed she'd have to wait and see.

"It does, a little," Caroline replies. "I'll know soon enough, and I'll be coming for you."

Klaus snorts, "A lesser man might find that terrifying, love. But you'll find I don't scare easily."

Again with the weird flirty cockiness. She was really going to enjoy messing with his mind, for a change, once she had all the information. "You should," Caroline warned him, "People let the pretty package fool them, but you don't want to screw with me."

"But maybe I do," Klaus' eyes darken, and he gives her a slow, undeniably sexual, look.

Caroline suddenly finds the office a touch warm.

But Klaus grins, breaking the moment, and leans towards her, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out a dollar, hands it to her, "To start the jar off right."

Caroline accepts it with gritted teeth. And people complained that women were confusing.