Rebekah found herself thinking about her friend while her brother was away from home; he was most likely with Riley. Rebekah kept thinking about what she told Riley:

"I may not be able to stop being his sister because I'm hanging out with my friend, but being close to both of you gives me a unique vantage point. I know Nik, but I also know you, Ri."

She had complete faith in her conviction. The more she considered it, the more she saw the truth behind her own statement. She could see both sides because she knew both Nik and Riley.

For example, she knew that Riley was upset because Nik is trying to protect her, but he was going about it his own way, without listening to her. Rebekah knew that Nik was only being protective because he cared about Riley.

Riley should just be glad that the daggers don't work on her.

Rebekah was still thinking about this when Klaus came back from Riley's later that evening. He quickly joined her in the living room.

"How is she?" Rebekah asked from her seat on the couch.

"Upset that her father is still around. And unsure of what that means."

"And how are you?"

"Annoyed that he's around." Klaus poured himself a drink and sat in the chair. "I need to determine why."

"Riley said something interesting to me earlier today." Rebekah changed the subject.

"What's that, Rebekah?"

"She said she's not sure if she can talk to me about you because I am your sister. She doesn't think I can separate to just be her friend."

"Is she right?"

"Probably. But I pointed out to her why that is good." Klaus didn't ask why, so Rebekah continued. "It is good, dear brother, because I can see both sides of things. I understand Riley's reasonings because I'm her friend, but I also understand your reasonings because I'm your sister. And I can be of service in enlightening you both."

"Why are you telling me this?" Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Because I see Riley's hesitancy as much as you do. And I see your confusion and hurt over it."

"I'm not hurt, but I will give you confused."

"Don't lie to me, Nik. I can always see through your lies."

"Well, get on with it. You see her hesitancy. I'm guessing you also see the reason behind it, or you wouldn't have brought it up."

"I believe Riley is hesitant because of you. More specifically, I think she is hesitant because of you and Caroline."

"I fail to comprehend why Riley would be hesitant about my feelings towards her because of Caroline."

"Think about it. You came to town as this fearful Original who would take down anyone that got in his way. You killed our mother and staked our father; you even daggered your own siblings. Then you become completely smitten with a baby vampire!

"You aren't exactly known for your compassion, Nik. You never let people get close, let alone develop feelings for them. She's obviously concerned that what you feel for her will always be less than what you feel for Caroline. Caroline was your first love, in a manner of speaking. Certainly the first in a very long time. And you fell for her, Nik. Hard. Don't deny it. Riley has spent all her time in Mystic Falls being compared to her cousin, and never living up to that comparison. She doesn't want her relationship with you to be clouded by Caroline. I think she's afraid that every time you're with her, you're wishing it were Caroline instead."

"I don't."

"Then you have to tell her that. But you have to tell her in a way that forces her to believe you. Simply telling her will not be sufficient."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"I honestly have no idea. I'm sorry, Nik; I wish I did."

Rebekah meant well, but she left Klaus more frustrated than before his conversation with her.

Wednesday felt similar to Tuesday: Klaus walked (with) me to school, I went to class, and at the end of the day he was waiting for me.

But Thursday was entirely different.

Klaus's SUV pulled up in front of the house as I left for school Thursday morning. He got out and leaned against the passenger door as I walked down the walkway, towards him.

"Get in."

I stopped walking. "What for?"

"I cannot replace your mother, and I'm not taking you shopping, but I thought we could have our own day off."

"Seriously?"

Klaus nodded.

He opened the passenger door for me. I got in and threw my bag into the back. "Plus," he said as he started the car, "I figured it wouldn't hurt to get away for a while. And maybe get away from your father, too."

"Thank you."

"Really? You're not going to argue with me over this?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Shockingly, no. I'm tired of arguing; I feel like all I do is argue with everyone."

"Okay. Today is officially an argument-free day."

I liked the sound of that. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Seriously, just tell me."

"No, it's a surprise."

"You can't tell me?"

He shook his head as he pulled onto the highway.

"Oh no. Are you one of those people who enjoy surprises?" I asked, unenthused.

"I enjoy the suspense."

I groaned.

"And let me guess: you don't like surprises?"

I shook my head no. "I don't appreciate the unexpected."

"Too bad," he smirked. As he drove, I sent a quick text to C, letting her know that I was taking the day off. I didn't need her to worry.

"Are you sure you're okay with missing school? You're usually so eager to attend."

"I might not be if you keep reminding me that I'm missing school." When Klaus didn't respond, I reconsidered my answer. Perhaps it was a bit harsh. "No, I'm okay with missing school. I need a mini getaway."

"I thought so."

We drove mostly in silence. I stopped paying attention to the road signs; I didn't know enough about northern Virginia to have a mental map in my head of where we could be heading.

"Can we roll the windows down?"

"Of course."

Klaus put my window down. I stuck my hand out and sighed. "I love the feel of the wind against my skin."

"In that case…" He trailed off as he put down all the windows. And he opened the sunroof. I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face and the wind in my hair — even though it probably messed up my hair something fierce. In that moment, I didn't even care. It felt so good. I think I actually laughed. Out loud.

Klaus kept driving. And driving. I started getting nervous, the further we drove away from Mystic Falls. "Seriously Klaus, where are we going?"

Klaus finally pulled into a parking lot and turned off the car. "We're here, love," he said.

I sat up straighter in the seat and stared, gapingly, at what I saw. I felt Klaus's eyes on me; no doubt, he was watching my reaction. "Are we at the beach?" I asked as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"I thought it might be a nice change from Mystic Falls."

I opened my door and got out of the vehicle. "I've never seen the ocean," I said, taking off my shoes and leaving them on the floor in front of the seat. I closed the door and started walking on the sand towards the water, not caring if he was following or not.

The beach was not warm, but that didn't matter; as a vampire, I didn't feel the cold (or the warm) as I did while human.

I couldn't believe I was actually standing on a beach, watching the ocean. It was a sunny and cloudless; I couldn't have asked for better weather.

Klaus walked up to me as I stood there, feeling the sand between my toes and watching the water.

"The next step of courting is to escort her to a planned activity or outing. I thought this would be more exciting and memorable than simply going out to eat somewhere."

I looked over at Klaus, who was watching my reaction with an amused expression. He held out his arm, raising his eyebrows slightly. I narrowed my eyes slightly, still unsure about this courting notion. But I realized that it would be nice to walk along the beach with him. And I was grateful to him for bringing me here. This was already the perfect day off. So I looped my arm around Klaus's and let him lead the way.

We walked in silence for a while; finally he stopped and we sat down on the sand. The waves crashed against the shore, but not coming close enough to touch us.

"This is what I was talking about the other day. The sun changes the colours of everything. The water seems to be blue, but if you look closer, in places, you see various shades of blue swirling together: light blues, dark blues, even turquoises and greens. And some shades of grey in places. And the sand we sit on; it's not just tan; it's yellow and silver and black and red." Klaus's eyes almost glowed as he spoke of the colours he could see in the water and here on the beach; I could see him almost itching to paint the scene.

I laughed. "I don't see it, Klaus. I don't see swirling colours or sunlight dancing on leaves. I appreciate the sight. There's something relaxing about watching the repeated pattern of the waves crashing against the shore and then the water rushing back out. Not just the sound of the waves; but actually seeing it. You see the world through the eyes of an artist. You see colours and shapes and designs. I don't."

"What eyes do you see the world through, then?"

I shrugged. "The eyes of a pessimist?"

"Oh, I doubt that." He paused before continuing. "I find it very difficult to believe that you have never seen the ocean before."

"Not in real life."

"How is that possible?"

I shrugged, but I knew the answer. "My mom worked a lot; the only times we ever spent together outside of our house were our day trips to the city. We never went to the coast; we never even drove along the coast."

"It is such a travesty that someone like you has not seen more of the world than Richmond, Virginia."

"Well, now that I'm living in Mystic, I'm seeing part of the area north west of Richmond, as opposed to south east of Richmond…"

"Such a travesty," he muttered.

I laughed. "That's part of what makes today memorable."

"What's the other part?"

I blushed. He laughed.

Thankfully, he changed the subject. "Are you hungry? I'm sure we can find some food around here."

I nodded as he looked around us. "Yes. Let's go," I said Klaus stood. He extended his hand to me, pulling me to my feet.

"Great. The beach is deserted today; we could grab someone right off the street and come here. No one would see us." I started; my chin dropped and my eye widened. He chuckled. "I'm kidding love. I'm sure there's a food truck or beach restaurant nearby."

I rolled her eyes. "Oh, aren't you funny?" I would never admit it, but I was glad Klaus and I were able to joke about the incident. Klaus smiled and pointed over his shoulder as he began to walk backwards down the beach. Apparently we were heading in that direction to find food.

"This," Klaus said, gesturing to the chip wagon food on the picnic table top in between us, "is not the ideal meal during courtship. I give you my word: we will dine together somewhere much fancier than this."

"That's not necessary. This is fine." I spoke, but I could not look anywhere near his face.

"Riley, you hesitate whenever I mention courtship. Why? Are you hesitant to use the word courtship because it puts a title on what is happening between us, or does your hesitancy stem from me?"

"I don't know."

I answered quickly, almost impulsively, but as I said the words, I realized the depth of their truth. Klaus was correct: I don't like giving titles to things because that makes them official and then it's that much harder and hurts that much more when they end. But Klaus was also right about him being the cause of my caution or uncertainty; I'm hesitant to become anything more than a friend to Klaus because I'm unsure of his thoughts and motives. I know he isn't using me as part of some scheme against C or her friends, but what if he's using me to help him get over C? Or worse, what if I'm just an easier-to-achieve stepping stone, on his way to C?

There's another part of me that is scared to get any closer to him for fear that he'll leave me for C, should she ever start to see him as I do. I've told her about the part of his that she does not — or perhaps just refuses — to see because I want her to see it too. But the flip side is, what if she does? Where does that leave me? If Klaus has the choice between C and me, I know who he'll choose. It wouldn't even be a difficult decision. And he'd be crazy not to pick C. She's amazing and beautiful and fun and strong. Like I said before, what's not to like?

To answer Klaus's question, I'm hesitant to use the word courtship because it does put a title on things, but also because of Klaus himself. So I gave him my response. "Both. I hesitate for both reasons."

We ate in silence after I answered Klaus's question. I couldn't stop thinking. Whenever I hung out with Klaus, what if he was hoping it were Caroline he was spending his time with instead?

Klaus broke me out of my contemplations when he spoke, after he had binned the remnants of our food. "We should probably leave now."

"Do we have to? I'd like to stay a little longer. Or maybe even watch the sun set."

"Of course we can stay. I merely thought you would want to leave."

I shook my head no. Klaus stood and offered his hand to me. I took it, and he wrapped my hand around the crook of his arm.

We walked back up the beach in the direction of where we were before. I have no idea if we stopped in that same place or if we went further. It felt further, but I really didn't know. I paid more attention to the beach and the waves than to where Klaus's vehicle might have been located. I'm sure he knew, but it didn't matter to me; I wouldn't have minded being stranded there.

We walked in silence and it was so comfortable. Even despite our earlier conversation. As the sky began to change from blue to pink, Klaus sat down on the sand and pulled me down to sit in front of him, between his legs. I brought my knees up to my chest and put my hands on top of them. Klaus wrapped his arms around the outside of mine and joined our hands. I leaned back against his chest. He rested his cheek against my head, just above my ear.

Once the sun had sunk below the waterline on the horizon and the sky began to darken, I broke the silence. "Thank you for taking me to the beach."

"It was as much for my pleasure, love, as for your own."

"I needed a day off. From everything." I turned back to see his face. "Thank you."

A/N: It's absolutely amazing to me that people are actually reading this. Seriously, a "thank you!" is not nearly enough, but it's all I have.