Chapter Seven – One-Sided Revelations

A/N: Thank you all so very much for reading. I cannot express how happy it makes me to know that you are enjoying what I am writing. And to those who are kind and wonderful enough to leave a review: I love you even more!

Bonnie sat in the passenger seat of Caroline's car; they were on their way to school. But before Caroline's car had even left Bonnie's street, Bonnie spoke. She had to give voice to the question she'd had in her mind for what felt like forever — it had been in her mind for days, at least. "So you and Klaus Mikaelson, huh?" Bonnie asked as she raised and wiggled her eyebrows at Caroline.

"What?" Caroline kept her eyes on the road straight ahead as she drove and tried to school her face into a confused look, hoping — please, please, please — that her best friend would not be able to see through the act.

"Do not 'what' me, Care. You've been spending time with him. Don't think I haven't noticed."

She shook her head, but still kept her eyes looking straight ahead. "No, he's been showing up at the places where I am. There's a difference."

"You chatted him up when we went out for karaoke but then you bolted from him that day at the coffee shop."

Caroline scoffed, but refused to even glance in Bonnie's direction. "I did not 'chat him up'."

"You did break him out of detention yesterday," Bonnie pointed out.

Caroline sighed. Bonnie did have her on that one. "Because it was a lame charge and I felt like I owed him."

"He likes you, Care."

"What?" she scoffed again, trying not to blush when she remembered their kiss yesterday during the paintball game. And what a kiss! Caroline shook her head. "No, he doesn't. He likes annoying me."

"Fine line between those two, hun."

Caroline huffed, but when she didn't respond, Bonnie spoke again. "Weren't you complaining, not too long ago, about how Elena always gets the guy and how you're never the one?"

Caroline cursed her drunken self for saying that. But it had been justified. Elena had run over to Caroline's house; she was eager and excited and overjoyed that Matt had kissed her. Caroline was heartbroken — she had been the one with the crush on Matt Donovan, and she had been the one flirting with him; not Elena. To quell her jealousy and her anger at her friend, Caroline tried to drink away her hurt feelings. And Bonnie had been with Caroline, listening to every drunken word.

"Geesh, Bon, what do you do, record all of our conversations?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, I simply remember the parts that might be important to relevant later on."

"Or the parts you can use against me," Caroline muttered.

"Exactly!" she said with a wicked grin.

"Ugh!"

"Well, here's your chance, Care. He shows up at the places you are. He obviously likes you. And what's not to like, really?"

Caroline rolled her eyes but had to smile at that.

"Take a chance on him, Care." She froze when Bonnie's words unknowingly mimicked Klaus's. "It could turn into something really great."

She shook her head slightly, bringing herself back to her conversation with Bonnie. "Or it could be disastrous and crash and burn."

"Yes, but sometimes you have to take that risk. You can't possibly even glimpse the good if you're too busy hiding from the bad."

"Wow. Bonnie Bennett: wisdom of the ages and wise beyond her years."

But Bonnie was right. Caroline knew that. She'd have to take a chance.

"Yes, I am. And you're not denying my wisdom. So give him a chance, Care. It's obvious that you like him. Don't even try to lie to me about it, Caroline Forbes; I can read you like a book."

After her chat with Bonnie regarding Klaus, Caroline spent her entire first two periods of the day thinking about what her friend had said.

Good thing the teachers never called on her to answer any questions.

She knew Bonnie was right. She'd have to take a chance. If she didn't, this could turn into one of the great what-ifs of her life.

And moreover, she wanted to take a chance. She enjoyed her time with him, and she was definitely curious to learn more about him.

Caroline found Bonnie at the beginning of their lunch period. She told her friend that she would take her advice and explore whatever was going on between her and Klaus.

"Good for you, Care. But do use caution. I know that contradicts what I said earlier, but I mean it: be careful. Klaus Mikaelson does not have the greatest reputation."

They entered the cafeteria as they talked and went straight to their usual table.

"Reputations are never the whole truth, Bon. You know that as well as I do."

Their 'reputations' proved that point: Bonnie was considered to be some kind of modern-day hippie — all 'peace and love and be kind to the earth' because she followed the earth sciences, listened to the elements, and used and had herbal remedies for everything — while Caroline was thought of as a stuck-up, wannabe-princess perfectionist.

These were largely untrue for the both of them.

"But there is always a slight basis in reality, Care. Not matter how slight, the hold to reality is always present. We both know that."

Bonnie was right, but Caroline thought that was too grim. Plus, there were so many rumours about Klaus; they couldn't all have a tidbit of truth in them, right?

"I don't know, Bon. I believe people deserve the chance to change. They deserve the chance to become better than what the world made them."

Elena joined them shortly thereafter. As she and Bonnie began chatting, Caroline made some notes on the clipboard she had in front of her.

"Is that the prom clipboard, Care?" Elena asked. She was hoping to bring up the idea of going to prom again — and maybe if Caroline was working on prom things when Elena asked, her blonde friend might be more willing to go?

But the shaking of Caroline's head derailed Elena's plans. "No. This is my cheerleading clipboard."

"Why do you still have cheer practice so late in the school year?" Bonnie asked. She had always wondered.

"I may be graduating, but most of the cheer squad isn't, and I want to make sure that the current girls know my routines for next year so they don't suck in my absence."

"Are you protecting your legacy?"

Caroline scoffed. "I hope being cheer captain isn't my legacy around here."

"Why not?" Elena asked.

"To always be remembered simply as 'Caroline Forbes: greatest cheer captain ever'? No thank you!"

"Yea," Elena nodded her head in agreement. "You are on like every committee there is here. If you were only remembered as the cheer captain, that would be very simplistic."

"Exactly!"

Towards the end of the lunch period, Caroline left her friends at their table. She grabbed her books for her next class, then went to Klaus's locker and waited there for him.

He smirked when he saw her. "Caroline! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

A part of her contemplated backing out right now, but she shook away that notion as she remembered how much fun she had yesterday with him. And she was already here, after all.

His voice brought her back to the present. "Are we skipping our afternoon classes again?"

"No," she said in a lowered voice. "And don't advertise that we did."

He, however, did nothing to even hint at lowering his voice. "What, that we skipped? That doesn't matter to anyone."

"It matters to me; I don't care for everyone to know."

He could tell that she was getting flustered, so he chuckled and let it pass. He pressed his lips together, widened his eyes, and locked his gaze with hers, waiting for her to speak; he had already questioned her presence (not that he minded spending any time with her).

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I have decided to give you a chance."

"I knew you would eventually."

She scoffed at that. "You are incredibly self-assured."

"I know," he said with a smirk and a chuckle. "Fantastic. Where to?"

"I thought something simple, like the movies."

He shook his head. "No. We can't talk at the movies. Though it would be nice and dark there," he said with his signature smirk.

She ignored his obvious — and lame — innuendo. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You."

She rolled her eyes. "How about going for coffee?"

"Dinner," he corrected.

She noticed that he wasn't asking, but she responded anyway. "Fine."

"I'll drive this time. I'll be at your place at 7:30 this evening."

Caroline had barely processed his words when he walked away from her.

"Tonight? No, not tonight," she called after him. She had plans already with Elena and Bonnie. "I can't tonight."

He just kept walking; she had no idea if he heard her.

Caroline was beyond frustrated at the stubbornness of her fellow prom committee members. In fact, she was currently on the phone with one said stubborn committee member. She was trying to explain her vision of the prom to Dana, for decoration purposes, but Dana refused to listen.

"No, no, no, Dana. We can't have spotlights at the dance."

"Why not, Care?"

"Because they're disgusting and tacky." At that moment, Caroline heard a knock at her front door. She kept arguing with Dana as she walked to the door. "Let's just have small, twinkling lights strung across the ceiling." As she passed by the kitchen doorway, she noticed that it was exactly 7:30pm. She knew the knock at the door had to be Klaus. Apparently he hadn't heard her voice as he was walking down the hall at school, away from her.

Impressive timing! But too bad he picked the wrong night.

Dana's voice brought Caroline back to the annoying phone conversation she was having. "What?! Twinkling lights?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at Dana's thickness and opened her front door. She was correct: there was Klaus, standing on her front door.

"Hello, love," he greeted her.

"Hi," she said quietly, holding the phone away from her mouth just long enough to say that one word before holding her finger up to silence him as she spoke into the phone again. "Soft, twinkling lights will be so much better than harsh, tacky spotlights, Dana. The twinkling lights will make it feel like everyone is dancing out under the stars. Who wouldn't want that for prom?"

"We don't," Dana said, determined. "We voted, without you, and we want the spotlights."

Caroline turned away from the doorway and began pacing across her front hallway. "You what?! You can't vote against me; I'm the committee head."

"We can out-rule you, though, if we all ban together. And we have. We all want the spotlights; you are the only one who does not."

"What?!" Caroline screeched.

"We're having brightly-coloured spotlights at prom and they will be perfect. So be it. You're out-numbered here, Care." And with that, Dana hung up on her.

Caroline was outraged.

"Over-ruled?! Ugh! Stupid spotlights."

"Problems, love?"

She whipped around at the sound of Klaus's voice. Truthfully, she had forgotten about his presence on her front porch once Dana started talking about all-but overthrowing her.

"Ugh!" Caroline threw her head back as she groaned. "Just the idiocy of my fellow prom committee members, turning our prom into something horribly tacky."

"You've been out-numbered?"

"Unfortunately."

"That's a shame."

Caroline suddenly realized he was on her front porch. "What are you doing here?" She crossed her arms and stepped closer to the front door. "I thought you would have shrunk back by now, realizing how difficult I am." She looked at him with just the suggestion of a smile.

Klaus lowered his head a little. "I would be a fool to miss such a rare opportunity of getting to spend time with you, wouldn't I?"

"Yes," she nodded her head in agreement. "It is quite rare for you."

He smirked. "I believe I was promised a date."

"You were. But not tonight; I have plans already with the girls." She denied his request with a smile and a shrug.

To her surprise, he didn't appear to be the least disappointed or frustrated. Instead, he took her by the arm as he said "Not anymore." He closed the door behind them and led the way towards his truck, where it was parked, just across the street from Caroline's house. "They won't be expecting you," he said while opening the door for her to get in. "I told them you had a change of plans and that you were spending the evening with me. They were surprised, but pleased. Apparently they think you need to get out more."

"You did what?"

He shrugged and then gestured for her to get into his truck. He had cleaned it out so he could escort her to dinner properly. She followed his gesture, sitting in the passenger seat, and he closed the door after her.

"Where are we going?" she asked him after he had started his truck and pulled away from her house.

"Dinner."

"Obviously. Where, the Grill?"

"No. We can go there anytime; I thought something special was in order for this evening."

That's when she noticed the music playing softly in the background and it surprised her.

"You listen to classical music?"

"That's jazz, actually. Though I enjoy classical as well. Not quite on par with your Top 40s, but since I'm the owner of this vehicle, I believe the musical selection is my choice, as per your rules love."

She scoffed; it figures that he would eventually use her own words against her somehow. "Where are you taking me?"

"Relax. We're just going one town over. You know, you don't have to be in control of everything all the time."

She nodded. "I know. But things are much easier if I am."

"Well, not tonight."

Caroline crossed her arms and pretended to pout. He chuckled softly at her actions, but he wouldn't tell her anything.

"This place looks nice." Caroline said as they sat down at the table the hostess showed them to. "Do you bring all your dates here?"

"So this is a date?"

"Well, a guy usually asks a girl on a date, not commands her, but those are just details, right?"

They laughed.

"So?" Caroline asked when he didn't speak again. "Do you?"

He chuckled; she was rather persistent. "No. I've never brought a date here."

"So where do you normally take your dates?"

He shrugged. "I don't, usually. Date, I mean. I rarely feel a connection with anyone, so I often spend most of my time alone. I'm more of a loner-type anyway."

She gasped in mock shock. "Really? I never would have guessed."

After they ordered, they sat in silence.

"Well?" Caroline said, expectantly.

He raised his eyebrow at her but didn't respond.

She sighed in frustration. "We're here. You wanted to talk. So talk."

"All right. I meant what I said earlier; I want to know more about you. Tell me about your hopes, your dreams. Everything you want in life."

Caroline laughed. "Just to be clear: I'm too smart to be seduced by you."

He smirked. "Well, that's why I like you."

She scoffed and shook her head.

"When should our next afternoon of skipping take place? And where?"

"Uh, never."

"Do I have to be in detention again, so you can break me out?"

"No! Don't you care about school?"

"No," he said plainly. "I don't need to attend because none of the teachers are going to fail me — no one wants to have me back next year."

Caroline rolled her eyes and paused to thank the waitress, who had brought their salads. She took an initial bite before continuing their conversation. "What about college?"

He shook his head. "Not going. Once I'm through with high school and have turned 18, I'm getting the hell out of this one-pony town. I want to see the world and all it has to offer. The great cities, the art, the music. I want to see it all."

Caroline didn't respond; she took another bite of her salad.

"Do you plan on going to college?" he asked her.

Caroline always immediately responded with a 'yes' whenever anyone asked her about that. But she found herself re-examining everything about herself the more time she spent with Klaus.

She shrugged. "I always thought so. It kind of feels expected of me."

"Forget about expectations. What do you want to do?"

She thought about that as she let out a long sigh. "I don't know. I really don't know." She looked up from her plate at him and took in his confused expression. "Time," she finally answered. "I guess I want more time to figure things out. To figure myself out."

"You could come with me, you know, to see the world. I'd take you wherever you wanted to go."

Klaus didn't know what possessed him to say such things to her, but he found that he didn't hate the idea of spending more time with her, after graduation and away from this town.

"What about your family? You have such a large one. You'd really just pack up and leave this town? Leave them?"

She watched as his jaw tightened. Speaking about his family was obviously a sore subject for him, but she had no idea why.

"Not exactly," he said through clenched teeth. "My older brothers left right after high school — it's practically a tradition in my family. And my younger siblings will be fine without me."

"What about your parents?"

Klaus didn't want to explain his relationship with his parents to Caroline, so he kept it short. "They'll be fine, too. Better, even, without me around."

"I doubt that."

"Doubt all you'd like, love, but you have no idea what you're speculating about."

"Then explain it to me."

He gave her a fake smile, one she should easily see through. "Another time, perhaps."

She gave him a fake smile of her own. "Would you tell me while we're travelling the world together?"

"Absolutely."

His answer was too immediate; she knew it was a lie.

"Do you want to see the world?"

"Of course," she responded. "Who doesn't?"

"I'm not asking about holidays, Caroline. There's a different between wanting to visit places and really seeing the world. Do you want to go off and experience everything you possibly can?"

It all sounded so wonderful when he spoke of it. He made her want it, too. But she also felt conflicted. "I'm… I'm not sure."

"Do you plan to spend your life here, in Mystic Falls?"

"I don't know."

"You are so much more than this town." As horribly clichéd as she felt for even thinking it, his gaze seemed to burn into hers. "My offer is open-ended, Caroline. You can accompany me anywhere, any time."

She scoffed. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

"No." He spoke with such sincerity that Caroline had to hold back an audible gasp. "You mark my words. A small town life won't be enough for you. One day, in a year or even in ten, you'll come to me. You'll find me because you want to explore the world with me."

Caroline rolled her eyes, partially because of what he said and partially to ignore how he said it and how it made her feel. She would do anything to ignore how she felt about his words. Would he really wait a decade, or possibly longer, for her?

The genuineness on his face made her shift her gaze instantly as if it could shake her wavering determination any second. She refused to let him see any of the emotions she was feeling. She set her fork down, finished with her food. "Wow. You do think you know me."

"As I said before, love, I'm just beginning to. But I'm enjoying the parts I know now."

Caroline rolled her eyes and looked away from him.

She heard him sigh. "Great cities, and art, and music. Maybe one day you'll let me show it all to you."

They didn't stay at the restaurant for dessert. Klaus drove Caroline straight home. It wasn't a silent drive, though; Caroline couldn't keep her mouth shut. She couldn't help it; she just didn't know him well enough to be comfortable all the time with silence when she was around him.

But she knew she needed to stop talking. "Are you close with all your siblings?" Caroline thought this might be a safe topic for discussion; she had noticed how he skirted around the subject of his parents, but he often had a softer, even warm, smile whenever he mentioned his siblings. She had wanted to press more, to find out about his parents, but she was afraid that if she did push, he could close up completely. Look what happened when she asked about his other dates? She had to pry that information from him.

"We are rather close in age, but we're not all terribly close-knit."

When he didn't elaborate, Caroline tried to think of a way to keep him talking. But he surprised her by doing so on his own.

She learned that, out of his siblings, he was closest with Rebekah, though claimed his brother Elijah as his closest friend. Elijah knows Klaus the best; he is almost always one step ahead of Klaus — either preventing him from sneaking out or stopping him before he could play a prank on Kol or Rebekah. Elijah was the one Klaus went to for advice, for things he didn't understand; Rebekah was the one he'd confess things to. He had never really been close with Finn, his other elder brother. And while he loved his younger brother Kol, he found him to be irritating and infuriating, which was why they could never be in the same room together for too long.

Caroline laughed as he pulled up outside of her house and turned off his truck; after unbuckling their seatbelts, neither of them made a move to leave.

"I told you about my family; tell me about yours" Klaus was embarrassed that he had spoken at such length about his siblings; he wasn't sure if he continued chatting because of the love he had for his siblings or because he enjoyed having Caroline listen to him. For one who speaks all the time, she was an incredible listener.

She shrugged. "There isn't much to say. I'm the only child of the town sheriff."

"What about your father?"

"He moved away when I was eleven, after he realized he was gay and no longer wanted to be married to my mom. He lives just a few towns over, but I barely see him anymore. He has a new life that I don't fit so neatly into."

"I can't imagine anyone not wanting you in his life."

He wasn't an expert on comfort, she knew, but she could tell that he was trying, and that had to count for something.

But she teased him anyway. "You're not just too biased, are you?"

"Not at all."

He moved closer to her. He cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb along her cheekbone, watching as her eyes searched his in anticipation.

He leaned in close, but instead of pressing his lips to hers in a kiss, he placed his lips on the pulse point of her neck. He smirked against her skin. "I like the small fluttering of your pulse. I can tell you're excited and anxious." He pulled away to show her that he wasn't going to push her or take advantage of the situation. He would go at her speed, do what she wanted.

Her body was hot all over. She had liked the way his lips felt on her neck, liked the smell of him, and she really liked how his body had been so close to hers. She licked her lips and leaned in, pecking his softly as he held her chin between his index finger and thumb.

He liked being kissed by her. He liked that her lips were sweet and soft. Caroline looked like she could use someone to get lost in, and Klaus wanted that very much to be him.

She kissed him back, her hands resting on his thighs. She kept the kiss sweet, too, turning her head to the side to open her mouth wider to him, moaning softly when she felt his tongue slide into her mouth.

It had been a long time since Caroline had kissed someone. And even then, it hadn't been like this with Tyler. There was something about Klaus that was drawing her in, making her want to lose herself inside of him, and help him to do the same.

He opened his eyes and she found herself getting lost in the deep blue.

She pulled back slightly, trying to regain her senses — she noticed that her mind clouded over whenever she was too close to him.

"Travelling the world with a boy I barely know?" She brought them back to his earlier proposition. "Sounds risky. And dangerous. And unwise."

"I would never let anything happen to you," he whispered. She closed her eyes as he inched closer and kissed her harder.

Caroline didn't know how to explain the emotions that came over her just then. Maybe she was getting a little lightheaded from their kissing and the inherent lack of oxygen, but she liked the way his words sounded territorial and predatory. It turned her on that he wanted to protect her, that he was promising to keep her safe. Caroline was always taking care of everyone else in her world — she was the one who worked so hard to fix everything or to make sure things ran as smoothly as possible — but no one ever took the time to take care of her; no one ever even asked if she needed taking care of.

Klaus really was different from anyone she had ever known.

He ended the kiss, but remained close. She could feel his lips moving against hers when he spoke again.

"Go to the prom with me."

Caroline's smiled vanished as she sat up straighter and pulled away from him. "What?"

"Prom. Let's attend together."

She dropped her gaze and shifted so that they were no longer touching in any way. "Is that a request or a command?"

"Come on, love; go with me."

"No." She spoke with such determination.

His smirk faded quickly. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to go."

"It could surprise you; it could live up to, or even exceed, your expectations."

She could feel her anger rising. Why was he pushing this? "What's in it for you?"

Klaus sat silently and wasn't looking at her; Caroline didn't need any words from him to confirm her suspicions.

"So what has this been for you — all of this? Just so you could create a little drama? Start a new rumour, maybe? What, exactly?"

He scoffed. "So now I need a motive for being with you?"

"You tell me, because it kind of feels like you're going through a checklist. 'Meet up with her when she's out with her friends'; check. 'Get her to go to the party by the falls'; check. 'Get back in her good graces'; check. 'Take her to prom'; checkmark pending." She ticked off an imaginary agenda in front of her with her finger every time she said 'check.'

"You have issues. Did you know that?"

"Answer the question, Klaus!"

"Nothing! There is nothing in it for me. Merely the pleasure of your company." It was a lie, but now was not the time to start telling her the truth. Not about this.

Caroline wasn't buying it. "You know, I feel like every time we hang out, or whatever this is, that I'm spilling my guts to you, yet I know almost nothing about you." She backed away even further from him.

"You want to know where I was last year. Is that was all of this has been about for you?" Klaus was trying to control his temper, but he could feel the edges of the flames lapping up around him.

"No," she replied with a scoff. "But that is an excellent example of how you never open up to me. I feel like we've been spending all this time together, yet I hardly know you at all! You never tell me anything. You skirt around or just plain dodge anything even remotely personal."

He clenched his jaw to hold back the temper-driven words that wanted to come out; he settled for giving her a glare. "You know, this has been a fun evening, but I think it's time for you to get out of my truck."

She didn't move; she didn't even remove her gaze from his. "You were telling me how you never really feel connected to anyone and how you spend so much time by yourself. I get it now," she said with a slight nod. "It's so obvious: you don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them." She opened the truck's door and got out. But just before shutting the door, she turned to face him again. "And here's a tip for you: if you want to connect with people, you actually have to open up. You can't just get by with charming and manipulating people. That's not how it works. You have to open up eventually." She turned, slammed the door shut, and walked around his truck to cross the street and enter her house. She never even gave him a glance-back. Or a chance to respond.

As Caroline walked away, Klaus realized that, apart from his family, no one had ever spoken to him with such honesty. Perhaps because they were scared or maybe because he just never let anyone speak that way to him.

Caroline sure knew how to leave an impression.

Klaus slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

From inside, Caroline watched his truck peel away from the curb outside her house and race down the street.

He couldn't get her words out of his head as he drove away from her house. "You don't connect with people because you don't even try to understand them."

She was right. He could admit that to himself; he could see the glaringly obviousness of her statement.

He was completely fine with not being close to anyone other than his siblings. He was better on his own — trusting people got you hurt, and he had been raised not to trust anyone.

Yet, he found himself wanting to connect with her. With Caroline. He wanted her to know about his past, but he was afraid that she would run.

Klaus's jaw clenched when he thought of how the arrogant Lockwood had described her as only 'decent-enough looking.' She was stunning, gorgeous, lovely, and radiant.

She was beautiful.

As he pulled up to a stop light and waited for the light to turn green, he glanced to his left and saw a drunken homeless man in the median who had apparently decided that he didn't need to wear pants today — it was an underwear-only sort of day for this chap.

Klaus pulled out his wallet, took the wad of money that Tyler gave him for the prom, and handed it to the homeless him.

"Find some trousers, mate."

The homeless man smiled at him.

When the light turned green, Klaus pulled away. The homeless man waved him off.

Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie spent that Wednesday evening together in Elena's bedroom; Caroline had a rare evening off because the prom committee was actually ahead of Caroline's schedule — pleasantly shocking and nearly unheard of. But Caroline was nothing if not organized, and she hoped to spread that organizational prowess to her committee members; it appears to have worked.

"Quick question, Care," Elena said. She was currently painting Bonnie's fingernails while Caroline was lying on her bed. "Are you going to the prom?"

"Ugh," Caroline groaned and threw her head into the pillow. Again with the prom?

"Sorry I asked," Elena muttered.

Caroline sighed and sat up. She really was being too dramatic. "Listen, I know you hate missing out and having to sit at home because I'm not Suzy High School, contrary to popular belief."

"I just want a night of teenage normalcy, Caroline. But our agreement stipulates that I can't go if you don't. And I don't want to end our friendship. But this is prom. You planned it, so we all know it will be amazing. And I want to go, but I can't because you don't feel like it." Elena said all that while painting the nails on Bonnie's left hand; she never looked up once.

"It's okay, Elena. If you want to end our deal, that's fine. It won't end our friendship. Seriously. That was a rather dramatic stipulation anyway. Go ahead; go out on a date. Go to prom. It's fine."

"And have you disappointed in me because I broke our deal? No way, Care."

"Elena—"

"No." Elena finally looked up, finished with the current coat of nail polish on Bonnie's hands. "I promised I wouldn't date until graduation unless you did, and I intend to keep that promise."

Caroline narrowed her eyes, only slightly, at her friend. "Are you trying to guilt-trip me into going?"

Elena shrugged and tried to look innocent. "Maybe?"

"Sorry, Elena. Even if I wanted to go, the one guy who asked me will never actually go with me now."

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked, looking up from inspecting Elena's work on her nails. "Are you talking about Klaus?"

Caroline nodded, not looking at either of her friends. "He asked me and I blew him off, but not before making some horrible accusations about him."

"I'm sure it's not unfixable," Bonnie said, trying to comfort her friend.

She shook her head softly. "I'm not so sure." She gave a tiny shrug. "But I can't go to prom now, anyway. There isn't enough time to shop for the perfect dress."

"We'll help you look for one, Care."

She shook her head at her friends. "I'll pass. But seriously, Elena. Go. Tell Damon 'yes,' and go have fun." She did her best to smile a genuine smile for her friend.

"Did you ask her?"

Klaus clenched his jaw. "Yes."

"And?"

"And nothing. She refused me."

Klaus was sitting at the Grill Wednesday evening, still thinking about Caroline's words. "You have to open up eventually." He was still contemplating her suggestion when Matt and Stefan cornered him and joined him. Most unwelcome.

"What happened?"

"The details are neither important nor any of your business. The point is: she won't go. I've failed."

"So you give the money back to Tyler. No big deal. You tried."

Klaus's eyes darkened. "I can't give it back. There is no more money; it's gone."

"You spent it all?! On what?"

"It doesn't matter. It's gone and I'm screwed."

"Or you could try again," Matt spoke up.

"What?"

"Try a different approach with Caroline," he suggested. "What do you have to lose?"

"My dignity," Klaus muttered.

"Your dignity won't help you with Tyler. Or Caroline."

When Klaus didn't say anything, Matt continued. "Dude, I mean it: try again. Go for something super cheesy and romantic. She may roll her eyes at it, but she will definitely love it. Trust me."

While he didn't disagree with Matt, Klaus had no idea how to be romantic. Sure, some people may view his art as romantic, but he already knew how to draw. Was he supposed to learn how to recite poetry for Caroline? That went far beyond the reaches of his deal with Lockwood.

Klaus groaned. "You may be correct, Donovan. But stop referring to me as 'dude.' " Matt nodded, quickly. "How am I supposed to know what she'll appreciate as a romantic gesture? Do I look like I know anything about romance?!"

"Is all of the money gone, or just most of it?" Stefan was asking Klaus the question, but he was focused on the phone in his hands.

"Does it matter?"

"Possibly." Stefan held up his phone. "I just received a text from Elena and I have an idea."