Author's note: After working on my Klarosummer Bingo writing and in between my upcoming Sweet Swap gift exchange fic, I'm finally back with a new chapter! Special thanks to Januarywren for asking if I could include a flashback scene of when Klaus volunteered to sign the paperwork to help Caroline. Also, thank you to redbudrose for requesting a bonding moment with Klaroline where they discuss the baby and their future. I hope you both enjoy the scenes!
"Well, that's just bloody perfect. Just what this family needs — another prick," Rebekah grumbled, trying and failing to mask her absolute delight as she stared at the ultrasound photo.
Caroline kept impatiently wiping away tears, not entirely sure when she'd started crying, but that stubborn little cantaloupe had finally moved into the right position for the doctor to determine the sex, and now it was official. "We're having a boy," Caroline laughed, pulling her friend in for a hug, leaving them both hysterical, crying messes. Fortunately, the private suite Elijah had curated for Caroline at the hospital afforded them the privacy they needed to cry out their feelings without disturbing anyone.
"We're having a boy," Rebekah echoed excitedly, sniffling as she tried unsuccessfully to blot away the smeared makeup patches on what once was a gorgeous peach silk organza blouse.
Giggling, Caroline teased, "That might be a lost cause."
Snorting, Rebekah nodded at Caroline's daffodil sundress. "That outfit was unfortunate before the mascara streaks."
"Your face is unfortunate," Caroline retorted, ducking as her friend playfully threw a pillow. As it went sailing by, she couldn't help but notice the luxurious cashmere. In a hospital? Elijah really had spared no expense. He'd been very excited the other day to announce that he'd ensnared several medical humans "of impeccable pedigrees that demonstrated fine characteristics such as endurance and agility along with keen intellect."
Caroline couldn't decide if he was building a hospital staff or breeding dogs, but he'd been uncharacteristically giddy, so she'd nodded and smiled in all the right places and did her best not to groan out loud when he asked her to review resumes of the THREE backup teams he wanted on call for when she went into labor.
When she went into labor. The thought filled her with excitement and anxiety and seriously she needed to revise all of her pre-labor lists, during labor lists, post-labor lists and she was 34 weeks and the obstetrician mentioned that her labor could begin any time after 36 weeks. 36 weeks! That felt too soon. It was all too soon!
"I don't know what I'm doing," Caroline blurted out, dropping the ultrasound photo back onto the side table, her voice high and panicky as she told her friend, "I was barely ready for a human baby and now I might be having the werewolf-flavored version?!" Blue eyes widened as she shakily asked, "Will I be able to breastfeed? I know it's supposed to be better for the baby and to help strengthen our bond, but...FANGS! Seriously, will there be fangs when the baby comes out? How does breastfeeding work with FANGS," she whisper-shouted.
Rebekah couldn't hide her amusement as she chuckled, "Caroline, that's not how the werewolf gene works; it's a matter of —"
"But what if my son wants fluffy bunnies or maybe squirrels? Oh, my god — adorable little squirrels that just scamper around minding their business and my toddler wants to nom nom on them like Cookie Monster, but I don't want to squirrel-shame my toddler if that's nutrition his little wolfy body needs!"
Rebekah let out gales of delighted laughter, body shaking as she wiped away tears. "You really are my favorite human." Suddenly, her tone became wistful as she added, "I just wish there were others who could be so accepting of what we are. Not every human understands..."
"You're worried about Matt," Caroline shrewdly observed. "I won't lie — getting thrown into these supernatural shenanigans hasn't been easy." The hit and run. The kidnapping. The charming asshat with dimples. "When I learned the truth, there was a lot of relearning facts that I thought I knew about you and your family." She hesitated, toying with the delicate silver daisies on her bracelet, not wanting to hurt Rebekah. "It felt like a betrayal; I mean, I understand that you couldn't tell me the truth right away, but there were just so many crazy stories you told me and looking back, I'm embarrassed I was so gullible."
The stricken look on Rebekah's face was heartbreaking and Caroline immediately told her, "Hey, no, I didn't mean..." she trailed off, sniffling. "You're my best friend and I wouldn't hurt you for the world."
"And I didn't want to put you in harm's way," Rebekah protested, her lips trembling as though she was biting back a sob. "You couldn't know...these things always go the same way for me — I finally find a connection with someone, work up the courage to tell them who I am, and they never..." she glanced away, shaking her head as she hoarsely whispered, "They're always so afraid. I nearly choke on their fear. I can't watch Matt turn from me when he finds out I'm a monster..."
In a flash, Caroline could see it — a life lived too long, indulging in the world but never being a part of it. It must be so lonely. "You're not a monster. And Matt will see that — just like I did," she told her friend vehemently, "I wasn't afraid of you. When you guys rescued me, all I saw was my friends. My family."
Rebekah smiled through her tears, telling her, "You're the rarest of humans — you possess a good heart. It's why I was so nervous when my brothers came around because they're so dangerous." Glancing down at her open palms, she shrugged hopelessly as she admitted, "I'm dangerous."
"But it's not who you guys were with me," Caroline gently reminded her, "You were the woman having a bad day who I shared my cake with. And Klaus was just this overbearing asshat who stormed into my work while I was doing inventory and tried to pick another fight with me."
"And then Nik turned into a petty, jealous schoolboy and compelled Matt away. That's when I knew I could stop worrying about him."
Caroline rolled her eyes as she snorted, "Yeah, we really bonded there — I thought he was being patronizing but actually he's just really bad at apologies." Shaking her head, she wryly added, "and then I somehow bonded with Kol when he held my hair during a bout of morning sickness."
Rebekah shook her head, lips twitching as she recalled, "I stopped worrying about Kol and Elijah when Kol tattled about you working at that dodgy pub. I'd never seen them so eager to go running to Nik."
"And as much as it pissed me off that your brothers kept minding my business, I know it came from a place of love." She impulsively pulled Rebekah in for another hug. "You and Matt have plenty of time — he's not going anywhere. And one day, we'll figure out a way to approach Matt when you're both ready." Snorting, she added, "And if it doesn't work out, I'll just have Klaus eat him."
Sharing your cake and offering to have your boyfriend eat people — those were the marks of true friendship.
A few weeks later...or, in which Caroline still thinks it feels too soon.
The fox was glaring at the grapes. Caroline stared, fascinated by the exquisite detail of the fox's reddish-brown fur, almost convinced that if she ran her hand over the animal's pelt, she would feel the thick bristles. Klaus had exceeded all of her expectations when he offered to fill the baby's nursery with murals of Aesop's Fables. He'd put such care into illustrating some of her favorites — "The Fox & the Grapes", "The Wolf and the Crane", "The Rose and the Butterfly", and "The Crow and the Pitcher" — and she was overwhelmed by the perfection of every brushstroke. Of the love she saw there.
It was stupid that it took them so long to get here, to admit to each other what they felt. She should've known the moment he'd volunteered to be named in the termination of parental rights court documents.
Caroline bit back an angry sob as she read over her research again. This country loved to brag about its freedoms and then suffocate its citizens with bureaucracy. She flung a pink highlighter out the bedroom door, and then several blocks of Post-Its followed.
"Easy love," Klaus unexpectedly said, gracefully moving out of the way. When he spied her tears, his teasing grin became serious as he asked sharply, "What's happened?"
She heaved a helpless sigh, raking through her tangled curls as she read from the government site, "In the State of Virginia, the parental rights of one parent only can be terminated if there is a third party willing to fill that role, such as a step-parent." Temper flaring, she shouted, "Single parent households can be perfectly stable and how dare the State of Virginia try to dictate what makes a family and say that I can't provide a loving and safe environment for my baby just because I'm on my own?!"
"Sweetheart, you aren't alone." At her squeak of surprise, he mumbled awkwardly, "I mean, not if you don't want to be. I'd um...like to help you."
She chuckled wetly, swiping at her tears as she asked sarcastically, "How? Do you know a guy who knows a guy?" At his confused expression, she rolled her eyes, sheepishly muttering, "I just thought with Rebekah being so weirdly secretive about the family business that maybe it might be, you know, the 'family business' and maybe you guys were connected to like a capo or a don or something."
Klaus' stunned expression quickly morphed into delight, and he let out a startled laugh that grew and grew until Caroline began to giggle despite her fury at her country's reinforcement of outdated social constructs. "It's not related to the mob. We're...complicated. Although, if we were a mob family, I definitely would be the don," he told her with a wink.
Rolling her eyes, she said, "I've got to stop watching those Godfather movies with Kol. He keeps insisting it's research so he can be a proper godfather to the baby. He also has some strong opinions about Pope Charles VI and how he apparently 'cocked up a perfectly good trade deal because he was bad at cards' when he exchanged Sardinia for Sicily. I swear, your whole family seems to have the most random historical facts memorized."
Clearing his throat, Klaus hurriedly said, "Yes, well, we have...eclectic hobbies."
"Did you mean it," Caroline blurted out, unable to stop her chaotic thoughts after Klaus' incredibly sweet offer. "About wanting to help me?"
He knelt before her, gray eyes warm and gentle as he took her hands in his. "Of course, love. Would you consider naming me as the third party in the court documents?" He shyly ducked his head telling her, "I don't wish to take advantage, but I care about you a great deal...and I think we have this connection...and um...but please don't feel obligated to...that is to say, only if you feel it too..."
She couldn't help but be charmed by how Klaus stumbled over his words. Normally, his smooth, seductive style easily made her blush, but it was these moments of awkward, naked honesty that really did it for her. She quickly nodded, sputtering out reassurances that she didn't have any expectations, but then he pressed a searing kiss to her lips that somehow took away her fears.
"Savoring your freedom from the garish neon lights of my brother's home," Klaus asked, stepping into the nursery to place a kiss on her cheek.
She couldn't deny that she breathed a sigh of relief when she and Rebekah finally were able to move back into their home. Lately, Kol had started a blog that was nothing but videos of Jerky, and while she adored the feisty little kitten, the 'golden hour' videos that he repeatedly shot just after sunrise made her want to replace his cologne with lighter fluid.
"Kol kept having the architect add stripper poles in random places during the remodeling of our house and Rebekah finally threatened to tell Elijah about what really happened to his original manuscript of The Canterbury Tales. It had something to do with cupcake frosting in a spray can and a fire-eating contortionist." Shuddering slightly, she added, "It's Kol, so I've learned when to not have follow-up questions."
Letting out a soft chuckle, Klaus wrapped her in his arms as they admired the colorful murals on the nursery walls. Caroline allowed herself to sink into his touch, wondering if he'd give her a back rub later. Her lower back had been hurting even more than usual today and Klaus gave the best massages. "Your work is amazing," she murmured, blue eyes alight with wonder as she followed the graceful lines of the wolf kneeling before the sleekly beautiful crane from one of her favorite fables. "Thank you for this. You Mikaelsons always gift big, but this time, you shared this piece of yourself that's special and irreplaceable." She leaned back, breathing in his tangy scent and captured his lips with a slow, sweet kiss.
"I love you and wanted to give you something beautiful. For you and your son..." Klaus placed a hand to her swollen belly, a pleading, wistful hint to his tone as he corrected himself with, "Our son?"
She liked the sound of that. Heart fluttering, Caroline put her hand on top of his. "This is all new to both of us, you know? But I love you and even though we're taking things slow, this is what I want. You and me and our son."
A loud crash downstairs followed by Rebekah's indignant screeching and Elijah's stern, lecturing voice echoed throughout the house, and then they heard the telltale whoosh of Kol making a hasty exit. Caroline and Klaus exchanged a knowing glance, and Klaus smirked, "Plus the rest of our family...sometimes."
An indulgent smile touched Caroline's lips and she rubbed her cheek against Klaus' stubble, wanting to savor this beautifully flawed moment that was so perfectly them.
And that's when she felt a gush of fluid as her water broke.