What's that? Is it a bird? A plane? No, it's Clarity updating her story (fucking finally).
I'm really sorry for anybody who liked this enough to give it a shot...I'm the worst updater ever. I won't bore you with any excuses and just let you read this chapter, which took ages to finish and has some important stuff going on. Just FYI: I'm interested in many things, but nearly clueless about art. So, if anybody feels like it's unrealistic to have a painting from a very famous artist featured...well, get over it, it's fanfiction.
Enjoy!
"So let me get this straight: you punched another pupil and you managed to have him get detention and obligatory sessions with the guidance counsellor?"
Rebekah and Caroline exchanged an amused look and nodded. "Sounds about right."
"And you won't tell me why you deemed it necessary to rearrange some boy's face?"
Klaus asked, voice suspicious and eyes staring down the two blondes.
"Correct." Rebekah answered, busying herself with her phone again, making her brother turn to Caroline for answers instead. But she shook her head.
"Sorry, it's for your own good to not know all the details. Bottom line is, that we took care of everything, Rebekah won't be taken away by CPS and suffer any consequences besides the detention."
The older Mikaelson leaned back in his chair and examined the two women in front of him suspiciously. Caroline had put on a bright, but incredibly ingenuine smile and Rebekah had already opted out of the conversation as if it did not involve her at all and been lost to the world of social media. To be honest, he had been quite surprised when Caroline had asked him to come to dinner at her place on a weekday. She was usually still working when he had already left his job (which he hated more and more every day) and he sometimes stopped by with take-out for Rebekah or she ordered for them. Naturally, he had not done so in the last few weeks when his mind had been plagued by their complicated family history. The shame he felt for avoiding his sister and tiny amount of fear he had of Caroline's reaction if he did not show up made him take a cab from his office straight to Caroline's apartment – a luxury he would probably regret at the end of the month.
And now he was sitting opposite of the two blondes, who obviously kept way too many details about Rebekah's boxing match for themselves. Why Caroline felt the need to tell him about it at all was a mystery to him – to be honest, he supposed or because she figured he might hear it from one source or the other.
"Okay" the vivacious young woman clapped her hands to get everyone's attention (as if his was not constantly on her) and stood up. "Since this matter is settled, why don't we finally eat? What is everybody craving? I could eat some Chinese tonight."
Noting her obvious demand for deflection, Klaus let the matter go for now. "I'm not particularly picky, love. You two can decide."
"Ugh, not Chinese again. Can't we have Mexican or something?" Rebekah groaned, looking up at her foster mother with that petulant look of hers he knew rather well.
"Beks, I get acid reflux from spicy food. You know that."
"So? Don't order anything spicy then. 'Contenta' has great mild quesadillas for wimps."
Now it was the older blonde's turn to groan. "Fine. But we're eating Chinese tomorrow."
Rebekah shrugged. "As long as we get dessert from Enzo, fine."
Caroline shook her head and took her phone to pull up the restaurant's menu, while Klaus once again marveled at their domestic routine. They always seemed to disagree on everything but still managed to compromise in one way or another. Knowing how stubborn his little sister could be and how much of a pushover he usually was in her presence, it was quite a positive development.
The dinner was spent listening to Rebekah and Caroline argue about her English paper ("Wikipedia is not a source, Rebekah!"), talking about cheerleading practice ("That chick Lindsay sucks as captain. Gabby would be so much better, I can't wait 'til Lindsay graduates and Gabby takes over.") and Rebekah bursting into a bout of laughter when they told her that Klaus would accompany Caroline to her work charity event.
"But seriously, you won't take me but decide to bring Nik along instead? You do realize that he worked at his college's newspaper and regularly made fun of rich people, mainstream media and the like?" The younger Mikaelson mentioned seriously, trying to suppress one last fit of giggling by taking a big bite of her cheesy food.
"And you do realize that I can forbid you from seeing Cami in the future and probing for embarrassing details of my life?" Klaus grumbled, ignoring Caroline's amused look and the blush that was most certainly creeping up on his face.
"Ah, the artsy type, who spits on society's rules and the upper class. Kat's twin was like that at her college. That is until she settled down with her high school sweetheart, who comes from an old-money family and works as a doctor."
"Oh my God, there's two of them?" Rebekah shrieked, face revealing pure terror, making Klaus chuckle and Caroline shake her head in disapproval.
"Elena is nothing like Kat. I've met her a couple of times and they couldn't be more different."
"Duh. Katherine has already absorbed all the evil in this world; her sister's probably a saint."
"Hey, why don't you stop bashing my best friend and go work on your paper instead? Try finding some legitimate sources and then I'll proof-read it."
"What? You two can chill and drink wine while I have to go to my room and do homework? How's that fair?"
"Do you want to trade your tests and papers for budget planning, dealing with anchormen and women with overblown egos and a sexist board of old-ass rich dudes, who can't wait to see you screw up so they can finally recruit a man for the position again?"
Rebekah was stunned to silence, as was Klaus. "Okay, okay, I'll go. Don't have sex on the dining table."
"Rebekah!" Klaus erupted, face now definitely red of embarrassment. He suddenly regretted having encouraged his sister to be so outspoken and confident growing up.
Caroline's cheeks had reddened as well and hell, it might actually prove a challenge to listen to Rebekah's request if she looked so goddamn adorable.
He cleared his throat and took a sip of the fruity wine Caroline liked to drink. "Anything you want to talk about, love?"
The blonde shook her head and let out a short laugh. "Nah, everything's fine. Nobody's actively trying to get me fired or anything. There are just too many women in leadership positions at CBS and I have to work twice as hard to not seem like I'm bad at my job. But I'm good in stress situations."
"You sure?" He looked at her closely, trying to decipher the look in her eyes. Alas, he supposed he did not know her well enough yet, since Caroline just shrugged it off and refilled his glass.
"Absolutely. Once this gala is over, I'll feel like a human again. What about you?"
He put his fork down after finishing the last bite and looked at her surprised. "What about me?"
"You hate your job at the insurance company."
"What makes you think that?"
Caroline pursued her lips and leaned back, watching him closely. "Well, let's see. You've been miserable ever since you started working there. First, I thought it was because you're working two jobs, but then Rebekah confirmed that you hate it. And Cami. And Marcel."
Klaus raised an eyebrow at the last part. "When did you talk to Marcel?" Because, seriously, were they meeting each other in secret and he was completely oblivious to it?
"Oh, he remembered that I went to Columbia too and asked me if I knew anything about his thesis advisor, but that's not important right now. Point is: you're miserable at your job."
Klaus could not help but sigh and slump back in his chair. It was true, even if he had tried to hide it (not very successfully as it seemed): he hated his job. If there was an environment Klaus Mikaelson could not thrive, but rather wither away in, it was an office space. He could do manual labor, work at bars and cafés, hell, he'd once grilled burgers at a seedy diner in Queens. But there was nothing more soul-sucking for him than being a clerk at an insurance company. The chances of getting custody of Rebekah back and the health insurance the company offered were the only reasons he had not quit on his second day.
"It is not ideal, I have to admit. But the benefits outweigh the detriments."
Caroline looked at him frowning. "Is it really beneficial to Rebekah if you manage to reclaim custody but work yourself into a depression?"
He chuckled bitterly. "I highly doubt it will come to that, love. Besides, my choices are rather limited in that regard. I'm a college drop-out and my CV is all over the place with the random jobs I have worked in the past years. I take what I can get."
The blonde frowned somberly. "Have you tried looking into something a bit more interesting to you? Like, a job at a museum or something? It'd probably be boring too, but at least it would have something to do with art."
He smiled at her hopeful tone but shook his head. "I have applied for various job postings at several different museums and art galleries, but there were never any positive responses. It is difficult to convey a lifelong interest in art and a nearly finished degree if you can't even get invited to a job interview."
Caroline looked at him compassionately and did not say anything for a moment. "Hey, maybe I can get you an in somewhere? I've had artists as show guests and we have so many connections in the city."
Klaus grimaced and shook his head lightly. "Thank you for the offer, love. But you have done so much for my family already and I don't know how I can ever repay your kindness. There's no need for you to go job hunting for me as well."
The beautiful blonde looked at him thoughtfully for a moment and he was expecting her to protest. Alas, she sighed after a while and reached for her glass. "Okay, if you say so."
Much sooner than Klaus would have liked, it was time for the charity gala. He had spent days and nights pondering ways to approach Elijah Cadogan, ideas to start conversations or considered trying to be invisible next to Caroline's radiance and just spend the night remaining unnoticed and leave without ever being withing speaking distance to his half-brother. The latter term still felt weird to think, let alone say out loud. He had to stop himself from googling him or Freya multiple times a day and was honestly relieved that he never understood social media well. God only knows how obsessively he would stalk them otherwise.
But before he could even go to that big party, he needed to find a way to get himself dressed properly. He had spent hours and hours in the last two weeks looking through thrift shops to find something somewhat appropriate for the evening. As of now – the Friday a week before the event on the next Saturday – he had not found anything remotely fitting and was starting to panic slightly. Not that he had ever bothered to spend much time shopping – his way of dressing was rather casual but put together. The only thing that could possibly be considered as something resembling a personal style was his penchant for understated jewelry. Rebekah loved to tease him about it, but he was an artist, sue him.
He voiced his troubles to Marcel, who was working the bar with way too much enthusiasm, like usually. It could also be the fact that his thesis was done, and this would be one of his last shifts before he started his first job post college at the city hall. Klaus was happy for his friend's achievement, even though he could not convey it as openly as normal people might.
"Dude, you're not going to this fancy party in a hand-me-down suit. Are you crazy? Do you want people to mock Caroline for her choice of escort?"
The grumpy man across the bar glared at him. "Thank you Marcel, for echoing my own concerns so delicately. What else am I supposed to do? I'm not really capable of putting 15,000 dollars towards a proper tuxedo."
His friend shook his head amused and threw the dishrag over his shoulder. "Most people aren't. But lucky for you, your best friend had to attend social functions mingling with politicians aplenty. I know just the place."
Not really having another choice, Klaus agreed to meet Marcel the next morning at a specific address somewhere in Manhattan. He would rather accept his friend's help in the matter than take Caroline's offer of renting a suit for him. Honestly, he could not burden the poor soul with all his problems.
Marcel was leaning against the wall of the building next to the shop he had talked about, coffee in hand and looking like a bloody Abercrombie and Fitch model (which he had been for a while during his undergrad studies) at this ungodly hour. He handed him the second coffee and Klaus nodded appreciatively. Then he beckoned him to follow him inside.
Inside the small but well-stocked shop, Marcel greeted the young man working on a mannequin warmly. "Tristan, buddy, how's it going?"
The man with the measuring tape hanging from his neck got up from his crouching position and approached Marcel with a smile. "Marcel! Is it already time for your graduation suit?"
They shook hands and his friend grinned. "Not yet. But my friend here is attending a super fancy event next week and needs to look his very best."
The man called Tristan turned to look him up and down, disapproval evident once he got to his worn-out boots. "Does your friend have a name?"
Klaus scoffed. "I fail to see how that is relevant. I just need to find something I can wear without making an arse of myself among the rich folk."
Tristan raised an eyebrow at his words, but Marcel just chuckled. "Don't worry, Klaus is more bark than bite. He also wants to look nice for the pretty young lady he's accompanying."
"I'm leaving now."
Before he could even turn around, Marcel had already grabbed his arm and was steering him towards a floor-length mirror next to the changing room at the back of the shop. Next thing he knew, Tristan had started taking his measurements and Marcel flopped down at the armchair next to the mirror, sipping his coffee with relish.
Even though Klaus was not thrilled by the young man groping him from head to toe, at least he was efficient and finished soon. Then he flittered away, looking through various racks and picking up a suit here, a shirt there. Marcel followed his path and protested when Tristan moved towards the pieces near the register. "Don't bother even looking there, Tristan. We're working with a tight budget here."
Klaus frowned at his words but was secretly thankful he had spoken up on his behalf. He had a certain budget to spend after all and as much as he liked Caroline, he was not willing to go into more debt for some clothes.
The shop assistant nodded and hung the three tuxedos he had picked out on a hanging rail on the other side of the mirror. He showed and handed Klaus the first suit, who immediately shoved it back towards him once he saw the price tag on the jacket. "I wouldn't consider 5,000 dollars within my budget."
Tristan frowned but did not say anything. Marcel shot him a look, which he had come to recognize as his "Tone down your attitude, buddy!" stare. Of course, even Klaus had noticed that he was unreasonably rude to the young man, but he had a lot on his mind and revealing his finances to some stranger, who was trying to dress him, was not exactly how he preferred to spend his past time.
Tristan handed him the other suit, which was at least half the price of the other and Klaus resigned himself to his fate. He went into the changing room and stepped outside soon after. The suit was well-made, and the dark blue was working well with his eyes and hair color, but it did not fit him very well. Marcel and Tristan seemed to think alike, both shaking their heads and Klaus walked back into the changing room with Tristan handing him the other tux left hanging.
This one did fit him properly and he looked quite dapper in it if he might say so. Tristan swirled him like a vulture, tugging here and there and Marcel nodded appreciatively.
"Looks nice. What's Caroline wearing?"
"A dress I suppose."
Both Marcel and Tristan shot him a deadpanned look. "What color, dumbass."
"Oh…how am I supposed to know? Is that important?"
Marcel leaned back in his chair exasperated and Tristan shook his head and walked into the backroom behind the register.
"Klaus, you have to match her outfit in some way. Since this suit is black, your shirt or bowtie should at least be the same color as her dress. I can't believe I need to explain this to the guy, who uses about six different shades of blue to paint a sky."
Klaus scoffed just as Tristan returned with various ties in his hands.
"I don't think Caroline will mind if I just show up in black and white."
Marcel sighed and pulled out his phone. For a short moment, Klaus thought he might actually call the woman in question but sighed in relief when it turned out to be his sister.
"Bekah? Quick question: what color is the dress Caroline is wearing to the gala?"
He listened for a moment, grinned and said "Of course you did. Yeah, he didn't. I'll let him know. Bye."
Klaus and Tristan looked at him expectantly and he chuckled. "I'm supposed to tell you that you're an utter idiot for waiting this long to pick out your suit. Also, Rebekah chose Caroline's dress, and she apparently looks like an angel in it, so you'll have to look really sharp as well."
"The color, Marcel." Klaus sighed, only slightly irritated that his sister had another reason to harangue him for.
"It's ivory." Tristan sprang into action at these words and hurried back to the room he had just come from. Not long after, he returned with not only one but four different ivory bowties. Klaus sighed and chose the most understated one and quickly tied it around his neck. At Tristan's surprised look, he smirked. "Don't let the shoes fool you; I've worn a suit once or twice in my life."
Marcel chuckled and stood up again, facing Klaus and looking him up and down. "That reminds me: I've bought myself some pretty nice dress shoes for graduation. You can borrow them for the gala if you like."
"You don't have to give me your shoes before you even get a chance to wear them. I could just borrow some here."
His friend grimaced and he noticed Tristan shaking his head slowly. Okay, so shoes were not in the budget.
"Alright, I'd really appreciate it, Marcel."
His taller friend nodded – it was an oddity of nature that they had the same shoe size – and turned him to look in the mirror. "Now look at you, Mr. Darcy. Caroline won't be able to take her eyes off of you."
Klaus shrugged his hands off his shoulders at those words but took a moment to observe himself in the mirror. He did look nice and for the first time since the stunning blonde had invited him to the event, he felt like he would not embarrass her. At least not with his appearance.
He turned to Tristan. "Moment of truth then: how much for the suit, shirt and tie?"
The vendor produced a calculator out of thin air and quickly added some numbers. "3,500 $ all in all."
Klaus eyes budged. "I thought it was just rental! I'm not planning on buying this stuff."
Tristan shrugged apologetically. "You'd pay double the price if you were to actually buy everything."
Klaus sighed and looked down at the clothes he was wearing. There was no way he could waste so much money for this one event. He would risk not being able to pay his rent at the end of the month.
Marcel seemed to read his mind since he stepped closer to Tristan and looked at him conspiratorially. "I'm sure we could use my special discount for this occasion. Right, buddy?"
The sales rep looked at him confused, but Marcel just stared back meaningfully.
"Oh, right. Sure! Sorry, I forgot about that. That'll bring it down to 1,700 $"
Triumphantly, Marcel turned around and grinned at Klaus. "See, just 200 bucks over your budget. You'll earn that easily in tips in two weeks if you let your charm work in your favor for once."
Klaus looked at him suspiciously. There was no chance in hell that Marcel had some special discount, no matter how often he had rented suits before. Which means he was willing to cover a significant part of the cost and he was not going to stand for that.
"Marcel…" He tried to protest, but his friend shoved him into the changing room. "Get dressed so we can get this over with and go out for lunch. I haven't even really celebrated getting my masters yet!"
It took Marcel another half hour to convince him that he should just take the tux. When they finally walked out of the store, Klaus glared at his friend. "You do realize that I'm paying you back every cent. I'm not going to be indebted to you."
Marcel sighed. "Whatever you say. You could also just accept it as an early wedding gift."
Klaus frowned and looked at him confused. "What are you even talking about?"
Now the soon to be MPA just smirked widely. "Oh, you know. When you and Caroline fall madly in love with each other and one day get married, it'll just be part of your wedding present. She would get her own of course."
Klaus scoffed and paused for a moment, thoughtfully. "When not if?"
Marcel waved him off. "It's just a matter of time. Don't think I haven't seen the way your face lights up whenever you get a message from her. It's adorable, really."
Klaus shoved him away, only partly annoyed with his observation. He really hoped his little, inconvenient infatuation with Rebekah's darling foster mother was not as obvious to other people.
The day of the gala started with Klaus getting up around noon (he had squeezed in another shift the night before and had to sleep in if he wanted to avoid looking like a wandering corpse that evening), preparing himself a strong coffee to return to the land of the living and made a light lunch. Judging from Caroline's stories, he could expect a delicious and impudently expensive seven course meal that night and since he never indulged his senses like that, he did not want to spoil it by being too full from eating too much now. Once he made sure that his tux was ready to go and Marcel's shoes were polished, he had nothing to do. So, he decided to write some checks for the dreaded bills – though, he had to admit that his detested office job made it easier to pay everything on time and even had a small sum left over to add to Rebekah's college fund. He would have needed to make double shifts at the bar for that to happen before.
When he was done, he grabbed his sketch book and started doodling. After he finished his third drawing of Caroline, he felt himself reach stalker territory and quickly flipped the page over to draw less inappropriate things. Marcel in a victorious pose with this diploma in hand, Camille standing at the bar counter with a book in front of her, Rebekah on the top of a pyramid of girls waving some pom-poms, himself buried under stacks of binders and waving a white flag in capitulation. Huh, maybe he should try sending some humorous sketches to a couple of newspapers and hope for the best. When he caught himself starting another portrait of Caroline, he quickly put the book away.
He was just about to head to the kitchen to make some tea, when his front door opened, and two blondes entered his apartment. Naturally, Rebekah and Camille would both be blunt enough to not even announce themselves coming over and use his sister's key to enter unsolicited.
"Oh please, do come in. May I offer you tea, biscuits and some goddamn manners?"
Cami chuckled and Rebekah rolled her eyes and dropped her bag on his coffee table. "Why do I have a key if I can't use it? And yes, I'd like some tea and biscuits please."
Klaus shook his head at his sister's attitude but walked towards the kitchen nonetheless to prepare said beverage (he did not have any bloody biscuits).
"What brings you two here? Didn't you plan to go shopping and then to the movies?"
He asked while working and Cami answered. "We still are going to do that, but Rebekah said you would need help getting ready for tonight and I agreed."
Klaus turned around and looked at his friend with an unimpressed look on his face. "Are you going to do my make-up?"
The older blonde shook her head and started unpacking her bag. "If you want to, Bekah can do that. But you are in desperate need of a haircut."
Rebekah nodded. "And you might say no to the make-up – even though some powder would work wonders to keep your skin from getting too oily – but you gotta shave off that beard."
Klaus tried to protest; doing as his sister said would make him look about five years younger and he liked his carefully crafted stubble way too much.
"Trust me: you do not want to look anything but totally put together tonight. Caroline got her make-up and hair done by one of their studio make-up artists and she looks fantastic. You can bet that other people will bring their A-game as well."
Klaus shrugged. He really could not care less about those wealthy people playing dress up while trying to pretend to care for the charitable cause they were supporting.
"Yeah, you can't look like a slob next to her. Now sit down and shut up." Camille maneuvered him very roughly onto one of his dining chairs and put a towel on his shoulders.
"Please, at least don't cut it too short. I don't want a buzzcut or anything similarly atrocious." Cami did not answer, instead getting out some scissors, a comb and an electric razor.
Rebekah groaned. "God, just let her do her thing. Is that the tux for tonight?"
She took the suit out of the garment bag and gave it the once-over. "Surprisingly nice. I bet Marcel picked it out. And the tie matches, thank God. I have to ask Bonnie to make tons of pictures of you two. Caroline will naturally look way out of your league, but I guess we could throw some filters over it."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, sister." He grumbled and Camille chuckled – thankfully without cutting his ear with those very sharp scissors of hers.
It actually took an hour and a half until he was completely ready and dressed to the two girls' satisfaction. His shower after the haircut might have taken a bit longer only because he wanted to escape their incessant nagging and tips for the night.
Once he was ready to be picked up and walked out of his bedroom, both blondes nodded at him appreciatively. "Not bad. You could actually pass for some semi-successful businessman going through his second divorce."
Klaus shot his sister a look. Whom did she get that attitude from?
"Don't tease him, Bekah. You actually do look pretty nice and Caroline will be pleased. Speaking of which: are you getting her some flowers or something?"
"Flowers? Why?"
Cami shrugged and Rebekah groaned. "I don't know, it's a nice gesture I suppose?"
"We are not even going to arrive at the same time. She's been at the venue for hours."
"Yeah, we know that. I'm sure, it would make her smile through the stress though. She really likes gardenias."
"You know what: he's probably right. Caroline will be super busy and as nice as it would be to show up with flowers, she'll probably not even be able to appreciate the gesture or put them anywhere for safekeeping."
Rebekah shrugged. "I guess, whatever. When are you going to be picked up?"
As if on cue, his doorbell rang and he went to the intercom. It was indeed the driver, who would be taking him to the venue. He just hoped he would not show up in a damn limousine.
"Well, I guess it's time for us to go. Have fun mingling with New York's high society." Cami shot him a meaningful look – a very unsubtle hint urging him to talk to his secret family member – and gathered Rebekah to head out.
"Don't embarrass me!" His sister shouted from the hallway before the door closed.
The venue he was finally dropped off was – as he had expected – an effrontery. The building was right next to the Hudson and seemed surprisingly unassuming for such a high-profile event. Once he stepped inside however, he was blown away. Notwithstanding the lavish decorations, flowers and waiters rushing around with champagne trays, the glass-front of the main ballroom revealed an already brightly lit skyline across the river. Granted, the view as spectacular but really? He was just relieved that this event was supposed to collect money for charity instead of being a mere circle jerk for the rich and (in)-famous.
Since he had no idea where to find Caroline in the already very crowded building, he snagged a champagne flute from a waiter passing by and looked around. Unsure of what to do with himself, he spotted some paintings in the hallway leading to the ballroom. He nearly choked on his drink when he saw an original Pollock casually hanging somewhere among a couple of more obscure works.
"I'm pretty sure that's not usually there. Man, these people really love to show off their wealth."
Klaus turned to find a slender brunette in a green dress standing next to him, looking bored out of her mind. She was rather attractive but something about her screamed trouble.
"I suppose we should be grateful to the generous donor, who decided to share his privilege with us. I have to admit, I am somewhat astounded to see something exquisite like this in person."
The brunette shrugged and faced him fully, observing him while taking a sip out of her flute.
"Ah, an art connoisseur. Well, you should probably talk to this guy my ex-husband works with. He has acquired a fantastic and rare collection to compensate for his lack of free-time and stable personal life."
Bloody hell, and people called him cynical.
"Hayley? What are you doing here? The Levesques keep asking for you and your input on the recent forest fires in California."
Apparently, the universe had it out for him that day since none other than Elijah Cadogan appeared and approached his mysterious nihilistic acquaintance with an impatient look on his face. Klaus' pulse quickened. He was not prepared to face his alleged half-brother this early in the evening (if ever) and his mind was blank like a fresh canvas.
Fortunately for him, the possible couple in front of him seemed to be involved in a lover's spat and completely ignored his existence.
"They probably only want me to explain, how the historical suppression of wildfires has led to them getting worse again. Or to deny man-made climate change and its effect on said fires."
Elijah sighed. "Perhaps. But if you don't talk to them about that, I will have to explain the political system of the UK to them again and I am not willing to suffer a stroke during a charity event before the donation goal is even reached."
The stunning woman, who apparently went by the name Hayley, scoffed and emptied her glass in one go. Klaus took that moment to excuse himself very timidly and just hoped that Elijah had not paid him any attention at all.
He headed straight to the large bar and ordered a double bourbon, secretly cursing his past self on ever agreeing to come to this event in the first place.
"My, somebody looks even grumpier tonight."
Klaus sighed. The day just kept getting worse and worse. Why could he not happen to run into Bonnie or – egregious suggestion – Caroline, the woman he was actually supposed to accompany that night?
"Good evening, Katherine."
The lawyer dressed in a surprisingly revealing red gown chuckled at his annoyance and sipped her own cocktail. "I didn't know you could clean up so well. Trying to impress our Care Bear?"
Klaus emptied his glass and gestured for another round. He was much too sober to talk to this woman without any buffers between them.
"Miss Pierce? What a pleasant surprise."
Scratch that. He would converse the whole evening with Katherine alone if Elijah and his wife(?) would just get the hell away from him. Katherine seemed just as amused about the sudden appearance of her self-proclaimed arch enemy.
"Mister Cadogan. Can't really say the feeling is mutual. Who's the arm candy?"
Klaus chocked on his drink and Hayley raised an eyebrow. Apparently, Katherine did not have any filter whatsoever, no matter whom she was talking to. He really wondered how she managed to win cases in courtrooms without being disbarred.
"Pardon my impoliteness. This is Hayley Marshall, my ex-wife." Elijah seemed unperturbed by Katherine's attitude and Hayley had already mentally checked out of the conversation, while Klaus was trying to find a way to escape the situation unseen for the second time within a few minutes.
"Ah, so former arm candy. Nice to meet you. How soon did you get sick of his shit?"
Hayley snorted a laugh and patted Elijah's arm. "Alright, I'm out of whatever this is. I'll see you at the table later."
She wandered off and Klaus contemplated following her suit. Elijah seemed way too amused by Katherine's atrocious manners, and he hoped against hope that he could escape unscathed.
"Excuse me, but I'm afraid I haven't caught your name. Miss Pierce and I have butted heads in court a couple of times, and I suppose it's not easy to turn that feeling of rivalry off. Elijah Cadogan."
Klaus tried to swallow, but his throat was as parched. "Klaus Mikaelson, pleasure to meet you."
They shook hands and he had to resist the urge to blurt everything out. Where the hell was Caroline? He had hoped she would at least be present if he had the misfortune of running into Elijah. Katherine was not the calming presence he wished by his side during that momentous encounter.
"Yeah, I suppose you could call me wiping the floor with your defendant 'butting heads'."
Katherine snarked between sips of vodka and hey, at least she worked as a distraction.
Elijah turned his attention back to her and her very flattering dress. Not that he was staring at her inappropriately – his gaze was focused on her face as if he was only waiting for another quip.
"I suppose if you only count the last time we faced off, true. But I distinctly remember another case a few weeks back, where your defendant would have lost spectacularly if we had not agreed to settle."
Katherine frowned at him. "Oh, you sure know a thing or two about settling. Isn't that the modus operandi in your law firm?"
Elijah smirked, highly entertained, and Klaus seized the moment and excused himself to look for Caroline. His half-brother seemed to have a thing for rude and condescending women.
It took him another round through the venue until he finally spotted Caroline next to the staircase leading to the upper level, talking to a taller woman. Rebekah had been right; she looked like an angel and his hands itched to capture the image of her on paper. The dress was elegant and simultaneously understated and outstanding. Her blonde locks were pinned back into a delicate and practical braided up-do and she excluded an aura of confidence and calm that one would not suspect from somebody, who had to take care of 300 guests and millions of dollars.
Not wanting to interrupt her, he waited at his spot and tried not to watch her all too obviously. After quite a while, she finally spotted him and excused herself from her conversational partner. As she walked towards him in that dress and looking like that, small smile present on her face, he knew he was screwed.
"Hey you! I'm so sorry that I didn't find you earlier, but we had a tiny crisis with the caterer I had to deal with. Poor Andie is still hyperventilating in the kitchen. I hope you haven't been too bored."
Klaus chuckled, nearly all the tension he had felt having left him as soon as she stopped next to him. He was so, so screwed.
"I can't really say I have. You look ravishing, sweetheart."
Caroline waved him off, but he could see the blush spreading on her cheeks. "Thanks. You look pretty good yourself. Dinner will start soon; should we head to our table?"
He offered her his arm and she took it amusedly and led the way to one of the tables near the stage in the front, next to the windows with the stunning skyline view. A jazz band was playing softly in the background and there was a very big space in front of the stage obviously dedicated to dancing later in the evening.
"I haven't seen Elijah Cadogan yet, but uhm…I have no idea how to break this to you…"
Bonnie brought her new supervising attending as a plus one. Dr. Griffin. She's…uhm…"
She did not have to finish her sentence. At their round table near the stage a couple of people he did not recognize had already sat down. However, among them were Bonnie and a blonde woman, who seemed far too familiar. Dr. Griffin as in, Dr. Freya Griffin and his other secret half-sibling he did not expect to see this evening.
He stopped a couple of steps away from the table, blocking some people in their leisurely stroll towards their own seat and stared at the woman dumbfounded. She seemed more charming in real life than on the photos he had seen online and judging from Bonnie's and the table's other occupants' amused laughs, she knew how to entertain people.
Caroline walked around to look at him, refocusing his attention on her, face apologetic. "I'm really sorry, Klaus. I literally had no idea until Bonnie showed up. The attending, who was supposed to come with her, fell sick or something and Dr. Griffin offered to come instead. I can change the seating chart a bit, then you won't have to share a table with her."
Klaus grimaced and hoped he could convey something resembling a smile. "I don't know a lot about event planning, but I'm pretty sure you put a lot of thought into that seating chart for a reason. Don't worry about it, love. I have run into Elijah twice already."
The beautiful blonde's eyes grew wide as she stared at the revelation. "What? When? How?"
"Long story. I'm sure your friend Katherine will talk about it in great detail later."
Caroline frowned and took his hand. "I'm so, so sorry. I guess this was a stupid idea after all. Do you want to go home? I would totally understand."
He looked down at their interlocked hands and contemplated her words. Naturally, he could take her sweet offer and head out, arrive home at a reasonable hour and put some of the evening's impressions on paper or even canvas. But was that really a productive way to deal with his problems? Freya and Elijah did not even know about his and Rebekah's existence and he would probably be able to make some meaningless small talk with his secret half-sister without revealing said secret. Besides, Caroline had put a lot of effort into organizing this event and invited him so he could get an impression of these people he was related to. It would not be fair to just abandon her like that.
"It's quite alright, love. Let's just take a seat and reap the fruits of your labor."
The young woman offered him a radiant smile and he led her towards the table. Other than him, Caroline apparently knew everybody and introduced them. Her assistant, two producers, a costume designer, a camera man, two retired doctors and Bonnie and Freya. Two additional empty seats to Caroline's right indicated that Katherine would join them too, apparently with her own escort. Before he could wonder, where that person had been during her and Elijah's charged exchange earlier, the brunette whirlwind strutted towards the table with some young man in tow and quickly sat down next to her best friend, not bothering with any introductions.
"These are Katherine Pierce and Trevor Porter. They are representing their law firm Parker & Castle tonight."
This seemed to catch Freya's interest, who looked at the brunette downing her drink. "Katherine Pierce? I've heard a lot about you."
Caroline next to him tensed, watching the upcoming exchange warily. Klaus did the same, already expecting where the conversation was heading to.
"You have? I'm sorry, I haven't caught your name."
"Freya Griffin, nice to meet you."
"Oh, you're the prodigy in neurosurgery at Bonnie's hospital. She's been gushing about you non-stop."
The young doctor glared at her friend, but Freya chuckled amused. "Thank you for the endorsement, but Dr. Bennett is also one of the most promising young doctors I've had the pleasure to work with yet."
Caroline smiled proudly at her blushing friend and Katherine nodded appreciatively. "Of course, she is. Good job choosing her to work with you, you won't regret it."
Freya nodded and Klaus had to admit, that Katherine did seem to have a more human side when it came to her friends. Their interaction had been borderline polite.
"I can understand why my brother has trouble beating you in court. You're certainly not intimidated easily."
Oh boy, here we go. Caroline shot him a look and he sighed. He supposed it was really helpful that Katherine took all his half-siblings' attention and let him observe their behavior quietly without putting any focus on him.
Katherine frowned, but quickly connected the dots. "You're related to Elijah Cadogan? Really? Why?"
Freya chuckled at her words and took a sip from her glass before answering. "Indeed, we are. I'm afraid he hasn't made a good impression on you, but he's a very honorable and well-mannered person. Just a little bit…intense when it comes to his job."
"See, you have something in common, Kat." Bonnie quickly offered and their side of the table erupted into laughter.
The lawyer huffed and threw her hair over her shoulder. "Well, at least I have something like charisma and poise. Your brother could learn a thing or two from me."
Klaus stared at the brunette, still barely believing how blunt she could be to virtual strangers. Bonnie shook her head apologetically and Caroline sighed. Freya on the other hand smirked and nodded. "I'm sure he could. He does talk a lot about you."
That did manage to shut the feisty woman up and it was Bonnie and Caroline's turn to smirk.
The next hour and a half were spent with devouring the delicious several course meal and drinking finest wine and liquor. Klaus masterfully evaded any probing questions during the casual small talk between courses and Caroline jumped in to save his honor from time to time. Freya seemed lovely; she was smart, attentive, warm, humble and had a dry sense of humor he could not help but appreciate.
Once the dessert dishes were cleared up, one of CBS' board members stepped on the stage and gave an unctuous speech about the good deeds their company had been doing throughout the year, the goals for the upcoming season and how much money had already been collected for the cause. He earned a roaring applause, naturally. Before he opened the dance floor, he actually took the time to thank Caroline and Andie Star for organizing the event, which earned them some applause as well.
Caroline smiled bashfully and took a sip from her drink, waving off their table companions' compliments.
Then the jazz band upped their volume and people were flooding the dance floor, which they had a good view of from their table. One of the retired doctors asked Freya to dance, which she gently turned down, claiming to have to use the restroom and once she left the table, Klaus let out a deep breath.
"Hey, you're doing great. What's your impression on her?" Caroline whispered and he nodded.
"I appreciate the lie, love. I've been a nervous mess whenever she addressed me. But she does seem to be pretty pleasant and intelligent. One would not suspect that she comes from an aristocratic family."
"What are you two whispering about?" Bonnie asked, catching Katherine's interest as well.
"That your date is pretty awesome." Caroline answered without missing a beat.
"She's not my date! She just came with me out of pity. And to represent the hospital." The young doctor explained quickly, a barely visible blush spreading across her cheeks. Interesting.
"Yeah, she seems great. I can't believe that she's related to that dull as dishwater wannabe lawyer. Honestly, he probably just bought himself a diploma and admittance to the bar with daddy's money."
"Well, that's not the worst way I have been described yet."
Their half of the table turned their attention to none other than Elijah, who had come to a halt behind Katherine's chair and did not seem bothered by her words.
The brunette scoffed. "Color me surprised. Did you come to the US voluntarily or did they kick you out of Great Britain? I'm sure they got sick of your presence, just like I am."
Elijah sighed. "Now that's a real pity. I was just about to ask you to dance."
Klaus saw Caroline's jaw drop and he was sure his reaction was rather similar. If he ever formed some sort of connection with that illustrious brother of his, he would make sure to send him to a therapist. That penchant for punishing oneself could not be healthy.
Katherine seemed to be momentarily stunned by his request, but quickly gathered herself. She downed her champagne (how much alcohol could this woman consume without seeming drunk?) and grabbed Trevor's hand. "I'd rather do literally anything else. Come on."
Elijah watched her leave, amused smile still on his face.
"Don't take it personally. Katherine can be…intense." Bonnie addressed him, trying to salvage her friend's reputation.
He chuckled. "I have noticed. Maybe you would do me the honor and spare me from an embarrassing return to my table from an unsuccessful quest for a dance partner?"
Bonnie smiled and quickly got up and let him lead her towards the dancefloor.
Caroline watched her leave and then turned to him. "That was weird, right?"
Klaus snorted. "If that's what you want to call it, sure."
"Your secret half-brother totally has the hots for Katherine."
"I've noticed. But I suppose I can't really hold his bad taste in women against him."
Caroline chuckled and looked at her phone. "I've got to check if Andie needs any help. Do you mind if I leave you alone for a bit? It's the perfect time since they're both away."
"Of course, love. You're busy, don't feel like you have to keep me company. I won't run away, I promise."
She smiled at him and excused herself from the table. Klaus sighed deeply and ordered a drink form one of the waiters floating by. So far, this evening had shaped up to be worse than he had expected. He had barely held a decent conversation with Caroline, his lovely secret half-sister was sitting at his table and his secret half-brother was trying to woo Caroline's devil's spawn of best friend. At least the food was good.
It took quite a while for Caroline to return. Long enough, that Freya came back to the table and made him sweat bullets with her presence. She was seated directly opposite him, and the centerpiece was not high enough that he could hide behind it. With Bonnie, Katherine and Caroline gone, he was closest to conversation distance.
"Mr. Mikaelson, I'm afraid I haven't gotten the chance to talk to you. What is it that you do?"
He cringed. "I work for an insurance company and at a bar. This isn't really my scene."
Alright, he had not intended to reveal that, but Freya did not seem turned off by it.
"Understandable." She leaned forward conspiratorially and said in a hushed tone. "I hate parties like these. If it weren't for charity and Dr. Bennett needing the support, I wouldn't have attended. My brother is more used to these shindigs."
Klaus nodded, polite smile on his face. He had no idea, if she wanted to portray herself as not being snobby or if she genuinely thought this way.
"But I have to say, it is one hell of a party. Your girlfriend really knows how to organize them."
Klaus cleared his throat. "She's not my girlfriend."
Freya blinked at his words. "I apologize; I didn't want to assume things. You just seem to be enjoying each other's presence."
"I can't say I don't."
She chuckled and turned to look at her brother returning with Bonnie. He kissed her hand chastely as they reached her seat. "Thank you for the dance, Dr. Bennett. It was a pleasure."
"The pleasure is all mine." Bonnie answered and sat down.
Elijah nodded and addressed his sister. "Freya, do you have a moment?"
"You know I don't dance, Elijah."
"I know. Join me at the bar?"
Klaus watched them go and was startled when Bonnie suddenly sat down next to him.
"Klaus, be honest: are you in trouble?"
He frowned at her words, confusion evident. "I beg your pardon?"
She leaned closer and glanced towards the bar before focusing on him again. "Elijah tried to get information about you during the whole dance. Very subtly, of course, but it was unambiguous."
Klaus leaned back, too shaken to even attempt something resembling a poker face. Elijah must either suspect something or – even worse – know about his and Rebekah's existence. Maybe that was the reason that the siblings had relocated to New York? They probably thought that he was after their money and had hired a private detective to seek any illegitimate children of their father.
"So, you are in trouble. Does Caroline know? Do you need legal advice? I'm sure Katherine would help you out if necessary. She'd probably represent you for free just to piss off Elijah."
Klaus sighed and shook his head. "You're mistaken, Bonnie. I'm not in trouble but it's…complicated. Caroline does know about it though."
The young doctor stared him down, probably trying to decide if she believed him or not and if he was going to cause trouble for her friend. Her brooding was interrupted by said friend appearing at the table.
"Alright, I'm officially never organizing an event for this company ever again." She took a sip of water and Klaus glanced towards the bar. It seemed like Elijah and Freya were talking animatedly and he had no doubt that he was the topic of their conversation. He stood up.
"Caroline, would you like to dance?"
The stunning blonde nearly choked on her drink and stared at him wide-eyed. "You dance?"
"Not necessarily. But I suppose I won't get a chance to dance with you anytime soon and you deserve a break."
She smiled widely at him and oh God, he was really, really screwed. He escorted her to the dancefloor and just by pure coincidence the band finished the up-tempo song they had been playing and transitioned into something slower.
He made a slight bow in front of Caroline once they reached a good spot and she chuckled, quickly sinking down into a tiny curtsy.
As expected, she was a fantastic dancer and he wondered if there was anything this woman could not do. His own skills might have been a bit rusty, but he definitely still knew the steps and she seemed surprised by it.
"Well, well. Looks like somebody can waltz."
He smirked and nodded. "I suppose you could call it waltzing if you're generous. Though, I'm not surprised that the former Miss Mystic Falls knows how to dance."
She looked surprised at his words. "You remember that?"
"Well, it's not often you meet a literal beauty queen."
Caroline chuckled, slight blush spreading. "Actually, Mystic Falls' pageant was less about beauty and more about community and achievements."
He swirled her around, catching her by surprise and making her laugh. The sound of her being happy appealed way too much to him. "I'm sure nobody in that tiny town of yours could rival your achievements."
She smirked. "Some tried, few managed to come even close. Bonnie was the only one I knew for sure would get out of there for good and make something of herself."
"Besides you."
"Obviously. So, how awful do you think this evening is? I did not expect that you would even interact with Elijah, if you didn't feel up to it, let alone Freya."
He grimaced and spun her out once again to have time to come up with a coherent answer. "I don't think it's a coincidence considering the fact that Elijah danced with Bonnie and interrogated her about me."
Caroline's eyes grew wide and she actually stumbled the tiniest bit. "Seriously? Did she tell you that?"
Klaus sighed and glanced towards their table. Freya was back there and their eyes met. He looked away quickly.
"Poor thing thought I was in legal trouble because the high-profile attorney was asking about me."
"I'll talk to her. Do you want to leave?"
The song stopped and turned into something faster. Since he had trouble answering without sounding selfish, they stood on the dancefloor with people moving around them, sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Come on." She gently took his hand and guided him through the mass of people away from the band, the tables, the bar and finally, towards the main entrance. There were still more than enough guests mingling about in the foyer, but it was much quieter and he finally felt like he could relax again.
"Go home and rest, Klaus. It makes no sense for you to face them with the knowledge that they might know about you and Bekah already."
His heart swelled at her words, but he could not help but feel utterly relieved. "It would be horribly discourteous of me to leave you alone here."
She grinned and gently shoved him towards the door. "Oh please, stop trying to enforce that fake-gentleman image. You'd need a much thicker accent for it to work."
He smiled at her, deciding to ignore the feelings that might have started to move past simple attraction towards something deeper and the incessant urge rising in him to kiss her. Instead, he leaned forward and just gently kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Caroline."