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Thinking about starting over with Klaus was all she could do for the rest of the night. He had shown her a little bit of humanity tonight.
Given her a glimpse of the man he used to be when he offered to drive her home. But still, the pain of his first impression of her was stronger and would take more than a simple apology or a simple act.
Hanging the ballgown on the edge of the door, she turned to climb on her bed with her laptop sitting in front of her.
She needed weapons. An arsenal.
Something to help her in the war with Klaus. What kind of war was it?
She lifted her eyes and sighed. Rebekah said she wanted her loving brother back. How could she bring him back?
Caroline saw the humanity inside him when they danced. She saw the compassion. The sincerity in his eyes. She felt his tenderness in the way he held her. And still he made the comment of the way she looked in the clothes she wore.
Tonight, she had felt like a princess and he ruined it. Or had he? He had called her beautiful. He even said if he could take back his words, he would, but he couldn't.
No, you can't remake the past. That was what she learned in her life. All you could was look ahead or risk being left behind.
Her mother told her that or was it from a tv show? She couldn't remember, but she knew it worked.
Smiling, typed his name in the search engine and waited.
Klaus Mikaelson, boy genius.
Genius? That was interesting.
Clicking on a blog, which seemed to be outdated by at least two years, she waited and her eyes widened.
"Oh, Klaus,"
Covering her hands over her mouth, she read the brutality in the blog. Cutting Klaus to ribbons for being a bastard son of a police officer. Saying he would never measure up to the empire his stepfather had created.
She wanted to stop reading, but the name of the owner made her stop. Camille Lake.
"Camille…" Caroline frowned and her heart ached for the pain.
Her name was Camille. At first, it seemed like a match, but then she betrayed him. I don't know how or what exactly, but that sent Nik on a downward spiral. One that we can't seem to get him out of.
Caroline read through the blog and discovered bits and pieces of Klaus' past. Camille had evidently used Klaus to get a scoop. Burning him in the worst way.
She used him. No wonder his heart was hard and his pride so strong.
A new understanding and a new plan formed in Caroline's mind.
What better revenge than to do what Rebekah said? What if Caroline showed him kindness? So much kindness that he realized how much she was not like this viper on the net.
Caroline smiled to herself. Yes, that is what she would do. She would push him over with kindness, but…
She lowered her eyes to the screen. Could she truly change herself? Picking up her cellphone, she dialed.
The other end rang a few times, and she sighed when she heard the warm caring voice on the other end.
"Hey, mom." Caroline responded with tears in her eyes. "I know. I know, but this will be quick, please." She added, lowering her head. "I need your advice."
"What is it?"
A tender question that made Caroline smile. Taking a deep breathe, she relayed the events of the past week to her mother and waited as she ended with her discovery tonight.
"Do you care about him?"
"I do, mom. More than I want to." She answered, truthfully, admitting it only to her mother.
"Kindness is the best weapon a woman can have, but don't get carried away, my dear."
Caroline inhaled deeply. "Don't give in too soon, is that it?"
"Yes, he may have apologized, but men like him will apologize and then never change if you don't show him the truth."
"I believe he meant his apology, mom."
"He might have, dear, and from what you tell me, he is not the sort of man who would apologize on a whim." A pause on the other end gave Caroline pause. "But you need to be careful. He may have a tragic past, but so do you, my Caroline."
"I bought a few summer dresses and some pantsuits for work. Rebekah, his sister, helped." Caroline remarked, softly.
"Oh, my dear, that's wonderful."
Caroline smiled at her mother's praise and bowed her head. "I thought, I would show him that I'm not what he thinks I am."
"That may work, but again, be careful. Scarred men are dangerous. Don't push him too far. It may damage him more."
Caroline knew this and hearing it from her mother gave her the push she needed. "I'll be careful, mom. I don't think I have it in me to be cruel."
"You would be surprised, my dear. Sometimes cruelty comes without even realizing it."
She knew that to be true. A part of her thought back to Klaus' reaction in the office when he realized she had heard him. The look on his face. He had so much regret in his eyes. Regret she just realized he held because he never meant to be that cruel in his words.
"Darling, I know you will do what is best. For now, showing this Klaus that you are a beautiful, smart, young woman is the best plan I've heard. Giving him a chance to see it and to start over is the best way to get him to see the real you."
Caroline sighed and nodded her head. "Thanks, mom."
"You're welcome, my Caroline. I better go. I love you."
"I love you too, mom."
Caroline ended the call feeling a sense of peace surrounding her. Rebekah's plan to hurt Klaus was not in her cards. Caroline's original plan seemed to bear more fruit. Show Klaus her beauty and kindness. Give him the chance to see it.
The pain from his words were still fresh yet she knew the first step for healing is accepting his apology. True, she was not going to give in completely. They were still a long way off.
For both of them to begin again, she had to forgive, but she was not going to make it easy for him to get close again.
He already owned her heart, in a sense. God help her, she did love him, and the best way for revenge was for her to start over with him.
Only, she thought with a smile, she would not make it so easy. If he wanted to make amends, she was going to let him, but she was going to do it on her terms. Not Rebekah's. Not his.
Hers.
That was the best revenge of all.
~XXX~
"Did you apologize?"
Klaus sighed as he turned find his mother approaching him on the balcony. "I did."
"Did she accept?"
He rolled his eyes and turned back to place his forearms on the concrete railing. "She called me a beast with a heart of ice and stone." He answered, stiffly.
Esther smiled and bowed her head. "It seems she is full of fire and compassion."
"I wouldn't call her compassionate for saying I was cold."
Esther studied her son. "I would."
He turned his head to face her.
She tilted her head to the side. "She could have refused to speak to you or to even come tonight for running into you. She has a compassionate heart because she did come and she did speak to you." She clarified with a warm tone. "I have a feeling she called you a beast through her pain. Not to inflict the pain on you."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Niklaus, sometimes words cannot convey the emotion we feel. The sympathy. The hurt." Esther began with a tender tone. "Actions do speak louder than words."
He let out a long breath and stared out at the horizon. "I drove her home and asked if we could start over." He revealed, refusing to look at his mother.
Esther smiled and touched her son on the arm. "That's a start. Did she accept?"
He shrugged. "She said she would think about it."
"You see."
"I don't know, mother." He whispered, shifted to face her. "Is it really?" He asked, his eyes conveying a harsh reality. "Am I giving her ammunition?"
Esther placed her hand over her son's cheek and smiled. "Do you really believe that Caroline would do such a thing as hurt you?"
He swallowed and slowly moved his head back and forth. "No,"
"There's your answer, darling."
Klaus nodded and turned back to the night sky while his mother returned inside. He knew his mother was right. Caroline was a cruel person. Not deliberate. She was prideful, just as he was. Just as stubborn as he was.
Perhaps that was why he was attracted to her. She pushed his buttons. Not in the way she dressed but in her attitude. She was a kind-hearted woman who could spit fire and defend the weak and helpless.
He smiled as he envisioned the dress she wore tonight. His sister must have picked out the dress, true, but Caroline would never have acquiesced if she didn't admire it too. His sister, Klaus knew, would hurt him for hurting her through the years. Pushing her away when he was only trying to protect her.
He knew his sister's intentions and even Kol's. They loved him. That he never doubted, but Caroline…
Somehow, he knew she would never exact revenge by hurting him the way he knew Rebekah would. He loved his baby sister and she loved him, but Rebekah was one of the few who would hurt him to get him to see reason.
Little did they all know, he had been hurt beyond repair by them. For them.
He had turned to ice and stone to protect them.
And in doing so hurt them and hurt the woman who haunted his thoughts day and night.
~XXX~
Sunday was a beautiful day. So beautiful that Caroline decided to take a stroll to the park.
Bonnie had returned from the gala late last night, so Caroline wrote her note and left as quietly as she could.
Her hair pulled halfway back and the shorts and t-shirt she wore gave her a laidback look. She preferred dressing comfortably, but the reason behind her 'frumpy' clothes were a mystery to all who knew her.
All except her mother and Bonnie.
She moved to a wire bench and sat down, watching the few people pass by who taking in a slow Sunday morning jog or walk.
She loved the peace of the park. The wind through the trees. The birds singing. The dogs barking. The children and parents laughing and playing.
She loved it.
Stretching out her legs on the bench, she pulled out her book and smiled as she became lost in the written words.
So lost that she frowned when a shadow loomed over her. She raised her head and her eyes widened as she saw Klaus standing next to the bench. "Klaus?"
"Hello, Caroline," He began with a smirk on his face. "Beautiful day, isn't it?"
She slowly nodded, suddenly self-conscious about her bare legs and attire. "Yes, it is or was."
His smirk faded slightly and he lowered his head. "Have you given any thought about what I said last night?"
She licked her lips and gave a short nod of her head. "I did."
He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and waited. Seeing her in the park had been a blessing in disguise. He had started to let her rest but he couldn't seem to leave her alone. "Well?"
She smiled at the nervous display he was showing. "Quick question first,"
He groaned and nodded. "Alright,"
She marked the page and closed her book. "Are you really wanting to start over because of guilt or because you think you may be wrong about me?"
He clenched his jaw and moved his eyes to the side.
Caroline nodded and slowly stood up. "Good day, Mr. Mikaelson."
He shook his head and grasped her arm, stopping her from leaving. "What would you say if I told you it was both?" He uttered, telling the truth.
Her eyes lifted to his, hiding the pleasure of his hand on her arm. "Which one is stronger?"
"The latter, I suppose." He whispered, holding her eyes.
She tilted her head to the side and inhaled deeply before letting out the air in her lungs. "Okay,"
"Okay?" He asked, his brows lifting.
She smiled and nodded. "Okay, we'll give it a shot, but know this. You hurt me again and there will not be another chance."
He nodded, and closed the distance between them, until only a hair's breath was between them. "I understand, Caroline, and you must understand, if you prove my first impression right the same ultimatum goes for you."
Caroline resisted the urge to shiver at the darkness of his voice. Knowing what she did, she knew what he meant. "Understood,"
He moved his eyes over hers and slowly stepped back, giving them space. "We have an understanding then?"
She lifted her chin and gave a curt nod. "We do."
He lowered his head and nodded. "Good,"
Caroline smiled, faintly and started to turn before stopping. "I was about to head over to get a hot dog for lunch. Care to join me?" She asked, realizing they had to start somewhere.
He smiled and nodded. "I'd be delighted."
Nodding, she turned and walked away. "Keep up, Mikaelson." She called over her shoulder.
He chuckled and shook his head as he jogged to keep up with her. Hoping he was wrong about first impressions.
Please be kind!
I know it's been a year since I updated this story, but if you have been following my other stories you would know why. If not, here's the lowdown: I completed my Masters. (Yes, I'm proud of that!) I've been in an emotional upheaval because of my grandparents being ill, and just last month my Papaw passed away.
For the past few weeks, I've not been in the mood to do much of anything with my Papaw passing away and all, until this week. I've updated a few stories and working on more, hoping to finish up some. I am not making promises on updating this story regularly as I have other stories I'm working on, but I will do my best.
Next Chapter: Coffee Pot
Until Next Time...
