Hello, my lovely readers. And so begins one of the ships I teased back in our first story… On with the show…

Chapter 7: Cupid Isn't My Role in This Play

On a quiet Friday morning, I decided to head over to the Salvatore School. Damon and I were going to ride to the high school together and plot out our plans for the weekend. We would probably work out some dares to torture less senior members of the club with. Perhaps we could dare Bekah to send the high school football team to an alternate dimension for the weekend. Or maybe just Wes Maxfield and his cronies. Or perhaps we could track down Elijah at the Grill, and dare him to do something, like take a day off. Shocking. However, when I got to the school, my thoughts formed one plan: To stop Enzo from spending time with Caroline.

One of the youngest members of the school let me in. I didn't know his name but I offered him a quick smile and a pat on the shoulder before making my way up the familiar stairs. Heading down the hallway, my head so full of my plans I barely noted a feminine squeal coming from Enzo's room. "Stop!" the girl giggled.

Shaking my head, I continued on my way until my brain retraced the sound. Caroline? What the bloody hell? Without another thought, my feet whirled back around and I made my way back to Enzo's room. I did not bother to knock on the door before I grabbed the knob and shoved it open. My eyes widened when I saw Caroline.

"Nik!" Caroline cried. She twirled in a circle and held out the bottom of a blue dress. It was made of an expensive-looking velvet and my eyes narrowed, flitting over to where Enzo laid on his bed. He seemed amused. His lips were twisted upward in a carefree smile. His brows went up when our eyes connected.

"Enzo found this at a second-hand store and he said he thought I'd love it. Which I do!" Caroline clapped her hands together, perfectly oblivious to my rising anger.

"Oh, I bet he did," I seethed.

Caroline's smile fell. "What's wrong?" she demanded, her hands going to her hips.

"Nothing, love. If you like it…" I looked from Caroline to Enzo. "I'm sure my own present will compliment it well." My own mouth turned into a smirk as Enzo's smile cracked. Yes.

Caroline's eyes widened. "You got me a birthday present?" she cried, clapping her hands together and she came running to me. She shoved her hands into the pockets of my jacket. "Where is it?" she demanded. Then she asked me to unzip my book bag. "I can't find anything, Nik."

"That's because I put it somewhere safe. Until the day," I replied. Caroline moved to face me and I cupped her face. Her eyes were alight and I leaned down to press my lips to hers. I could not believe I forgot Caroline's birthday. I had less than a week to accomplish the goal of finding her the perfect birthday present before she figured out what a liar I was.

In the meantime, I intended on dealing with my Enzo problem. Curling my arms around Caroline's waist, I leaned down and whispered it her ear. "I came to see if Damon wanted to give us a ride to school. You wouldn't mind hunting him down for me, would you, love?"

"Nope." Caroline replied and she turned to wiggle her fingers at Enzo. "Bye!" Then she bounced out of the room.

Now, that we were alone, I stared at Enzo. "I would appreciate it if you would not buy my girl gifts, mate."

Enzo let out a quiet laugh. "Caroline seems happy. That's all I care about." He pushed himself off the side of the bed and came to stand in front of me. His eyes dared me to take a swing at him.

"Caroline is happy." I watched Enzo's eyes light up as if I had told him a joke.

"Yes. I'm sure she is. She could be happier though." Enzo turned from me. "And I believe you'll be late for school. Might want to hurry along now. Don't want to keep her waiting. I know I wouldn't."

My fists balled and it took all of my restraint to walk out of the room without attacking Enzo.

By the time I found Caroline and Damon, I'd counted to a thousand and found myself calm enough not to throw someone down the stairs. "Hey, buddy. What are you up to tonight?" Damon asked me, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

"I have a new project I need to think through. Sorry, Damon," I replied. But I was not sorry. I would be quite content when my plan worked out.

~0~

During lunch, I dragged Bonnie Bennett into an empty classroom. "Bonnie, it is time for you to enact my dare. It can- not wait any longer."

"What dare?" Bonnie asked me, folding her arms over her chest.

"You. And Enzo." I watched Bonnie roll her eyes.

"I don't even like that guy. And this is just going to end in his sending you to Guatemala or something." Bonnie shook her head.

"I can't use Elena. Bekah's too young. Kat's in college. Which leaves you, Bonnie. It also means you may dare me to do something to my great displeasure," I added the last part knowing that it would intrigue the young witch. I just hoped she did not turn me into something. Worst case scenario: A Disney Prince. Best case scenario: a snail. Or maybe she would force me to do something I did not like to do, like babysitting, or hanging out with Tyler for more than a couple of hours.

Slowly, Bonnie began to smile. Yes. The Disney Prince might be a better case scenario than I'd thought. Perhaps the girl would do much worse to me than even I could imagine. "Fine. I'll do it. Just remember: You told me I got a dare. And if you really want me to do this—you can't pass your dare onto someone else—you have to do it yourself."

"Right then." I held out a hand and Bonnie crossed the space to shake my hand. "A dare's a dare. No going back." Our eyes met and reminded I myself this was for my relationship. And all that mattered was Caroline.

"So, when does this begin?" Bonnie asked me.

"Monday morning," I replied. Caroline's birthday would be that Friday. This meant Bonnie had four days to make Enzo fall in love with her. And then keep him on the hook until Caroline was graduating and we moved to another state for college. I didn't tell Bonnie the last part. I thought she might not agree to that long an engagement with a boy she did not like that much, let alone see herself falling in love with…

~0~

The weekend came and went and I spent most of it talking to Bonnie about how best to seduce Enzo. "That skirt is too obvious," I said as Bonnie showed me the outfit she planned on wearing on Monday morning.

"What?" Bonnie looked at the black mini skirt and frowned at me.

"You want to be more subtle. You're not looking for a boyfriend. You're just Bonnie Bennett. Happily single and not interested in whatever any man is selling." I shot her a winning smile.

Bonnie blinked at me before she threw her skirt in my face. "You're impossible."

"I know what Enzo likes: Caroline. All you have to do is make it clear you're unavailable but place yourself in his field of vision. You're a pretty girl. He's not blind. If you're around enough; he'll notice." I consulted my notebook. "You're going with me to the school on Monday morning. Monday afternoon. Happen to show up Tuesday afternoon to pick up Josh for babysitting duty. Wednesday—"

Bonnie held up her hands. "Hey! Wait a minute! I have a life! I have projects of my own! I have friends! And school work! I can't live my life around becoming Enzo's love interest!"

"Yes, you can," I retorted. My brows came together. "Bonnie, you agreed to the dare. Now, you have to see it through. It's only until Caroline's birthday party."

"You're insane," Bonnie snapped. "That's it. I'm just going to make a potion. It'll mean this ends much quicker."

"What if he becomes a love-sick stalker and tries to boil your bunny?" I felt amused.

Bonnie shook her head. "I don't have a bunny."

Grinning, I shrugged. "If you want to use a short-cut, by all means, but don't complain to me when it backfires." My eyes went to my notebook and after a long moment, Bonnie stomped over and took my notebook. Her eyes skimmed the pages. "Are you kidding me? You've scheduled out my days from hour to hour!"

"It's called commitment, Bennett," I took my notebook back and closed it. "In? Or out?"

"I'm in. But you are going to deal with one hell of a dare, mister," Bonnie warned me. I simply smiled back at her. Whatever it would take I would do.

Monday morning arrived and I walked with Bonnie to the Salvatore School. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a book and opened it. Another novel I hadn't heard of. I didn't believe it was on any reading list any of my friends were expected to work our way through. I opened my mouth, thought better of it and then punched the doorbell.

One of the boys whose names I still did not know and did not care about greeted us. "Good morning."

"Morning," I replied cheerfully.

"Morning," Bonnie said. She flipped a page on her way past the boy.

Inside the school, I found boys going up and down the stairs. Damon was nowhere in sight but Enzo was chatting with a boy two years younger than he was when we stepped through the doors. He looked up from his position at the bottom of the stairs. "Klaus. You're here. Again. Caroline's not here."

"I am aware. She's with Elena Gilbert." I watched Enzo's smile still. He did not expect me to know where she was, nor who she was with. "Bonnie and I are here to collect Damon." I cocked my head at Bonnie who did not look up as she flipped a new page.

"Ah?" Enzo glanced at Bonnie. Her eyes were still on her book. His eyes moved over her jeans and her cute top that did not reveal much of her figure. "Bonnie?"

"Um?" Bonnie sighed. Her eyes lifted from the page of her book. She looked just a touch annoyed at being interrupted. "Yes. Can I help you with something?" she asked. Her eyes strayed back to the page and then to Enzo.

I could see Enzo trying to make sense of Bonnie's reaction. "Hello."

"Um. Hey." Bonnie nodded and then went back to her book.

Enzo nodded at the younger boy who ran off. Pushing himself to his feet, he moved to join us. He leaned over and peered at the cover of Bonnie's book. "Is it any good?"

"Yes. It is," Bonnie replied. She did not look at Enzo as she flipped to another page.

"That so?" Enzo folded his arms over his chest. "Can I borrow it?"

Finally, Bonnie stopped reading. She let out a surprised laugh. "Excuse me?"

"May I borrow the book? After you're done with it?" Enzo asked. A little smile appeared on his face.

"I guess. It's from the library," Bonnie replied. "As long as you have a card. You should be all set." She turned to me, "We're going to go find Damon?"

"Yes. We are." I shot Enzo a grin before Bonnie and I went up the stairs and down the hall.

"How was I?" Bonnie asked.

"Perfect," I replied with a smile.

On Tuesday, I followed Bonnie to the Salvatore School with a camera in her bag. She buzzed the doorbell and Enzo was the one to answer. "Oh, hello," she greeted him coolly. "I came here to pick up Josh."

"I know." Enzo replied. "Here's the little man now. Come here, Josh," Enzo scooped the shocked-looking toddler. "My, he's heavier than he looks." He chuckled. "Need help with getting him into the stroller?"

"No," Bonnie replied.

"Help with the gate?" Enzo added.

"Nope," Bonnie replied.

"Help with the babysitting?" Enzo added.

"Nope," Bonnie replied. "I'm kind of late."

"A ride to your next stop?" Enzo tried again.

"Global warming," Bonnie said. "Bye, Enzo."

Holding her arms, Bonnie took Josh and then walked away. I did not have to see the look on Enzo's face. I thought I already knew how he was feeling. It left me smiling.

Stretching and yawning on Wednesday morning, I found Damon coming into my room and leaning against my bed. "Nik, you haven't been daring anyone without me, have you?" He peered down at me through narrowed eyes.

"Why would I?" I inquired innocently before throwing my covers off and pushing off the opposite side of the bed.

"Funny. 'Cause this morning Enzo asked me for Bonnie Bennett's phone number. You wouldn't know anything about that? Huh?" Damon marched over to stand beside me while I pulled out a pair of jeans and button-down shirt. Stripping off my T, I thought about how answer.

Deciding on some form of the truth, I slid into the shirt and faced my friend while buttoning up. "Truth is, I don't like all the attention Enzo's been lavishing on Caroline and –"

Damon threw his hands up in the air. "So, that's what this is about?" he demanded, letting out a laugh. "You're foisting Enzo off on Bon Bon because you don't want him coming onto Care? Are you kidding me? Do you know what Caroline would do to you if she knew you had so little faith in her? Huh! She'd blow a freakin' fuse!" Going over to my bed, Damon pressed his hands to his face, muttering something under his hands.

"Damon, I am doing what I believe is in the best interests of my relationship. Can you honestly tell me, you would not do the same if you thought you could dissuade Wes Maxfield from his sudden fascination with Elena?" My brows arched as Damon sat up and glowered at me.

Getting to his feet, Damon came to point a finger in my face. "Wes is not a problem. But you're messing with Care. That is going to be a problem. And when you have a problem, it becomes my problem. And I have enough problems! I don't need your love triangle—square—is it a square if all the lines are connected? Ugh! Now, you've got me worrying about geometry! See what I mean, Nik, you're really messing things up here!"

"No, Damon. I am fixing things," I said. I placed my hands on Damon's shoulders. "Trust me. Everything is perfectly fine."

~0~

"Everything is not 'Perfectly fine!'" Bonnie Bennett yelled at me that afternoon. She stood behind the school and glowered at me. "He's got my phone number. He called and my Grams picked up the phone. Now, she wants to meet him! What have you done to me, Klaus!"

Bonnie's green eyes bore into mine and I felt a tiny prickle of guilt before I buried it deep, deep down and smiled in return. "It will be fine, Bonnie. I promise. He's simply developing a little crush. It's harmless. I promise. After he's gotten over his desire for Caroline; we can find him a new girl to chase about."

Bonnie blew out a breath. "You're going to pay for this, Mikaelson." Her tone made me gulp.

~0~

"Why in the bloody hell do you want to go to the library on a perfectly fine Thursday afternoon?" I complained as Caroline dragged me toward the front doors. I knew Caroline did read—on occasion—and not just the materials we were assigned—she actually did like to read. However, there were many things we could be doing on the day before her birthday. "Caroline, we could be making out in my room. Or having a picnic. Or making out—topless—in my room. There's no one else home right now," I whispered into her ear.

Caroline elbowed me gently. "Nik, not now. We're going to spy on someone." She tugged me into the library and then made a little sound before she dragged me toward the stacks. My eyes widened when I spotted Bonnie and Enzo by the counter. Bonnie seemed to be helping Enzo with something.

"Are you spying on Bonnie?" I tried to sound shocked. I wasn't shocked, I was worried that Caroline's presence might de-rail all my—Bonnie's—hard work. "Perhaps we should leave them –"

"No!" Caroline snapped. She whirled on her heel to stare at me, wide-eyed. "Bonnie. And Enzo! Think of the possibilities. So many double dates. Boys with sexy accents. It's too good!"

"Boys…" I rolled my eyes as Caroline returned to spying. "Oh, look, they're moving." She grabbed me by my collar and dragged me along behind her.

We trailed them for several feet before Bonnie pulled out a book and handed it to Enzo. "If you like mythical novels, you might like this," she said as he examined it."

Enzo cracked a smile. "Thanks for helping me get the card," he said. "It's my first."

"Your first library card?" Bonnie looked genuinely shocked.

"Well, I didn't have family who took me to the library. I'm an orphan. So, I suppose it's about time I got one of these." Enzo shrugged.

Caroline placed her hand over her heart. "Oh?" she cried.

"Yeah?" Bonnie looked like she might be falling for all of this when she inhaled and turned away. "Let's see what else they have…" Then she spotted us. "Caroline?"

"Caroline?" Enzo moved forward and I felt my face flush. "Fancy meeting you here…" Caroline moved to cross the distance and I watched, feeling annoyed as they spoke. It looked like my dare had failed.

~0~

The next day, I slipped Caroline's present into my pocket. I'd be paying this one off until I graduated from college, but I felt it was worth it. I hoped she felt the same. Inhaling, I looked in the mirror and then made my way downstairs. Caroline's birthday would be hosted at my house this year and I wanted everything to be perfect.

"It's Friday. Tomorrow, your dare begins," Bonnie warned me. I glanced down at her. She looked like she'd dressed up for more than Caroline's birthday but my dare was over. This wasn't for Enzo. I wondered who she had dressed up for but I needed to concentrate on Caroline tonight.

The door opened and Elena came in. "She's coming. Everyone hide!" she yelled at us.

Smirking, I went to stand by the door while Elena ran off and turned the lights off. There was a knock at the door and I opened the it. Daylight poured in and my smile dropped when I saw Enzo standing beside Caroline in a suit. "Hello, Klaus," he said with a grin.

"Enzo," I growled out before turning to Caroline. She was wearing his dress. My jaw tightened. "Come in, love!" I ushered her in and placed an arm around her shoulders. "Welcome to your party!"

The lights went on and everyone popped out. "Happy birthday, Caroline!" they shouted.

Caroline placed her hands over her mouth and giggled. "Thank you, Nik!" she cried, turning around and hugging me before running off to hug her friends.

As the night progressed music poured from the speakers and Liz brought out the red velvet cake that I made. I'd gone through fifteen tries before I got the recipe right. The cake looked stunning. Caroline's face glowed in the candle's light. She shot me a quick smile as she blew them out.

Elena was clapping and leaned into Damon. Stefan was teasing Bekah. Kol and Jeremy headed to the back of the house, probably intent on breaking another window. Henrik ate a slice of cake and looked bored.

I made my way over to Caroline. "Dance with me, love?" I inquired. Caroline nodded and she slipped her arms around my neck. "Where's my present, Nik?" she asked me.

"Check my pockets," I told her.

Caroline patted my pockets before she pulled out a velvet box and opened it to find a diamond bracelet. "Oh, my God! This is super-expensive."

"It is." I nodded, hoping she liked it.

"I love it," Caroline said. She leaned up on tip-toe to kiss me on the lips. I felt happier than I had in a long time. "Can you get us something to drink? I want more cake and then more dancing and then we can go make out."

"Sounds like a lovely plan," I replied with a smile. Leaving the birthday girl to talk to our friends, I went into the kitchen. My feet froze when I found Bonnie pinned to the counter as she and Enzo made out, her hands deep in his hair, his hands on her rear. "Perhaps later," I muttered to myself before heading back to Caroline. It looked as if my dare had worked out. Or did Bonnie use that potion after all…

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

Peace,

-J