A/N: Here's the second part!
I don't know how you're going to feel by the end of the chapter, but...
Hooray for some new and not-so-new characters in this chapter
And as always, thank to you to my beta, livingdeadblondegirl for all her helpful suggestions and edits!
She didn't want to be here.
If she was being honest with herself she would have much rather stayed upstairs in Grayson's room, away from everyone else, playing with Grayson and the blocks he seemed to enjoy so much.
The Grill wasn't very busy at this time in the afternoon on a Monday, but when most of the patrons - some familiar and others not - looked up at her with regretful looks on their faces, she knew that they were here for Elijah and Elena.
She felt guilty for having arrived a little late, but she supposed that was the story of her life now that she had an unpredictable six-month old.
Bonnie and Kol talked to the hostess who greeted them and she disappeared to the back of the restaurant to retrieve the owner.
Rebekah already had Grayson out of his carrier and winter coat beside her.
Klaus had fell behind outside for a cigarette.
Stefan and Meredith had yet to arrive, as did Finn and Sage and Elena's other relatives.
"That's the new owner of this place," Rebekah said to her under her breath suggestively as they saw a guy, who couldn't be that much older than her, emerge from the back and approach them.
He was dressed semi-casually in a blue button up shirt and black pants, distinguishing himself from his employees. With dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cute smile, she knew well enough to be wary of him, though she was ogling him just as obviously as Rebekah was.
It must have been him who she had spoken to over the phone. His name started with an 'M' but she couldn't recall it.
He greeted Bonnie and Kol first with a sense of familiarity. They had probably met with him yesterday when they stopped by.
"Hey, I'm Matt Donovan," he spoke, extending his hand to her.
"Caroline; I think we spoke on the phone," she explained.
He nodded.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Caroline," he said cordially.
And so the apologies and sympathetic remarks began.
He pointed to the one side of the restaurant.
"We have that section reserved for you and those who have come to pay their respects. I have two of my waitresses set aside for you. Let your immediate family know that any food you order is on the house," Matt informed her.
She nodded and smiled appreciatively.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me personally," he said helpfully, smiling back at both her and Rebekah, before one of the bus boys yelled to him from the bar.
He excused himself and dashed off towards the employee.
Rebekah snorted beside her.
"Don't hesitate to ask him personally," Rebekah said cheekily.
She started to laugh, but she caught herself, quickly recalling where they were and why they were there.
Sucking in a breath to prepare herself, she stepped forward, heading towards the section that had been designated theirs, and towards the people who had come to feel sorry for them.
She glanced past the photos of Elijah and Elena that Kol and Bonnie had hastily put together yesterday for display especially for this event. She had seen all of those photos numerous times the past few days, so much so, she could see them in her mind without even looking at them.
The number of people already here surprised her, but then again, when you lived in a small town like Mystic Falls everybody knew everyone somehow.
She greeted Sheriff Martin first, going with the person who was most familiar to her. She had to ease herself into this.
As she talked to the Sheriff, she saw Rebekah, Kol, and Bonnie talking to an unfamiliar older couple who seemed completely enthralled by Grayson.
It was then that she noticed Klaus enter the restaurant, with Finn, Sage, and their kids behind him. She wasn't entirely surprised when Finn and Sage and their kids were the only ones to head in her direction. Klaus made a b-line for the bar, clearly not intent upon acknowledging the tiny crowd that had since gathered for Elijah and Elena.
After the Sheriff departed back to work, she made a bit of small talk with Finn and Sage, though it felt forced.
She knew they felt a sense of loyalty to Mikael and Esther. She knew they were indifferent to her. She could feel them sizing up her suitability to be one of Grayson's guardians. While they weren't as opinionated or hostile as Mikael and Esther on the custody issue, it was also obvious that they were far from enthusiastic.
Klaus sitting alone at the bar, chatting up a pretty bartender while nursing a glass of liquor wasn't exactly helping their case either.
A part of her wanted to confront him about it, but she supposed she could only expect so much progress and accountability from him in one weekend. This was his brother's funeral, technically. She didn't want to be unsympathetic. He had stepped up a lot over the past couple of days; one drink at the bar wasn't the end of the world. For some reason though, she found herself more concerned about the way he was drinking in the bartender rather than the liquor.
She shook her head, knowing she couldn't coddle him. She was Grayson's guardian, not his. He was free to do what he wanted so long as he was not putting Grayson in any direct harm. She had to leave him be.
Ignoring him, she started for Rebekah as she noticed Grayson seemed to be getting fussy.
After emerging from the washrooms with Grayson - who had conveniently decided he wanted his diaper changed at the Grill, rather than at home before they left - she noticed that Stefan had joined Klaus. Stefan's brother Damon - the cocky co-MC at Elijah and Elena's wedding who had rudely flirted with her and Bonnie, and had generally given her a hard time for the duration of that night - was also seated with them. She wasn't aware he'd be in town for this, she thought, watching them curiously from the corner of her eye as she retreated back to the group. The three of them were staring awkwardly in her direction.
"Caroline," a familiar voice said from behind her.
She looked over her shoulder.
"Camille," she said, happy to see someone else she knew here.
They hugged awkwardly around Grayson.
"I'm sorry about Elena and Elijah; I know how close you were to them. I don't think one week went by without Elena stopping in to the store with Grayson," Camille commented, pulling away and waving with a cutesy face in Grayson's direction.
She smiled faintly, suddenly reminded of something else she would miss with Elena. At least once a week Elena would stop by the store with Grayson and they would have a lunch date.
"I guess you got my message about closing the store today," she said, relieved, since she had completely forgotten to follow up after she had sent the voicemail to Camille.
Camille nodded.
"I'm sorry for being so unreachable all weekend," she apologized. "There's just been a lot going on," she reasoned.
"You have no need to apologize," Camille assured her. "April and I understand. We took care of things."
Camille had worked for her for over a year now and she wasn't sure what she would do without her.
"April is going to stop by later. She had one of her final projects to hand in today," Camille said, explaining her new intern's absence. April's other commitments had completely slipped her mind after this weekend. "Then she'll be ours for the summer," Camille sighed, the stress of all the work they had to do slowly coming back to her.
She was entirely torn between wanting to immerse herself in her work to forget about her other new reality, while another part of her had no motivation or inspiration whatsoever.
"Sorry, I don't want to stress you out," Camille apologized. "Let's not talk about work."
Smiling in agreement, she walked Camille to their reserved tables and took a seat with her.
"How are you doing?" Camille asked.
She was beginning to hate that question, but she knew Camille was genuinely concerned.
"A little overwhelmed," she conceded, beginning to bounce Grayson on her thigh while holding him protectively.
"You know I offered to help," Camille said.
She shook her head.
"I know, and it's okay. Bonnie and Elijah's siblings have been really helpful. It's not the funeral stuff really. It's just adjusting afterwards; figuring out how I'm going to juggle work and raise Grayson at the same time," she listed.
Camille's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she realized that she had not filled Camille in on just how drastically her life had changed in the past few days.
"Raise Grayson?" Camille wondered. "Elijah and Elena made you Grayson's guardian?"
"Yeah, they did," she revealed.
Camille's eyes went wide, much like hers did when she first heard the news from Stefan.
"Oh my god," Camille responded with both shock and concern in her voice. "That is definitely overwhelming."
She nodded as she looked down at the little boy in her lap.
"You're really gonna do this?" Camille confirmed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're great with Grayson and he adores you, but you have a lot on your plate as it is. Can you do this alone? Did Elena and Elijah consider that? Did they run this by you?" she wondered.
"They didn't tell me. Their will was only put together very recently," she explained to Camille. "And yeah, I'm gonna do this. Elena and Elijah wanted me to. I can't turn my back on that - especially when there are no suitable alternatives. Besides, I won't be doing it completely alone," she admitted.
Camille's eyebrow arched as she looked at her searchingly, wondering what she meant.
"Klaus Mikaelson, Elijah's brother, was also listed as a guardian," she informed her.
Just when she thought Camille's eyes couldn't get any wider, the revelation of this detail had certainly proved that wrong.
Camille looked more confused than ever.
"You're going to raise Grayson with Elijah's brother? Who is he? Do you even know him?" Camille wondered, bombarding her with a million questions.
She had never told Camille about Klaus. Camille was a new employee of hers at the time of her encounter with him. That weekend had left her feeling confused and embarrassed and the only two people she had remotely confided in then were Elena and Bonnie. She hadn't told Camille then, nor would she now. Especially now, considering the circumstances. Camille wouldn't understand the situation; the second she told Camille about her history with Klaus, Camille would be raising red flags about her decisions to live with Klaus temporarily and share custody of Grayson with him. She didn't need that. She had enough of that from everyone else as it was.
"I know him. They all used to live in Mystic Falls when they were younger. We sort of grew up together as passing acquaintances," she explained carefully. "Klaus and Elijah were very close. He was Elijah's best man."
Camille eyed her warily.
"Does he live here?" Camille wondered.
She shook her head, knowing more concerns from Camille were coming.
"No, he lives in New York. He paints," she replied.
"How is that going to work?" Camille asked skeptically.
She shrugged.
"He's going to stay here in town for a while, until the custody arrangement is made permanent and we have all the details of Elijah and Elena's will taken care of. After that, we'll come up with something that works for us both," she said confidently.
Camille, however, did not look convinced.
"Lots of divorced parents do this all the time. They make it work. At least with us there will be no animosity or hard feelings. Both of us want to step up and take care of Grayson. I'm not going to try and stop him from doing that," she said in her and Klaus's defence.
Camille sighed discontentedly, still obviously concerned about the arrangement.
"I guess if you think you can make this work," Camille conceded. "Sorry for my reaction. For obvious reasons, I'm just a little concerned about you suddenly raising a child - with a strange man, no less," she added.
She laughed faintly, already having to remind herself that Camille was unaware of the history she and Klaus shared.
"I appreciate your concern. Believe me, I had the same ones when I first found out, but they seem trivial in lieu of losing Elena and Elijah. I want to honour their wishes the best I can," she admitted, brushing one of her hands gently through Grayson's hair. "Having Klaus around at Elena and Elijah's hasn't been so bad. He's been helpful," she admitted, letting her eyes drift briefly across the restaurant to the bar where Klaus was seated, immersed in his drink, as well as a conversation with the Salvatores.
"Wait...he's been staying with you at Elena and Elijah's?" Camille asked, prompting her to turn her attention back to her own conversation.
"Where else would he stay?" she shrugged. "Bonnie and Kol are staying there too," she pointed out. "It's not a big deal. We're both gonna be living there until everything is sorted out. It will be easier, especially for Grayson," she reasoned.
Camille's look of uncertainty was not surprising.
She rolled her eyes.
"He's Grayson's uncle. Elijah and Elena listed him as a guardian of Grayson. You're looking at me like he's going to murder me in my sleep. He's not going to hurt me," she tried to persuade Camille, faltering slightly on her last sentence as she looked back over at Klaus, noticing the brunette bartender smiling flirtatiously as she handed the three guys their drinks.
"Which one is he?" Camille asked.
"Hmm?" she said, looking back at Camille.
Camille nodded over to the bar.
"I see Stefan Salvatore and two other guys," Camille clarified. "So that leads me to believe that Klaus is either the raven-haired hottie with the chiseled jaw, or the dirty blonde with sexy dimples and very kissable lips," she mused.
She glared at Camille in response to her blunt physical descriptions of Damon and Klaus.
As much as she hated to admit it, there was a part of her silently conceding to Camille's accuracy.
"Damon Salvatore - Stefan's brother - is in the white shirt, Klaus is in the black one," she informed her, purposely ignoring any reference to their physical appearance.
Camille arched an eyebrow in her direction, a mischievous smirk playing on her lips.
"I suppose I can't fault your enthusiasm over your new living arrangements now," Camille laughed. "Okay, so he might not murder you in your sleep, but he might steal your heart," she said warningly.
She shook her head definitively.
"It's not like that," she stated firmly.
Camille shot her a critical stare.
"It's not," she reaffirmed defensively. "He's not my type."
She received another unsure look from Camille.
"So does that mean you're surrendering your claim on him?" Camille inquired.
"I don't have a claim on him in the first place," she shrugged with furrowed brows.
Camille grinned as she stared over at Klaus.
"Well then, maybe I should see if he's my type," Camille mused.
She felt her body tense with anxiety with Camille's declaration of interest in Klaus.
"Uh oh, what's that look for?" Camille asked her, obviously having noticed her uneasy expression. "Even though I think it's unwise for you to get involved with this guy you're supposed to be sharing custody of your best friend's son with, if you're interested in him just tell me and I'll back off," Camille reiterated.
"It's not that Camille, it's just that I don't want to see you get hurt," she clarified. "When it comes to women, Klaus doesn't exactly have the best reputation. He hasn't been known to commit to any one girl. The most commitment I've seen from him is with Grayson," she explained.
Camille seemed a little disheartened, but shrugged nonetheless.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I haven't even talked to him yet," Camille said. "All I wanna do is have some fun. The only way I want a man right now is in my bed," she confessed. "I just got out of a relationship. I don't need another one."
It was now her turn to appear uncertain.
"I just want you to be careful," she said, giving Camille a friendly smile, hoping that it would bury the sick feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach. "I just don't want anything bad to happen. I also don't want to be caught in the middle of it as your boss and Grayson's guardian if it does," she pointed out.
Camille shook her head decidedly.
"Thanks for your concern boss," Camille smiled. "You know I would never let anything jeopardize my job, and I'd never want to inadvertently hurt you or Grayson," she assured her, nodding down towards Grayson in her lap, whose eyes were now closed.
She felt her chest get a little heavy at the sight. She longed for Elena to be here with Grayson instead of her. At the same time, after just a few days, she couldn't imagine being anywhere else but with Grayson. Every day he seemed to carve out a deeper place for himself in her heart.
"But, like I said, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Klaus seems to be preoccupied with the bartender anyways," Camille chuckled indifferently.
He didn't want to be here.
That was his first thought when he entered the Grill with Finn, Sage, and their kids behind him.
The place he used to flee to for solace before he left Mystic Falls; the site of so many good memories with his brother, was now a place he was being pushed into; the site of their final good-bye to Elijah and Elena. The good memories only made being here now more difficult.
He knew what Elijah and Elena's intentions were with the low key event, but all he could think about as he approached the bar was that Elijah would never be there waiting for him, Scotch in hand, complaining about his tardiness.
How could he celebrate their lives with that dark cloud looming over his shoulder?
He was in no mood to celebrate, nor was he in any mood to accept the condolences of perfect strangers.
All he felt like doing was turning around and going back the house so he could mourn on this day alone.
He could have probably kept playing with Grayson this afternoon instead of coming here. He would have preferred it to this, actually. Grayson may have been the spitting image of Elijah, but ironically, he found Grayson was the one who could best make him forget about his brother and Elena - if even for a few minutes at a time. Watching Grayson play and listening to him laugh had turned out to be one of the most effective distractions.
Another effective distraction was alcohol, and he if he was going to stay here, then he would most definitely need a drink or two.
He was only here out of respect for his brother and Elena.
Sitting down at the bar, he briefly scanned the restaurant for Grayson, finding him in Rebekah's arms being tickled by Kol.
And even though he had located Grayson, he found himself searching out Caroline. Surprisingly, she was talking to Finn and Sage.
He had briefly talked to them outside himself. It was probably the most he had spoken to Finn or Sage since Elijah and Elena's wedding.
It was mostly small talk, with them quickly summarizing what they had been up to over the last year. They hadn't made any openly hostile remarks about him and Caroline receiving custody of Grayson, but he could tell by the judgemental tone of their voices that they didn't exactly approve of the arrangement. Of course they didn't. His father had Finn eating out of the palm of his hand.
"Hey stranger," a feminine voice purred from behind the bar as he removed his jacket.
He looked up to see Vicki, the flirty brunette who had served him the other day.
She smiled brightly and pushed a drink across the bar top in his direction.
"Scotch on the rocks, right?" she confirmed.
He smirked at the gesture before wrapping his fingers around the cold glass.
"Correct," he said, before taking a long sip. "You have an impeccable memory, sweetheart," he added, playing along with her flirty game.
She laughed sheepishly.
"Only a memory for a particular blue-eyed stranger with peculiar drinking habits," she said coyly.
He glanced over at the clock on the wall.
"Well, I'm a little later this time," he commented, taking another drink.
"What brings you by this afternoon?" she asked.
He hesitated, instinctively looking over to where he should have been right now. Caroline and Grayson were missing.
Vicki stammered as she connected the dots.
"You said you were in town for family matters," she breathed, "your brother is...Elijah Mikaelson," she concluded, rubbing a hand over her face. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "Your other brother was in here yesterday. The accents should have given it away."
He shrugged indifferently.
"You didn't know," he muttered. "I wasn't exactly forthcoming the other day."
She nodded gratefully.
"I'm sorry about your brother and sister-in-law," Vicki offered. "They had been in a few times since we re-opened with their adorable son. They were nice people. Everyone in town seemed to know them," she said, as though she was trying to make him feel better about their loss.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Caroline heading towards the washrooms with Grayson. They made eye contact briefly before he looked down.
He said nothing in response Vicki, preferring to sip silently from his glass, hoping she would take the hint.
"Sorry," she winced again. "You probably don't want to talk about it, which is why you're here and not over there," she realized. "I'll get you another drink and then I'll leave you alone," she laughed nervously.
"Actually," a devious male voice said from behind him as an arm draped over his shoulder, "how about you make that three drinks, and whether or not you leave us alone is entirely optional, beautiful."
He rolled his eyes as Vicki blushed and nodded before going to retrieve some clean glasses.
"Damon Salvatore," he said, feigning distaste as Stefan's older brother took the seat to his right, and Stefan took the seat to his left.
He looked to Stefan with annoyance clearly marked on his face.
It wasn't that he hated Damon Salvatore; they had grown up together and played as children; it was just that, more often than not, their personalities clashed. He supposed that was one of the reasons why he was better friends with Stefan, and why Elijah had been better friends with Damon.
"Stefan failed to inform me that you would be coming into town," he muttered before polishing off the remainder of his drink.
He should have just assumed it logically. While he and Elijah hadn't been as close as they were during med school, they still kept in touch.
"I may generally be a heartless bastard - like you - but I wouldn't miss being here for Elijah," Damon said defensively.
He supposed he could respect that.
"That's why Meredith and I are a bit late," Stefan explained. "We had to go pick Damon up from the hotel."
"I don't suppose you ran into my parents?" he groaned.
Damon's lips pursed as he shook his head.
"Thankfully not," Damon conceded, a commonality of theirs being a mutual distaste for his parents, "but I was hoping to run into your sister," he smirked suggestively.
He shot a threatening look in Damon's direction as Vicki returned with their drinks.
"Damon," Stefan scowled warningly.
Damon laughed innocently before setting his sights back on Vicki as she placed the three glasses in front of them.
"Thanks," Damon said to her with a wink.
"You're welcome," Vicki said, looking over at him rather than Damon before she was called away by one of the waitresses.
Damon raised his glass slightly.
"I think we should have this next drink for Elijah." Damon said. "This was his favourite after all."
He nodded and raised his glass beside Damon's, conceding that for once, Damon actually had a good idea.
"To Elijah," Stefan said, lifting his glass.
He sucked in a breath as it hit him again that his brother was gone. Bringing the glass to his lips, he took a swig of the drink in sync with Stefan and Damon.
The liquor had a smooth burn as it slid down his throat, and he closed his eyes briefly to savour it.
"Where's Grayson?" Damon wondered. "I saw pictures of him, but he was like a day old, he must be so big now. Please tell me your parents don't have custody of him," Damon grimaced.
Hesitating for a second, he looked to Stefan who obviously hadn't filled Damon in on the arrangements. He already knew what Damon's reaction would be.
"Actually, I have custody of him," he revealed.
Damon covered his mouth abruptly as he choked back his drink.
"What?" Damon asked incredulously with an amused snort. "Elijah and Elena gave you custody of Grayson? Are you shitting me? That's almost just as bad as Mikael and Esther," Damon laughed.
He groaned, not in the mood for Damon's mocking critique.
"I don't think they have a daycare down at your local pub in New York," Damon chuckled, "although I guarantee you'll get ten times more ass with Grayson as your wingman."
"Shut up, Damon," he lamented.
Damon snickered, setting his half empty glass back down on the bar.
"Seriously though, how did you end up with Grayson?" Damon wondered. "I mean, I know he's your nephew and that you and Elijah were close, but do you even know how to take care of a baby?"
"He isn't doing it alone," Stefan interjected, jumping into defend him before he had a chance to speak for himself.
He glared at Stefan before Damon erupted into more laughter.
"So you're leaving Meredith and you and Klaus have finally admitted your love for one another?" Damon beamed jokingly.
"Fuck off, mate," he seethed, shoving Damon's shoulder.
"Elijah and Elena also listed Elena's best friend Caroline as guardian," Stefan informed Damon, prompting Damon to let his fist drop.
This new detail seemed to do nothing to quell Damon's amusement. He suspected it wouldn't, which is why he was reluctant to say anything to the elder Salvatore.
"Caroline, as in Caroline the smoking hot feisty maid of honour you banged?" Damon inquired.
He shot Stefan another accusing look. Obviously Stefan had let that detail slip at some point.
"Caroline was Elena's maid of honour," Stefan confirmed, ignoring the lewd second half of Damon's description.
Damon dropped his head rubbing his face with the crook of his arm as he laughed in disbelief.
"How the hell is that going to work?" Damon mused.
Stefan looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to answer Damon this time.
"We'll only have temporary custody of Grayson for the first six months before it's made permanent," he started, deciding to get the living arrangement out in the open, knowing Damon would find out somehow regardless, "Caroline and I are going to be moving into Elijah and Elena's house in the meantime to take care of Grayson. After the six months is up, we'll work out some custody arrangement between us so I can return to New York."
Damon's eyes widened and a mischievous grin appeared.
"So let me get this completely straight; you and the smoking hot blonde you fucked are going to be living together in close proximity for six months while you both take care of Grayson?" Damon clarified.
He scowled, refusing to satisfy Damon's inquiry with a response.
"That sounds like a beautiful disaster," Damon concluded as he removed his wallet from his jacket. "What do you say, brother, should we take bets on how long before Klaus and Caroline start taking care of one another? I give it a month," Damon snickered.
Stefan held his hands up to convey his neutrality.
"I'm not getting involved," Stefan declared.
"Place your bets on never Stefan," he interrupted. "You'll easily win since what Damon is suggesting is not going to happen," he stated confidently.
Damon cocked an intrigued eyebrow.
"You say that now," Damon told him, "but just wait until you catch Caroline in her skimpy summer pyjamas, or when she bends over to pick up Grayson giving you a clear view of her cleavage and that ass," Damon listed. "I'm sure you'll be singing a completely different tune then."
He glowered at Damon and shook his head determinedly. He wasn't denying that those scenarios weren't likely to happen, but he knew they would never lead to anything more. Caroline would never make the same mistake twice; he wouldn't either.
"You basically have the ideal situation that every guy going into his thirties lusts after at your fingertips," Damon laughed. "You have a pseudo home, a pseudo son, and a pseudo wife without the real commitment that any of it brings," Damon mused.
"You know that isn't true, Damon," Stefan warned. "Stepping in to raise Grayson in place of Elijah and Elena is a very real commitment."
Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's realism.
"I'm just joking, Stefan, relax," Damon bemoaned. "All I'm saying is that if Klaus and Caroline are going to take on this responsibility, they might as well enjoy the fringe benefits, or the perks of the job," Damon suggested jovially. "I mean, what else are they going to do once Grayson goes to bed?"
"Knock it off, Damon. It's never going to happen. Caroline and I already went there once. Mock me all you want, but I intend to honour my brother's wishes, and I don't want to do anything that might fuck that up," he explained.
Damon scoffed loudly in distaste.
"Why are you putting so much unnecessary thought into this?" Damon lamented. "You'll be heading back to New York in six months and you and Caroline will essentially be like divorced parents, so what's the difference if you screw now or not?"
"Maybe Klaus wants to be on good terms with Caroline when he leaves, for Grayson's sake?" Stefan suggested quickly.
Damon shrugged and threw his hands down in defeat.
"How else are you going to get laid in this damn town then while you're here?!" Damon muttered.
"Would you like another one?" Vicki asked suddenly as she appeared in front of him, looking down at his empty glass curiously.
He gave Damon a sideways glance.
"Of course he would gorgeous," Damon sniggered.
"Coming right up," she said, grinning at him.
"Thanks, love," he told her.
He gave her a passing nod as she moved a few feet down the bar to retrieve the bottle of whisky they'd been drinking.
"Forget I even asked the question," Damon said. "Not even here a week and you're already working on new leads. I'm proud of you," he added, patting him on the back. "I can't talk to Stef about this stuff anymore seeing as he's in a 'committed' relationship," he groaned.
Stefan scoffed disapprovingly before sipping on his own drink.
"I gotta admit though, Stefan settling down has gotten Mom and Dad off my back about all that bullshit, so thanks baby bro," Damon said, raising his glass in Stefan's direction.
Vicki brought back his drink, giving him a quick look before Damon interrupted and requested another drink for himself.
"Speaking of Grayson and Caroline," Damon said, jerking his head to the right.
In the distance he saw Caroline and Grayson emerge from the washrooms.
Damon murmured pleasantly under his breath as Caroline walked by to the other end of the restaurant.
"Damn," Damon commented, shaking his head. "Seriously, Klaus, if you're giving up your place in line, I may have to step in. I would give anything to get in between those legs of hers," Damon described, licking his lips for added emphasis.
He glared at Damon in response to his comment, but he faltered, resisting the unexplained urge to punch Damon in the jaw.
"Go ahead mate, good luck," he said sarcastically.
"Didn't she sleep with you the first night?" Damon wondered.
He winced inwardly as vivid flashes of their first night together here, and then at the hotel confronted him.
"I'm sure Klaus scared her off the idea of another one night stand," Stefan concluded.
"I like challenges," Damon smirked.
Damon's words quickly prompted his thoughts to fall back upon the night of Elijah and Elena's wedding when Caroline had left the location of her room a secret to him.
Stefan shook his head dismissively.
"Not even you can make something happen in like what? The next day?" Stefan asked incredulously. "When do you go back?"
A Cheshire grin spread across Damon's lips, and for some reason it made him feel anxious.
"I guess I forgot to tell you," Damon said, "my stay in Mystic Falls is going to be a bit of an extended one," he gleamed.
Both he and Stefan cocked their heads to the side curiously and worriedly.
"The hospital needs someone to fill in for Elijah until they can hire a replacement," Damon shrugged. "I was kind of volunteered for it since I was coming here anyways, but I figure it's the least I can do."
He frowned at the prospect of Damon's stay in Mystic Falls being long term. He could only handle the elder Salvatore in small doses.
Stefan did not look amused either.
"So I know I booked the room at the hotel because I didn't want to impose on you and Meredith, but it looks like I might need a place to stay until I can find something temporary of my own," Damon said to Stefan in his most pleasant voice.
Stefan paused for a moment, a reluctant look etched on his face.
"Do you have to ask Meredith first?" Damon asked Stefan mockingly.
Rolling his eyes, Stefan shook his head.
"You can stay, but only temporarily," Stefan stipulated.
"Thanks baby bro, you really know how to make me feel welcome," Damon winked.
He laughed at the conversation between the Salvatores, before he was confronted by the fact that he and Elijah would never exchange banter like that again.
Damon put his arm around him.
"So Klaus, I guess that means we can be drinking buddies when I'm not working," Damon exclaimed.
He huffed under his breath in annoyance.
The three of them talked for about another hour at the bar about casual topics of interest, namely their employment endeavours, although his seemed less prestigious than both Stefan and Damon's.
After Stefan left at Meredith's request, with promises to solidify a court date for custody of Grayson, it seemed he and Damon had struck up a flirting competition with Vicki every time she came by to prepare them another drink.
He couldn't even remember how many drinks he'd had in the last while, but he did know he was sufficiently buzzed.
He hadn't once set foot over to the other area to talk to those who had come to offer their sympathy. To be honest, he didn't really care that he hadn't. He had needed this small talk with Stefan and Damon to get his mind off things while he was here. He also needed the liquor.
A part of him felt guilty for abandoning Caroline with Grayson, but Grayson seemed to be in good hands between her, Rebekah, Kol, and Bonnie. They were co-parents. He didn't need to be at Caroline's side every second.
"So it looks like now that I'll be in town for a while I'll have lots of time to woo Barbie Caroline," Damon said enthusiastically. "Perhaps you can put in a good word for me?" he added
He raised his eyebrows, ignoring Damon's suggestion by taking a lengthy drink from his glass.
Damon held up his hands in defence.
"If you want her for yourself, I'll back off. Just say the word. I wouldn't blame you if you did. She looks like a great lay; she's a great lay isn't she?" Damon asked him giddily.
He held his composure, distracting himself with his drink.
"I know that look in your eye; she totally is," Damon mused. "God, how are you going to be able to resist her?" Damon probed. "I guaran-fucking-tee you that every night after you and Caroline put little Grayson to bed, she'll be aching for you to take her to bed."
He cringed, almost embarrassingly, at Damon's bluntness before arching an eyebrow at him.
"And I guaran-fucking-tee you that you're wrong, mate," he said, mocking Damon confidently.
Damon shook his head unconvinced.
"So you're really telling me that you're just gonna sit idly by when Caroline disappears upstairs for a 'bath' or to 'sleep'?" Damon wondered in disbelief. "What's a girl to do when her batteries run low?" Damon smirked.
"Perhaps I'll give her your number then," he teased at his own expense.
"I can't argue with that," Damon chuckled, "but for the record, you are insane," Damon emphasized happily.
"No, I'm just looking out for Grayson," he reasoned. "Sleeping with Caroline was a mistake then, and it would be even more of a mistake now that we have him to take care of."
It was then that he heard a feminine throat clear from behind him.
His body tensed as he turned hesitantly towards the source.
Caroline was standing there, arms crossed, with a blank expression on her face.
He could tell without much evidence that she had heard everything he said.
"Caroline, it's good to see you," Damon said merrily, clearly just as buzzed as he was.
She gave him a curt nod before turning an unimpressed glare back onto him.
"We're leaving," she announced flatly, that fact made obvious by the coat she was wearing and her purse on her shoulder.
Damon stepped off his bar chair quickly, offering it up to Caroline.
"Why don't you join us for a drink?" Damon suggested.
"Thanks, but there is a six month old in the car waiting with Kol and Bonnie to be fed and then put to sleep," she said sternly. "Are you coming?" she asked him.
Both she and Damon were eyeing him expectantly.
He shrugged.
"I think I'm going to stay for one more," he decided, unsurprised when Caroline frowned.
"How are you two going to get home?" she asked.
He and Damon exchanged looks with one another.
"I can drive them home after my shift," Vicki said from behind the bar.
Caroline's eyebrows furrowed disapprovingly.
"See? Designated driver has been secured," Damon said, glancing both at him and Vicki. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him," Damon winked at Caroline.
Her contorted expression relaxed, not in relief, but defeat as she looked between Vicki and Damon.
"Fine," she sighed. "Have fun."
He and Damon had worked their way through some more drinks and a few appetizers when they decided to take a smoke break outside. Surprisingly, this had only been one of the few he had today. He wasn't sure if he could attribute his cutback to Grayson or the cold weather though.
When they came back inside, he stopped at the washroom with Damon's assurance that he would order them some more food and drinks.
However, when he emerged, Damon wasn't at the bar.
It wasn't that late yet, but considering it was a Monday, the place was virtually empty, save for a few teenagers in the restaurant and some older guys he assumed to be regulars sitting at the bar.
He couldn't find Damon anywhere as he returned to his seat.
"Damon, that's his name wasn't it? He just left. He said he had some important business to attend to in the morning and needed to get some sleep. I called him a cab," Vicki informed him as she started to wipe down the bar.
He scowled under his breath discreetly, knowing exactly why Damon had left. It was classic wingman behaviour.
Nevertheless, he accepted Vicki's reason and sat back down.
"He ordered you another drink and paid off your tab," Vicki revealed.
He knew there was a reason he liked Damon on occasion.
"Are you two close friends?" she inquired.
He laughed as he drank readily from the new drink.
"We're not friends," he stated. "More like hostile acquaintances," he mused.
"I haven't seen him around town before," she commented.
"He's not from here, he's only..." he said cryptically, "here for...Elijah."
Vicki nodded.
"What about the other guy? He's been in here before," she said.
"Stefan; he and Damon are brothers. He lives here with his girlfriend," he explained indifferently as he picked through the remaining chips from the last appetizer. "We all sort of grew up together," he said, hoping she would stop with the inquisition.
"And the pretty blonde who was over here earlier, is she your girlfriend?" Vicki wondered, almost self-consciously. "She looks familiar...she's been in here a couple times."
He shook his head.
"No, she's not my girlfriend," he sighed. "She's...was Elena's best friend."
A partial look of relief appeared on Vicki's features, but she still didn't appear reassured.
"We're raising Elijah and Elena's son together," he said, feeling the need to clarify the nature of their relationship.
This added detail seemed to surprise her.
"The sixth month old," Vicki concluded, obviously having heard Caroline's earlier reference to Grayson.
He nodded.
"That's a significant commitment. I guess you'll be in town for a while then," she surmised.
She was beginning to sound like Stefan now. He groaned under his breath.
"Only until we obtain permanent custody and figure out a workable custody arrangement between us," he reaffirmed to her and himself.
"Well I respect you for doing something like this for your brother. Not many would. You two must have been really close," she suspected.
"Yeah," he breathed quietly, hoping Vicki would get that discussing his relationship with Elijah was not something he was interested in.
"My brother Matt and I are like that," she said quickly, saving their conversation from tumbling into awkwardness. "I would do anything for him."
He smirked.
"Like bartend at his restaurant and deal with the rift raft of Mystic Falls, offering the inebriated patrons rides home after your shift?" he mused.
She blushed.
"Hey, I don't offer rides home to everyone," she pointed out.
"So, I'm the exception?" he said.
Smirking, she untied her apron.
"Maybe," she said teasingly. "My shift is pretty much done, so let me go grab my things from the back and then we can leave."
She returned a few minutes later dressed in a plain white v-neck t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, purposely meant to accentuate her features.
His eyes admired her discreetly as she put her coat on.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
He nodded, standing up from his chair and throwing his own jacket on.
Following her out back, she took them to an older compact car.
As he got in the passenger side, she threw her things in the back before getting in herself. The engine started on the second try and she promptly turned the heat on.
They didn't talk much, save for him providing her with the directions to Elena and Elijah's house.
He almost felt embarrassed. He felt like his game was severely lacking. Damon had provided him with a clear opening, but he was fucking it up at every turn and didn't know quite how to recover. He should have been talking to her; asking her questions as though he was interested, complimenting her eyes and the colour of her hair, but he couldn't even force himself to pretend.
When they pulled up in front of the house, Vicki let out a subtle 'awe' at the picturesque family home.
The house was completely darkened and he figured everyone must have went to bed.
"Thanks for the ride," he offered as he went for the door.
He paused though as he reached into his pocket.
"Shit," he complained.
Vicki looked at him questioningly.
"I don't have a key to get in the house," he realized. "Fuck."
"Why don't you try the doors?" Vicki suggested, "I'll wait here."
He climbed out of the car, following her idea, first checking the locked front door and then the locked back door.
When he circled back to the front of the house, Vicki was still there waiting.
He thought about texting someone in the house or ringing the doorbell, but he didn't want to wake anyone. Moreover, he didn't feel like facing the wrath that was sure to come from Caroline, or Bonnie and Kol for that matter. He wasn't going to play pathetic tonight, either.
Striding back to the car, he opened the door.
"It looks like I'm locked out," he informed her.
He thought he could see a smile on her face.
"Get back in, you can crash at my place," she offered.
Grabbing a hold of the invitation without much hesitation, he got back in the car.
She drove them almost to the opposite end of town before pulling into a driveway in front of an average white house.
"My brother and I are living together for now," she told him as they both climbed out of the car.
He stopped reluctantly.
"He's not home. He won't be home until later. He'll be in his office back at the Grill crunching numbers," she laughed.
Nodding, he followed her to the side door of the house.
She unlocked the door and let them both inside.
"Ignore the mess. When my brother isn't obsessing over work, he likes to renovate in his spare time. It's an annoying hobby, which is why I need to move out as soon as possible," she said.
Stepping out of her shoes, she draped her coat over the sofa in the living room and dropped her bag on the floor before she entered what appeared to be the kitchen.
After walking over the partially removed tile floor, he found her at the counter with a bottle of tequila in hand, filling two shot glasses.
"This is my after work routine," she laughed, turning around to hand him his shot.
He arched an eyebrow.
"After work shots with strange men?" he said playfully.
She pushed his shoulder with a flirty laugh.
"No, the shot," she corrected defensively. "It helps me sleep."
He couldn't fault her for that. He had relied on alcohol much too often to induce sleep - especially in the last few days.
She moved closer to him, now with her shot in hand.
Clinking her glass gently against his, she tipped her head back and brought the drink to her lips.
He watched her before taking his own.
Bringing his head back down, he found her staring at him intently.
He noticed a small dribble of liquor pooled at the edge of her pouted bottom lip.
Instinctively, he brought his hand to her face and collected the remaining drop with his thumb.
She was eyeing him anticipatorily. He never failed to recognize that look.
Ignoring the annoying reluctance that had seemed to have had the better of him all night, he dipped his head down and replaced his thumb with his lips.
As she lied awake, unable to return to sleep after getting up a half hour ago with Grayson, she could have sworn she heard a car and the subsequent shutting of doors out front.
She listened carefully for any noise downstairs that might be evidence of his return, but things stayed quiet.
It was after eleven and he still wasn't home.
She had discovered as much when she went downstairs with Grayson and found the couch vacant.
The bartender should have been done her shift by now.
She looked at her phone briefly for any messages, the glow from the screen stinging her eyes.
There was nothing.
Perhaps they had dropped Damon off first.
She felt an unfamiliar pang of worry spread throughout her chest.
Scoffing at herself, she dropped her phone back down on the nightstand.
This was pathetic. She was pathetic.
Why did she care where he was? Why was she letting it concern her? She shouldn't be worrying over someone who completely disregarded her tonight.
After he had abandoned them at the Grill, preferring the seclusion of the bar, the liquor, and the advances from the bartender, she was pissed then and she still was now.
This had nothing to do with personal jealousy or resentment over the conversation she had overheard, she quickly assured herself, because she basically agreed with him.
This had to do with Grayson.
They had agreed to raise Grayson together. He didn't get to come and go as he pleased, leaving her as Grayson's default caregiver. Would he leave Grayson with her every time he decided he needed a drink or some ass, assuming she would just be there? Maybe she wanted time to herself too? Klaus arbitrarily deciding when he was going to be around for Grayson and when he wasn't was not going to work. It wasn't fair to her or Grayson.
Perhaps the sick feeling in her stomach was due to her second-guessing herself; second-guessing their decision to raise Grayson together. She didn't want to do this if this is what it was going to be like.
No, she didn't expect him to be around all the time, but they had to mutually agree upon their free time if they were going to genuinely share responsibility of him.
He owed it to her to at least inform her of his plans rather than leaving her to speculate about all the horrible things that might have happened to him because he owed that much to Grayson.
She couldn't care less that he was probably out with the bartender getting his dick wet.
His promiscuity wasn't the point.
The point was how his reckless behaviour negatively affected Grayson and thus negatively affected her.
That is why she was upset and unable to sleep.
A/N: *cringes as she awaits her inbox to be filled with angry reviews*
So I know some of you probably hate me right now and would have much preferred Klaus and Caroline to engage in a little grief sex instead of Klaus and Vicki, but it was not to be.
This is a slow process for Klaus and Caroline and I understand if some of you more impatient readers give my story up...
That said, this is who Klaus is at the present moment. He's not in love with Caroline...yet (it's only been a weekend), although that process has already begun. In addition to who he is right now, it could be argued that this process is also a part of why the chapter ended as it did. Remember what happened the last time Klaus started to feel something more for Caroline?
If you don't hate me enough to read the next chapter, this is what you can expect: Girl talk, Kennett, Klaus doing the walk of shame, and a Klaroline confrontation.