A/N: You guys are insane! This story is at 950 reviews and I'm only posting chapter 16! Your support has been amazing and your reading your comments always cheers me up!
As usual, this wasn't the full chapter that was promised to you, but I decided to update now because the next part is huge and I felt that this part could standalone. The next part is completely finished, but will take some time to edit. Expect it to be posted as soon as possible, but I thought you would enjoy reading this in the meantime.
Thank you so much to my beta and tumblr wifey, livingdeadblondegirl, for editing this part and giving me a bunch of tips to make it better.
Speaking of tumblr, if you want to follow me, my name is idiot-wind.
It might be a shortened chapter, but I think you will enjoy it! I am eager to know what you think. :)
"You're still here?" Camille wondered, stepping into the backroom behind her.
She finished running the piece of material she was working with through the sewing machine before setting it aside.
"What time is it?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Camille who was holding onto some old display signage.
"Almost three," Camille informed her. "I told you I would close up. I know you wanted to go home and spend some time with Grayson before our girl's night tonight."
She sighed as she sat back against the chair and stretched.
"You're not thinking of backing out, are you?" Camille asked disapprovingly. "Come on, you need a night out even though you claim that you don't. There's a band at the Grill tonight. We'll dance, we'll drink, we'll flirt with the lead singer...it'll be fun," she encouraged.
Rubbing her hands over her face stressfully, she hesitated.
"Klaus isn't backing out of his babysitter duties tonight, is he?" Camille assumed.
She shook her head.
"No, he's not. He knows he owes me after what happened last weekend with Vicki. Stefan is going to hang out with him and Grayson, and Meredith is supposed to come out with us; it's her weekend off," she clarified.
"Then what's the problem?" Camille shrugged.
"I've just been so busy working on these dresses. I should probably stay and work on them for a few more hours. Instead of going out or working on the dresses, I should be spending time with Grayson. I feel like I've hardly seen him all week. We wake up together in the morning, but I've barely made it home in time to say goodnight. I feel guilty for not being there," she confessed.
She felt terrible for being so absent lately. She was terrified that Grayson was going to forget who she was, that she'd become a stranger to him. It gnawed at her every time she missed the little things. Klaus would tell her little amusing stories about something cute Grayson had done, and with each one, her guilt would grow. They were both convinced that Grayson was getting ready to crawl, and she fully anticipated that she would miss it. Klaus would probably send her a video after the fact, but she would miss seeing it live.
Though Klaus had been sticking close to home over the past week since the fiasco on the front lawn with Vicki, she still felt like she was burdening him every night she had warned him that she would be home late. Having him pick up her slack because of her work was one thing, but asking him to take care of Grayson while she went out tonight to have fun was different. As much as she needed a break, and even though Klaus had encouraged her to, she still felt bad.
"The masquerade is in a few weeks. After that, you'll be done and you can spend some more time with Grayson," Camille reminded her.
"After the fundraiser is prom, Miss Mystic, and wedding season," she groaned.
She was thankful for the busy season, but she also dreaded it at the same time, especially with Grayson and all the looming decisions she and Klaus had been putting off that they would eventually have to make.
"You can't get bogged down by worrying about all of it," Camille stated, "just concentrate on the fundraiser, and give yourself permission to go out tonight!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
Camille's positivity and excitement began to rub off on her, and she couldn't help but crack a bit of a smile.
"Okay, I'll try," she relented, standing up from the chair to organize her work for the next time she would be in.
"Great," Camille beamed, clapping her hands together.
"I guess I'll just come in tomorrow afternoon," she thought aloud, setting the material aside and heading for her office.
Camille shook her head in protest as she put her spring coat on and gathered up her things.
"You are getting so drunk tonight, Boss. You're not gonna wanna feel like coming in here tomorrow afternoon," Camille laughed.
She rolled her eyes in incredulous amusement.
"We are probably breaching some employer/employee code of ethics," she mused, stepping out of her office.
"Consider it an employee morale boosting activity," Camille joked. "I'll pick you and Meredith up at nine," Camille called after her.
When she arrived home, she found the driveway empty.
She had to remind herself that today was Saturday and not weekday. Klaus definitely wasn't out picking up Grayson from daycare.
The house was quiet when she entered.
"Hello? Klaus?" she called.
With no reply, she checked her phone to find no message from Klaus saying where they were.
Entering the kitchen curiously, she grabbed herself a drink of water before noticing a note strategically placed on the kitchen island where she would see it when she was done.
She scanned over the written note.
'Caroline, went to Whitmore to the art supply store, be back soon - Klaus'
Klaus had mentioned the store he found online earlier in the week. Apparently the store there, while not the best of what he was accustomed to in New York, would provide him with the supplies he needed to work on his art and get by while he was here in Mystic Falls. He had been talking about going ever since then.
She was a little surprised that he had decided to go with Grayson, as opposed to going on a day when he was in daycare. It was nice to see that Klaus was becoming more confident with him. At the same time, she felt a small tinge of guilt and jealousy over their growing bond. She wanted to spend that quality time with Grayson, too.
Noting the time of day, she hoped Grayson took his naps on the car ride there and back for Klaus and Stefan's sakes later on.
With the house to herself, she decided to clean herself up in preparation for her night out later. A relaxing shower was just what she needed after the hectic day she had.
After discarding her clothes in her room, she headed straight for the bathroom, knowing if she stopped and looked she would be there for the next hour debating about what to wear tonight.
Given that Klaus and Grayson were both gone, she allowed herself to indulge in the hot water a little, taking her time. It was unusual nowadays to get anything more than a rushed shower. She couldn't even remember the last time she relaxed in the bath.
She thought she could hear Klaus and Grayson downstairs when she was finished, but she played ignorant just long enough to dry her hair, change into some comfortable clothes, and select an outfit for later tonight.
Since attending the Grill to watch a band was low key, she opted for a black sequined tank top, grey skinny pants, simple back heels with bows on the side, and a purple wristlet that sported a similar accent piece.
With her clothes picked out, she was just about to go down to greet Klaus and Grayson, but her phone began to complain.
She panicked initially, thinking it could be Camille calling regarding the store, or perhaps it was Meredith cancelling on them tonight as she had subtly tried to do to Camille earlier.
Her furrowed eyebrows relaxed, however, when she noticed Bonnie's name on the screen. Though they had promised to keep in touch all the time, they had slacked this week. She was excited to talk to her friend.
"Where have you been all my life, Girl?" Bonnie asked once she answered the phone.
She laughed.
"Sorry," she apologized, "this week has been chaos for me. These dresses won't make themselves," she mused.
"I know what you mean," Bonnie sighed. "Classes might be over, but I've been studying and grading papers and exams all week," she groaned.
"Well, Kol will be there soon and you'll be spending all your time studying him," she teased.
Bonnie laughed guiltily on the other end.
"You know it's true," she continued, much to Bonnie's disdain.
"Caroline," Bonnie said in a warning tone of voice.
She chuckled, but refrained from making any more playful comments.
"How was this week with Klaus after what happened last weekend?" Bonnie inquired curiously.
"He hasn't left the house any night this week. I think what happened with Vicki when she showed up here unnerved him. He felt really guilty. He was so concerned over my sketchbook. He helped ensure every single page in the book was completely dry," she explained.
"Did he?" Bonnie confirmed suggestively.
"He's even staying in tonight with Grayson so that I can go out with Camille and Meredith. He practically volunteered me. Usually, he's the first to have plans," she told her friend.
"Wow, first he's bringing you home rare fashion magazines and making you dinner, and now he's filled with apologies, efforts to help you fix your sketchbook, and all the spare time in the world so you can have a night out," Bonnie observed. "That's a little out of character for him, isn't it?" she wondered.
She found herself shrugging even though Bonnie couldn't see the gesture.
"It sounds like he's really going out of his way to get on your good side," Bonnie said curiously.
"I think he just feels guilty, Bonnie. Why else would he be trying to get on my 'good side'?" she questioned innocently.
"Maybe because you're a smart and sexy woman," Bonnie replied suggestively.
"Bonnie," she hissed, just as how Bonnie had chastised her when she began to bother her about Kol.
"Oh please, Caroline," Bonnie lamented. "I'm just going to stop beating around the bush. It's obvious Klaus has a thing for you; Kol and I both think so," she explained.
Her friend's blunt observation startled her, especially since she had seemed dead set against Klaus as far as him being suitable for her romantically. Why would she say something like that now all of the sudden?
"No, he doesn't," she denied flatly, floating towards her bedroom door to ensure that Klaus was still downstairs with Grayson. "Up until last week, he was completely preoccupied with Vicki. If you haven't forgotten, Klaus's interest in me was very short term. He's just trying to be nice," she reasoned.
She could hear Bonnie scoff incredulously on the other end.
"Caroline, open your eyes," Bonnie chuckled. "Why else would he have gotten so upset last weekend when you told him you were going to be Damon's date to that fundraiser?"
"He's just concerned about me. Damon and Klaus have similar reputations, apparently," she explained.
"Yeah, or he's jealous," Bonnie murmured alternatively.
The idea of Klaus being jealous over her date with Damon wasn't something she had considered. It was a ridiculous thought. The whole idea of Klaus being interested in her was ridiculous. Nevertheless, she found herself second guessing the motivations behind Klaus's behaviour, every look, and every word. It still seemed far-fetched to her.
"Or, he's just concerned," she repeated.
"What if it's more than that?" Bonnie pressed.
She stammered over a response.
"Well, I can't help the way he feels," she admitted, "but you know how I feel about him, Bonnie."
"Do I?" Bonnie wondered.
She hesitated for a moment and that in and of itself alarmed her.
"Klaus has been great with Grayson. He's been good to me. And there's always going to be a part of me that finds him attractive, but that's it. It will never be anything more, especially now with Grayson. We can't jeopardize the friendship we're building," she said.
"How can you be so sure you'd be jeopardizing anything?" Bonnie countered.
"What happened to the Bonnie who was so anti-Klaus?" she asked, unnerved by Bonnie's apparent change of opinion.
"I was never anti-Klaus, Caroline," Bonnie denied. "I just wanted you to be very careful after last time."
"You know how he is," she felt inclined to remind her friend.
"Why are you going on a date with Damon then if he and Klaus are so similar?" Bonnie retorted.
"It's one date. I'm not jumping into a relationship with him. You were the one encouraging me to have some fun when I first told you about Damon," she reminded Bonnie. "Not everyone lives up to their reputation."
As soon as she spoke her last sentence, she knew what Bonnie's response would be.
"And not everyone's reputation defines them. Maybe Klaus has stopped living up to his?" Bonnie suggested.
"Maybe he has, but like I said, we're just friends," she said, feeling as though she was trying to convince more than just Bonnie.
Taking the hint that she wanted to move onto less controversial topics of conversation, Bonnie relented with a sigh.
"So, how is the little man?" Bonnie inquired.
"He's fine, I think. He's still not crawling, but it seems like he's going to every time we set him down," she said, only half-amused by her comment. "I haven't seen him much this week. I've been so busy with work. I feel like I should cancel my plans to go out tonight," she admitted guiltily.
"When was the last time you went out and enjoyed yourself, Caroline? You've spend all your free time working when you're not spending it with Grayson," Bonnie said. "You need this. By the time you go out tonight Grayson will be in bed anyways."
Like Camille, she appreciated Bonnie's efforts to ease her guilty conscience.
"I suppose you're right," she conceded, stepping out of her room curiously when she heard Grayson shriek playfully from downstairs.
"Anything from CPS yet?" Bonnie asked.
"Nope," she said simply, descending the stairs. "Klaus and I have been sitting on pins and needles all week."
"Kol is still trying to find out what he can from Mikael and Esther before he leaves for New York, but they've been silent. If they say anything, it will be to Rebekah," Bonnie said hopefully. "Speaking of New York, you and Klaus still better be planning to come out with Grayson..."
She stepped off the last stair and rounded the corner to see Grayson at the end of the hall in the kitchen sitting on newspapers and large white sheets of paper in nothing but his diaper, his skin covered in blue and red.
"Oh my god!" she gasped in panic.
"What's wrong?" Bonnie asked.
"Nothing's wrong...I think. I'll call you back," she said hurriedly, ending the call.
She rushed into the kitchen. Klaus was mixing something yellow in a small container at the kitchen island while Grayson rubbed his hands in what appeared to be paint.
"What's going on?" she demanded as she tossed her phone onto the table, kneeling down to grasp Grayson's hands before he stuck them in his mouth.
"Good afternoon to you too, sweetheart," Klaus greeted with an amused smirk. "If you haven't already gathered, we're having fun," Klaus informed her as he strode towards them, setting down the yellowish paint on the paper for Grayson as he sat down across from him.
"This is paint, Klaus. Grayson is too young. It's toxic," she chided, reaching to pick up Grayson to take him to the sink to clean up.
Klaus stopped her.
"Caroline, do you really think I'd be stupid enough to give a seven month old toxic paint?" he laughed. "It's perfectly safe for babies, and edible too, made from all natural products," Klaus informed her, just in time for Grayson to dip his finger into the yellow paint and wipe it against his lips.
Klaus released his hand from her forearm as she began to relax.
Grayson pressed both his palms against the paper, leaving colourful streaks as he moved them.
She sat back on the floor beside Grayson and watched him intently.
Grayson examined his hands before squishing them together, releasing a squeal of delight as he did so.
"He's making such a mess," she said anxiously, noticing that Grayson had painted himself and the newspaper just as much as the white paper - it's intended target. "It's going to stain the floor..."
Klaus shook his head.
"Would you relax, love? The guy at the art store in Whitmore assured me that it was easy to clean. I'll take care of it," he assured her. "Grayson is having a great time, look at him," Klaus encouraged her.
Sighing, she tried to ease her concern.
Grayson was having fun.
He dipped his hands back into the paints, smearing more paint haphazardly against the paper, releasing another audible gasp of surprise at the colours left behind.
She smiled at his reaction to the new sensory experience, laughing when he brought his hands back up to his face.
"Are you painting?" she asked him sweetly.
Grayson cooed, rubbing some blue on his stomach.
"You're the next Picasso, aren't you Gray?" Klaus asked him.
She smirked at the thought as Klaus dipped one of Grayson's hands in the red paint, helping him press it flat against the paper to leave a handprint.
Grayson seemed in awe of the sight.
"How was your day?" Klaus asked casually.
"Busy," she sighed, moving the yellow paint closer to Grayson. "Did you get what you needed in Whitmore?"
Klaus nodded.
"They had the canvas and all the supplies I need to make the stretcher frames for it," he replied. "Once I make the frames, I can work on some new paintings."
"That's good," she acknowledged.
"Oh, and I picked this up for you," Klaus said nonchalantly, standing up and reaching across the kitchen island.
He handed her the plain black hardcover book.
She took the oversized book reluctantly, opening it to find blank pages.
"I figured you might need it," he shrugged with a small smile.
"A sketchbook," she chuckled. "Thanks," she said, smiling back, while Bonnie's earlier conclusions began to flood to the forefront of her mind.
He doesn't have a thing for you, she stated to herself. Klaus is just trying to be nice.
"You didn't have to do that," she told him, setting the sketchbook aside, out of the way of Grayson's mess.
"I wanted to," he shrugged.
She had learned not to argue when Klaus put his mind to something like this. It was futile. Besides, it's not like she was going to make Klaus drive all the way back to Whitmore to return it. He did have a point; she would need a new one with crisp new pages to sketch in.
Klaus sat back down on the floor next to her and Grayson.
"I should probably call Bonnie back and tell her why I basically hung up on her so isn't sitting there worrying," she laughed, wondering what Bonnie must be thinking at this point.
"That's who you were talking to?" Klaus asked passively. "What did Bonnie have to say?"
"She just wanted to check in," she shrugged. "She's getting ready for Kol's stay in New York. She's urging us to set a date...to visit," she elaborated, leaving out the part of the conversation where they discussed him.
Klaus nodded and they both fell quiet as they returned to watching Grayson splatter some paint with his hands.
"He loves it," she observed as Grayson alternated between painting with his fingers and putting them in his mouth.
"He does," Klaus agreed, helping Grayson dip his hand into the green paint.
There was probably nothing better than the sight of Grayson having fun and the sound of his laughter - especially with Klaus. It was comforting and reassuring.
Klaus had impressed her yet again. He was really getting the hang of this baby thing.
"So, this paint really edible?" she confirmed, looking down at the glob of red paint in one of the containers.
"Of course it's edible. It's made from fruits and vegetables," Klaus reiterated. "I tasted it," he acknowledged as she dipped her finger into the paint.
She scrunched up her face in disgust at the thought of tasting it.
"If Grayson was going to eat it, I wanted to try it," he shrugged. "It's not that bad; taste it," he encouraged.
Holding out her finger in front of her, she hesitated.
"Did you actually try it?" she asked him with an arched eyebrow.
He scowled and grabbed her wrist.
Before she could discern what was happening, his soft lips were curled around her finger. The gesture startled her, and while she was outwardly disgusted and amused by it, inwardly her reaction was much different; her body tingled with excitement as he withdrew her digit from his mouth and she felt his plush tongue glide over the pad of her finger.
To her, the action was taking place in slow motion. In reality, her finger was in and out of his mouth in a few seconds.
For a quick moment, thoughts of his tongue on other parts of her body, and thoughts of her tongue on other parts of his clouded her mind.
"See? It's not that bad," Klaus said, licking his lips.
Doing her best to act mortified, to hide the fact that she was oddly aroused, she glowered at him.
"Ew! That's so gross," she cried in protest.
Acting quickly, she rubbed the residual paint and his excess saliva on her finger across his cheek. A small shiver crept down her spine as his stubble tickled her skin.
A little stunned by her response, Klaus's eyes widened as he felt where her hand had just been.
"Bitch," he murmured lowly, so Grayson wouldn't hear.
She glared at him disapprovingly.
"Well, you shouldn't have licked..."
A Cheshire grin on Klaus's face prompted her to hesitate anxiously.
His smile also served as a brilliant distraction because she hadn't notice Klaus put more paint on his fingers until they marked her cheek as she had his - only worse.
"Klaus!" she complained. "I just had a shower...and you got some on my t-shirt," she groaned.
He frowned apologetically, and that was her plan. She didn't care about these clothes, plus she hadn't applied her makeup yet, so she wasn't concerned about washing her face. He didn't know that though.
"Caroline, I didn't..."
She took her opportunity and ran with it. Squishing three of her fingers into the green paint, she pounced on him unexpectedly, pinning him down against the kitchen floor and smearing the paint across his other cheek vengefully.
Cackling victoriously, she wiped the remaining paint from her finger onto his forehead.
"I win!" she laughed, only realizing then the compromising position she had put them in.
She was straddling Klaus's hips while he rested below her. His body was pressed firmly against hers in places where the pressure was much too suggestive for her to handle.
They had been like this before, though with far fewer clothes on; twice, actually, not that she was keeping track. She sucked in a breath and her toes curled slightly as she thought back to those nights; those nights she took control of him like this, those nights he left her writhing for more.
She shouldn't be doing this; they shouldn't be doing this. They were walking a very fine line and this was on the verge of becoming inappropriately dangerous.
Over thinking it proved fatal.
She shrieked when Klaus griped her sides, changing their positions, so that she was now below him.
"Not quite," Klaus declared triumphantly, pinning her hands above her head while his free hand decorated her face in red paint as she struggled to break free beneath him.
"Klaus, stop!" she yelped.
She tried to act serious, but she couldn't help but laugh as he continued to paint her skin red.
"Stop!" she whined, her command cracking into more uncontainable laughter.
Her tiny wrists were no match for his masculine hand, and her body could barely move under the weight of his torso.
"I think I win," Klaus smirked.
"Get off of me," she cried.
"I'm not going to let you take advantage of my pity this time," he mused. "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen, Forbes," he challenged her.
There was heat all right, heat that she most definitely couldn't take, but it wasn't the metaphorical heat he was referring to; it was the literal heat between their bodies; it was the heat that had concentrated itself at the junction of her thighs.
She squirmed underneath him some more, trying hard to ignore the way their combative movements mimicked something more intimate; when she bucked her hips upwards, he bucked his downwards to contain her.
As she fought to push him away, her entire being urged her to pull him closer. She wanted to feel him against her, to revel in the warmth that consumed her when he touched her.
It hadn't dawned on her until now - when it was just within her grasp - just how much she truly longed for it - for him. She craved him.
Her chest constricted from a lethal cocktail of desire and heartache.
He could make her burn with passion, but he could also make her quake with fear.
With all her senses on overdrive and her emotions spiraling out of control, she tensed against him and attempted a last ditch effort to fight not only against his concrete strength, but also against the insidious metaphysical power he continued to retain over her body and her heart.
Picking up on her detached response, he separated his body from hers, and she gave up her fight, allowing her body to relax, panting to catch her breath.
His breaths were also laboured from their little struggle.
With the both of them nearly recovered, she looked up at him to find him looking back down at her fixedly; his blue eyes were ablaze with a hypnotic passion and yearning that made it difficult for her to look away.
The mood had shifted, and the tension between them was palpable.
Suddenly, she felt her breathing hitch once more as his thumb traced itself over her cheek.
The action could have easily been interpreted as him ensuring the paint he attacked her with was spread evenly across her face, but the movement was too slow, too affectionate to be a joke.
His face was inches from hers, and it wasn't the lack of distance between them that unnerved her, it was the fact that she wanted him to close it entirely.
She wanted him to kiss her.
Her sides clenched excitedly at the prospect.
She wanted to pull on the necklace hiding under his t-shirt to bring his lips against hers.
"Klaus..." she breathed.
Growing apprehensive of her own desires and the way Klaus was staring at her, she quickly averted her gaze.
Her stomach dropped when she noticed Grayson was no longer on the paper beside them.
No wonder things had grown so quiet.
"Where's Grayson!?" she gasped, shooting up from the floor as Klaus climbed off of her.
She peered around the dining room table as Klaus looked around the island.
"Grayson?" she called. "How did he move so fast?"
"We're not playing hide and seek, Gray," Klaus sighed.
After looking under the table, she stood up from her crouched position and that's when she noticed the paint tracks into the family room.
Grayson was crawling behind the coffee table.
"Klaus," she whispered, in hopes she wouldn't distract Grayson.
She pointed to the family room and Klaus emerged from the kitchen to investigate.
When he saw what she saw, he smirked.
"Little bugger," he mused, as they watched an unsuspecting Grayson crawl beside the shelving unit.
"He's crawling," she said under her breath excitedly.
She felt her throat began to swell with emotion, and she felt this overwhelming urge to cry, but she was able to refrain from spilling both tears of joy and sadness. She was beyond happy at the sight of Grayson's achievement, but she was also disappointed that Elena and Elijah weren't here to see it.
Despite that, she couldn't hold back the proud grin on her face.
Not even the paint Grayson had tracked into the family room could bring her down.
That's when Grayson started to get into mischief, pulling things from the bottom shelf beside him.
"No, no, honey," she said, entering the family room as he decided to try and munch on a DVD case.
The doorbell rang in the same moment.
"I'll go get it," Klaus offered, disappearing down the hall as she removed the case from Grayson's grasp.
It was Elijah and Elena's wedding video.
"Eating that now might not be such a good idea, monkey," she said in lieu of Grayson's audible protests. "You might want to watch that when you're older," she laughed, setting the case on the coffee table.
She watched curiously from the family room through to the living room as Klaus opened the front door.
There was a man and a woman, both in their late thirties or early forties, dressed rather professionally, standing on the front porch expectantly.
"Good afternoon, we're here on behalf of Child Protective Services."
A/N: Dun dun dun!
So, what did you think about Klaus and Caroline getting dirty?
Up next on Tangled Up in Blue: Klaus and Caroline go up against CPS, Caroline enjoys a girl's night out a little too much, while Klaus has a guys night in with Stefan. When Caroline returns home drunk, Klaus is put in a very awkward position.