.


Again, I want to thank everyone for their continual love. It honestly makes my day every time I see
your beautiful reviews and more people reading, and hitting those follow/favorite buttons. Love you all!

Just a heads up - this is the last fully written chapter I had saved, so please bear with me if the next updates take a little time as I'm working full time and going to school full time now, making writing time extremely limited. As I say with every other story I post, I will never just abandon a story without saying so. I may take forever and a day to update it at times, but you'll never see me just leave a story hanging without a say so.

That said, enjoy the next part. It's my favorite. :)


PART 4

Seeing students outside of school really wasn't something Caroline went out of her way to do. It was actually something she avoided to the best of her abilities. It wasn't the five-year-olds that made it uncomfortable. It was the parents that were the problem. Too many times she'd gotten caught in conversations she wanted to run from involving unsolicited suggestions about her teaching methods, classroom content, or the nutritional value of the snacks the school provided for snack time; or worse, gossip about other parents. She'd endured awkward conversations about so-and-so's mother who let them eat Tasty Cakes and Pop Tarts; about the single fathers and which ones did she think were cute and/or available?; and, most recently, about the mysterious Mikaelsons.

What was her opinion, they asked? What did she make of the unorthodox family, and what did she know more than they did? She tried to keep it as minimal as she could. Finn seemed nice enough, and Elijah was well-mannered. Rebekah was like any passionate teenage girl. Kol was…to be determined. And Henrik was a dream to have in her class. She never mentioned Klaus as people gossiped about him the most. He was the only male in the family that was light haired and blue eyed. There was no similarity to his brothers and that was odd to the town busybodies. She once argued that he and Rebekah looked alike but that led to even more questions than resolution.

No, she never brought Klaus up in conversation. Maybe it was a protection thing. But was it to protect him or protect herself? What would they say if the sweet, wholesome, and well-known Kindergarten teacher started dating a Mikaelson? Somebody was bound to see her up by the mansion. There were always onlookers trying to spy from afar. So why did she say yes?

Truth be told, she was still trying to reason it out herself. It would be an interesting hands-on experience with the family. Maybe she'd even get to find out what happened with their parents. Curiosity was totally a weakness of hers. But…it still wasn't really why she agreed to the date.

She'd get to see her favorite little kindergartner prodigy. True, Kol had manipulated her by including Henrik in his plan. She couldn't say no to those big brown eyes and hopeful smile. But even she could admit that Henrik wasn't motive enough.

And then there was Kol, himself. There was no attraction on her part, and she wasn't truly obligated to go just because he'd convinced her to say 'yes'. She'd be humoring him, more than anything. And, okay, even if it wasn't legitimate, maybe seeing her with his brother might light a fire under Klaus' ass.

And there it was. The ulterior motive she didn't want to admit to. She wanted an excuse to see Klaus again.

Something had happened that day in her classroom. Something she wanted answers about and he seemed to be intent on not giving them to her. There had always been a tension between them, but sparks? Those were new. And if he was going to ignite them, why didn't he see the fire through instead of throwing a bucket of cold water all over their progress?

She was trying to be patient but he was taking too long. Their classroom flirtation was reaching its peak and it was time to do something about it, but who was she to push him? She could have made a move herself, and she usually did when she was getting anxious, but she'd been focusing on being careful with Klaus, as to not to step on toes or make things weird. She didn't want to be the girl that she once accused him of philandering.

So accepting Kol's invite to his home was the best strategy she had. It might backfire, like ambushes do, but that was just a risk she was going to have to take.


The Mikaelson Mansion. Dinner time. 6:30 p.m.

Friday night dinners were of great significance in the Mikaelson clan. It was the one night out of the week they would put aside their lives and enjoy the company of family. It took a lot of convincing, particularly where Rebekah and Kol were concerned. As far as they considered, Friday nights were for gallivanting and getting into youthful trouble. To Finn, it was the one night a week that everyone was available and he refused to let them be excluded. If one night was all the six of them could muster for each other, then he would ensure that they made it a mandatory custom.

At present, the family was gathering as the meal was being set out by Rebekah and Finn. Henrik sat in the far corner of the eight-person dining table, his legs swinging as he watched his siblings filter in. Elijah and Katherine – his high school sweetheart who had been family basically since they met – sat across from Henrik, the seat beside her left empty for Rebekah to occupy. Kol was to Henrik's left, fingers rapidly tapping the screen of his iPhone in all directions as he texted message after message. Henrik sat up straighter when Klaus walked in, taking up the head of the table beside his youngest brother, and flashing him a smile. The little boy grinned back, happy to be acknowledged.

"Will she be joining us for every family dinner?" Klaus griped, helping himself to the wine that was on the table.

Katherine rolled her eyes, squeezing Elijah's hand as he weaved his fingers through hers. "Are you ever going to let go of that grudge? It's been years."

"And yet I never received an apology."

She smiled spitefully. "You're right. I'm sorry you're not over the fact that I ditched you on our art project in high school. I guess hanging out with your brother was just more interesting."

"You're fueling the fire, Katerina," Elijah warned.

Klaus pointed his glass at his brother. "You're partially to blame."

"Can we have one civilized dinner in this household?" Finn pleaded, entering the room with a platter of carved roast to place on the table. "Dinner is the only time we are all in one room together."

"And you see how well that works out," Kol teased, nudging Henrik's arm playfully. Henrik grinned mischievously up at his elder while Finn took up his seat at the opposite end from Klaus.

"I, for one, agree with Finn." Rebekah entered the room with a wooden bowl filled with her garden salad contribution. "I feel like I never see most of you during the week."

"That's because you're always in detention," Kol teased.

"I am not!"

"You are!" He laughed. "Getting into trouble with that Lorenzo bloke. Honestly, what do you see in him?"

She slammed the bowl down with a little flounce. "He's nicer than you!"

"Oh he's nice! Wow, I'm so glad I know the secret to impressing our sister is being nice. What effort."

"He happens to know how to treat a woman."

"So what's he doing with you?"

She started to reach for the carving knife when Finn grabbed her hand to stop her. "Rebekah, sit," Finn demanded. "The two of you will behave. I will not tolerate your bickering tonight."

"Suddenly he's our father," Klaus muttered before sipping his wine, only not as quietly as he'd hoped. The entire table went deadly silent and his face went pale. Finn was glaring across the table but no one said a thing. The doorbell finally broke the tense silence.

"I'll get it!" Henrik called out, hopping down from his chair before anyone could object.

Elijah peered after him, perplexed. "Who would solicit during supper?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention I invited a date?" Kol was already up and pushing in his chair.

Rebekah gave him a dull look. "To our family dinner?"

"I thought I'd just skip all the intimacies and get right to the point. Isn't that nice of me, Bekah?"

He waggled his brows and disappeared from the room. Voices echoed from the foyer, one of them feminine, and everyone took turns glancing at one another in confusion. Klaus swished his wine a little, impatient and wanting to get back to his brooding and his sketch pad up in his room. Unlike the others, he didn't find it the least bit surprising that Kol would find a way to sabotage his way out of Finn's family dinner obligation. Especially using a girl as a means of distraction.

Klaus was used to his brother's disposal of women. He never gave himself a chance to be alone, though he seemed to enjoy his own company more than any normal male should. That was one of the bigger differences between them. Kol was the life of the party, a deviant who liked to make a spectacle of himself – or sometimes others – just to liven things up. He got into too many fights at school because of his pride, but he was smarter than anyone gave him credit for. He could talk his way out of anything, provided the listener didn't tire of hearing his voice and just dismiss him in exchange for peaceful silence. Yes, Kol was a handful and he knew it. In fact, he depended on it.

"Hello darling," Kol's voice echoed softly from the foyer.

"Sorry I'm late," the girl spoke, higher in pitch and vaguely familiar.

"You're right on time, actually," Kol's voice carried, growing in volume as he neared. "We're just sitting down," he said, appearing in the doorway no sooner with his arm out stretched for his date to enter before him.

Henrik bolted in, racing to his seat, disorienting everyone so that when Caroline walked through, all smiles, the shock was minor.

Almost.

Klaus immediately stilled in his seat, eyes locking with hers the second they found him. There was a slight hesitation in her gaze before she dodged his questioning look, instead glancing to Elijah. Little frown lines developed above the ridge of her nose as she took in the sight of Katherine clinging to his older brother and Elijah not bothered by it at all.

"Hello everyone," she greeted with a wave. "I'm Caroline, Henrik's teacher."

There was an awkward pause, and then, "Bloody hell, Kol! His teacher?!" It was Rebekah's voice of revulsion. "Could you be any more repugnant?"

"Sure. I could be you." Ignoring her icy glare, he gestured for Caroline to sit in his empty seat as he took the spot next to the end of the table where Finn resided.

She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can leave if this is too awkward."

"Nonsense!" Kol answered for everyone. "Just ignore my sister. It's easier than you'd think."

Henrik leaned back to see her past the chair next to him, smiling at her. She smiled and gave him a little wave as she sat between him and Kol. In mere moments Finn left and reappeared with a place setting for her, putting it together before her then retaking his seat. Caroline looked at the array of dishes set out – the sliced roast, Rebekah's salad, regular white and sweet potatoes, assorted vegetables, and rolls. It was like Thanksgiving in the middle of March.

"This is quite a spread."

Finn agreed with a slight nod. "It's remarkable what can be produced when our family takes time to collaborate."

"Except for Kol who does nothing," Rebekah jabbed. He waved her off dismissively.

"I set the table," Henrik told her proudly.

"You did a good job."

He blushed, ducking his head to hide his smile. The table quickly became alive with movement as dishes were passed here and there and everyone dug in.

"Pass the rolls, please," Rebekah requested. "Caroline, roll?"

"No, thank you, but I'll have some of those sweet potatoes if you could send them this way."

"The white are just as good," Klaus muttered out of nowhere.

Her eyes flicked to him. "Sorry?"

"Just curious that you would choose the yams over the regular potatoes."

Her brows slowly lowered, realizing what he was doing, and seriously? "I guess I just had a different craving."

He looked up then with a hard stare. "Clearly."

She scoffed and looked away from him, scooping some of the sweet potatoes onto her plate.

"Oh ease up, Klaus," Katherine berated with a conspiratorial smirk. "She's a big girl. She can decide for herself what she likes and what she doesn't."

"That's right," Caroline added.

"Yes, well, suffice to say she likes to stay within the same vegetable family."

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "Maybe the regular potatoes were just taking too long to be passed!"

His wide-eyed gape bore into her with a flaming fury, not unlike her own. The stare down between them was electric, heated currents sizzling in the air between them.

Henrik frowned, glancing back and forth. "Why are we fighting about 'tatoes?"

Caroline blinked, dropping her gaze and faking a smile. "You're right, Henrik." She scrunched her nose, playing it off. "It's silly to get mad over vegetables, isn't it?"

"I don't like broccoli."

"Me either," Katherine emphatically agreed.

"Finn gets mad when I don't eat it."

"Seasoned correctly, it can be quite delicious," Elijah argued.

"It's beneficial to your growth," Finn told the five-year-old.

Henrik grimaced. "It's yucky. And it tickles my mouth."

Klaus and Caroline silently glanced at each other, then back down at their respective plates, staying mute.

"Maybe you should try Cauliflower," Katherine suggested, lacing her fingers to lean her chin on them with a lazy grin. "They're in the same family."

Klaus set his fork down with a clang and pushed himself back, excusing himself without a word. Caroline followed his path with her eyes, sorry to see him go, then shot a scolding look at Katherine.

"Was that really necessary?"

"No," she smiled sweetly, "but it was funny."


Dinner went on somewhat quietly, the remaining few straining to make pleasant conversation. After the meal, Finn took Henrik upstairs for his bath while Rebekah and Elijah cleaned up the remnants. Kol took Caroline on a mini tour of the first floor of the mansion that ended in the parlor room where Katherine was hiding out. Klaus was nowhere to be found.

While Kol lounged on one of the brown leather couches, Caroline confronted Katherine who surprised her with an apology, oddly timed with Elijah's approach. As the three conversed, Caroline found herself enjoying their company. They were compelling conversationalists and sweet to each other, when Katherine wasn't pushing buttons, which Elijah never seemed to mind. He was even oddly more animated with her around and Caroline soon was grateful that she'd given Katherine a second chance because the two instantly bonded over a mutual hatred of the Salvatores. Unbeknownst to them, Klaus had snuck into the room from the far entrance, opposite of them. He lingered with his after supper Bourbon in hand near the couch Kol was sitting on, watching Caroline laugh at something Elijah had said.

"How did you finagle her into coming here?"

Kol turned around, surprised to see him there. "Who finagled? All I did was ask. And she said yes. Don't be mad at me for her choices."

"I'm not mad," he argued defensively. "I'm just…trying to wrap my mind around it."

"Around what? That she rejected you but more than gladly accepted my offer?"

"Don't test me, Kol."

"Is that a teacher joke?" Klaus turned away with a flourish and headed toward the vinyl player in the corner, ignoring Kol's call out, "Sore losing wanker."

He chose a soft, sultry jazz melody that crooned out a story of anguish and symphony of erratic brass notes. Just as he went to turn away, there was Caroline, smiling in the face of his disgruntle.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude on your date with Kol."

"It's not a date."

"He asked you to dinner and you accepted. That qualifies as a date."

She rolled her eyes as he brushed past her. "Seriously? It's a family dinner. And I didn't come for him."

He paused and turned around. His lips twitched and she could see wheels turning behind his eyes. She waited him out, expecting a retraction. Instead…

"Be that as it may, I'm not in the mood for talking tonight." Her face fell and instantly he felt regret in his chest. He looked down, muttering an "excuse me" before he disappeared.

Caroline dropped her shoulders with a defeated breath. She wasn't sure why but she felt shaken to her core and wanted nothing more but to go home to her bed, hide under the covers and cry.

"Caroline, darling," Kol called, reminding her she was not at home, or alone. "Come join me."

Shaking off her feelings, she turned away from the empty divide and went toward Kol, taking a sip of liquid courage from her wine glass. He beamed when she joined him, immediately putting his arm around her. He picked up a tiny remote from the coffee table and hit a button. The fireplace in front of them was suddenly aflame.

"Technologies little advances, eh?" She hummed, smiling politely as she downed more of her wine. "This is romantic, isn't it?"

"It sure is."

"You're not impressed."

"Kol…I might not have been entirely honest with you."

He smirked. "That's all right. I like a bit deviance in women."

"I shouldn't have said yes to your proposition." The amusement began to leave his face and she felt even worse. "This was really sweet, and I can tell you've put a lot of effort into it."

"But I'm not the Mikaelson you'd prefer to be sitting here with." She frowned guiltily and he retracted his arm with a sigh. "You can spare me the piteous looks. I knew it from the second Nik saw you walk in. It's just a pity he got to you first."

"Is it, though? I mean, don't you want someone your own age?"

"Girls my age are shallow and thoughtless. They're still teething and I need someone who can bite back. Especially in the bedroom." His eyes held a wicked gleam that matched his roguish grin.

"And you thought I was a good candidate?"

"You're pretty, and smart. And you're not intimidated by my devilish good looks."

She snorted. "No, I am definitely not."

"Go ahead and deny it. Doesn't change what I see in the mirror every day."

"Wow!" She laughed. "You have the biggest ego I have ever seen, you know that?"

"That's not all," he teased, grinning smugly.

"Ew, Kol!" She shoved him with a laugh making him laugh too. "I can't believe you said that!"

Out in the hall, her giggles trailed and struck a chord in Klaus' heart. He sank against the wall in defeat and glared down into the golden puddle at the bottom of his tumbler. As he listened to her enjoying his brother's company, he felt more and more justified in thinking he should never have agreed to pick Henrik up in the first place.


Now that the truth was out there, Caroline felt more comfortable being herself around Kol. They joked around, poked fun at some of the other town inhabitants – she even extended a half-hearted offer to see if any of her friends would be interested in dating him. She already knew the answer but what would it hurt to give the kid a little hope?

In twenty minutes time, Henrik was back, in his little flannel pajamas, and had no qualms about interrupting.

"Miss Caroline!" He ran up to her and stopped just two feet in front of her, hands clasped in front of him as his feet danced, trying to contain his excitement. "Do you wanna come see my room?"

Her brows shot up. "Of course I do!"

"Come on!" He grabbed her hand, trying to tug her to her feet.

She laughed and stood. "Okay, okay. Lead the way."

He let go and ran to the doorway, stopping abruptly as Finn towered over him with disapproval. He shrank back with a tiny frown.

"We said no running in the house, Henrik."

"Sorry."

"It's all right. I just don't want you to fall and hurt yourself."

"Sorry," Caroline nodded as she walked up. "He was excited to show me his room."

He gave her a little half frown of disappointment that she fought not to laugh at before allowing the two of them through. Henrik walked carefully to the stairs then peeked back over his shoulder, to make sure Finn was out of sight, and dashed up the first flight. Caroline laughed and raced after him. They ran and giggled their way up the second flight and down the hall until they reached a door with a hand-drawn sign hanging on it that read his name. He smirked secretively back at her before opening the door and allowing her into his world.

She stepped into the blue sanctuary, surprised at how modest it was. The twin bed was shoved against one corner facing the door, a large scale painting hanging beside it. The miniature bookshelf to its left had six cubby holes all filled with children's stories and several chapter books. There were two windows on opposite walls and to the left of one was a stack of brown wicker drawers, probably filled with toys. The black dresser matched the frame of the bed and sat pristinely off to the side, near his closet. Atop it sat a globe and a blue piggy bank, nothing more. Two more pictures occupied the walls and there was a family photo framed on top of the little orange night stand beside his bed.

"Oh wow." She nodded with a beaming grin, her hands on her hips. "This is an awesome room."

"Nik painted that," he pointed. It was a jungle landscape with caricature monkeys hanging every which way. The whimsy of it made her smile. "He calls me a monkey cause I love to climb."

With that, he was up on his bed, jumping on the mattress and making monkey sounds. She couldn't help but laugh, amazed to see him so carefree and having fun.

"I can see that."

"He made that one too." He hopped off the bed and pulled her over to the farther side of the room to show her a painting of a silhouetted city skyline, and above it the clouds swirled like ocean waves that a pirate ship floated on. Stars littered the sky, surrounding a full moon, and yellow lights dotted the buildings and bridge. "It's Neverland," he whispered.

Caroline looked closer and saw the little shadow of Peter Pan flying behind the ship.

"Nik says when I'm big enough, he'll take me to see the buildings. And we'll never have to go home. That's why it's Neverland."

She smiled, her heart swelling with warmth and a sudden urge to hug him. When she looked to her side, he was already gone. A glance over her shoulder told her he was at his book shelf, but she couldn't tear herself away from the painting yet. The allure of the New York City skyline was too strong, and the story Henrik had told her made her curious.

"Why does he want to go to Neverland?" she braved asking.

Henrik turned around, holding a book. "Cause it's his favorite place. When we go, it's just gonna be him and me."

"What about your other brothers? And Rebekah?"

He looked down, pursing his lips. "Finn can't come. And 'lijah and Kaffrine wanna go somewhere else. And Bekah doesn't like it so she's gonna stay with Kol so it's just me and Nik. It's our special trip." He went and sat down on his bed, opening his book and then pausing with an afterthought. "You can come with us."

Caroline hesitated then walked over to sit with him. "To Neverland?" He nodded. "I don't know. Do you think Klaus would get mad?"

"No. I think he'd get happy if you came."

"Really?"

"He's happy when he comes to school. And you're at school."

"Are you sure he's not just happy to see you?"

He tilted his head. "Maybe. Wanna know a secret?" She nodded and he gestured her closer until their noses were almost touching. "Nik's my favorite brother," he whispered, "but don't tell Kol."

She giggled. "I won't. I will take it to the grave."

"Do you like Kol?"

"What do you mean?"

"He said you were on a date. Girls that go on dates with Kol means they like him."

She smiled, leaning in. "Wanna know my secret?"

"Uh-huh." He nodded, wide-eyed and eager as he scooted closer.

She winced and lowered her voice. "I only came because I wanted to see Klaus. But don't tell Kol."

Henrik's smile stretched across his whole face. Caroline couldn't help but blush. "I promise I won't tell," he swore.

She sighed dramatically in relief, for his sake. "Good."

"So will you, then?"

"Will I what?"

"Come to Neverland, silly."

"How about I think about it and get back to you?"

He sighed. "Okay. But first," he closed his book and held it up, "you have to finish the Rumpus story."

She laughed. "You mean Where the Wild Things Are."

"No, it's the Rumpus story."

"Are you sure? Because I don't think that's what this says," she gestured to the cover. "Why don't you read it out loud?"

"It's the Rumpus story," he insisted with a stern look.

"He knows the proper title." Klaus stood in the doorway, surprising them both. Caroline's heart pitter pattered with nerves as he walked in to join them on the opposite side of the bed. "But I think you like calling it that because of what it sounds like."

Henrik grinned devilishly. "Nu-uh…"

"Yes, I think you do," he teased, starting to tickle him, the room erupting with Henrik's high pitched giggles. "You little rump monster, you!"

"No you-uuu!"

Caroline laughed at the display, the endearing pair chasing away the nervous butterflies from before. Klaus caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and was reminded of her presence. He eased off his brother and cleared his throat to recompose himself.

"You don't have to stay, you know."

"It's okay. It's one story. Besides, I've been promising him we'd read it."

"Yay!" Henrik bounced gleefully.

"I'll leave you to it then." Caroline looked up with a frown as he stood and headed toward the door.

"Nik, don't go." He paused, turning halfway at Henrik's timid plea. "You have to do the monster sounds…"

Klaus blinked, sparing a quick glance to Caroline, whose brows rose in response, then back to Henrik who was giving him big brown eyes of hope.

"You know how to do them."

"But you do them better…" He pouted his lips, clutching the book to his chest. "Please?"

Klaus' shoulders dropped. It was the 'please' that did it. And so he sat. And she began to read. All the while he listened, riveted by her rendition of the story that had brought him back to life.

She didn't know the significance that the book held. That it was once read to him to help him vanquish his fear of monsters. That he had read it to Henrik every night for three years straight. That it was the first thing to make his baby brother smile since their parents were taken. She didn't know the sounds he made to hear those precious giggles, or their own wild rumpuses that kept him up past his bedtime. She didn't know it was the one thing that brought him out of the hole he lived in when Tatia died, that the story and his brother were the only things that kept him holding on to his own life.

She didn't know so he couldn't hold it against her, but some part of him did. This was their thing and she'd taken it away from him and turned it into something they'd now forcibly have to share. Why shouldn't it bother him? If he was truly honestly with himself, he wasn't that petty. It wasn't the severance of their special bond that was bothersome, rather the fact that he found himself actually enjoying her inclusion.

He enjoyed watching her with his brother, seeing the way they made each other smile with the simplicity of words and mere gestures. He loved to see Henrik opening back up, being vulnerable and letting him hug her, hugging her back, acting like a five-year-old should be acting. He enjoyed seeing the way she fell in love with Henrik, and how captivated she was with him when no one else was looking, how she taught him to read, and how she read to him.

He enjoyed her smile, the way she read so that the words on the page jumped out, syllables dancing off her tongue and a musical undertone to her voice as it changed tenor with each phrase. He enjoyed the way her eyes dilated when she was being loud and narrowed ever so slightly when she whispered. He enjoyed the way her lips moved, how her nose scrunched, how her lashes fluttered, how her cheeks turned rosy every time their eyes met. Her laughter filled his heart each time Henrik cued for him to make a monster growl, or flail his arms about in faux attack. There was something in her eyes when she looked at him that made him feel whole again, and it was terrifying. He felt it the more he was around her, and he'd desperately wanted to act on it but the fear held him back. Should he let himself succumb to love another once again, he would reopen himself to the possibility of loss. And he'd already lost so much. They all had.

By the time the story ended, Henrik was fast asleep. They were sitting side by side, the book in her lap, and Henrik strewn across his. Caroline let out a contented sigh and Klaus cleared his throat.

"He adores you, you know."

She smiled. "The feeling's mutual." She looked down at the sleeping boy, gently pushing a strand of hair away from his eyes with the tip of her index finger. "He's very sweet. And smart."

"Too smart," Klaus agreed. "At times I wonder if he knows too much. He's already seen more than he should have at his age."

She frowned softly, hesitating to ask, "What do you mean?"

He glanced at her cautiously, his heart pounding, mind pleading with him to halt. But it was now or never. "You might have noticed the lack of parentals in our household." He licked his lips, pausing before unveiling, "Our parents were incarcerated. Three years ago. They were sentenced to ten years in prison for their crimes. Finn, Elijah and I are still working out the custody battle. Rebekah and Kol were old enough to allow us to remain temporary legal guardians since they'd be of age by the time our parents are released. Henrik won't." His face went taut at the thought.

"Does he know?"

He sighed. "At first we tried to tell him they'd gone on vacation for a little while. But he listens to everything very carefully. He heard Finn talk about going to see them. One night he asked me if he could go see them. I wasn't sure what to say so I told him they could only see us one by one. And that you had to be grown up to go where they were. He didn't like that very much." She smiled in sad understanding. "He knows where they are. He won't admit it to anyone, and he doesn't know why, but he knows."

Her heart ached for him, for his whole family. No wonder they were so close and so secretive. They'd been through more than one tragedy. Especially Klaus. She laid her hand on his arm, meaning to comfort him, but he stiffened right away. She drew back immediately.

"Sorry…"

"No, it's…" He caught a glimpse of her eyes and suddenly swallowed and looked down at Henrik again. "We should let him sleep."

"Yeah." She nodded, disheartened by his withdrawal. "We should."

They got up simultaneously and while he tucked his brother in, she put the book back in his shelf, rubbing her shoulder as she waited by the door. He escorted her out, flipping the light switch and shutting the door behind them. They walked down the hall silently. As they neared the staircase, she touched the banister then turned around, catching him by surprise.

"About the other day…" He closed his eyes briefly and looked away. "Why did you leave like that?"

"It's not your - "

"It clearly is me. I did something that made you suddenly change your mind."

"You didn't."

"Then why didn't you stay? And why didn't you kiss me?"

He looked up, startled by her blunt confrontation. The knot in his throat jumped as he swallowed and she saw something she didn't recognize in his expression.

"I wanted to," he admitted. "I should have." He hesitated, then licked his lips feigning... "But Henrik was there. He was – "

"No, don't use him as an excuse. Just tell me the truth."

He searched her eyes, earnest in his expression. "I did want to."

"But you didn't."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"No, I don't – " She pressed her fingertips to her temples with an aggravated laugh. "You don't have to apologize, Klaus. I just want to know why. What was stopping you?" She stepped forward. "What's stopping you right now?"

He peered down at her, eagerly waiting for him to take the plunge. And he wanted to – oh how he wanted to.

"Kol," he mumbled suddenly, his mind grasping at any excuse to cling to his fear.

Caroline blinked. "What?"

"…You came here as Kol's date. It would be wrong to – "

"Oh my god, seriously?! In case you haven't noticed, I am standing here with you. Not Kol." When he stared blankly back at her, she had reached the end of her patience. "Just forget it." She shook her head and turned away from him, beginning her descent down the staircase.

He gripped the railing with all his might, watching her stomp away from him, wondering why he couldn't answer the pressing urge to go after her. Why did his fear cripple him, keep him from going after the things he wanted? But it wasn't just fear. It was self preservation, for him and for his family.

There was so much they had to deal with, even more that he didn't want her to know about. It had driven Tatia to drink and drive, causing her to lose her life. What if it did the same to Caroline? He couldn't be the reason for another needless death. He was already the reason for so much else. Still, a selfish desire to have what he could not ate away at him.

He heard the door slam below and turned away from the landing, at last. He trudged back to his room, digging his sketchpad out from the night stand and sitting down on his bed, opening it to his latest entry. He traveled backward, flipping page after page, tormenting himself with images of Caroline and the one that kept reiterating, blurring his vision, was the one of her turning away from him, disappointed, marching down the stairs and out of his home, and out of his life.

He couldn't let that image haunt him forever. It couldn't be his last one of her.


Caroline walked in the door of her apartment with a sigh of defeat. She kicked her heels off and walked over to her couch, dropping her clutch on it before slumping into it herself. So much for that, she silently lamented.

An hour into the episode of Project Runway she'd DVRed, there was a knock at her door. She pulled the metal spoon from her lips and stuck it back into her ice cream carton, brows knit in confusion. Her ponytail bobbed as she padded to the door, tugging her pajama shorts back into place along the way. She turned the lock without bothering to look through the peephole and pulled the door open, and before she could register her own shock, her face was pulled to Klaus' and his lips crushed into hers, parting and recapturing them with more passion than the first. Her hands relaxed against his chest and slid up to lock behind his neck as she began to kiss him back. His lips were full, she knew that already, but they were softer than she would have imagined. And his tongue moved expertly against hers in ways she never knew a tongue could move. Or maybe she'd just never kissed someone as good at it as he was.

She felt his hand go to her lower back, pushing her closer to him, and then he slowed and finally drew back to breathe. Caroline panted for breath, blinking too many times to clear the stars from her eyes. She smiled when he finally came into view, holding his arms to keep herself steady.

"Do you want to come in?"