Author's note: I've gotten a lot of requests for a sequel to Chapter 117: A Precious Vintage, and my muse finally cooperated! Thank you for all the asks and I hope my story lives up to your expectations! Suddenly destitute, Caroline is trying to navigate her new life while avoiding harsh reminders of her previous one. Such as a dimpled Mikaelson who's proving to be quite stubborn...

Warning: Some angst


"Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."
― Oprah Winfrey


There was a limo parked outside the Dollar General store next door. With a heavy sigh, Caroline realized it must be there because the driver couldn't properly navigate it across the narrow, pothole-filled driveway where she and her mother now lived. As she looked out the torn screen window, she felt the panic start to rise in her chest when the chauffer opened the door to reveal a perfectly styled blonde mane. Rebekah.

Caroline shrank bank from the window, guiltily biting her lip. Clearly, her best friend was tired of being ignored. She'd wondered how long it would take Klaus to tell his sister what happened. She finally blocked his number after he wouldn't stop calling. Before the estate sale, his visit to her family's home had been disastrous and ended with her sneaking out the staff entrance behind the guest wing while he stubbornly banged on the front door. The quick glance she stole from her balcony showed her he'd been clutching what looked like her favorite lilies. Asshat. As though flowers would make her forget who he really was.

She hastily smoothed back her messy bun, cringing when she looked down at her yoga pants and old t-shirt. With a heavy sigh, she answered the door, and Rebekah barely spared her a glance as she rudely pushed past her. She took her time assessing the small apartment, finally whirling around to announce, "So, you're poor now."

Snorting, Caroline plopped herself down on the lumpy floral couch. "Seriously?! Esther clearly wasted a fortune on that stupid finishing school for you."

"And you've been avoiding my calls for weeks. It seems your finishing school was rather lacking as well."

Underneath Rebekah's flippant demeanor, she read the hurt on her friend's face. She took a breath, pushing down her own pain to try to make her understand. "I didn't know how to talk to you about this," she said quietly. "Dad died, and instead of being able to grieve him properly, I lost my home, my future, my whole world." Anger suddenly colored her tone as she shouted, "And I'm too busy managing my mother's hysterical meltdowns to have one of my own! So, excuse the fuck out of me for keeping things to myself while I figure out my shit!" Wow. Some of that she meant to quietly freak out over after Rebekah left.

Rebekah shifted awkwardly beside her. "I went to the...event at your family home."

Caroline scoffed, "You mean the auction where they sold off our whole lives? I made sure we'd moved out long before then. The last thing I wanted was vultures like Carol Lockwood circling my mother offering fake sympathy and hiding shark grins behind their manicures."

The smirk her friend wore reminded her so much of Klaus that it hurt. Caroline shook her head, quickly shoving down that hurt. "Rebekah, what did you do?"

"I may have loosened that old floorboard near the fireplace in your library and waited for Carol's valium-and-cabernet brunch special do the rest of the work."

She burst out giggling, imagining one of Carol's dowdy pastel-colored dresses drenched in red wine. "You're my favorite bitch."

"Likewise," Rebekah replied fondly. She paused, clearly preparing herself for whatever she'd been wanting to say since she steamrolled her way into the apartment. "What about the trust fund from your grandparents? Investment portfolios? Power market real estate? Liquid assets?"

Caroline bit her tongue to keep from lashing out — her family's situation wasn't Rebekah's fault. "It's all gone."

As though nodding to a question Caroline never asked, Rebekah opened her crimson tote, sliding a piece of paper across the cracked coffee table. It was a check. The number of zeros was even more obscene when framed by the table's peeling varnish. She couldn't bring herself to touch it. She wouldn't touch it. Shame and embarrassment dueled for dominance in her heart and she firmly told Rebekah, "No."

Her friend arched an eyebrow. "No?" Her tone was mild, but her gaze was filled with worry.

"We'll be fine," Caroline said in a falsely cheery tone, pushing the check back toward Rebekah. "We were able to sell dad's wine to keep the Safe House charity going for awhile, and I put together a budget for us, plus I even have a job interview tomorrow!" It all sounded so easy.

Caroline left out the moment where she and her mother slipped into a blind panic, realizing they had no idea what basic necessities cost or how to create a budget. Or, when her mother burst into tears, wailing over how she wasted her life never developing a useful skillset. Not that Caroline had done much better — her philosophy degree was completely useless in the surrounding small-town job markets during a recession.

With a wistful smile, Rebekah said, "You're stubborn, fearless, and bloody terrifying in your ability to succeed at everything." She paused at the door, nervously fiddling with her platinum and sapphire statement ring. "Nik told me what happened. And I'm not defending what he said, but he seems genuine in wanting to make things right. Will you let him?"

Caroline still was thinking about her answer long after Rebekah left.


She should've known that wouldn't be the end of it. She was warming a barstool at a dusty old sports bar tucked behind a laundromat when Klaus slid into the empty spot next to her. "Nope. Definitely not drunk enough for this," Caroline muttered, tossing back the rest of her wine.

"Allow me," he said, gesturing toward the bartender with a significant look.

She quickly shook her head as her glass was refilled. "I'm not doing this with you right now." She'd just wanted to quell her anxiety about tomorrow's job interview with a drink, and the last thing she wanted to do was deal with this awkward, unspoken thing with Klaus.

"If it were up to you, we'd never do this," Klaus muttered, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Since you've repeatedly denied me trying to return your property, I realized this was the only solution." The bartender set the open wine bottle on the counter, and wisely moved to the far end of the bar.

The edge of the feather symbol on the label caught her eye. With a small gasp, she realized it was her father's vintage Bordeaux. "You seriously want to drink a $100,000 bottle in here?!"

"You didn't give me the impression there was an alternative."

Damn it. Caroline eyed the familiar emerald bottle, her heart giving a little tweak. She could drink to her father's memory with Klaus. Ignoring the slight tremble in her hand, she took a sip, savoring the bittersweet red. "Delicious. But then again, I enjoy a tawdry vintage. Good thing you didn't let it rot away in a dusty corner of your wine cellar."

Klaus blanched as she repeated his ugly words. "Caroline, what I said that day was abhorrent. There's no excuse and I apologize for hurting you." He hesitated, idly tracing circles on the bar top. "I've always admired you; that steel spine and sunshine smile of yours were captivating contradictions. And even now, with everything that's happened, you're still fighting. Is it any wonder why I fancy you?"

He seemed so unsure of himself in that moment, Caroline couldn't help but be charmed. With a blush rising on her cheeks, she blurted out, "You fancy me?" All these years, she'd pushed aside her feelings, thinking he was just a shameless flirt, but to hear his interest was genuine made her heart race. "I've had a crush on you for years," she admitted with a shy smile, "but I was afraid of how complicated it would be; you're my best friend's hot, flirty older brother. I never thought you'd be interested."

Flashing her his signature dimpled smirk, he rumbled, "I was interested the moment you dragged my sister home by her hair, furiously banging on our door and demanding to speak to my mother. You were a mud-splattered little hellion and I'd never seen anything more glorious."

"Rebekah pushed me off the swings and when she refused to apologize I put her in a headlock and made her tell me where she lived so I could tattle."

Chuckling, he said, "I knew then that you were a formidable force and I had to know you." With a disgruntled huff, he added, "Obviously, I didn't realize it would take me so long to reach this moment."

This was really happening. Caroline told herself to calm down; she needed to think things through. They both did. Could they fit in each other's worlds now? As scary as her new life was, she could admit there was something enticing about starting over where all those uptight, rigid expectations no longer mattered. She was free.

"What matters is we're here now," she told him, heart pounding as she closed the distance between them. The kiss was tentative at first, as though she'd caught him by surprise, but then a sexy growl escaped him as he took control. She could feel herself start to sink into Klaus, but quickly broke the kiss, gasping a bit as she said, "We should slow down. I mean, we have plenty of time, right," she asked tentatively.

Klaus' easy smile made her heart melt. "Of course, love."

"It's just that I've got a lot to figure out now with my future and how I'd like it to go. It's scary at times, but I feel like I'm just learning who I am." Her blue eyes lit up excitedly as she told him, "I actually have a job interview tomorrow with Flemming's! Isobel is going to meet with me herself. I think it's because my family's done so much business there over the years."

"You're going to sell yachts?"

She batted aside his incredulous tone, refusing to let him bring her down. "Ok, I know it's not something people necessarily aspire to do, but my family has a history with the company and I think it's smart to use my connections to start shaping some sort of career."

She looked down briefly, toying with the wine stem as she mumbled, "I'd always thought I'd work for one of my dad's companies, but that's all gone now." Her voice grew stronger as she confessed, "Up until now my life had been planned out, as though someone else already had lived it. There's something exciting about not knowing how things will turn out and having to rely on myself."

"But you don't need to," Klaus told her, his tone gentle but with a hint of condescension that set her teeth on edge. "I adore you, and I intend to take care of you, sweetheart. I've taken the liberty of arranging a penthouse for you and your mother and Josh delivered a few cars for you to choose from. You'll never need to worry about money again."

She was so shocked, she sat there in silence, too stunned to do more than finish her wine. Did he not listen to anything she just said? She was celebrating her independence from an old life that never quite seemed to fit, and Klaus was trying to shove her right back into that confining world. It was an incredible offer from the most eligible bachelor in Mystic Falls. Not to mention their undeniable connection. It would be crazy to turn him down. "No."

"No?"

"I gave you a speech about making a name for myself and carving out my own destiny and then you tried to Pretty Woman me. Unbelievable." As the mixture of confusion and indignation clouded his face, she realized he wasn't trying to undermine her on purpose; in his world, this was affection. Devotion.

Caroline shook her head, lips twitching, but she refused to give into a smile. Yet. "We need to work on our communication. But not tonight." She leaned over to give Klaus a quick kiss on his cheek, leaving him at the bar wearing a baffled expression.


Flemming's was smaller than Caroline expected, but the sleek, contemporary design of glass and steel subtly spoke of power and influence and she knew this could be the start of something amazing for her and her mother if she was willing to put in the hard work. From her online research, she instantly recognized Isobel, and was pleased to see that the CEO's smile seemed genuine.

"Caroline, darling! So lovely to finally meet you!"

She kept her handshake brief but confident as she said cheerfully, "Likewise. It means so much that you're meeting with me personally."

As they sat in the tastefully decorated lobby, Isobel replied, "Of course! The Forbes family always have been valued clients with my organization. I'm looking forward to doing business with you."

She felt her heart soar, but kept her demeanor businesslike as she agreed, "Excellent. I've brought along a USB with my resume and references and you'll notice that while I don't have a great deal of commercial experience outside of Forbes companies, my connections within the community will be an asset here. I'm very grateful for this opportunity."

Caroline almost could pinpoint the moment that the meeting turned sour. A calculating gleam appeared in Isobel's green gaze, and suddenly the petite woman was a hulking beast, armed with claws and condescension in equal measure. "Being a Forbes, I assumed you were here for a purchase. Instead, you're here for a job? I mean, obviously, everyone's heard of your family's difficulties, but one would assume that for a family of the Forbes' stature, this would be a temporary hardship."

Icy panic made its way through her limbs, and Caroline could sense her defeat was looming. "Unfortunately, it's a permanent situation; one that I'm doing my best to manage. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help Flemming's continue to be a success; I just need you to take a chance on me."

Isobel's smile turned into a sneer as she quickly stood, gesturing toward the door past the reception area. "While I sympathize with your difficulties, I can't have you tainting my company's reputation."

Caroline was so angry and embarrassed, she didn't notice the receptionist discretely pick up her phone.


The voicemail was waiting for Caroline when she arrived back at the apartment. She nearly deleted the message when she recognized Flemming's number, but morbid curiosity got the best of her. "Caroline, this is Isobel Flemming. I wanted to apologize for my behavior today. It was inexcusable, and I'd be honored if you'd consider working here. Please think it over, and I look forward to your call."

It was time to make a name for herself.


Klaus finished transferring the funds to Flemming's, idly wondering where he should quietly dock the 18-stateroom yacht he'd just purchased. He had received assurances of Isobel's discretion, but it was imperative that Caroline didn't learn of where her first commission originated.

Caroline was wrong; they communicated just fine.