Author's note: In this one-shot, Klaus is a powerful CEO under constant threat by a religious cult with the ridiculous theory that he's a supernatural menace who must be destroyed. Luckily, a mysterious blonde bodyguard has been hired to save the day...

Thanks for all of the reviews, kudos and encouragement you guys send my way! Also, I started a new Klaroline multi-chap called Romancing the Brimstone; I hope you'll check it out!


"Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War


Klaus Mikaelson pondered the thought of his tombstone with a sardonic grin. What would they write on it? Titan of industry. Megalomaniac. Visionary. Merciless bastard. There were so many names and he owned them all with the casual indifference of a man who flies close to the sun just to reassure himself that he can still burn. It was no secret that he was the most controversial CEO of his generation, staging a brilliant coup against his father that now was taught in nearly every business course nationwide.

Infamy had its downsides, the most recent being a group of religious fanatics called the Brotherhood of the Five who seemed convinced he was a supernatural creature hell-bent on world domination. "Honestly, Elijah, if I was the antichrist, I'd like to think I'd have been able to anticipate how that transport strike would affect infrastructure funding and Mikaelson Global would've been ahead of the curve on its shipping divisions."

His brother gave an unimpressed harrumph as he scolded, "It's gone too far, Niklaus. Bombings and now death threats? I've engaged the services of an outside contractor."

"Original hybrid, not antichrist," an authoritative voice unexpectedly corrected, "the Brotherhood's literature is quite detailed on the specifics of their beliefs." The blonde marched into his office, striding confidently to his desk and slamming down a binder that had been meticulously organized with color-coded tabs. "This building's security team is far too cavalier with your life, Mr. Mikaelson. I managed to gain access to this office with cheap badge software, a magnetic strip from an old gift card, and a flirty smile."

Despite Elijah's obvious irritation at the breach of social niceties, a hint of begrudging respect flashed in his eyes as he shook the bold newcomer's hand. "Ah, Miss Forbes, it's a pleasure to see you again. I appreciate your promptness, and, of course, your thoroughness. However, if you insist upon impromptu evaluations of our security procedures, I expect you to submit your request through the proper channels within our security department."

Klaus' lips quirked up in amusement at the flare of anger that crossed her face. She was quite expressive. He fully intended to sketch her lovely face when he had a moment to spare.

"No."

He'd never seen his older brother so rattled. "No," he sputtered, "as your employer, I insist on a certain level of decorum and regard for our respective stations."

"You're not my employer, Mr. Mikaelson. I work for Augustine, Inc. and they have strict protocols in place — especially for...delicate situations." Flicking her gaze disinterestedly away from Elijah, she studied Klaus with interest, moving toward his desk with an outstretched hand. "Caroline Forbes. I'm your new bodyguard, Mr. Mikaelson."

She had quite the grip, and he made sure to return the extra-firm pressure in kind. But it was the weight of her stare that gave him pause. What caused those shadows? He did enjoy a good mystery. "Please, call me Klaus."

"Caroline." Nodding to Elijah, her tone was dismissive as she said, "I need to discuss logistics with my client. And feel free to contact my employer if you have follow-up questions concerning our protocols."

There was an ugly flush to his cheeks as Elijah exited the room in a huff, and Klaus let out a delighted chuckle. "You're quite the firebrand. Are you always so tactful in such delicate situations?"

She shrugged, impishly replying, "Your brother insisted I sit down with your psych division before signing the contract. Four hours on Dr. Sad Cardigan's couch listening to her read from a Wiki page on psychology — your brother's lucky I didn't hang him off the roof by his toenails after that bullshit."

He laughed in delight, eyeing the binder she'd brought with renewed interest. "You seem quite well-informed, love. I can't imagine there's a great deal of logistics left for us to discuss."

He was rewarded for his deliberate impertinence when Caroline slammed her palms on his desk to lean over menacingly as she said, "There's a cult of religious fanatics convinced you're a sadistic, immortal original hybrid building an army of bloodthirsty hybrids that will bring about the end of days. They're so steadfast in their beliefs that they kidnapped every department head at Mikaelson Global's technology roadmap debriefing and tried to stake them with white oak."

Klaus' gray eyes went wide with alarm. "Bloody hell! That was Tuesday — I left that conference a day early to —"

"To visit your sister in rehab. You're very fortunate to have deviated from your schedule; otherwise, they would've gotten to you too. Fortunately, a taskforce was nearby and handled the situation. For now, they're keeping it quiet while they interrogate the cult members."

His heart pounded as he mulled over her words. No one was supposed to know about Rebekah's rehab; she was staying there under a false identity. He'd paid an exorbitant amount to ensure her privacy. Augustine's reach was impressive. But that wasn't the most alarming news Caroline had revealed. "Elijah told me that he'd extended the meeting. He never said a word about..." he trailed off angrily, fists clenched as he considered the disturbing possibilities.

"It was less than 48 hours ago; it's possible Elijah was just trying to protect your interests. The market's very volatile and even a hint of scandal can send your shares into a freefall." Blue eyes flash as she added, "Although, there are other...motivations that will need to be considered."

Klaus unfolded his lean frame from behind his desk, rubbing his jawline tiredly as he sighed. "You suspect my brother of being in league with the Brotherhood."

Caroline seemed to consider her words carefully before she finally said, "Not necessarily. I've been monitoring his activities closely and while there's any number of instances where his behavior has been secretive, I'm fairly certain it has more to do with his ongoing affair with a married actress than anything untoward with Brotherhood. By all accounts, he's fiercely devoted to both his family and your organization."

Klaus was stunned. In just a matter of a few days, Caroline had uncovered an unsettling number of Mikaelson family secrets. Was it possible to be both charmed and yet slightly fearful? What a curious little thing she was.

"However, fool me once, fuck off and die, so I've got my people on high alert just in case."

Klaus smirked, casually moving his chair so that he was fully behind his desk once more. It wouldn't do for his new bodyguard to notice his arousal at her draconian ways.


"It's official — you've gone mad with power, Caroline." Klaus lifted his gaze from his phone to shoot a glare at Caroline as she walked so close to him her arm brushed against his dress shirt. Her well-defined arm. Bollocks — she smelled like freshly baked scones. And since when was this corridor so warm?

"Either I go with you to your staff meeting or you don't go to your staff meeting," Caroline argued, lips twitching as though daring him to argue again.

Grumbling under his breath, Klaus opened the door to the conference room. Less than three meters away from his office. Would his bodyguard insist on accompanying him to the loo next? He coughed, cheeks reddening slightly at the images he conjured while her blazing blue eyes studied him quizzically.

With an awkward nod in her direction, he settled in his usual chair, raising an eyebrow when he noticed one of his IT directors at his budget meeting. His CFO, Stefan Salvatore, hurriedly explained, "I asked Damon to sit in for the first half to go over some of the particulars regarding our software upgrades."

A bit odd, but it wasn't the first time Stefan had used his position to get his idiot brother some face time with Klaus, hoping for a promotion. Elijah often lectured that he was too lenient with Stefan, but the man had earned his respect and was one of the few people he considered a friend.

With an irritated sigh, Klaus resigned himself to a tedious meeting and idly wondered whether Caroline's rigid schedule would allow for a late lunch at Markos. After all, surely vampires needed to eat too, he thought with an inwardly chuckle. Or, was it werewolf — Caroline's intel indicated that the Brotherhood seemed confused on his supposed origins and his lineage was apparently a supernatural cornucopia.

Damon droned on and on, his projections for cloud hosting growing more unrealistic with each new slide, and Klaus was moments away from suggesting they move on to the next agenda item. Stefan seemed unusually rigid, and Klaus found himself wondering if Damon was building momentum in his speech before revealing a truly innovative idea. Balderdash — if an original idea ever graced Damon's skull it would split it in two.

Klaus knew his attention had wandered, but he didn't realize how far until he was violently shoved toward the wall, just as the enormous glass windows shattered. In a daze, he blinked at the jagged shards that flew across the oblong conference table.

Thin coils of yellow smoke snaked out of a metal canister and Klaus coughed, momentarily confused when he saw Stefan and Damon lunge toward him. Were those stakes?

"Death to the original hybrid," Stefan bellowed, raising the stake over his head.

With a jarring snap, Caroline's fist lashed out, connecting with Stefan's jaw and knocking him back into the table. Klaus only had a second to be impressed by the almost feral snarl that escaped her lips as she vaulted into a complicated twist that positioned her behind Stefan, allowing her to put him in a sleeper hold.

When Damon came at him with a hoarse cry, Klaus' muscle memory snapped into place, and the mixed martial arts he dabbled in a few years ago came back to him long enough to fire a jab and a vicious cross, disorienting Damon so that he failed to duck out of the way when he followed it up with a roundhouse kick. That strained hamstring probably wouldn't feel like a bolt of lightning had licked his leg if he was a supernatural creature, Klaus thought wryly.

"Impressive form," Caroline called out, securing an unconscious Stefan with a series of interlocking black cables. "Looks like you've done a little MMA."

He felt foolishly pleased with himself at her compliment and the tips of his ears grew hot. Utterly mad — his employees just tried to jab at him with wooden stakes, but he was more distracted by a pretty girl admiring his "form". But then the smoke from the canister continued to fill the room, blurring his vision and causing him to double over, coughing.

Caroline shot past him, preventing Damon's sneak attack by delivering a series of impossibly fast palm and elbow strikes followed by brutal kicks that laid him out on the table.

"That was bloody brilliant," Klaus told her, still breathing hard as he watched her flip over Damon's unconscious body and snap on the restraints. She moved with the easy grace of a dancer. With the predatory instincts of a jungle cat. Bollocks. Now was not the time to get an inconvenient erection.

"Thanks," she muttered distractedly, checking her phone and momentarily freezing. "Fuck."

"What now?"

Nodding at the unconscious Salvatores, Caroline revealed, "The taskforce will do a sweep and pick them up for questioning later." A menacing thud came from the conference room door, and she winced, telling him, "A few members of the Brotherhood are about to break down that door, so we need to make a clean exit."

Klaus stared at the door as it started to splinter down the middle — it was the only exit in the room. "How do we do that?"

"We go through the window."


It wasn't how Klaus imagined his day would go — a religious cult storms his office and two of his employees try to kill him, followed by his inconveniently attractive blonde bodyguard shoving him out of a 20-story window...and now they were taking a shower together. It was a bloody shame about the burning skin, though.

"Make sure you really scrub really well — chemical burns from tear gas can be a real bitch," Caroline reminded him matter-of-factly, her gaze carefully trained on his face even as she continued to scrub her skin vigorously.

Klaus grunted in agreement, also trying to keep his stare from wandering. His eyes still burned slightly, but at least he'd stopped coughing and wheezing. The past hour had been a blur; after they rappelled down the side of his building with Klaus barely swallowing his horrified screams, they'd taken refuge in an Augustine safe house where Caroline had cut off his clothes and hers and then insisted they shower together. It was the most unsexy-yet-bizarrely-erotic situation he'd even been in.

Mercifully, she exited first, giving him a precious few moments to calm down. But she'd brushed past him as though the shower had been a tight squeeze rather than allowing a respectable distance between them. His skin still felt like it was dipped in lava, but he was sporting an erection like an awkward teenager. Glancing down at his forearm, Klaus winced at the slight chemical burn. "Perhaps we should send a picture of my arm to the Brotherhood for documented evidence of my mortality. I assume an original hybrid would have healed by now," he joked.

Tossing him a towel, she snorted, "I'd think your cute little yelp as we rappelled down the building would've clued in the Brotherhood to your mortality."

Cute little yelp — that woman was barking mad — Klaus was quite certain that if he'd made a noise, it had been a hearty and intimidating bellow. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he smirked at the utter ridiculousness of this entire day. "Yes, well, I suppose a vampire would've been able to fly."

"I kind of doubt vampires can fly." With a wink, she added, "Although you're apparently both vampire and werewolf, so maybe the rules are different? The Brotherhood's a bit vague on those details in their cult documents."

They shared a laugh as Klaus followed Caroline down the hall, where she pointed to a bedroom and said, "The Armory Team restocked supplies, so you can find some clothes in there."

Klaus mumbled his thanks, blinking in surprise when he found several pairs of jeans, Henleys and boots — all in his size and in the style he preferred when not in the office. Clearly, Augustine's files on him were incredibly detailed. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering whether that dolphin incident in Cabo was in there...

He found Caroline in the living room, typing rapidly on a small laptop. "Good news — my point person just advised that Elijah and the rest of your staff have been safely evacuated." She nodded toward bottled water, a bag of crisps and a tin of biscuits, frowning slightly as she explained, "The pantry is pretty bare — the Armory Team tends to forget about food rations."

Klaus smiled gratefully, opening the tin and offering her first dibs.

Shaking her head, Caroline held up a small thermos, telling him, "I'm fine. Too keyed up to eat when I'm on mission." Glancing back at her laptop, she quietly asked, "I'm often accused of not knowing how to be...delicate in these situations, so...do you want to know what's going on or would you prefer I just tell you when it's over?"

He was charmed by the hesitancy in her voice; she didn't seem the type to be anything other than completely certain. "All of it. I need to know," he quickly replied, realizing that he'd been quietly torturing himself with conspiracy theories about how this could've happened, each scenario more outlandish than the last.

"Preliminary interrogation has revealed Damon went to school with Alexander Hunter, the tyrannical leader of the Brotherhood. As often is the case, a powerful personality overwhelmed a weak one, and Damon was in Alexander's thrall fairly quickly." Frowning, she added, "We don't have all the facts yet, but there's evidence that Stefan already was a member and purposely targeted your organization when you...um..." Caroline trailed off awkwardly.

"When I hired him," Klaus finished with a grimace. He thought back to celebratory drinks every time they secured a new contract and the occasional skybox suite for matches. There were times he thought they'd shed their work roles and were starting to become friends. Instead, Stefan had been plotting with his gormless brother to kill him.

A man didn't reach his lofty position without tasting the bitterness of betrayal; so why did Stefan's ruse hurt like this? Klaus could tell himself it was the murderous intent or the bizarre circumstances with the lunatic cult, but he knew the truth. It was because he'd marked Stefan as a friend.

As though sensing his melancholy, Caroline hesitantly squeezed his hand, her tone comforting as she said, "I'm sorry this happened to you. It isn't right, and it certainly isn't fair. But I promise the team is on top of it and soon we'll know Alexander's location. Once he's been apprehended, the Brotherhood will fall." With a grim smile, she added, "Trust me — we're good at this sort of thing."

There was something about her bold determination that he found reassuring. The situation was both absurd and alarming — he was nearly killed by a religious cult who thought him to be an evil supernatural creature — but all Klaus could focus on was the gentle sweep of his bodyguard's eyelashes and the precise twitch of her lips when she found something amusing but was too stubborn to laugh.

She'd changed into form-fitting dark trousers and a simple gray t-shirt that emphasized her delectable curves and from the occasional blushing glance he'd caught, he was starting to wonder whether the slight touches she'd graced him with were as innocent as they'd first seemed. Normally, Klaus fancied himself quite adept at reading women, but Caroline was an enigma.

"Did you always want to do this?" At her puzzled expression, he sheepishly explained, "Work for some clandestine organization performing black ops missions when you aren't babysitting spoiled CEOs."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "That's what you think Augustine does?" At his goading smirk, she rolled her eyes and told him, "We're problem solvers. When someone has a problem, we fix it." She tapped a nail on the keyboard, a faraway look in her blue eyes as she added, "Working for Augustine just seemed inevitable, I guess. Growing up, I was always good with knives and it was a...um...family tradition to serve a purpose higher than yourself."

Hearing her explanation, it made perfect sense. It was probably best not to contemplate his immediate arousal at Caroline's assertion that she was 'good at knives.' Bloody hell, sort yourself out. Nodding in understanding, Klaus commented, "I assume you were a nomad, then?"

"What," she asked sharply, a slight defensiveness to her tone that was puzzling.

"I assume you're from a military family and moved around quite a bit."

At his explanation, she relaxed slightly, a sudden wistfulness haunting her voice as she agreed, "Yes, we were quite nomadic." She started to say something else, but then her laptop beeped, causing her eyes to widen. She typed rapidly, biting her lip as she seemed to be waiting for a reply. When the laptop beeped again, Caroline nodded, a small smile touching her lips as she closed the lid. "It's over."

Stunned, Klaus asked haltingly, "Over as in..."

"Anchor Team acquired their target — Alexander will no longer be a problem. The rest of his acolytes have been detained." Clearing her throat, she hurriedly added, "Cleaning crews have been dispatched to the site and after the debriefing and post-non-disclosures have been signed and notarized, this case will be re-classified as closed."

He was struck speechless. The cold pit of anxiety he'd been stubbornly ignoring suddenly evaporated, and Klaus felt lighter than he had in years. Free. And anxious all over again. Because he didn't want to waste any more time. "You saved my life, Caroline."

A faint blush stained her cheeks as Caroline protested, "The Anchor Team did that. I mostly babysat and...um, showered with you..."

Klaus' lips were on hers before he realized what he'd done. It was a feverish kiss fueled by pent-up emotion and adrenaline. He trailed kisses down her throat, delivering a playful nip that elicited an excited snarl from her. Nails clawed at his Henley, and he was surprised (and hopelessly aroused) when he noticed how she'd managed to rip the fabric in her haste to touch him.

Caroline licked a sensual trail along his neck, lips and teeth beginning to linger there until Klaus was certain he'd be sporting his first hickeys since uni. When she shuddered against his skin, he smirked, feeling quite smug at eliciting such a response from her.

But then she abruptly halted her greedy explorations. Burying her face in his chest, she groaned, regret heavy in her voice as she said, "This is a dangerous line — one I can't cross." Caroline quickly sat up, a bit breathless as she pulled back on her t-shirt and all but leapt away from him. "I can't get involved with a client."

While he felt the sting of disappointment at her words, Klaus couldn't help but notice how her gaze kept straying to his lips. This was far from over. With a knowing smirk, he replied, "Former client."


It had been a relief to finally release Klaus from the safe house. He was a cocky, spoiled CEO and Caroline had zero time for the chaos he undoubtedly would bring to her perfectly planned world. And he smelled delicious. Plus, he somehow managed to slip his business card in her back pocket with his personal phone number. Sneaky bastard. With those cheekbones and that jawline plus dimples. An unfairly beautiful, sneaky bastard.

Her phone chirped, and a fond smile crossed Caroline's lips as she answered, "Dearest Matthaeus, are you calling to boast of your mighty æscplega?"

"It's Matt, as you well know," he grumbled good naturedly, "unless you want your veikr wer to know your given name is Cwenhild."

A few words in their mother tongue always felt like a piece of home, much like Matt's teasing. "Don't you dare tell him — you should hear how he says 'Caroline' — a lover's caress wishes it could be that intimate!" With an annoyed huff, she added, "And Klaus is not weak; you should've seen him handily take down one of the Brotherhood."

"Ha! I knew he made your blood hot! After all, you've never been one to turn away from battle." He added with a chuckle, "Although it was barely a battle. Alexander bleated like a frightened goat when caught sight of our team, surrendering with barely a whimper. Even his most devoted, those two half-witted brothers, treated Katerina's playful questioning as though it were a most holy confessional."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline knew her brother in blades was right. She'd all but leapt at the opportunity to guard Klaus rather than join her kinsmen in battle. It wasn't the Saxon way. But against her better judgement, there was something about Klaus that called to her. If only things were different...

The heavy-footed scuffling behind her was amusing to hear. The stranger was only a few feet away, but was increasing his pace now that she purposely moved away from the bright street lamps and into a darkened alley.

Matt asked, "Are you stopping by for dinner? Katerina was feeling nostalgic and is making braised pork with apricots and honey oat cakes."

She stooped down, pretending to check the tread of her boot. It was amusing to hear how the stranger's blood was pounding in excitement. She told Matt, "I'm stopping for a snack, but I'll come by later."

As she disconnected the call, a sly grin crept across Caroline's face as her fangs dropped.


Definitions:

æscplega: spear-fight, battle

veikr: weak, pliant, soft

wer: male