Hello :)
So, it seems like my story isn't a total flop, since some of you are honestly interested in the concept. Big thank you to the people who favourited, followed or reviewed it. You rock!
Anyway, now it's time to dive into Klaus' perspective and hear his thoughts on the whole situation. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Enzo is Australian in this story. Cool? Cool.
Also, Cami is going to play an important role (nothing romantic, don't worry you guys) and I'm curious if you'll like her.
Klaus arrived at Rousseau's with fifteen minutes to spare before his four-hour shift would start. Fortunately, they closed at 2 a.m. on weekdays and it was not as hectic as on weekends. If somebody had told him years ago that he would be working in a bar someday, he would have laughed at them. Klaus had never been much of a party person, which included any form of bar hopping. While he could enjoy a good Bourbon or glass of wine here and there, he rather liked doing that in the comfort of his own home. Nevertheless, this was still the only job he had been able to keep for more than a couple of months – four years to be precise. Of course, a part-time job in a somewhat dilapidated bar did not impress the social workers of Rebekah's case. Still, it was nice to have something stable in his life.
He greeted Cami and some of the already present regulars while entering and took a seat at the bar. One drink before and during the shift respectively were allowed, anything above that went against the owner's orders. Vincent was a great and understanding boss, but he expected sober employees during their shifts.
Cami put a tumbler of his favourite Bourbon in front of him, regarding him intensely. He had met the beautiful blonde years ago during his last year at NYU. A psychology major one year his junior, he had taken an immediate liking to her. They were both interested in art and got along really well. Naturally, they had started dating soon after meeting. And while they had a great connection, both soon realized that they were not right for each other in the end and their romantic love had soon become a strictly platonic one.
Regrettably, Cami had to drop out of college just a few months after him because she had to take care of her father, who had fallen sick. He had passed away about two years ago and Klaus had nearly as long tried to convince Cami to go back to school. Her insightful and sharp mind was frankly wasted working as a bartender and nanny, but she was stubborn.
"I'm already indebted beyond belief because of the loans I co-signed for my dad; do you know how much more it would cost me to finish my degree?"
"So? What difference would another student loan make? This would be a long-term investment and paying off your debts would be much easier working as a renowned psychologist than a bartender."
That or a variation of it was how their discussions usually went. Not that she did not try to convince him to go back to school as well. She just knew he had a better excuse with his trying to take back custody of Rebekah, where having a steady job took priority over college.
"Hello love. Where's Davina?" He asked while noticing the absence of his shift partner for the start of the evening.
The blonde bartender sighed. "She begged me to take her part of the shift because her boyfriend's visiting from Florida. Sorry, couldn't really say no."
Klaus rolled his eyes but did not say anything.
Cami observed him quietly. "Your mood is surprisingly not as bad as I had expected. Did the job interview go well?"
Klaus shrugged. "It was alright. They might even take me. I met Rebekah's new foster parent today. She sends her regards, by the way"
Cami raised her eyebrows. "Right, that happened today. Well? How was it? Did you get a restraining order?"
He frowned. "That was a possibility one time and I could hardly let my little sister live with a creepy bastard."
His friend nodded, slightly amused. "So, no restraining order yet?"
He took a sip from his tumbler. "No. She invited me over for dinner and Rebekah seems to tolerate her for now. She's young."
She raised her eyebrows again. "How young?"
"About your age."
A low whistle escaped her lips. "And she's fostering a teenager? What is she, some rich heiress looking for a charity case?"
He shook his head at the presumption. "No. She has some important position at CBS and went to college on a scholarship, so no rich parents. I haven't quite figured out why she's fostering though."
Cami contemplated his words. "Well, she might be very lonely or just a good person."
Klaus thought back on his evening with the bubbly, witty and vivacious blonde, a tiny smile escaping him. "No, she's not the type to be a lonely outsider."
Cami had of course spotted his smile immediately and grinned mischievously.
"Is she pretty?"
Her question caught him off guard, but he should have known better. Cami complained about his love life, or rather lack thereof, constantly and had even tried to set him up here and there. It was ridiculous, really.
Was Caroline pretty? Honestly, her striking beauty had been the first thing he had noticed about her despite his apprehension to who she was to him. Her endearing personality had only mad her more attractive to him, but he would hardly admit that to Cami.
"What difference does it make? For now, she seems to be alright for Rebekah and is willing to let me see her regularly."
Cami's grin widened. "That pretty, huh?"
"You're impossible. Get out of the way now, I have to start working."
The next morning, Klaus woke up much earlier than he would have liked after a late shift at the bar. He had forgotten to turn his phone on silent and it was ringing incessantly next to his ear. He turned it around and opened one eye to check the caller ID.
When he saw it was Rebekah, he quickly picked up.
"Rebekah? Are you alright?"
A short pause at the other end of the line made him imagine every worst-case scenario possible. "Jesus, calm down Nik. I'm just waiting for Caroline to get back with our food."
The man exhaled in relief, lying back down on his pillow. "Right, you wanted to go shopping today."
"We're getting breakfast at this café her super-hot friend owns and then we'll head out."
Klaus frowned at the mention of Caroline's supposedly attractive friend. Even though she was still so young, Rebekah had already had a – thankfully non-serious – boyfriend and he had been horrible. Her taste in men was more than questionable and he just hoped that Caroline's friend circle did not include creeps preying on younger girls.
"Nik, she's been talking about wanting to get me a laptop for school…" Rebekah's voice interrupted his thoughts and her reluctant voice alarmed him. He knew that she really wanted it and it was reasonable; she was starting high school soon and would most likely need it. However, he was barely able to afford his rent this month and could really not splurge on such a device.
He cleared his throat. "Can you put her on the phone when she gets back?"
"She's coming. Hold on."
He waited a moment, hearing their distant muffled voices in the background.
"Morning brother dearest."
Despite the circumstances, he could not help but smile a little. Who could possibly sound that cheery and refreshed at 9 a.m.? "Good morning, love. Rebekah told me that you want to purchase a laptop for her. I know she will need it for school, but as embarrassing as it is to admit: I can't afford it right now. It should be doable shortly after school starts though."
There was a long pause at the other end of the line before Caroline spoke again. "Klaus, I didn't expect you to pay for it. She's in my custody, remember?"
Of course, he remembered. That was just not how it usually worked. The foster families provided a roof over Rebekah's head and food on the table and Klaus paid for all her other expenses.
"Caroline, I'm grateful for your offer but I am responsible for Rebekah's well-being. That includes all her additional expenses."
Another pause during which he could hear her talking quietly to somebody, supposedly his sister.
"Okay, I get it, Klaus. I really don't want to overstep any bounds here and offend you or anything…but when I signed up for this, I was going all in. I expected to take care of Rebekah's needs and frankly, that's what I'm going to do."
The older Mikaelson was dumbfounded. "Caroline, I don't want you to spend outlandish sums on my sister. That will only get her hopes up and could damage her if I can't provide a similarly comfortable lifestyle for her later on."
There, he had just voiced something he could barely admit to himself to somebody who was basically a stranger to him. Yet somehow, Caroline had a disarming effect on him, which made him lower his guard significantly. He should really keep himself in check better.
She seemed to contemplate his words. "I'm sorry, I didn't think of it like that. Would it be okay if I keep the spending to a minimum, buy only things she really needs? Maybe some stuff to make her feel more at home? I won't go and buy some ridiculously over-priced laptop, I promise." She paused for another moment. "Rebekah's at the bathroom, by the way."
He exhaled loudly, secretly appreciating her discretion to not talk about this directly in front of his sister. After thinking things through, he admitted that she had a point. High school was hard enough for a foster child, she did not need be ridiculed for wearing the wrong clothes or lacking basic necessities on top of it. Teenagers could be cruel.
"Alright, love. I trust your judgement with this. And… thank you."
He could hear her smile at the other end. "Thank you. I promise, we won't go overboard."
Two weeks passed since Rebekah had entered her new home and things seemed to go surprisingly smoothly. She had stopped referring to Caroline as Foster 9, like she usually called her temporary parents and started using her name regularly. That had not happened since Foster 1 aka Jo Laughlin had to give up on her and move away after a family tragedy. Rebekah had never really recovered from that, since she had only been nine years old and formed a bond with the friendly doctor and her daughters.
Klaus had visited her three times at home, always during the day while Caroline was at work. It was mainly to check on her when she was alone and only partly because he had a hard time coming to terms with liking Caroline. It was a new feeling for him; he usually had only disdain for Rebekah's foster families and barely ever tolerated them. Caroline's overall likeability and her desire to bond with his sister were throwing him for a loop. Her being stunning did not help at all in the situation.
"You seem conflicted."
He sighed and paused in the middle of mixing a cocktail. "If you want to psychoanalyze people, finish your degree. Otherwise, try phrases like 'Are you okay' or 'What's the matter'."
Cami was not bothered by his incensed tone; she was used to it by now.
He handed the glass to the waiting mid-forties woman and earned a wink and a nice tip from her. Well, there were some perks to working in a bar and not being completely hideous.
"Fine: what's the matter, you old grouch?"
He turned to face her finally. It was early evening on a Friday, not his usual shift. He had switched with Marcel to be free on the following Saturday. His best friend, who was currently doing an internship at the UN headquarter in support of his Public Administration master's degree, had been thrilled to get a Friday night off. Honestly, Klaus had no idea how Marcel could be so stressed out all the time and still always be positive and charming. Why Cami had chosen to break up with him, he would never understand. Not that either of them would have told him of course, secretive as they tended to be sometimes. Though, he had a sneaking suspicion that it might have had something to do with their stunning regular Eva, whom Cami had been seeing on-and-off again for a few months now.
"Caroline's doing a movie night with Rebekah tomorrow and invited me to join them."
Cami bit back a grin but turned away from him, tending to another customer asking for a round of shots. A bit early maybe, but who was he to judge. He busied himself by polishing glasses and waited for her to face him again. A lecture, lots of teasing or a dissection of his soul was inevitable.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, she was done with the drunk in the making, assured herself that nobody was waiting for drinks and turned his attention back to him again. She was so much better at customer service than he was.
"How nice of her to invite you over again."
Her statement seemed innocuous, but he did not trust it one bit. "I've visited Rebekah three times since her first day there. That's more in two weeks than I've seen her during the Foster 6 period."
Cami frowned temporarily at the mention. Foster family six had been terrible; Klaus was barely able to contact Rebekah and had been insufferable during that time. "But Caroline wasn't there when you visited those times, right?"
"Your point, Camille. Try to get to it before the bar fills up with NYU students."
She ignored his slight. "Have you been avoiding her?"
"No." He lied to her face blatantly. Actually, Caroline had invited him twice to meet up for coffee and discuss some things concerning Rebekah further, but he had declined both times, citing work as an excuse. Not a very effective one, since she knew he worked only part-time at the bar and had not started the office job yet.
Cami scrutinized his face. "Liar."
Damn her, her ability to read people like an open book and knowing him so well. He was suddenly glad that Marcel was not present, or this would have turned into a good cop/bad cop interrogation from them very quickly.
"Fine, maybe I have been. Are you happy now?"
She shrugged, pointing him towards the bunch of obviously underage kids who were hoping to get served at his side of the bar. "Not happy, just validated."
He quickly busted the teens for their fake IDs and returned back to the conversation.
"Are you worried that you both might get your hopes up with Caroline and it will end badly?"
Well, that had not been his only concern but definitely one of them. "Maybe."
Camille smiled sympathetically, having seen Klaus go through many difficult foster care situations. She and Marcel had always tried to cheer him up and encourage him to keep going, but it had been hard to be honest. It was no surprise that he was wary concerning this new foster parent.
"That's perfectly understandable, Klaus. It's also good that you're keeping your guard up. Still, try to consider giving her a chance to prove herself. She might disappoint you, but there's also the possibility that she'll be the best thing happening to Rebekah in a long time. I've only heard positive things so far and that's a rarity coming from you. Rebekah sent me a photo the other day while she was on the way to an Off-Broadway show with Caroline. That's definitely uncharted territory for her as well."
Klaus thought about her words while taking the next few orders. The bar was slowly but surely filling up and they did not get much of a break after that. It took until the end of the shift, when they were finally closing down for Klaus to answer her. "You're right. I'll try to give this more of a chance. But I won't guarantee anything."
Cami put the last chair on the table-top and smiled. "Excellent. By the way, you have a coffee date on Sunday."
Klaus groaned and dropped his head on the counter. "Camille!"
He could hear her giggle. "What? I swear, you'll like her. She's a friend of Eva and really hot, funny and interesting."
He slowly raised his head to glare at her. "Interesting?"
Cami looked sheepish. "Her name's Aurora, she's 25 and an actress."
Klaus groaned again, even louder this time and dropped the wet rag back into the sink.
"What? You're an artist, she's into the arts. It could be a good match."
It was really not of any use to stop Cami from trying to set him up. Since they had been dating at one point and she admittedly knew him very well, she was one-hundred percent sure that she would be able to find the perfect partner for him. So far, he could only tell that she was good at finding good girlfriends and boyfriends for herself, but not for him.
The next day, Klaus went to the Guggenheim in the afternoon. It was something he did when he was nervous or exhausted; art always had a way of calming him down and settling his mind. He had tried working a bit at home but when his third mindless sketch had started shaping up to be a portrait of Caroline, he had quickly abandoned that plan and decided to go look at other artists' work instead.
Later, when Caroline had texted him the starting time of movie night, he had asked what to bring. The young woman might have decided to take care of Rebekah but that did not mean that she should spend her money on him as well. Naturally, she had dismissed his need to bring something. In a split decision, he called Rebekah.
"Nik? You're coming over in half an hour. Can't you wait until then to scold me for whatever reason you deem necessary?"
Klaus rolled his eyes at his sister's smartass reply. She did take too much after him.
"Caroline won't tell me what to bring. Do you know what kind of snacks she likes?"
He could practically hear her grin diabolically, but she did not comment on it surprisingly. "Well, she loves chocolate, so that would probably be a good idea. And some fruity white wine would most likely make her evening. Oh, and you could stop by Enzo's café and get some of his amazing raspberry brownies."
Klaus scoffed at the mention of Caroline's close friend who was apparently oh so handsome. "Anything else?"
"Well, I would like some Cheetos and La Croix if your trip to the grocery store is not intended for Caroline's benefit only. Seriously Nik, you always rag on me for eating unhealthy and then-"
He hanged up on her, not in the mood to listen to her whining and made his way to the store.
Twenty minutes later, he arrived in front of Caroline's building and weighed his options. He could just go straight up with the snacks he already bought. He had also made a quick stop at the bar and grabbed a nice and somewhat pricy Chardonnay from the wine cellar. There certainly were perks to working at a bar. Marcel and Josh had of course teased him relentlessly when he admitted who the bottle was for (curse Camille and her tendency to gossip with their colleagues), but they had promised to overlook the blatant theft of a fancy bottle. They all did it from time to time and Vincent did not mind as long as they did not make it a habit.
So, he could just walk up the stairs and sit down for movie night. However, he certainly was curious about that notorious Enzo person and this would be the perfect opportunity to meet the man his sister had developed a ludicrous crush on and Caroline seemed to like very much.
In a split-second decision, he crossed the street and entered the café. It was a decent place, he had to admit. Moderately sized, nicely furnished and a relaxed atmosphere created by the lighting and decoration. Most of the tables were occupied by a miscellaneous clientele. He walked towards the counter, where two men around his age were currently chatting with each other and watching their customers.
The one with the dark hair and slightly smug face approached him immediately. "Hello mate and welcome to the Armory. How can I help you today?"
Glancing down at his name tag, he was facing the infamous Enzo. "Hello. I'll take half a dozen of the raspberry brownies to go please."
The man's face lit up in amusement and he smirked. "Are you Rebekah's brother?"
Klaus frowned. Great, was he really a creep preying on teenage girls as he had feared? Too bad, he had not expected that Caroline would keep such company.
"Yes. Who's asking?"
His incessant grin grew even wider at his slightly hostile tone. "Caroline mentioned you. She asked me to put aside some of the brownies for Rebekah, but she hasn't come down to pick them up yet. I guess I could just give them to you instead."
Still wary of the annoyingly handsome man with the Australian accent, he nodded and watched him pull out a to-go-box from a cupboard under the pastry cabinet.
"Can I get you anything else? A coffee recommendation perhaps?"
Even though he could indeed use a strong coffee, Klaus declined. "Another time, maybe."
Enzo seemed to be amused still but took his card without another comment and handed him the box. "Thank you for your business, mate. Give my best to Cinderella and Elsa."
Klaus frowned at the absurd nicknames and left the coffee shop in a hurry.
He quickly walked up the three flights of stairs to Caroline's apartment and knocked noisily, still irritated by his encounter with the smug café owner. The tenant herself opened the door shortly after, smiling brightly at him. "Hello stranger." And just like that, his annoyance evaporated.
She walked him inside and took the box from him. "You come bearing gifts. I see you've met Enzo?"
His grumbled answer was enough to make her laugh. "Weird, your sister seems to like him." His unamused glare made her only laugh harder, causing Rebekah to walk into the room.
"Hey Nik. Did you get my stuff?" He nodded at the box and handed her the grocery bag he had been carrying. Naturally, his obnoxious little sister took out the wine first. "Oooh, somebody stole from the bar again."
At Caroline's surprised look, he rushed to explain the brat's words. "The bar I work at. And I didn't steal it – the owner lets us take a bottle from time to time. He knows about it."
He snatched it out of Rebekah's hand and gave it to Caroline. "Thank you for the invitation."
She smiled sweetly at him and he swore, it should be illegal to have such a disarming smile. "Don't thank me yet. You don't know what we've agreed to watch."
His gaze flickered to the TV, a movie on the screen waiting for them to press play. "Mean Girls? Again? Rebekah, you should know that bloody movie by heart now! Hell, I can quote it already."
His sister and Caroline looked at each other and giggled, confusing him.
"Relax, I just wanted to see your reaction. We'll choose a movie together and you get veto power. However, don't think I'll forget that you just admitted to being able to quote Mean Girls." Caroline smirked and poured them each a glass of the wine.
In the end, it took them nearly an hour to settle on a movie. Klaus veto-ed nearly all of their suggestions. At the beginning, he did it because they were either atrocious or he had been forced to watch that particular movie a million times already. Later, he only did it because it was funny to rile them up.
"Oh my god, you can't veto 'Crazy Stupid Love'. It's funny, clever and it has got Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in it. Gosling and Stone! Their chemistry is mind-boggling!" Caroline glared at him, her third glass of wine having lowered her inhibitions significantly as she openly mocked him and picked semi-serious fights. Not that he minded. She was kind of adorable when she was worked up like that.
Rebekah rolled her eyes and reached for her third brownie after finishing half of the Cheetos bag. "Nik, you're being ridiculous. I know you like that movie and I know you dated that bizarre red head once, so you don't seem to mind looking at them. Let's just watch it!"
Klaus glared at his sister at the mention Genevieve, the free-spirited French woman who had dumped him for some Wall Street guy, while Caroline spluttered with laughter.
He finally caved and the two blondes high-fived at their success. He grabbed the second to last brownie and his wine glass and leaned back, noticing that his shoulder was brushing Caroline's at that position. Pleased, since he actually did not mind the movie, he took a bite. Bloody hell, it was delicious.
Two movies, a couple of beers, many snacks and around seven hours later, Klaus woke up groggy and with a headache. He found Rebekah slumbering next to him, her right hand hanging off the couch with her phone in reach of it. Before he could wonder where Caroline had gone, he smelled bacon. Klaus moved, carefully to not pull any muscles caused by sleeping in such an uncomfortable position and joined the young woman in the kitchen area.
In his tired state with a headache on top of it, he had not noticed Caroline's attire immediately. Her hair was up in a high ponytail; a first for him, since she had always had her hair down whenever he had seen her. Although lovely, that was not the issue. The tank top and light shorts she was wearing were the problem because he distinctly remembered her being in jeans and a T-Shirt the night before. A very unrevealing and casual combination.
Not that her current outfit was not casual – it just made his mind wander to dangerous places. Before his body could work itself up in a frenzy, he quickly cleared his throat and greeted her.
She turned around with a smile and scraped the scrambled eggs on a big plate, some crispy bacon already on it. "Morning, sunshine. Breakfast is ready. Since you got up last, you get the honor of waking up your sister."
Klaus groaned. Apparently, Caroline had already learned that Rebekah was the stark opposite of a morning person. He still had a little scar beneath his lower lip form a rogue foot kick to prove it. "Do you happen to have some Aspirin for me? I'd like to take care of this headache before getting the next."
Caroline chuckled and went to her fridge. She tossed him the pill bottle and he caught it ungracefully. He had never been very good at sports, but she did not need to know that.
"Do you want coffee with your drugs?"
"Yes please."
While she prepared the mugs and fired up the coffee maker, he swallowed the pill and went to wake the little menace that was his sister. Fortunately, he has had years of practice and it took only about five minutes to make her go from the couch to the bathroom.
As he turned around to help Caroline out in the kitchen, she had already positioned everything on her dining table and gestured for him to take a seat. "I hope you'll at least let me take care of the clean-up later, love. I'm not trying to take advantage of your generosity."
She cracked a smirk at that. "I might take you up on that offer sometime, but not today. It's Rebekah's turn to do the dishes."
Klaus put down his coffee and raised an eyebrow surprised. "Oh?"
"Yeah, we developed a chore plan. She earns an allowance, and I don't have to do everything by myself. It's a win/win situation."
Klaus nodded. He liked the fact that she made Rebekah work for her allowance, even if it was just something basic like housework. That made him feel better about her spending money on his sister for sure.
The girl in question made her return to the room at that moment, shuffling her feet and still barely awake. It usually took her at least half an hour before she was something even resembling a human being in the morning. Caroline chuckled and put some eggs, bacon and a poppyseed bagel on her plate. Then she went back to her coffee machine and positioned an expertly made latte in front of his sister's barely conscious form. The teen mumbled something that could have maybe been "thanks" in Aramaic.
Klaus watched the whole exchange fascinated; it had a very homey feel to it. He was genuinely impressed how quickly Caroline had not only learned to deal with his sister, but that they had developed a routine between them already.
"You two seem to be quite comfortable around each other. I must admit, I haven't seen anybody deal with Beks' morning craziness as calmly as you do."
Caroline laughed before filling her fork with eggs. "Well, I did get kicked in the stomach on her first morning here."
Klaus cringed. "I know the feeling, trust me." He smiled at her amused face while savoring the coffee. It was exceptionally tasty and he could not help but wonder if her Australian friend had supplied her with it.
Just as Rebekah started joining the land of the living, his phone ringed. "Ugh, why can't you keep that on vibrate like any sane person?"
He ignored her expected outburst and excused himself. It was Camille.
"This is early for a Sunday."
He could hear distinctly female giggling in the background, meaning that Eva had probably spent the night again. So that was why Cami had seemed to be in a much better mood the other day. Quelle surprise.
"Yeah, I'm just checking in to see if you're going to your date with Aurora."
"Cami…" He began, whining.
"No, don't you even dare cancelling. She'll be at Beans at one o'clock and guess who'll be there too? Yes, you!"
"But…"
"I'll get Vincent to fire you if you don't show up to that date."
"You won't."
"I won't, but I might kill you."
She hung up and he groaned annoyed. He could image so many better things to do on this Sunday (hanging out with his sister while Caroline was wearing those shorts came to mind), but he would feel bad for the girl if he stood her up. It was not her fault that Camille knew no boundaries. Next time she and Eva broke up, he would arrange a date for her with Shane, Rebekah's former social worker. That might finally teach her a lesson.
He turned back towards the table and he noticed Caroline look away quickly. Before he could think further about it, Rebekah piped up. "Sound like you're in trouble. What did Cami say?"
He ignored her and went to grab his sweater from the couch. Not that he would need it today; it was still too warm outside.
"Thank you so much for the invitation and breakfast, love. I thoroughly enjoyed the last evening, even if the movie choices were abysmal."
Rebekah snorted but Caroline offered him a small smile. Though, it was not quite as radiant as all the others he had gotten before. "Thanks for coming. And for stealing an expensive wine bottle, I suppose."
"Anytime, love."
