A/N: Hi! This is my early Christmas gift to you! Hope you enjoy! :D
"So where are you taking me?" she asked him jovially as they left his apartment and headed down the sidewalk towards the subway.
He shrugged cryptically.
"You'll see," he replied.
She rolled her eyes at him lightheartedly before her gaze drifted away from him as she glanced across the street at the apartments and storefronts.
The fading rays of sun trickled through the buildings as he began to set and framed her silhouette.
He truly couldn't recall the last time he had seen such a beautiful picture.
She was perfection. The loose golden ringlets of her hair shone in the sunset against the backdrop of her pale blue summer dress. Her smile was even brighter.
While he was eager to see Caroline's reaction to his plan for the evening, he was equally as eager to return to the apartment and spend the night how they had spent their afternoon.
He grinned to himself as images of Caroline astride him swept past him.
"What are you smiling about?" Caroline questioned, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Earlier," he admitted suggestively.
"Oh?" she asked with rosy cheeks and an intrigued expression.
He nodded and leaned in closer towards her to keep their conversation discreet.
"Thinking about how I'd like to repeat our afternoon…thinking about how sexy you sounded when you came," he breathed.
She laughed lightly; she was clearly anxious about the topic of conversation they were having in public for anyone to potentially hear.
"Oh really?" she said with a grin. "You're making me blush," she added anxiously as she scanned the sidewalk around them to gauge if anyone had heard them talking.
"I'd like to do more than just make you blush, sweetheart," he mused.
She looked away, clearly trying to hide her flustered reaction to his comments.
"Well, I guess it will depend on where you're taking me," she concluded. "If I like it, then maybe you'll get lucky," she smirked.
"Maybe?" he scoffed, playing along.
"Yes, maybe," she mused.
"Don't be a tease, sweetheart," he discouraged her. "We both know you can't resist me," he added, with a proud grin.
"One, you like being teased," she countered. "Two, I bet you a hundred dollars I could resist you," she challenged him.
He couldn't argue with either of her statements. He loved it when she teased him, and he knew she would be able to resist him if she put her mind to it and money was on the line.
"I suppose that's true," he conceded in defeat.
She laughed and he found himself chuckling alongside her.
"You don't have to worry," she said through her laughter. "Do you really think I would let the rest of our time alone go to waste!?" she exclaimed.
"I'm relieved you feel that way," he mused. "We really haven't had a lot of time alone without Grayson," he noted.
While they were often able to spend their evenings alone together, once Grayson was settled and asleep, they were confined to the house, obviously unable to go out and do things new couples typically did.
It was nice having a "night off" so to speak. That said, he would be lying if he said he didn't feel out of sorts without having Grayson around to look after. It would be odd returning to the apartment later on without Grayson there to greet them.
How times had changed, he thought to himself as they continued towards the subway station.
As they walked up West 27th Street, he could see Caroline's face light up.
"Did you plan to take us this way on purpose?" Caroline asked suspiciously as they approached the buildings that comprised her school campus.
"Well, it was on the way to where I was planning on taking you to eat," he commented, downplaying how much thought he had actually put into their evening, and how much he had consulted with Bonnie for ideas and suggestions. "I thought you might like to revisit your old campus."
She smiled as she glanced around at their surroundings, taking in everything as if a million memories were flooding back to her all at once.
"It feels like just yesterday I was here," she thought aloud. "I can't believe it's already been a few years since I graduated."
"Why don't you show me around quick before we eat?" he suggested. "I'm told that some of your student work is on display?" he mentioned.
That appeared to tip her off to who had been helping him put their evening together.
"You've been talking to Bonnie, haven't you?" she questioned inquisitively.
"Perhaps," he alluded.
"You were," she concluded with a smirk, still seemingly impressed that he had made the effort to consult with her best friend on ideas for their evening.
He followed her curiously, as she led the way towards the brutalist concrete building, the Museum at FIT advertised on the glass doors.
"It's not really my work on display," she prefaced him as they entered. "It was project led by one of my professors and the Museum staff," she explained. "They trusted me enough to help restore a number of wedding dresses from the last three centuries for an exhibition they hosted. I received academic credit for it," she informed him with restraint. "I think they only have a few of the dresses on display permanently. The ones I worked may be in storage," she warned.
It was clear she was trying to play down her role in the project, despite her obvious enthusiasm and excitement.
"Let's check it out, love," he said to her encouragingly.
They past the lobby and information desk towards the museum displays, noting that admission was indeed free and the museum was open until eight.
Fashion was not something he was particularly knowledgeable about. Really, he felt he lacked any sense of personal style himself, but he could appreciate the artistry that went into the fabrics and the design.
Most of all, he could appreciate Caroline's passion. It was how he felt about painting. He could relate. He enjoyed seeing her in her element and happy.
Following Caroline patiently, he listened intently as she explained some of the displays.
He recognized some of the names she mentioned, Dior, Chanel, Vivienne Westwood. Others, he had no clue. He enjoyed the older historical clothing the best. The detail of the textiles resembled paintings themselves.
"Michael Kors and Calvin Klein both went here," she commented as they walked by a display dedicated to famous alumni.
"They should have one of your dresses on display, front and centre," he suggested.
Caroline rolled her eyes.
"Maybe if I was a famous fashion designer they would," she mused.
"Well, you're pretty famous around Mystic Falls," he pointed out.
She laughed.
"I don't think that's what the museum would consider 'famous'," she replied. "The school doesn't mind hitting me up for hefty donations every year as if I was a famous designer though," she scoffed.
"Of course," he responded as they continued to weave around other museum patrons admiring the displays.
"This was one of the dresses I helped restore!" Caroline beamed excitedly as they came upon a display of white gowns. "This isn't the whole exhibit they did originally, but it's part of it," she explained to him as he eyed the intricate full sleeved gown decorated with beads and lace.
"It looks like new," he commented. "You wouldn't know it was from the 1800s."
"We had to replace so much of the beading, it was a nightmare and it took forever," she sighed. "It's why I refuse to do anything with beads ever again," she laughed.
"I hope you told Meredith that," he told her, recalling Caroline's task of making her wedding dress.
"She knows," Caroline said quickly. "I think that's one of the first things I told her when we were talking about designs."
He pointed to the information board beside the dresses.
"At least they acknowledged you," he mentioned, "sort of."
The information board noted the many contributors to the project, only recognizing the assistance of a few 'gifted students'.
"I'm surprised they mentioned that at all," Caroline chucked. "I guess it will have to do."
"Do you have a pen in your purse? I'll change it for you?" he offered mischievously.
Caroline glared at him.
"No way!" she refused under her breath. "Let's not make a scene. I don't want to get kicked out," she added for emphasis.
He shrugged calmly.
"We don't need to get in any trouble while we're out," she remarked. "Our luck, we would probably get arrested and would have to get Grayson to come bail us out of jail or something," she joked.
"Another story for CPS and the judge," he smirked, imagining how well that would go over. Stefan would probably fire them as clients.
"I feel like CPS already loves us, we don't need to give them another reason to," Caroline said to him sarcastically.
He nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for bringing me here," she smiled as they continued to walk.
"I thought you might like it," he explained.
"Would you be offended if we left now though?" she questioned.
He looked at her curiously, wondering if he had upset her or something.
"I'm really starving," she laughed, clearly somewhat embarrassed to admit that.
He shook his head with amusement.
"Okay, let's get out of here Miss. Piggy," he snorted, intentionally.
She socked him in the shoulder.
"You just lost any and all points you might have gained by bringing me here," she said decidedly, the small curve on her lips suggesting to him she was only joking with him.
"I was just teasing you, love. I'm starved," he said in agreement.
"I practically lived here in college!" she exclaimed amusedly as they approached the old fashioned diner. "I don't know how I didn't gain more than the freshman fifteen."
"I was planning on taking you somewhere a little…fancier, but Bonnie told me to save my money and take you here," he chuckled. "I hope she was right on this one too," he said hesitantly, hoping he hadn't made a mistake by taking her to a diner that had clearly seen better days.
"Are you kidding!?" Caroline asked as they crossed the street towards the restaurant. "This has to be my favourite place to eat in the City as crazy as that might be, considering the world-famous restaurants here," she admitted. "It has the best comfort food. I used to come here after every awful assignment or exam, when I was homesick, or hung-over," she listed.
"So you were here all the time?" he teased.
She shrugged, unfazed by his attempt to bug her.
"I told you I practically lived here in college," she emphasized.
They entered and were quickly greeted by a passing server who pointed to a stack of menus in a holder in the doorway beside them with one hand and balanced two hot trays of food in another.
He grabbed them two menus.
"We can seat ourselves," she informed him as he began scanning the diner for an empty place to sit.
It was a busy place, mostly packed with college-aged students and tired professionals likely just out of the office.
"There's a spot over there," Caroline said, nodding towards a small booth for two at the far end of the restaurant.
They sat down and Caroline eagerly snatched a menu from his hand.
"Excited are we, love?" he asked, entertained by her juvenile enthusiasm.
She nodded eagerly
"Excited to be here…and starved," she emphasized.
"I guess I worked up your appetite," he smirked proudly.
Rolling her eyes, she ignored his gaze as she began perusing through the menu.
"You're blushing a little, sweetheart," he pointed out as he opened his own menu.
"Not as hard as I was blushing earlier when Marcel walked in on us in your studio," she cringed, looking up at him to gauge his reaction. "That was so embarrassing. I can't believe the first time I met Marcel I was half naked," she groaned as she covered her eyes. "I probably made a great first impression," she concluded sarcastically.
He chuckled awkwardly as he thought back to Marcel walking in on them together.
"If anything you probably made a great impression on him, love," he said encouragingly. "Marcel isn't conservative by any stretch of the imagination. I'm sure you intrigued him."
She arched her eyebrow, seemingly confused by what he meant.
"He knows you're not afraid to live a little," he clarified. "He likes people who live outside the box, so to speak."
"Is that how you two connected?" she wondered curiously. "Wait, I remember you telling me you two met at a street art display and got drunk at a bar afterwards," she recalled, "that makes sense," she laughed to herself. "You two seem to get along well."
He was surprised she could remember one of their earlier conversations about Marcel. It had seemed like forever ago already.
"We do," he agreed. "Marcel is like a brother to me," he admitted. "Marcel kind of filled that older brother role once Elijah and I were living in separate cities and didn't get the chance to chat as much," he revealed, the fact that now Marcel was all he had to fill that role was sinking in all over again. "Marcel isn't that much older, but he has a lot of insight," he explained to Caroline. "Just don't tell him that," he warned, "because he also has a huge ego."
Caroline laughed and nodded understandingly.
"Well, Marcel said not to worry about tomorrow night," she reminded him. "So, I think you should probably listen to him. It will be great. Everyone will love your work. It speaks for itself," she encouraged him caressing the top of his hand.
He tried to maintain a confident front on the outside. It annoyed him that Caroline and Marcel could see right through it.
"I know," he said, persistent in his effort not to affirm what Caroline or Marcel had sensed. "I'm okay. I'm not nervous. I just want the set up and everything to go smoothly," he said, in another attempt to play down his anxiety.
She smiled at him knowingly. He was nervous, and he could tell that she could tell.
"It will be perfect," she said, repeating her effort to calm his nerves.
He appreciated the lack of expectation attached to her encouragement. The pressure he put on himself was enough as it was. He knew tomorrow night could be big for him if everything went according to plan. It would give him significant exposure and hopefully attract new customers and clients. If he was going to take responsibility for Grayson and try and juggle his time between Mystic Falls and New York over the long term, as a result, he needed more income.
Luckily, their minds were diverted from tomorrow night by one of the waitresses who took their drink orders.
They both kept it simple by ordering ice water. They were licensed to serve alcohol, but he was still feeling a little hung over from the night before. He didn't seem to recover from them as quickly as he used to. Caroline felt the same way from her night with Bonnie and Rebekah.
"Have you decided what you're going to get?" she asked him curiously.
"What do you recommend I order, sweetheart?" he questioned as his eyes scanned the menu full of comfort foods.
"Well, the homemade macaroni and cheese with bacon is to die for," she said enthusiastically. "It's so good."
"Sounds delicious," he commented, his stomach growling at the thought.
"The burgers are amazing too!" she exclaimed. "They're huge, though, but so yum."
He chuckled at her excitement.
"What?" she asked. "Why are you laughing at me?"
He shrugged innocently.
"What?" she pressed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear anxiously, smiling widely.
"I'm just glad to see you're enjoying yourself," he replied. "I know you're busy with work. I appreciate you coming to New York with me," he told her genuinely. "You deserve a break though, too," he assured her, knowing she felt guilty about missing work.
"Yeah, it's been nice to stop and take a breath," she admitted. "I'm glad Grayson and I were able to make the trip out with you."
With Caroline's mention of Grayson, his mind turned to his phone which was sitting on the table beside his utensils. He picked it up instinctively to check for a text message from Kol or Rebekah with an update on Grayson.
Caroline touched his wrist from across the table.
"Hey!" she said firmly. "You bugged me on the way over here about checking my phone. We agreed we weren't going to check for an hour," she reminded him.
He sighed, knowing Caroline had caught him.
"I forgot," he said innocently.
"We should have placed bets on who would be the first person to cave," Caroline said regrettably. "I would have won!"
He chucked, thankful they hadn't placed a bet on it since he had been the first one to check his phone.
"Maybe we should check just once," Caroline cracked, clearly feeling guilty and concerned about Grayson and what he was up to, as she dug into her purse for her phone.
He checked his phone, seeing a text from Kol and one from Rebekah. He checked the older text message from Kol.
Kol: Mate, you need to get this kid potty trained asap. Changing diapers is disgusting. Bonnie and Rebekah put me on diaper duty.
Kol had inserted several poo emojis for emphasis.
He snorted at the thought of Kol having to change Grayson's diapers. He enjoyed tormenting his younger brother and he was glad Grayson seemed to enjoy it too.
The attached picture of Grayson's dirty diaper was not something he appreciated, however. He could feel his appetite dissipate.
'Thanks for the pic, mate,' he texted back to Kol sarcastically.
He checked the newer text from Rebekah.
Rebekah attached a picture of Grayson asleep on the makeshift bed they had set up for him in the living room. They had arranged Bonnie's sofa and other furniture in such a way that Grayson was confined to a small area in the living room in case he decided he wanted to crawl around during the night. Rebekah would be staying on the sofa beside him.
Rebekah: Gray is passed out hard already. Such a little angel.
He smiled, and thanked Rebekah for looking after him with Kol and Bonnie.
"Bonnie sent me this pic from earlier," Caroline mused, showing him a picture of Grayson with a messy face from his baby food. "She said Kol tried to feed him."
"That's obvious," he observed. "The girls also have Kol on diaper duty," he smiled.
Caroline smirked.
"I think Grayson might be traumatized," she cautioned.
"Actually, I think Kol is the one traumatized," he laughed.
"You're probably right," Caroline nodded in amusement.
"Grayson is asleep now," he informed her, showing Caroline the picture Rebekah had sent to him.
"Awe. He looks so peaceful," she noted, appearing relieved to see that Grayson appeared to be comfortable with Kol, Bonnie, and Rebekah. "I'm glad he's okay with them. I would have felt awful for leaving him if he wasn't so easygoing," she commented.
He still feeling a little uncomfortable leaving Grayson with his siblings and Bonnie for the night. It's not that he didn't trust them; he just couldn't help but think about the night Elena and Elijah had left Grayson with Caroline for the night. It made him feel anxious.
"Pretty soon he'll be old enough to have sleepovers at his friends' all by himself," Caroline thought aloud. "He won't even want to stay with us," she said.
That was still a few years off, he reassured himself.
"Then he'll be sneaking out to see his friends," he continued, "or girls."
Caroline glared at him unappreciatively for putting the thought in her mind, and he laughed unapologetically.
"Well let's hope he takes after Elijah," he said. "Elijah was always pretty straight-laced. He never did get into much trouble growing up."
"Not as much as you, right?" she teased.
"I was the rebel," he conceded in agreement, knowing it was true.
"Well in that case, hopefully nature prevails over nurture," she chuckled.
He shook his head unconvinced.
"First, I'm not the only one parenting Grayson, and we both know that you're not the rebellious type, sweetheart," he noted amusedly, "And second, I was skimming over some of Elijah's journals when we were cleaning up their things and it sounds like Elena arranged things so she and Elijah would be sharing a room at some medical conference they went to back when they were still dancing around their feelings for one another. So, Grayson could still turn out to be a wild child if he takes after Elena it seems. I think it's a toss-up as to whether nature or nurture is preferable," he concluded.
Caroline's eyes widened and she began laugh out loud.
"I'd forgotten about that," Caroline sighed as her laughter faded. "Oh, and just so you know, I was the one who gave Elena that idea!" she countered, taking him by surprise.
He gave her a look of disbelief.
"Are you serious?" he asked with intrigue.
She nodded quickly and rolled her eyes.
"You weren't around Elena or Elijah every day back then," she commented. "It was painfully obvious how lovesick they were over each other. They just needed a little push in the right direction," she explained.
"I'm impressed," he admitted.
"Guess I'm not as innocent as you thought I was," she proclaimed proudly, a seductive undertone in her voice.
He grinned.
"Are you flirting with me, love?" he questioned.
"Maybe," she shrugged coyly.
"I'm so full I can't even walk," she groaned, rubbing her stomach as they exited the subway. "We should have just shared those nachos I got," she said regretfully.
"We should have just shared that monstrous cheeseburger I ordered," he laughed, feeling full himself.
"You have to admit that place is amazing though," she concluded.
He nodded.
"I'm amazed I hadn't heard of it sooner. It is delicious," he agreed.
"As long as you don't mind going to the gym everyday for like the next month to work it off," she joked.
"I can think of better ways to work it off," he grinned.
"Of course you can," she blushed.
They headed down the sidewalk quietly for a moment, until Caroline hesitated, seemingly recognizing that they were not headed in the direction of his apartment.
"Where are you taking me now?" she asked curiously. "I thought we were going back to the apartment," she mentioned.
"Well, there's this place I wanted to take you to. It just opened for the evening about an hour ago," he informed her cryptically.
Her face contorted with displeasure.
"Klaus, I don't really feel like going out to a bar," she said hesitantly, clearly not wanting to hurt his feelings or ruin his plans for the evening. "I thought we were both too hung over to have drinks tonight," she laughed lightly, clearly trying to gauge his reaction for disappointment.
He laughed, happy that he had been able to keep his plan for their evening so secret.
"Sweetheart, we aren't going to a bar, trust me," he assured her.
"So where are we going that only opens in the evening?" she asked confusedly.
He played stupid.
"You will see when we get there," he said simply.
She scoffed, but continued to walk alongside him.
He smirked to himself giddily, nervous but excited to see how she would react to his next surprise. He was hopeful she would be receptive to it, providing he hadn't read her wrong.
As they rounded the corner towards their destination, he waited for Caroline's reaction as he turned down the steps into the garden level business that displayed an illuminated open sign in the window.
"Klaus? A tattoo parlour?!" Caroline exclaimed, reading the creatively painted sign out front.
He smiled and nodded nervously in anticipation of Caroline's response. It wasn't clear whether she was excited or disappointed.
"This is Galen Vaughn's shop," he informed her. "He did my tattoo the last time I was here," he reminded her.
A look of realization spread across her features as she seemed to recall his last trip to New York just after Elena and Elijah had passed away.
"I called Galen about an appointment for you while we were here since I knew you wanted to get that tattoo I drew up for you. I sent him the drawing and he told me to bring you in tonight," he explained, hoping she wouldn't be too overwhelmed by the sudden surprise.
Caroline smiled hesitantly and he began to grow even more anxious, worried that she would be upset that he had gone ahead and made the appointment without her input.
"If you don't want to get it done yet, sweetheart, you don't have to. It doesn't have to be tonight. I wanted to give you the option," he said, backtracking. "Don't feel pressured," he assured her.
"You sent him the drawing?" she queried.
He nodded, thinking back to that night before they had acknowledged their feelings for one another. She had tortured him by allowing him to draw a sample tattoo on her torso.
She stared passed him pensively for a moment, debating about what she wanted to do.
"You don't…" –
- "Let's do it!" Caroline interrupted him excitedly, her eyes beaming with a newfound enthusiasm.
Her reaction surprised him, but made him smile nonetheless.
"Are you sure, love?" he asked, wanting to be certain it was what she wanted. He didn't want her to do it simply because he made her the appointment. A tattoo was a permanent thing.
"Yeah!" she said convincingly. "I've wanted to get a tattoo forever, but I wanted it to be something meaningful – something my mother would have approved of; something I won't regret in a month – and I loved the one you drew for me," she reasoned. "I'll regret it if I don't get it. We have to live in the moment a little, right?" she added, clearly referring back to their past discussions and experience with how short life could be.
"Right," he affirmed.
"Let's take a look at the drawing you sent to Galen," she said to him.
He took the few steps down to the shop's entrance and opened the door for Caroline to step inside.
They were met with the sound of loud early 90's hip-hop music.
Across the room, Galen, now sporting a blonde mohawk, was busily finishing tattooing old English letters across the muscular back of an older middle-aged man. He couldn't make out what the tattoo said.
Galen hadn't noticed them walk in, so they waited patiently at the front, taking in the space.
The shop was brightly lit for obvious reasons, but the walls were painted in red and black. The black and white checkered floor was hypnotic to the eyes. Tattoo artwork was displayed throughout the room and in portfolio binders on the counter in front of them. The room smelt like a combination of scented candles and cigarette smoke. Surprisingly, it didn't trigger a craving for him.
Caroline took interest in the binders of tattoo artwork immediately and began flipping through them.
He noticed Caroline point towards a picture of matching heart tattoos and laughed as he shook his head in refusal.
"Don't jinx us," he attempted to say over the music.
Caroline smirked, obviously having heard what he had said.
Galen had an eclectic music taste, he thought to himself as he wandered the room. When he had been in to get his tattoo Galen was listening to an old Johnny Cash record.
Caroline took a seat on the black leather sofa with one of the binders to keep herself occupied as they waited. She seemed nervous.
He took a seat beside her, deciding to pass the time by looking at all the tattoo options with her.
Humorously, Caroline would point out all of the tattoos that were clearly the opposite of what she would ever seriously consider getting – skulls, cartoon characters, sexy pin-up girls, and the like.
They had spent nearly twenty minutes combing over the large binder before they noticed Galen accepting payment at the counter from the now shirt-covered man.
"I'll be back next month," he overheard the customer say to Galen. "We need to get working on my sleeve."
"You know where you find me," Galen replied as they said their good-byes.
The man gave them a friendly nod before he exited the shop.
"You must be Caroline," Galen then said as he approached them.
Caroline closed the binder of sample tattoos awkwardly and stood up quickly alongside him to acknowledge Galen.
"Hi," Caroline greeted Galen anxiously, turning her head towards him briefly to give him a questioning look, as if to ask how he knew who she was.
Galen extended his hand to shake hers and then turned to him to shake his.
"How's that tattoo, mate?" Galen asked him curiously.
"Excellent," he replied approvingly.
"Good to hear," Galen replied before shifting his focus back to Caroline. "Klaus tells me it's your turn tonight?" he inquired, though he already knew the answer to his question. "You're first," he added.
Caroline nodded.
"Yeah," she said shyly.
Galen smirked. "Don't be nervous, gorgeous," he told her. "It won't hurt as much as you think it will," he tried to reassure her.
He felt slightly annoyed by Galen's subtle flirtations, but at the same time, he hoped Galen's friendly demeanour would help Caroline relax.
"Let's hope so," Caroline said, smiling at Galen appreciatively. "Klaus sent you the drawing of what I want?" she confirmed.
"Yeah, why don't you come and take a look?" he offered, nodding them towards a glass desk in the far back corner of the room.
Caroline followed Galen, and he followed behind the two of them.
"Wow, I love it!" Caroline beamed, before he had even had a chance to see the final result.
The sketch looked very similar to the one he had originally drawn for her – the one she had suggestively requested that he draw on her first so she could get an idea of what it would look like on her skin.
Connected to the intricate vine were several roses and lilies – Elena and Caroline's mom's favourite flowers.
He could see a small bittersweet smile begin to form on Caroline's lips.
"My mom would have freaked out if I got a tattoo," she said with a small laugh in an attempt to choke back some visible emotion as she held up the sketch for further inspection.
He rested his hand on the centre of her back, peering over her shoulder to take a closer look at the sketch himself.
"I don't think she would mind this tattoo, sweetheart," he said encouragingly.
"It's tasteful," Galen added. "It's not like you're getting a playboy bunny tattooed on your hip or something," he laughed. "I did a lot of those tattoos ten years ago when I was just starting out," Galen recalled. "They helped pay for my rent," he shrugged.
Caroline smirked amusedly.
"If it's any consolation, most moms love the tattoos their kids get for them," he told her. "The whole 'anti-tattoo' mentality goes out the window."
Caroline seemed to appreciate Galen's reassurance.
"Okay, let's get started before I change my mind," Caroline said decidedly.
He grinned.
Galen nodded and clapped his hands together.
"First things first, you're going to need to take your shirt off," Galen told Caroline with a chuckle.
Caroline seemed to take Galen's 'joke' about her removing her top better than he had taken it. Of course he knew that her shirt and bra would have to come off for the tattoo to be done properly, and he knew Galen was only joking to make Caroline feel more comfortable about doing so, but his jealous side sometimes got the better of him.
For the time being, Caroline was positioned on the tattoo table on her stomach so that Galen could start on the part of the tattoo that extended up her right shoulder blade.
He was sitting on Caroline's left side and her head was turned in his direction. She didn't want to watch as Galen prepared.
"How bad is this going to hurt, really?" she wondered aloud anxiously.
"It does sting a little," he admitted. "But it really wasn't as bad as I expected," he told her.
"From my experience, the women I've tattooed have had a much higher pain tolerance than the men," Galen chimed in.
Caroline laughed.
"I bet Klaus cried like a baby," she snickered.
He raised his eyebrows at her incredulously.
"He used a whole box of tissues when I tattooed him," Galen teased, getting in on Caroline's joke. "Marcel had to hold his hand."
"Thanks for selling me out, mate," he muttered, playing along with the joke.
Caroline winked at him teasingly.
"Okay, I'm ready to get started now," Galen informed them.
"Are you ready, sweetheart?" he asked Caroline.
She grabbed his hand desperately and clenched her eyes closed.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Caroline replied.
"Be as still as possible," Galen warned, as he brought the tattoo gun up to her skin.
The gun began to buzz as it touched her skin where the stencil began.
Caroline flinched slightly as the tattoo needle began its work. Her hand clenched his tighter.
"You okay, love?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"It doesn't feel good," she admitted. "But, it's not intolerable," she added.
He gave her a half smile, feeling a little guilty for bringing her to get a tattoo.
"You're doing great," Galen said encouragingly. "It's gonna look awesome," he told her. "This is probably the best giant happy face I've ever tattooed."
Caroline's eyes shot open in a brief moment of panic before Galen let out a little chuckle.
It was nearly eleven o'clock at night before Galen was finished Caroline's tattoo.
Caroline was very happy with it. She had spent nearly fifteen minutes smiling and staring at the finished result in the mirror before Galen bandaged it for her.
He was relieved it had turned out the way Caroline wanted it to since it was his idea to bring her here and get it done.
"Can you check your phone and see if Bonnie or one of your siblings has texted?" Caroline asked him while Galen began to clean and bandage her tattoo. "I haven't checked my phone since before we got here," she realized, somewhat anxiously.
He had been so preoccupied with distracting Caroline while she got her tattoo, that he hadn't checked his phone since Galen had taken a short break in between. That was after nine o'clock and the only text he had received was from Rebekah, who informed him that Grayson was still passed out.
As Galen and Caroline discussed tattoo after-care, he pulled out his phone to see that he had several missed calls, voicemails and texts from Kol, Rebekah, and Bonnie.
A sick feeling rose in his stomach and he immediately looked through the texts that had been sent.
The most recent texts were ones asking where he and Caroline were and to call or text when they got their texts and voicemails.
He scrolled through quickly to the earlier texts, still clueless as to what had prompted the numerous texts and calls.
The first message in the string of texts was from Kol, asking him to call him.
The second message in the string of texts was from Rebekah.
While he was relieved to know from Rebekah's message that Grayson was okay, what she had to say was still unsettling.
Rebekah: Mother and Father are here.
He glanced up at Caroline and the look of concern on her face told him he that he hadn't masked his own very well.
"What's wrong?" she wondered.
A/N: And they'rrreeee baaaaack.