Sorry for not updating in forever! I lost inspiration for writing but now I'm feeling pretty motivated to continue this story. Please leave a review and let me know how I'm doing, I really appreciate the feedback. As always, happy reading :)
Caroline Forbes was always a morning person. She loved the quiet mornings before the house was awake, she loved having time to plan out her day as she took her time getting ready. She just loved mornings. It didn't hurt that Klaus generally fell asleep later and woke up later than her. In the mornings she'd get to see his sleeping face, which was the most relaxed he ever looks. She planted a kiss on his forehead before creeping down the stairs to make herself a cup of coffee.
"Good morning, Care-bear!" Rebekah's voice could be heard from the kitchen as Caroline entered. So much for quiet mornings.
"Good morning, Bex," Caroline said, hoping the sarcasm in her voice was obvious enough. She poured herself a cup of the coffee Rebekah had already brewed.
"Sleep well?" the much older blonde asked.
"Like a rock," Caroline replied with a smile. She took a seat next to Rebekah at the breakfast nook in the large kitchen.
"Both our men are asleep so we can properly gossip," Bekah chucked. "How's Nik doing?"
"He's great, actually." Caroline could feel herself glow as he talked about him. "He seems to be doing really well with the whole not-killing-people thing, which I'm very happy about," she laughed.
"You're a good influence on him," Rebekah said sincerely, causing the conversation to become more serious. Caroline seemed at a loss for words, simply taking a sip of her steaming cup. "I mean, he obviously wants to do well for Hope's sake, but you keep him occupied, happy, and most of all you give him the love he deserves."
Caroline's head swam. Rebekah could see on her face that this meant a lot to her, so she took the girl's hand in her own and nodded before placing her empty cup into the sink.
"What about you and Marcel?" Caroline wondered, eyeing Rebekah as she squirmed.
"W-we're just, you know, trying it out. Really being together. You know, Klaus never let me properly date anyone, that bastard. But now, being with Marcel, it's even better than I imagined. I know, I fall in love faster than a hummingbird's heartbeats, but I think it's the real deal this time." Rebekah couldn't help but sigh contentedly.
"Who'da thought, we'd be here talking like old friends?" Caroline said after a beat.
"I would've lost a lot of money if we were betting." The two blondes laughed in harmony.
Klaus awoke feeling rested. He usually did when Caroline stayed with him. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, he threw on a grey Henley shirt and a pair of jeans before heading downstairs. As he approached, he heard Caroline, Rebekah and Marcel talking.
"So, you're telling me that you two met because Klaus turned your boyfriend into an experimental hybrid like a lab rat?" Marcel asked, a smile playing behind his eyes.
"Well, it sounds dumb when you say it like that, but yes, basically. And this one," she gestured to Rebekah, "don't even get me started! I was soooo jealous of her. She practically dethroned my status as 'it girl' at school," Caroline told them, shaking with laughter.
"Oh my god. You were not jealous of me!" Rebekah retorted. "I was jealous of you! Head cheerleader and all that. You were practically living my high school dream." Bekah flipped her hair for emphasis.
"To put this all into perspective, I was only seventeen," Caroline said, raising her arms as if to prove her innocence.
"Just because I'm over a thousand years older than you, doesn't mean you can rub it in my face!" Rebekah replied, leaning in her chair from laughter.
"Oh please, don't tell me you two are friends now?" Klaus smiled, leaning against the doorway.
"Have mercy on us all," Marcel muttered jokingly.
"Well look what the cat dragged in," Bekah joked.
"Good morning," Caroline said, standing to kiss Klaus.
"Morning Love," Klaus responded, grinning. Behind them, Rebekah silently pretended she was choking. Marcel pinched her under the table, stifling a laugh.
"I think it'd be good for them," Caroline reasoned. She had gone over to the school to spend some time with the girls and thought it was a perfect opportunity to asked again about Alaric's strict no-Mikaelson policy with the girls. "Hope is one of your favorite students. Don't you think they'd get along?"
"Hope isn't what we're talking about it and you know it," Ric spat. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Hope is an exceptional girl, I know. And I'm glad that you can put everything that family did behind you and be happy, but I can't."
"Ric-" she started, but he walked away. Unsatisfied, Caroline sped in front of him. He seemed caught off guard by her vampire speed. "Just one dinner! Klaus will prove it to you that he's trying to be a good person."
"Caroline… Fine. One dinner. Next weekend. I won't have the girls distracted during the week; they need their study time." He relented, but his eyes were still tight.
"Thank you. So much," Caroline sighed, giving Ric a kiss on his cheek.
"Bye Aunt Bekah! Bye Marcel!" Hope called from the door as the pair waved goodbye from their black sports car.
"Alright, Littlest Wolf, are you all packed to go back to school?" Klaus asked, still holding his arm around his little girl as they stood in the foyer.
"Yeah, and my homework's all done for tomorrow morning," Hope replied, allowing a smile to creep into her voice.
"That's my girl. How is everything at school going, anyway?" her father wondered.
"I'm sure Caroline tells you, I'm acing every class," Hope replied evasively.
"Well, of course you are. You're my daughter after all," he laughed. "Smart as a whip. But what about friends? You never talk about anything besides classes." Klaus turned a little more serious.
"Don't worry about me, Dad. I'm doing great," Hope said, and stalked off to her room.
"Have I ever told you that date night is my favorite night of the week?" Caroline blurted out in the way that she does when she's feeling particularly neurotic. Klaus lived for her excited rambling.
"Only once or twice," he replied, his dimples flashing as he smirked.
"Don't get me wrong, seeing your family this weekend was fun, but I live for our alone time," she continued as they entered the restaurant. "Reservation for Mikaelson," she told the hostess, her excitement melting away instantly as she became all business. Klaus chuckled to himself at her peculiar enthusiasm. Never a dull moment with Caroline Forbes.
"Of course, right this way," the young woman said as she led them to a secluded booth. The immortal couple made it a priority to get out of Mystic Falls at least once a week and get some much-needed alone time. Tonight, it was a new French restaurant that Caroline knew Klaus would love, although she'd barely be able to pronounce any of the items on the menu.
"How often did you think about me when you were in New Orleans?" Caroline sprung without warning after they sat down. Klaus tilted his head at her inquisitively. Why would she ask that?
"My time in New Orleans, much like everywhere I go, was action packed for the most part. But, I thought of you quite often anyway. Probably more often than I would've liked. As I laid down to rest, I'd find myself wondering what you were doing, if you were safe. Especially after our rendezvous in the forest," Klaus laughed and Caroline pretended to be annoyed. "I met someone, Camille, who I became quite fond of. She reminded me of you. She was her own person, and a wonderful one at that. She deserved better than what she got. I think her advice contributed a lot to my own self-improvement. She helped me work through things I'd buried for a thousand years. She and Hope are responsible for my salvation. I'm grateful that I'm at a place where I can truly be what you deserve, Caroline. I know Camille, if she's watching over us, would be proud of me."
Caroline absorbed what he said silently for a moment. Camille. She knew that she'd existed, but Klaus had never really brought her up. Caroline had a newfound respect for this woman she'd never be able to meet.
"I think about timing a lot," Caroline said after a few moments. "That was always my problem. I met you when we were from two different worlds. We wanted different things. I wasn't mature enough to understand that the world wasn't black and white. Now I can see that it's all grey. And you're the greyest of them all," she laughed lightly. "And then with Stefan, he was so good. We were best friends; it was never difficult for us to be around each other. I thought if I loved him enough, it would work. I didn't really take into account that his desire to be good would eventually take him away from me. We didn't have the timing right either, I suppose. But now, with you. This feels right."
Klaus smiled knowingly.
"Let's propose a toast. To Camille and Stefan!"
"To perfect timing," Caroline added as they clicked their glasses.