First of all, 87 follows 35 favorites and 22 reviews wow! You have no idea how your support matters to me and how much I appreciate every single review! They make my day!
Second of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH to approvesomuch for the amazing cover she made for this story. God bless her!
FYI, I wrote this chapter, well at least the Klaroline scenes, while listening to this: LaRitournelle from Sébastien Tellier. So check it out! It's worth it!
The second Caroline set foot in the Mikaelsons' Manor, she stopped in her steps.
"Oh my God…" she paused in amazement before her surroundings. "We're in Paris!"
"Yes, we are, love." Klaus merely said turning to her to study her face –as she let out a stunned gasp –and see if the amazement identifiable in her voice could also be collected in her face.
And it most certainly could.
Judging by her expression, she was beyond excited. Caroline advanced a little into the room and looked all around her. She was in utter wonder at the decoration before her. There were several landscapes from Paris hung all over the place.
"Did you do these?" she asked not taking her eyes off the works of art.
Klaus smiled at the air of déjà-vu. "I did." He responded as he approached her.
The blonde had effectively asked him this very same question back at his mother's ball eight years ago when he took her for a personal tour of his art studio. She hadn't said anything back then nor had she now, but it seemed by the tone of voice as if she was surprised and, maybe even impressed.
Caroline was staring at a specific landscape –the chapel Notre Dame –when she felt someone slide their hand in hers. She looked at their intertwined fingers and then at Klaus and smiled at him.
"It's so beautiful" she said in a tiny voice as she looked back at the French landscape.
"That is an understatement" replied Klaus, only he wasn't talking about the landscape. Indeed, Klaus was staring at Caroline in wonder.
Caroline looked at the blonde man; and as his eyes burned into hers, she smiled sheepishly and blushed furiously before looking at her feet.
Klaus smiled and pressed her hand before leading her to the dining room. Caroline very reluctantly walked away from the landscapes but followed Klaus.
As they walked towards the dining room, Caroline turned to look at Klaus with sparkling eyes, "Is it butter croissants I smell?" she made sure.
"It is." Klaus assured her.
"Oh my God!" she said excitedly.
Klaus couldn't help but smile with all his teeth at Caroline's cuteness. She was so adorable. For a second, he thought she would start bouncing on her feet from excitement.
He had taken care of everything himself. Truth be told, he had started planning this day since he saw her at the Founder's Party. He had learned from Matt that she had been to the French capital and enjoyed her stay there a lot; of course, the thought that he had been the one to inspire her travelling there had crossed his mind and had pleased him and flattered his ego quite a bit.
Klaus had ordered French coffee and gotten butter croissants as well as French toasts shipped from Paris just for the stunning blonde walking by his side. And he had to say her reaction was beyond anything he had hoped for. It was amazing how the mere sight of Caroline happy made Klaus happy; and of course, knowing he was the one who put that beautiful genuine smile on her face didn't hurt.
When Caroline and Klaus eventually entered the dining room, she stopped. The blonde swore she was going to collapse.
The Mikaelson male had lit up unnecessary candles all over the place; a romantic atmosphere resulted from it.
The table was set for breakfast. There was French coffee, tea, butter croissants, pancakes, chocolate pastry, waffles… basically, everything and anything a girl could ask for breakfast.
Caroline Forbes was on a whole other planet. She really WAS in the French capital! Was it really possible that Klaus had actually gone through all this trouble just for her?
"Oh my god." She repeated in a tiny voice. "You did this for me?" she asked disbelievingly.
"You sound surprised." he said.
Caroline didn't reply and merely stared at him.
Klaus lowered his head a little until he was at eye level with the beautiful blonde, "Caroline… I would give you the world."
In other circumstances, Caroline would've probably just rolled her eyes but in that specific moment and hearing and seeing the sincerity in his voice and his eyes, Caroline couldn't help but feel weak in the knees and just knowingly get lost in his marvelously blue gaze.
/
Kol had just entered the Grill, followed closely by two of his siblings.
"What am I doing here again?" Elijah asked his sister.
"Helping out your sister." Rebekah merely responded while Kol was scrutinizing the place.
Elijah shot his dear sister a weary look which clearly meant are you being serious?, "I should be anywhere but here."
Rebekah rolled her eyes. Indeed, Elijah should be anywhere but there: this was definitely not the type of place for the oh so serious Elijah. But then again, their dear sibling had insisted to come grab a bite at the Grill; and by bite, he didn't exactly mean food, well, not any kind of food… And when Kol was in this state, it generally took more than one Mikaelson to handle him so Elijah's presence couldn't be refused at the moment.
"Oh come on Elijah, stop whining, you sound like Kol!" Rebekah tried to get her brother to relativize. "I'd rather be elsewhere too."
The other Mikaelson sibling was too busy to even hear his little sister denigrate him.
"We can get a table and talk about your doppelganger if you want." She suggested.
Elijah cast a glance at her and royally ignored her proposition.
"I had good intentions, Elijah" she stated.
And it was the truth. Although she didn't show it quite often, Rebekah Mikaelson cared about ALL her brothers even though Klaus was seated on a higher level in her mind and held a slightly bigger place in her heart. Rebekah cared for Elijah and his happiness or lack thereof was really starting to concern her.
It sucked that he didn't trust her loyalty to him enough to confide in her and have this conversation with her. He surely feared all his words would be repeated to Klaus instantly and to the letter. Her and her siblings had never really been comfortable with each other in the love department and though she never complained, Rebekah thought it was a shame.
This longing for complicity and a sort of person diary made Rebekah want to be friends with Caroline even more.
"Thank you, Rebekah." He said sincerely. "But…"
"Uh huh, look who's here." Kol cut him off spotting Jeremy at the bar. "Fun time."
Rebekah and Elijah turned to look in the direction where their sibling was heading to see whom the latter was talking about. As they spotted the Gilbert male, Rebekah and Elijah exchanged a knowing look and reluctantly followed Kol, Rebekah letting out an aggravated sigh.
This was going to be a long day indeed.
You owe me one, Niklaus, Elijah thought.
/
"What's your favorite number?" Caroline asked before taking a piece of butter croissant into her hands.
"Seventeen." Klaus responded without even thinking.
Caroline and Klaus were playing Ten questions. Indeed, the latter said he wanted to use the day to get to know her better. Thus, so that it was fair, the blonde proposed the Ten questions game.
"Why?" she asked genuinely curious.
He shrugged. "You were born on a seventeen." Klaus responded bluntly looking her right into the eyes.
At his response, Caroline felt a strange and much unknown feeling overwhelm her.
"You are so beautiful." Klaus said contemplating the beauty before him with a lover's eyes.
The blonde unwilling held his intense gaze as a lump formed in her throat owing to the sincerity they reflected. As much as she tried, Caroline just couldn't seem to find that voice in her head that told her he was playing her.
They sat like that, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity until Caroline eventually managed to break the eye contact.
"You need to stop saying things like that." She finally spoke.
"Things like what, Caroline?" Klaus asked innocently as he kept staring at her in adoration.
Caroline looked up at him and almost drifted in his deep, beautiful, eyes again, "Yeah and you need to stop looking at me like that too."
Klaus merely smirked at his blonde's reply and at the effect he was obviously starting to have on her.
Not wanting to push his luck either, he decided it was better to move on to another subject.
"What would it take from me to get you to fall for me?" he asked.
Caroline's eyes widened in surprise and she almost dropped her cup of coffee: she was definitely not expecting this question. Although she should have, knowing Klaus. What the hell was she even thinking to suggest such a game when her 'opponent' was the Original Hybrid?! Of course, he was going to explore the love territory!
"Ooh, I wouldn't even know where to begin!" she responded half-teasingly and watched as the blonde man's face fell a bit.
She waited a moment before adding, "I don't know." She paused. "Seriously, I don't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
Klaus looked up to her so she elaborated, "It would make things way too easy for you."
As she explained herself, Klaus instantly saw what Caroline meant. Indeed, if she told him what he should do in order to get her to fall for him, it would make the whole thing much easier for him… and that wouldn't be fair to her. Because Caroline deserved a man who would go to hell and back for her, a man who would strive to get her. And Klaus was determined to prove to her that he was that man.
Besides, there was nothing Klaus Mikaelson liked more than a good challenge.
He nodded in understanding.
"But you might want to start by trying to be friends with me… by earning my trust…" Caroline paused. "You're on the good path."
"I am?" Klaus asked hiding a small smile.
"Uh huh. Though, there is still a lot of work to do." She made the sound. "You could do even better by making amends with Elena, Stefan and Bonnie… and I."
Klaus merely looked at her. He felt bad but didn't say anything. He didn't exactly feel bad for the doppelganger or even the witch but he did have a little remorse as far as Stefan was concerned. Indeed, Stefan and Klaus were friends at a certain time… Hell, they were like brothers in the twenties and well, Klaus had played a major role in Stefan and Elena's distance by turning him back into the Ripper so… apologies probably wouldn't be too much.
As for Caroline, he couldn't even put into words how bad he felt for ever hurting her: the mere idea of her hurting because of him did things to Klaus' mind he couldn't begin to comprehend.
"I am not apologizing for my past actions, Caroline" Klaus stated.
"I didn't demand anything of you." The blonde pointed out. "You asked me a question… I gave you an honest answer like I always do. Now, you do whatever you want with it."
Klaus took a moment to take in every piece of information Caroline had just given him. He really did want to make things work with the blonde and earning her trust seemed to be a good way to start indeed.
"So making amends with 'the Scooby-Doo Gang' is the only way for me to earn your trust?" he made sure.
Truth be told, Caroline did trust Klaus… to a certain extent. If she didn't at least a little, she wouldn't be here on a 'date' with him in an empty house… more or less willingly, not to say completely willingly. However, Caroline wasn't about to go out and say it to the concerned person.
"I didn't say that. Though, it would certainly speed up the process." She paused. "And it's my turn to ask questions."
A second passed before Caroline asked completely out of the blue, "What stupid game does your brother think he's playing with my best friend?"
Klaus looked down a brief moment, not expecting this question. He then directed his gaze back towards the confused blonde and his mouth curved up into a half smirk.
/
"Are you soon done flirting with Bonnie?" Jeremy bluntly asked after spending a while throwing cutting remarks at each other.
"Actually, no, I'm not." Kol responded with his trademark smirk. "But when, IF, I am, I'll be sure to let you know."
"Be honest, Kol: you're only enjoying this because you know she's my girl."
While Elijah pinched his nose, knowing exactly what was bound to happen, Rebekah rolled her eyes and Kol let out a fake laugh.
"Wondeful!" he exclaimed amused. "These Gilbert siblings… always thinking the world revolves around them."
"I assure you." Rebekah seconded her brother before turning towards Jeremy. "There's not one sibling to make up for the other."
At that, the latter clenched his fist in anger, what didn't go unnoticed by the Mikaelson siblings and caused Kol's chuckle.
"Believe it or not, mate, I've always had a thing for witches. As for the 'my girl' part, I'll wait to hear it from the lady." Kol paused. "And I hate to break it to you but you are not the center of the universe. So get off your high horse!"
"Share the news with your sister." Rebekah added.
"You people think you're at the top of the world, don't you?" Jeremy ascertained more than he asked.
Rebekah shot him a deathly glare and Kol didn't do him the honor of responding, being satisfied with smirking.
"Oh brother." They all heard Elijah suddenly say.
"What?!" Kol asked before he followed Elijah's gaze with his own eyes to the Grill's entrance: Bonnie.
So was this up to your expectations? I SO hope so!
Klaroline feels? What about the Jeremy/Kol 'bickering'?
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