No, you're not dreaming. This is an update. I keep telling you: your reviews are my fuel.
Caroline descended the stairs dressed in an elegant white dress. It was marvelously designed. The two straps crossed in the back but left a cut out revealing her flawless back. There was a small hole at the level of the chest that made her look even more alluring. The dress suited her perfectly; it looked like it had been tailor-made for her.
Klaus was taking her on a date tonight… a very, very mysterious date, which she knew nothing about. She had done everything to try to get some information out of Klaus… Something, anything! She offered to put herself in a less than comfortable situation, and he still turned her down!
"You look beautiful." Rebekah genuinely complimented her friend as the latter walked down the last step of the stairs.
"Thank you." Caroline appreciated, smiling at her. "So what are your plans for tonight?" She inquired once at eye-level with her.
Rebekah shrugged, looking down.
"Rebekah?" Caroline called and the other blonde peeked up at her. "What are you doing tonight?" She insisted. "Seeing Matt?"
"No." Rebekah answered simply.
"Why not?" Caroline inquired.
Rebekah sighed. "Why don't you ask him?" She looked at Caroline who shook her head at her.
"You two are ridiculous."
"Thank you, Caroline. That's nice. I'll remember that."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant. You love each other. I don't understand what game you're playing at."
"I'm not playing games, Caroline." Rebekah said seriously.
Caroline's eyes softened. She wrapped her arms around Rebekah. "He'll come around." She said in a voice that she hoped was reassuring. "And if he doesn't, I will knock some sense into him" Caroline pulled away and gave Rebekah a meaningful look. "Literally."
Rebekah laughed.
Glad that she had lifted her friend's spirits a little, Caroline changed the topic. "Is Klaus ready?" She inquired, searching said Mikaelson with her eyes through the room, to no avail.
Instead of responding, Rebekah pointed at a note on the table at the left of the staircase. Caroline pulled her brows together in confusion but walked towards the table. She picked up the note with Klaus' handwriting and read it:
Caroline,
I am sure you look flawless as always.
A driver is waiting for you outside the mansion.
He will lead you to me.
I can't wait to see you,
Klaus
Caroline closed her eyes and let out a sigh of frustration. She was never one for mysterious men, and she had clearly picked the wrong guy with Klaus.
She was a control freak. She needed to be control of everything at all times. And Klaus knew that. And she suspected that was why he was doing this. He was trying to get her to give up control every once in a while.
She turned back to Rebekah who was holding and showing her a blindfold. The Mikaelson blonde lowered the blindfold and cracked a sly smirk.
"No. No way am I wearing that."
"Care, please... Humor Nik, will you?" Rebekah pleaded. "He went out of his way to make this evening perfect for you."
Caroline felt her resolve falter at that. How could she resist him and not play along when he was just trying to please her? 'Damn him' She inwardly thought.
"Fine." She gave in and shuffled to Rebekah.
When her friend lowered the blindfold to her eyes, Caroline suddenly turned around, a thought rising up. "This isn't going to be anything extreme, right?"
The other blonde simply offered an evil smirk in response.
"Rebekah, please don't smile at me like that. You look like your brother. You're stressing me out. Where are we going? Where is he taking me? Why isn't he here?" She assailed her with questions.
Rebekah grabbed her friend by the shoulders. "Caroline!" She spoke forcefully. "Relax! I feel like I'm kidnapping you! And Nik will probably feel the same way! Lighten up." She told her. "He's trying to please you. Why are you acting like this? You perfectly know that he wouldn't do anything that would annoy you." She tried to reason her.
Caroline heaved a sigh. Rebekah was right. She hated to admit it, but she was. Klaus was constantly trying to please her. Every day, he came up with a new idea to fill her with happiness and joy –although his mere presence by her side was enough. And at times like these, she was really less than appreciative of it. She was less than appreciative of him. She felt bad. She felt bad because of her lack of gratitude sometimes, or at least because she didn't know how to show him how grateful she, in fact, was. That's why she decided tonight Caroline Forbes would be full of compromises. She would let him do things his way, even if that meant surrendering control for the night.
"Fine." She spoke again. "Let's do this."
/
After a fifteen minutes' drive, Caroline felt the limousine come to a stop. The driver's door opened and she heard him exit the engine.
Her door opened at its turn and a husky voice with a British accent –the sexiest British accent in the world –greeted her, whispering into her ear, sending chills to course through her entire being, "Good evening, love."
"Klaus!" She exclaimed in an exaggeratedly annoyed voice. "Where are we?!"
"You look breathtaking." He complimented her, ignoring her question and apparent mood completely. He knew it was due to her lack of control of the situation, and he had no doubt that once she found out what her surprise was, she would forget all about it, and her bad mood would instantly be replaced by a delighted one.
Caroline rolled her eyes and acted as though his kind words didn't make her swoon. It was true that she had made a particular effort to look gorgeous tonight, and she was glad he noticed and appreciated her efforts. She knew she really had no efforts to make for Klaus to find her enthralling, and she still marveled at the fact that she was so blessed to have this man's affection, but there were days –like this one –where she wanted to make an effort for him.
"Here, give me your hand." He asked her; she did as told. He kissed the back of it before helping her out of the car.
Once she was standing, Klaus took a few steps backwards, never releasing her hand, to admire Caroline in her super dress. Once again, she amazed him.
"You really do look stunning, Caroline. This dress was made for you."
A genuine smile spread across her face. "Thank you."
One hand in hers, the other on the small of her back, he carefully guided her.
"Watch the steps." He warned her as he helped her climb.
They walked a bit more after the couple of steps before they came to a full stop.
"Welcome on board, sir Mikaelson, miss..." A voice with an accent greeted them.
Caroline's eyes popped out of their orbit. WHAT?!
"On board?!" She exclaimed.
"All external checks were made. We'll be ready to leave in a couple of minutes."
Klaus nodded, "Thank you, Paul. For everything. I will let you know if we need anything." He dismissed the man.
"Klaus!" Caroline called forcefully.
"Ok. Are you ready?" He asked her. She nodded.
He untied her blindfold and freed her eyes. She blinked a couple of times, readjusting to the light, before she took in her surroundings.
They were in a plane. She didn't know why she was that surprised Klaus owned a private plane. You'd think she had gotten used to his luxury life by now, but no; he kept surprising her with his extravagance –not that she complained because she knew that he also knew how to be simple.
It was pretty spacious for a private jet. It had at least three rooms for what Caroline could tell. And it was not so surprisingly pretty darn well decorated. She began to explore the room she was in –the seats, the expensive couches –when something hit her.
She whipped around to face him. "Whoa! Why in the world are we on a plane, Klaus?!" She only seemed to be realizing.
He walked to her leaned in to whisper into her ear, "Well, you see, love… Usually, when people want to travel to a faraway destination, they tend to choose airplanes as their means of travelling." He explained.
She shifted her body to smack him on the shoulder. He rubbed the spot where she had made contact. "That is not what I meant, and you know it. Where the hell are we going?" She asked again with the voice of a little girl whining.
"We're travelling!" He raised his shoulders.
She rolled her eyes. He was so doing this on purpose. "To where?"
"If I told you, it would defeat the logic of surprise of this whole trip now, wouldn't it?"
She turned to glare at him.
Changing her tactics, she wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers into his hair. "Please... tell me." She pleaded. "Rome?" She tried. "Paris? Tokyo?" She arched an eyebrow.
He broke into a laughing fit. "You're not getting anything out of me, love. But I am glad to see you remember."
"Pfff." She huffed and removed her arms. "Fine!"
She went to sit on the couch and crossed her legs as well as her arms.
A smile grew on Klaus' face. "You know, this trip is going to be that much longer if you sulk all the way." He said.
She narrowed her eyes and glowered at him.
Klaus went to sit on the other end of the same couch Caroline was and heaved a sigh, "God, why is it so difficult to please you?"
Caroline raised her gaze to him. A wave of guilt instantly swept within her. She closed her eyes in self-deprecation. He was trying his best to please her, and here she was, being ungrateful and ruining it.
She moved closer to him and laid her hand on his knee. "I'm sorry." She said apologetically. "I'm sorry."
She squeezed his lower thigh before she brought her hand to the nape of his neck, caressing the hair there. "Do you forgive me?" She tentatively asked, trying to disguise smile at the corner of her lips. She knew very well that he would forgive her.
"On one condition." Klaus bargained.
Caroline frowned. "Which one?"
"You let me take the reins this whole weekend." He said.
"…without constantly contesting my decisions or whining." He added before she had the time to respond.
She remained silent for a minute, pondering his demand. She lifted her gaze to his, smiling, "Deal."
/
"I still can't believe Stefan and Elena are getting married." Caroline admitted.
Klaus smiled.
"It's crazy, huh?"
"It is." He nodded.
"It's long overdue though. They've been through so much to be together, you know?" She said and put a piece of steak in her mouth. She ate before she pursued, "Isobel, Katherine, Damon, you." She enumerated.
That last word came out of her mind before she realized how insensitive it was of her to bring that up. She dared to cast a glance at Klaus and noticed how his face had fallen. She felt like slapping herself.
"I'm sorry." She apologized.
"No, you're right." He admitted, nodding. "I did put them through a lot." He said absently.
She waited until their eyes locked to provide the only words of comfort she could, "But you've made amends…"
"I have. I've tried to anyway." He replied. "I doubt that they've forgiven me though." He added nonetheless and looked away.
"They're trying to." She paused and studied him intently for a moment. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart broke when a flash of guilt crossed his features. It was brief, but she caught it. Klaus was an ace at concealing his emotions. But at this point in their relationship, she didn't think there was anything he could hide from her. She knew him too well.
Caroline loved and hated these moments at the same time. Klaus' human moments. She loved them because they showed his vulnerability, and they proved that he did have a heart and that he did care, in spite of what everyone thought. But she hated them with a passion because she loathed seeing him go through these emotions. He had had a life's worth of pain. He didn't need any more.
She reached across the table to cover his hand with hers. He looked up at her.
"I have." She told him.
Klaus' lips curved into a small smile. "Then it's all that matters."
Caroline stood up and walked a few steps to Klaus. She settled on his lap, encircling his neck with her arms, while he rested his hand on her lower back. She moved her face closer to his until their noses touched. She nuzzled her nose against his affectionately causing their breaths to mingle, running a soft hand through his blond locks.
Klaus closed his eyes, relishing in Caroline's soothing caress.
Caroline ended up pressing her forehead to his. She closed her eyes as well and inhaled Klaus' scent as though resourcing herself.
If she hadn't shown it at first, she was really glad about this surprise trip. With her working sixteen hours a day, either on the upcoming Masquerade Ball or on her best friends' wedding, him spending much more time taking care of the family business now that Elijah was gone, and Kol and Rebekah's constant presence in the mansion, they hadn't had a lot of time to themselves lately. She had missed him.
She breathed deeply. "Have I told you recently how proud of you I am?" She asked.
Klaus shook his head. "Not really."
Caroline opened her eyes and pulled away slightly so she could stare into Klaus' blue irises as she spoke, "I am very proud of you." She told him sincerely.
She pulled on his locks, improving his hairdo, and then caressed his stubble. He was growing one, and it made him look even sexier. "You've come a long way."
"Only thanks to you." Klaus replied, knowing he owed her a lot and would never truly be able to repay her.
Caroline shook her head, refusing that. "No, that's not true. I gave you a push. I gave you a reason to want to be a better man." She paused. "But you found the will to change, and you did all the work." She declared seriously.
Klaus smiled and placed his hand behind Caroline's neck, bringing her lips to his. He kissed her lovingly, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"Thank you." He said quietly against her lips. He didn't specify why. He didn't have to. He was thanking for her so many things: for inspiring him to be a better person, for making him believe in himself, for accepting him for who he was, for not judging him because of his past, for supporting him, for looking at him the way she did sometimes…, and the list went on.
Caroline leaned in and closed the distance between them again. She wrapped her arms around him as her tongue licked his upper lip. He willingly granted her access and their lips engaged into a sensual caress.
Caroline pulled away, panting, and leaned her forehead against his. She took the time to recover her breath for a minute before saying, "Thank you."
Klaus half-smiled half-laughed. His right hand on the left side of her face, he tried to make her look at him. He planted a sweet kiss on her nose, and said, "Maybe thank you will be our always."
Caroline raised an eyebrow, and then burst out laughing. She had made Klaus watch The Fault in Our Stars a couple of weeks before, and she knew he was making a reference to that.
She shook her head, smiling, and leaned her forehead against his again. She ran her hand through the hair at the nape of his neck in a soothing motion, causing Klaus' hair to stand on end. No pun intended.
This man was so much more than others, she and himself thought. He was incredible. He had so much love to offer. And he was hers. And he made her swoon!
She was falling for him. Maybe she already had.
So I guess threats work pretty well, huh? See how your reviews worked too? When was the last time I updated so fast. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
You're about to get tons of Klaroline ( if you're good :) ). Any guesses as to where Klaus is taking Caroline? Please leave a review.
Also, the next chapter is half-written, so the more reviews I get, the faster I'll finish it.
BTW guys, I'm looking for a beta. I've said repeatedly that English is not my first language, and I think it's about time someone read over me. If any of you is interested, please PM me. Here or on Tumblr (nikscaroline).
BabyBrideToBe: I really try to update as fast as I can, and all your reviews really motivate me. Aww, thank you! Time will tell a lot of things indeed. Haha.
cuteasahybridpuppy: Thank you! I appreciate it that.
missHA1004: Thanks for the review!
96: Oh really? I can't? I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Thanks!
xStarXStruckx: Wow. Thank you so much! I get really self-conscious about how I portray everyone. I want to be as faithful to them as possible.
Guest: Thanks. You got your update.
easytoimagine: LMAO. You're threatening me too? lol. Well, that really depends on all you readers/reviewers. Thank you!
rebbecca1: Hey, my threat worked! Thank you. Yeah, they're making progress. They're making progress. I like to have vulnerable Klaus make an appearance overy blue moon.
G.H: Thank you so much OMG.
tippy093: Yay, I love cookies. I'll PM you my address. Thank you!
LizGarza: Wow, thank you very much. I appreciate your words and you taking the time to review. It means a lot.
Guest: Thank you! Ah, so you understand me when I say I have no time to write. You know it's true.
the-great-pretender-09: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks for reviewing.