When You Least Expect It:
The Strangest Places
Klaus Mikaelson, a young, charismatic politician, loses campaign for Senator of Louisiana to a charismatic, albeit intimidating former friend and begins to ready his concession speech. But a chance encounter in The Roosevelt meeting an equally enigmatic and beautiful blonde inspires him to give the greatest speech of his career.
(Written by: a-little-blonde-distraction)
"St. Bernard numbers!"
Klaus turned in the direction of the voice and saw one of his interns, Adrian, with a phone pressed to his ear and a finger held up in the air telling them to wait for the voting results. Klaus glanced at his best friend Stefan, also his campaign manager, and saw the young man attempting to appear calm and not too eager; however, the gleam in his eyes gave him away. Stefan had put everything he had into Klaus' election. It had been an uphill battle for weeks and Klaus knew the only person that hated losing more than himself was Stefan.
"Marcel: 420,191, Klaus..." the young intern relayed the information that was being given to him over the phone, and Klaus watched as the man's hopeful expression fell as he added, "301,311."
"Damn," Stefan muttered, going to the dry erase board where they had the state of Louisiana and all its counties outlined and labeled and forcefully filling in St. Bernard parish with red. There was far too much red on the board, which didn't bode well for Klaus at all, but he knew his partner in crime would not call it quits. It surprised Klaus when he heard Stefan quietly add, "I really thought we'd get St. Bernard."
He looked away, staring off into space and soon felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He didn't bother to look at Stefan, knowing his friend felt guilty about admitting his surprise at their newly announced loss in one of Klaus's more popular counties; at least, what they'd thought was one of Klaus's more popular counties. Before Stefan could feed him the supportive and optimistic line Klaus knew was on his lips, another intern named Kimberly approached them tentatively.
"New Orleans is in too," the curly haired brunette quietly said, handing Stefan a small folded piece of paper with the totals. From her demeanor and tone, Klaus knew the numbers weren't good either. Sure enough, Stefan glanced at the numbers and looked back up at Klaus with an uneasy and apologetic expression.
"Huh," Klaus murmured, "I didn't even get New Orleans." The one parish and city in the whole state that Klaus actually identified with, the place he actually liked to call 'home,' hadn't even elected him.
"CBS and NBC are calling it soon," Kimberly added sadly, then turned to go back to her phone after giving both men an apologetic and respectful nod. They stood where they were for a moment in silence, but when Klaus heard Stefan take a deep breath and sigh, he knew he wasn't ready to hear Stefan talk through the next steps.
"I'm going to go work on my concession speech," he added, turning to leave.
"Klaus..." Stefan started to say, but Klaus turned back and cut him off.
"I'm sorry for wasting your time, Stefan," he said sadly, hoping that his friend knew he was sincerely sorry and when he saw Stefan's expression change, he knew he had and he turned and continued walking to exit the large conference room. As he walked towards the doors, he passed numerous TVs that the interns and campaign workers had turned on to various news channels, but all were reporting the same thing.
"Upon collecting and analyzing the data received from the Louisiana polls, this network is calling the election for Marcel Delanuit. After suffering substantial and surprising losses in St. Bernard parish and his home county of Orleans, it appears that Klaus Mikaelson will not be reclaiming his seat as Senator for the state of Louisiana after serving in the House of Representatives for nearly six years..."
Klaus felt like his limbs had filled with lead and took everything inside him not to trudge out of the expansive conference room with all the eyes turned to him. Normally, all eyes being on him, looking to him for what to do or what he was going to say was what he wanted, what he craved, what he needed; now it made him sick to his stomach. He'd failed, miserably, and although it was his greatest fear, all he wanted right that moment was to be utterly alone.
Once he'd left the conference room, he kept walking, glancing around The Roosevelt Hotel's opulent and resplendent hallway before spotting the sign for the men's bathroom. He made a beeline for the door, glad that Stefan had reserved the entire second floor and not just the conference room, giving him a clear and unobstructed path with not a soul in sight, then quickly pushed open the door and dashed inside.
"Hello?" he called out, hoping that the bathroom was empty, and to his relief, no one replied. He took a deep breath and crossed over to the sink, placing a hand on either side on the counter, and closed his eyes and continued to breath deeply.
Once he felt the tension start to leave his neck and shoulders, he turned one of the handles and splashed some cold water on his face. He patted his face dry with a napkin and tossed it in the wastebasket before reaching into his inside jacket pocket and retrieving his notecards. He glanced at the blue ones before tossing them in the wastebasket along with his discarded napkin. He wouldn't be needing those; the cards for his victory speech. He instead turned his attention to the red ones, red like the counties on the map back in the conference room, and sighed.
He delivered his speech a few times, muttering through it the first time, then delivered it a few more times just for kicks, pacing around. He knew when it was time to give his speech, Stefan would come to get him or send someone for him.
Klaus was just about to finish his speech for the hundredth time when he suddenly heard something clatter to the floor. He turned in the direction the noise had been coming from, around the end of the row of bathroom stalls near the far wall, and his brow furrowed. He thought he'd been alone, and the thought that someone had been in there the entire time with him started to make him embarrassed and uneasy.
"Hello?" he called, hoping that someone would reply or come out, so he knew he wasn't crazy and hadn't imagined the noise. He thought he heard what faintly sounded like someone cursing under their breath, and after a moment, the second to last stall door opened. Klaus had expected and hoped for someone to come out and make themselves known.
What he hadn't expected was a woman to come out of the stall; and not just any woman, but one of the most awe-inspiring and breathtakingly gorgeous women he'd ever laid eyes on.
The young woman, who couldn't have been more than 24 or 25 years old, exited the stall, pausing a moment in the open door to look at him. Her sparkling blue eyes met his and gazed at him unabashedly and directly before she turned and crossed to the counter of sinks calmly and casually, as if her presence there was not unusual or inappropriate in any way.
Klaus turned back to look at the stall where she had emerged from, half expecting to see some man following her, adjusting his clothes or something, but no one else followed and he turned back to her. She kept her attention focused straight ahead of her and he saw that she had placed a few things on the countertop in front of them: an unopened bottle of Krug Brut champagne, a gold clutch and a pair of black strappy Manolo Blahniks.
He only knew they were Manolos because they were Stefan's fiance's brand of choice; but the fact that they were in her hands made him stop to look at her feet and he realized she was carrying her footwear from how her deep blue evening dress pooled a bit at her feet.
His gaze slowly slid up her form, taking in her formal, evening attire. She was wearing long, chiffon evening gown in a deep, sapphire blue that matched her sparkling eyes that gathered into an empire waist and then to her left shoulder. The pale, smooth skin of her neck and chest was unadorned, but she wore a gold lace filigree cuff on her wrist that matched the gold lace filigree earrings on her ears. Although they were large earrings, they were neither gaudy nor obnoxious with her golden hair down, beautifully styled and pinned, mostly straight but curling inward to frame her face. He gazed at her a moment, taking her all in and came to the simple conclusion that she was absolutely stunning...and absolutely out of place, considering where they were standing.
Once he found his voice again, he gazed at her, half confused and half curious, and spoke.
"This is the mens."
"Yeah," she said casually, although he saw a smile playing on her lips. She washed and dried her hands silently before she quickly turned back to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said, her expression genuine, "It's just..." She gazed at him for a moment, then began to babble.
"I heard you come in and say 'Hello,' and I probably should've said, 'Hi," but then...I thought that'd be weird, you know? Since it's...the men's bathroom and all, and I didn't know what to do. Then you started talking to yourself, and you sounded so focused, I didn't want to interrupt since it sounded pretty important. But then clumsy me dropped my shoe and you heard, but by that time I was ready for it to be over anyway, so...here I am." She sighed, glancing back down at her things on the countertop, then looked back up at him sheepishly, a slight blush on her cheeks.
He watched her deliver her speech animatedly and was overwhelmed by how utterly honest she was, although her story still didn't explain why she was there at all.
"Right," he said, "but, what are you doing in here?" She chuckled and sighed lightly, both beautiful and heavenly sounds to his ears, and she gazed up at the ceiling as if she were debating whether to fess up or not. She brought her gaze back to his and took a deep breath.
"I'm hiding from security." Her frank candor made Klaus snort. What could a young woman in a full length evening gown have done to have security after her?
"What did you do, love? Steal someone's prom dress?" He sniggered and she gave him a smiling but exasperated expression as if to say, 'Ha ha, very funny.'
"I crashed a wedding upstairs," she said, sounding both matter-of-fact and proud of herself and he laughed again.
"Do people really still do that?"
"Apparently so," she shrugged with a knowing smirk. "I mean, it's my ex-best friend's wedding."
"Ex-best friend?"
"Yeah, she and I had this huge fight when she got together with her boyfriend, well, husband now, and..."
"Why?"
"Because he's such an asshole," she said exasperatedly, as if the man in question was a pebble in her shoe, and Klaus chuckled at her tone and expression. "He's sneaky and manipulative and rude. He's completely wrong for her, but she just doesn't see that because her feelings are clouding her judgement and I really don't like it. Just the thought of the two of them together just makes me want to barf!"
"Easy, love," he said, stepping towards her, hoping his voice would calm her. She'd begun to rant a bit, and he watched her take a deep breath and immediately calm.
"It's just, as her best friend, it's up to me to tell her when she's making a huge mistake, right?" He nodded obligingly and she continued, "So when the priest asked if there was any reason why they should not be wed...I didn't exactly hold my peace."
"Really?"
"And...I had been taken off the guest list, so to say my objection came out of the blue is an understatement," she said and laughed along with Klaus.
"Wow, I've never been to a wedding where someone actually spoke up and objected."
"Me either, it was strangely exhilarating," she said and they chuckled. "So they had security escort me out, and I would've left, but I felt like getting a little dig in at them, so I snuck back in during the reception and stole one of their expensive bottles," she added proudly, lightly tapping the bottle of champagne between them.
"Nicely done."
"Thank you," she said and the two chuckled. "I would've been home free, but one of the waiters spotted me." Klaus smirked, tucking his note cards back in his jacket pocket, then leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
"I crashed a wedding once."
"Yeah?"
"In high school," he added, giving her a knowing look and she snorted, catching his subtle teasing at the immaturity of crashing a wedding, and they laughed. "But I got caught," he said, "I spent the night in jail."
"That happened more than once, from what I've heard," the blonde said, her gaze discerning. He was ready to dispel whatever her notions were of him, but instead of seeing reservation or judgement, he saw amusement and intrigue in her eyes. "You're that guy running for Senate, aren't you?" He nodded, unable to use his words again, watching her study him. "And judging by your speech, you're not winning are you?" He shook his head and she sighed. "That's such a shame. That other guy is such a sleazeball," she said with a roll of her eyes and he erupted into resounding laughter.
"He is a total sleazeball," he echoed her summary of his opponent, his own ex-best friend, and chuckled, "I should've made that clearer in my campaign."
"Yeah, well, I personally don't think that mooning your friends at a Halloween party is that big of a deal," she said, smiling impishly. "Especially when you're dressed as a wolf."
Klaus groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. She was referring to the video that had been leaked to the media, showing how he'd gotten hammered and mooned some of his friends at a Halloween party during his last year of law school. When they'd asked him if he was ready to shift if there was a full moon outside, he replied, 'You want a full moon? I'll show you a full moon,' and made good on his promise.
"The news circuits didn't have to keep playing it over and over," he said sadly.
"Especially not when it's got over a million hits on YouTube," she added.
"3.4 million the last time my team checked," he smirked.
"That's all?" she said, and when they chuckled, she added, "At the risk of boosting your ego, I will say the video's worth more hits than that." He chuckled and blushed, casting his eyes down. "I'm serious, my friend Bonnie kept telling me that out of any politician running for office, she wouldn't mind seeing you talk out of your ass."
"Oh God," he moaned, covering his eyes with one hand, but smiling and they laughed uproariously. After a while, she sighed and his gaze fell back on her.
"Seriously though, it was my favorite part of your whole campaign."
"Really?" he said incredulously. Based on what her friend said and her expression, he didn't know if he should be embarrassed or flattered. "Well I'm sure my campaign manager, Stefan, would've loved your help in spinning the story."
"Yeah, and then I could help cross-analyze each and every word that comes out of your mouth with polls and statistics," she said, and it was the first time that he'd detected any judgement from her and he smirked.
"So you like politicians then?"
"I like when they do things that I can relate to," she clarified, sliding her things back on the counter and hoisting herself up to sit on the edge.
"Like pull their pants down?" he replied quickly.
"I love that," she said firmly, raising an eyebrow and challenging him to grill her more. He smiled and they laughed at her declaration. "That," she added, "and a man that can tie his own ties." She reached over and gently touched his striped blue tie with smaller red and white stripes. He felt his heart racing not just at her proximity, but the gentle feeling of her fingertips at his neck.
"Glad I didn't wear my clip on, then," he joked after taking a steadying breath and she chuckled lightly under her breath.
"Me too, you're not seven after all."
They both chuckled and when he heard her sigh, he studied her face and saw sadness and disappointment ghost across it and soon she spoke again. "Do you still have a chance?" He gazed at her until her eyes met his again, and she gazed at him silently for a while before adding, "Is it over?"
"He crushed me."
"I'm sorry," she sighed and in that moment, Klaus really felt like someone was truly empathizing with his loss. She was studying his face as he was hers, but something just clicked between them. The air was electric, and he felt like he was talking to an old friend; not a random stranger in the men's bathroom in a hotel.
"Well, I'm sure you could use a drink," she said suddenly as she began to unwrap the foil around top of the champagne bottle and unscrew the wire covering the cork, "and after the night we've had, I can't think of a better person to share this with." He theatrically placed a hand over his heart and she giggled.
"This is such an honor, and I want you to know that I don't take this thoughtful gesture lightly," he said sincerely, although his gestures were more ironic.
"You shouldn't," she replied, "this champagne is going to taste even better since it was stolen; everyone knows stolen food and beverages taste better."
"Very true," he smiled as she twisted the cork out masterfully. She held out the bottle to him, but he held up his hand, and insisted, "No no, ladies first." She smiled then looked off past him for a moment before looking back at him and raising the bottle up.
"To losing friends and losing elections," she said brightly and he laughed as she took a swig of the bubbly before handing him the bottle. He took a large swig and was surprised at how cold it was.
"It's chilled?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed. "What, do you think I'm some heathen that drinks warm champagne just because I crash weddings and hide in the men's room?" He laughed and held up his hands defensively as she giggled, taking another sip before putting the bottle back down on the counter.
"Sorry," he chuckled, "I've just never toasted losing something before..."
"There's nothing wrong with losing," the blonde said honestly.
"No, I know losing has it's advantages," he said quickly, but she peered at him suspiciously like she thought he was agreeing with her just for the sake of agreeing. He chuckled and thought for a moment. "As a politician, you're rarely ever alone, unless you're asleep or in the bathroom-usually," he added, giving her a pointed look and she giggled, "I mean, that gets old rather fast. It'll be nice not having people chattering at me constantly and tugging me every which way." The nameless blonde watched him as he spoke and as he took another sip of champagne, she smiled.
"No," she murmured softly, "I don't buy it. I think you love it."
The bottle of champagne lowered from Klaus's lips as her observation sank in and her expression challenged him to tell her she was wrong. She completely floored him, not just with her frank honesty, but with her intuitiveness. Not only was she right, but Klaus also realized in that moment that he was completely at ease and relaxed; moreover, he was extremely glad that he hadn't been alone in the bathroom before having to concede and admit defeat in front of the entire nation. And she'd hit the nail on the head; this beautiful, intelligent, strong, mysterious woman, whose aura emanated this amazing and inconceivable light, had him to a T.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked, trying to hide his shock and dismay, but she just laughed quietly and gazed at him the same way. She was waiting for him to tell her she was wrong, and he sighed, knowing he just couldn't do it.
"I guess you're right," he admitted. "I'll have to try to be more convincing when I tell that to other people."
"Well," she said carefully getting down from the countertop, a small triumphant on her face, "don't worry; you don't have to be convincing until the next election." He watched her gather her things and suddenly realized she was planning on leaving. And he didn't want her to leave; not just yet.
"Hey," he said softly, taking hold of her arm gently to halt her movements. She stopped and looked down at his hand on her arm and his own gazed flitted back and forth between her face and his hand on her arm.
It was the first time they'd actually had real physical contact and Klaus's hand practically trembled at the tingling sensation that he was sure she felt too. She finally brought her gaze back up to his, and when he did, he finally breathed, "Thank you for your honesty and...for helping me."
Their eyes searched each other's for what seemed like an eternity, and then suddenly they both moved towards each other and kissed the other. Every coherent thought in Klaus's mind was completely gone as he felt her soft pink lips against his and her tiny but strong arms wrap around his shoulders. His hands went to her back, pulling her closer to him, and she quickly granted him access into her mouth and their kiss became deeper and passionate.
He didn't know where he ended or where she began, they melded together so naturally and effortlessly. It was only when he felt her one hand gently caress his cheek did he break away for barely a moment, and he found that she was just as breathless as he was and he murmured, "Holy shit."
She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, her pink lips a shade darker than they were before, and she quickly lifted up on her toes to close the distance between them again. He didn't know how long he stood there kissing her; it felt like an eternity.
"Hey, Klaus, we're ready down in the-oh!"
The amorous pair broke apart and Klaus turned to see Stefan entering the bathroom. The man stopped where he was when he saw the pair embracing and tried to hide the impish smile on his face.
Klaus looked back at the girl to see her blushing and covering her mouth with her free hand. He worried for a moment that she'd regret their kiss, but his worries disappeared as soon as he realized she was covering her mouth to hide a smile. He smiled down at her, and opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke first.
"I've...got to go," she said quickly, gathering her things again and scooping up her skirt with one hand to dash barefoot past Stefan out of the bathroom. Klaus watched her leave, but like a magnet, felt himself being pulled to her and soon he was following her out.
"You rat bastard," Stefan chortled.
"Hang on, mate," Klaus said, patting Stefan's shoulder as he dashed past him. Stefan turned to follow him.
"You ready to give your speech?"
Klaus rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's question. Of course all he cares about is if he's prepared or not; but that wasn't important. What was important was that he caught up to the mysterious and amazing blonde woman before she was gone for good.
"Hey!" Klaus called, running after the girl once he spotted her, nearly to the staircase leading downstairs to the lobby and ballroom. She turned back to him in surprise and the beautiful smile that completely mesmerized him spread across her lovely face. "Do I at least get your name?" he asked as he caught up to her and she smiled and opened her mouth to respond.
"Miss Forbes?" Klaus and the girl turned and saw two men who were undoubtedly security from their authoritative voices and body language; not to mention the radio earpieces and tuxedos they wore. She turned back to Klaus with a mischievous grin.
"Caroline," she said simply then leaned up and gave him a short, sweet but forceful peck on the lips. She pulled away and turned to leave but did a double take when she looked at him, and suddenly she reached out and took hold of his tie and pulled it a bit. Once she was satisfied that it was sufficiently loosened, she gestured with her hand at the tie and proclaimed, "There! That's better..." triumphantly before turning and dashing down the staircase. She laughed as she jumped down two at a time, easily evading the two security men that pursued her.
"What the hell was that?!" Stefan said, crossing to stand beside Klaus and watch security chase the beautiful girl out.
"I have no idea," Klaus replied honestly.
Caroline. Caroline Forbes. A unique, yet classically beautiful name for an equally unique and classically beautiful woman. Her light and wisdom was more refreshing than a cool summer breeze on a hot day, and her beauty nearly blinded him and made him question whether he'd understood the true meaning of the word until this very night.
"So you ready?"
Klaus turned back to look at his friend incredulously, but Stefan only gazed back at him with a knowing look. Klaus sighed and nodded his head and followed his sharply dressed friend down to the conference room to get ready for the speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Congressman Klaus Mikaelson!" The announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeakers and Klaus stepped out onto the stage and into the blinding spotlights. He smiled and waved to the crowd that was cheering and applauding for him. There was no feeling in the world like this one; standing behind the podium in the middle of the stage and having a room filled with people clamoring because of your sheer presence in it. It did more than make him happy, or even get him a little high off of the power it garnered him; it made him feel complete. He was truly at home being in front of a crowd.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" he said, thanking them for their gracious and energetic greeting.
"As you all are aware, I was born in the U.K. but when I was around 7 years old, my family defected and sought asylum here in the French Quarter after landing in Virginia. And I grew up not too far away from this very room over on Peters Street over by Woldenberg Park..."
The crowd interrupted him to applaud and cheer him, referring to his childhood home and growing up in New Orleans despite being born in another country.
"I love you, Klaus!" Some female voice in the back of the audience screamed when the crowd's applause died down. It was soon matched by a different female voice that called, "I love you more!"
"And I love you both," Klaus said with a devilish smirk and the crowd chuckled and applauded. Despite coming from an immigrant family, Klaus was always hailed for his charisma and magnetic personality that seemed to draw people in. His only major flaws were his quick rashness and anger, but he'd done what he could to manage those over the years.
"But the motto in my neighborhood was a simple one: it's not about the fight, it's about getting back up when you get knocked down. You're not a loser if you get back up. We may have been knocked down tonight my friends, but I am here to tell you that I'm not done fighting and I am getting back up!"
The crowd went crazy and began screaming, cheering and applauding all over again and Klaus smiled as he gazed out at the sea of faces. They were holding signs, wearing pins and hats, all bearing his name and campaign logo. They had volunteered for his campaign gone out to the polls to vote for him and all for one reason: they believed in him and trusted him.
It was then as he stared out into the sea of faces that he remembered one face that hadn't been afraid to show him that she felt sad and disappointed not in him, but for him. Although the faces smiled back at him, he could see the sadness lingering in some of their eyes. But he couldn't be mad at them for silently lying to him when he was lying to them. She hadn't lied to him, and he suddenly found that he couldn't lie anymore.
"That's bullshit," he murmured quietly and the crowd stirred, wondering about his sudden change in attitude, but he raised his head back up and gazed out into the crowd. He took a deep breath as he pushed his notecards to the side.
"They never said that in my neighborhood. It's just one of those...inspirational phrases that had traction with the focus groups, so we stuck with it and kept using it, but it's bullshit."
The crowd continued to murmur and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stefan on the side stage boring his gaze into him, although campaign personnel and interns were hounding him; no doubt asking him what the hell Klaus was doing. Klaus did feel a little bad for taking Stefan by surprise, but he'd opened the floodgates and there was no stopping it now.
"You know, back in 1999, GQ Magazine did a cover story on me, the title was, 'Youngest Congressman Ever,' and since then, every story has tried to make sense of how I got to be here and how I got here as fast as I did. A word that they all kept using to describe me was, 'authentic,'" he started and when the crowd began to applaud him, he kept talking.
"See, but here's the thing..." he gazed down at his tie, and remembered Caroline tenderly caressing it and then yanking at it before she ran off. He smirked and looked back up at the crowd and shook it gently as he admitted, "This isn't even my tie!" There were a few murmurs and confused chuckles in the audience, so he decided to elaborate.
"This tie was especially selected for me by a group of specialists in Baton Rouge that chose it over 50 other ties that we tested. We tested 50 different ties, and we learned a few things from the data: it's best if I stick to a red tie or a blue tie, but obviously I can make exceptions for special events, like when I have to make a concession speech and admit my epic failure," he said, referencing his blue tie with red and white stripes that he was wearing and the crowd chuckled.
"A yellow tie meant that I wasn't taking my situation seriously and I could at any moment pull my pants down again." The crowd laughed and there were more than a handful of catcalls and whistles. "Which I'm told some people wouldn't mind, and obviously there are people here that wouldn't." Klaus chuckled along with the crowd as the catcalls got louder.
"A silver tie meant that I had forgotten my roots...my shoes, you know the thing about my shoes? We associate shiny shoes with high priced lawyers and bankers. If you want to get a working man's vote, you've got to scuff up your shoes, however you can't scuff them up so much that you alienate the lawyers and bankers because they're the ones paying for the data specialists in Baton Rouge!"
The crowd laughed at his honest confession of his use of political tactics, which both worked with and against common sense.
"'So what is the proper amount of scuffing?' you ask? You know we paid a consultant nearly $5,300 dollars-" he paused and turned back to look at Stefan backstage and asked him, "Was it $53 hundred, Stef?" He smirked when he saw his friend smile wryly at him and point at him while mouthing, 'You're an asshole,' before turning back to the crowd and continuing, "We paid a consultant $53 hundred dollars for a consultant to tell us," he reached down and untied one of his black dress shoes and held it up at eye level to show the crowd, "that this is the most appropriate and ideal amount of scuffing."
The crowd murmured and chuckled and slowly began applauding as the cameras went crazy, the sound of clicking and the flashing of bulbs filling the air.
"Great speech, Congressman. You've got my vote in the next election!"
"Thank you, I appreciate that..." Klaus smiled as he shook the middle aged man's hand. He wore no campaign insignia and Klaus knew statistically he was more popular with the 18-30 age demographic, so it meant a lot to him that this baby boomer was seeking him out.
Klaus shook a few more hands and posed and took a few pictures before he was finally able to make his way out of the ballroom and down to the back service entrance where his team had a car waiting.
"That was some speech," Stefan said, keeping up with Klaus as they made their way to the car.
"Thanks, mate," Klaus said, half paying attention as he finally was able to take out his phone and open a web browser.
"Yeah, it was some speech...not my speech, but it was a speech," Stefan said, and Klaus smirked at the passive aggressive tone he heard.
"You're just jealous because you didn't write it and it's the best speech I've ever given."
"Was it a decent speech? I'll give you decent, even with it's foul language and conversational tone...but 'the best speech'? Well..."
"'Electrifying,'" Klaus said, his eyes scanning the various major news sources that were reporting on his concession speech on his phone, " 'Down to earth and relatable,' 'Humble but strong,' 'Mikaelson is the obvious choice and frontrunner for the next senatorial election...'"
"Yeah yeah, well a speech like this is like lightening, don't expect it to strike twice," Stefan muttered as they approached the black town car.
"Coming from the man who wrote a speech with 'aspire,' 'inspire' and 'perspire' all in the same sentence," Klaus said. "Obviously we've found a shortage of words ending in '-spire,' haven't we, Mr. Salvatore?" He didn't bother looking at Stefan, knowing he must be wearing a sour expression at the mention of one of his lesser speeches and reopened the Google search he had started before his campaign manager threw a hissy fit.
Caroline Forbes New Orleans
The Google search first brought him to Tulane University's page for their Department of Theatre and Dance, which announced their 'new visiting Dance faculty, Caroline Forbes, former member of Complexions Contemporary Ballet; brought to New Orleans from L.A. by the newly formed Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre.'
"Hello?! Earth to Mr. Congressman?!"
"What?" Klaus looked up from his phone and saw Stefan's amused, yet exasperated face.
"Are you going to get in the damn car or not?!"
"What, are we strapping you to to the top of the car?"
"No, I have to finish closing up shop here, and you need to get your beauty sleep for your interviews tomorrow morning."
"Speak for yourself," Klaus sniggered, getting into the car, "we both know how your hair deflates if you don't get your beauty sleep." Stefan laughed mockingly.
"Yeah, screw you, jackass. I'll let you finish Google stalking the fugitive from the men's room," he said as he closed the door behind Klaus, not giving his friend the opportunity to get a word in edgewise.
Klaus snorted but turned back to his phone as the car slowly peeled away from the Roosevelt. His eyes skimmed the different links that gave him more information on the enigmatic blonde that had inspired 'the greatest speech of his career,' according to political commentators at NBC.
He learned that she was a 'graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, triple majoring in dance, theatre and journalism, and earned her M.F.A. in Dance at Sarah Lawrence College' and 'winner of the seventh season of So You Think You Can Dance.' She was wildly successful for someone so young, but she was obviously someone who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to go and get it.
He watched YouTube video after YouTube video that had her name attached to it and was mesmerized. Not only was she wise beyond her years and absolutely stunning, she was a magnificent dancer that put every thought and emotion in her into her dance.
In interviews for the dance competition show, she described how her father had been killed when she was 17 years old and dance became her outlet for dealing with her grief. The artistic director of Complexions actually assisted her in choreographing a piece dedicated to her father's memory two years ago, and it was given much acclaim and praise by the artistic community.
He then learned that she was going to be appearing in Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre's upcoming piece, "Down the Rabbit Hole," based on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. It was opening in less than a week, and Caroline was going to be frequently featured in the piece. He wondered if that was a roundabout way of saying she was portraying Alice, but he decided even if she was a tree, he only had one thing on his calendar for this weekend.
He tapped on the phone number listed for the dance company and pressed the phone to his ear and listened to the dial tone.
"Good evening, Chard Gonzales Dance Theatre, this is April speaking, how may I help you?"
"Hello, April," Klaus started, "I'm calling to see if you have any more tickets left for your performance this weekend, the Alice in Wonderland show."
"Yes we do, sir. However, we are very nearly full, and the seats would be towards the back of our balcony, and I'll be honest, our theater is rather small."
"Thank you for the information, April. Would you mind terribly putting your manager on the line though, love?"
"Um, yes, just hold on one moment please."
Klaus heard the low beeping of a dial tone and waited for the call to transfer.
"Hello, this is Jenna Sommers, how may I help you?"
"Hello Ms. Sommers, I just spoke with your very helpful employee April, and she informed me that you're 'very nearly full' for your show that is opening this weekend."
"Yes sir, I'm very sorry, but this is the company's big debut of our new artist, Caroline Forbes, so the tickets have been selling like hotcakes."
"I'm not surprised," Klaus murmured, "then I suppose the balcony seats will have to do."
"Alright, I can process your transaction then, sir. How many tickets would you like?"
"Just one."
"Alright, and your last name, sir?"
"Mikaelson, M-I-K-A-"
"As in Congressman Mikaelson...sir?"
"You've heard of me?" Klaus asked, smirking knowingly. "Fantastic."
"Have I heard of you? I...you...hold on one moment sir, let me see if I have some reserves in the orchestra."
"Thank you, love. Much obliged." Less than twenty seconds later, Jenna was back on the phone.
"Congressman Mikaelson?"
"You rang, love?" He smirked when he heard her giggle girlishly on the other end.
"Yes, well, I... So I opened up some of the reserve seats in Row C, so you're just off center in C 311, is that alright? If you'd like to be closer to the aisle, I can put you in 320 if you'd like!"
"C 311 sounds lovely, thank you, Ms. Sommers."
"Oh please, call me Jenna, and if you ever need anything at all, please just have them put you through to me."
"I will," he smiled. He could practically hear her twirling her hair and batting her eyelashes. "Oh I actually have one more favor, love."
"Anything, Congressman. What can I do for you?"
"Please keep my attendance low key if you would, there's something that I'd like to do..."
"Crew fifteen minutes to places, cast twenty-five to places, thank you!" The stage manager's voice filled the backstage area and Caroline glanced up from the mirror of her dressing room to look at the time. She turned back to the mirror and finished up the finishing touches on her eyeliner and lipstick and there was suddenly a knock at the door.
"Miss Forbes, these are for you!" April said, holding up an arrangement of red roses and white flowers.
"Oh my gosh, they're gorgeous!" Caroline exclaimed, taking them from April and leaning in to smell them. "Thank you, April!"
"Break a leg tonight! I can't wait to see you perform!" The dark haired girl nodded respectfully and bowed out. Caroline gazed down at them before she realized that there was a small card attached to the vase that held the arrangement. She placed the flowers down on her makeup counter and carefully took the card off and opened the envelope.
The card had Two Dancers on the Stage by Edgar Degas on the front, and Caroline smiled since it was one of her favorite paintings. Typically The Ballet Class or The Star were more commonly used Degas paintings, but this one had always been a favorite of hers. She opened the card and her eyes scanned the message.
I've heard it said that "Great dancers are great because of their passion."
You've shown me that you're passionate about your friends and about life,
and I cannot wait to see that passion in your dancing. You're a revelation,
Caroline. I'm told it is bad luck to say "Good luck," so instead I will say,
"Break a leg," and pray that does not become a reality.
Caroline's brow furrowed as she flipped the card to look at the back and was even more perplexed, realizing that there was no name on the card.
"Hey, you almost ready?" Caroline glanced up and saw her new friend and fellow company member Bonnie standing in her doorway and tucking her top hat under her arm as she adjusted her fingerless lace gloves.
"Yeah, just give me one second," Caroline said, placing the card down and turning to take her apron down off of the hanger from the wall.
"Who sent you these? They're gorgeous!" Bonnie said, holding her top hat in one hand and touching the flowers gently.
"I know, right? I have no idea," Caroline said, tying the apron around her waist.
"Well whoever he is, he's got great taste in flowers. These are really thoughtful and unique."
"Yeah, they are nice...wait," Caroline pause, crossing back to her friend and the flowers, "what do you mean by 'unique'?"
"Well red roses are one thing, but the Stephanotis are a really nice touch."
"The Stefa-what-sis?"
"Stephanotis," Bonnie said, touching the white flowers. "They're tropical flowers, so they're typically hothouse flowers and a little pricey, but they're supposed to symbolize 'good luck,' so the combination of these and red roses is really considerate. Great thought and care went into this arrangement."
Caroline glanced down at the arrangement again, the nagging desire to know who the mysterious person was that sent her the flowers. But they had a show to do, and the mystery would just have to wait until later.
"That's...great, okay, let's go, I wanna go stretch and decompress backstage," Caroline said, ushering her friend, who was giving her a knowing smile, from her dressing room.
Even though she told herself to wait until later, the arrangement nagged at the back of her mind throughout the first act. That was, until she spotted the blonde hair and dimples in the third row just off center. She nearly dropped her teapot at the Unbirthday party as she completed her five turn pirouette before going into arabesque. Once she got over her initial shock, she suddenly found herself over performing to try and compensate for her stumbling...and to impress the dimples.
"What's up with you? Are you okay? Is it nerves?" Bonnie asked her during the intermission.
"No it's just...this guy I met the other day, I spotted him in the third row..."
"And so you're letting your feelings affect the way you dance?"
"I don't have feelings for him!" Caroline exclaimed defensively, but when Bonnie gave her a stern look, she sighed. "I mean...well, I don't know. But I had no idea he was going to be here."
"Yeah well, when your head is in the game, you're one of the best dancers in the country," Bonnie said sensibly. "So calm down, get focused, and just lose yourself in the dance, girl." She smiled at the troubled look that still rested on the blonde's face and gently squeezed her hand. "If he's not in love with you after your performance, then he's a cultureless monster." Caroline chuckled and nodded, wrapping her arm around the girl's waist as Bonnie did hers and they walked slowly to the green room to get some water before the second act began.
Caroline thanked the rest of her company members that were stopping by her dressing room to congratulate her on her debut, giving them a small smile. She would've been in higher spirits if the handsome and dimpled politician had come to congratulate her after the show. She'd looked everywhere for him, weaving in and out of the crowds of patrons who were more than happy to congratulate her, but he was nowhere to be found. She hung up her costume carefully back on its hanger and a light knocking at her door made her spin around quickly. To her disappointment, it wasn't Klaus.
"Hey, so some of us are going for a bite and drinks, wanna come?" Bonnie asked and Caroline gave her a warm smile.
"No, I'm tired, I think I'm just going to go home and curl up in my pajamas."
"Oh come on, Care, it's your opening night! You've got to celebrate it somehow!"
"Fine, I'll splurge and order takeout!" Caroline said, closing the door and locking it behind her. When she turned and saw Bonnie's incredulous face she sighed, "Honestly, Bonnie, I'm really exhausted and I just wanna stay in."
Bonnie gazed at her for a moment and when they turned to walk back towards the stairs and exit, she asked quietly.
"He didn't turn up, did he?"
Caroline didn't bother to look up at Bonnie to shake her head, she knew that her friend was stealthily sneaking glances at her face.
"I mean, after the flowers and the card and surprising me and not telling me he was going to be here, I expected...I don't know, more from him, I guess. Oh shoot! I forgot my flowers!" Caroline exclaimed, stopping where she stood and turning and looking back.
She turned back to Bonnie and quickly added, "Just go on without me, I don't want to make the others wait if I'm not even going! I'll call you later!" She gave the girl a quick hug before turning and lightly jogging back to her dressing room.
She unlocked the door quickly and grabbed the flower arrangement and locked the door again. She suddenly felt ten times more exhausted than she was before, and decided to be lazy and take the elevator up instead. She made her way down the long hallway of dressing rooms and as she turned the corner into the green room, she froze where she stood.
"I know it's not the ladies room, but I figured I'm just as out of place here as you are in the men's," he said, baring his dimples as he smiled warmly at her. She smiled back at him and slowly made her way over to the comfortable couch that he was perched on with his feet propped up on the coffee table where a bottle of champagne with two plastic flutes sat.
"Is this our thing?" She asked, as she slowly sat down next to him. "Champagne in strange places?"
"I don't know," he said, smirking as he sat up and began unwrapping and uncorking the champagne. "It can be...if you want." The bottle opened with the pop of the cork and he carefully poured the pale liquid into each flute.
Caroline smiled as she took a flute from him and she gazed up at him and realized he was waiting for her to do something, then realized he must be expecting her to make the toast as she did in the Roosevelt men's room. She thought for a moment and then held her glass up.
"To celebrating successes and epic failures," she said and with a quirk of his eyebrow, he tapped his glass against hers and they both drank.
"'Epic failure,' hmm?" he said with a smirk. "Interesting choice of words."
"Yeah well," Caroline said, refilling their glasses, "after I was done being a fugitive on the run, I got home and...I saw your speech." He looked up at her and saw her gazing at him the same way she had when she had that night. She'd gazed at him that way, both challenging him to tell her the truth but reassuring him that he could be honest with her.
"I don't know what to say," he said, searching her eyes, "something must have gotten into me...or someone."
Caroline gazed at him, her eyes as warm as the smile that graced her lovely face, and she slowly leaned in, closing the distance between them and pressed her lips to his.
She didn't know what the future held for them; he was a politician and she was a dancer, they were complete opposites. Yet somehow, they were the same in a strange way. She had no idea how they would make it work, but she was more than happy to find out.
A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this! I was just watching The Adjustment Bureau the other day and was overwhelmed with Klaroline feels... :) R&R! xo