Hello everyone! Sorry I'm a bit late with this chapter. This week's been a little hectic and I rewrote things a few times but anyway, here it is. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited, I really really appreciate it! :) NikMik, thank you so much for letting me know that Caroline and Klaus were not listed as the main characters, I don't know how I hadn't noticed before. I think I fixed it now but let me know if it still doesn't show up for you. :)

No beta so please forgive any errors I missed.

Caroline Forbes was falling in love.

She had spent the last couple of days running around the city of New Orleans and she found herself completely enthralled by it all. The culture, the music, the people, everything about it made her feel alive and oddly enough, made her feel like she belonged. She was falling in love with this city that she would leave behind but it didn't stop her all the same.

The company she had wasn't so bad either. In fact, she wondered if she would love this city as much as she did without Klaus being there to show her all of these places, the tourist attractions and the hidden gems, and to keep her far better company than she had ever expected. It was amazing to her how easily talking to him came and she wondered if he felt the same or he was just naturally this talkative with everyone.

While her trip had been fun and enlightening thus far, she had yet to hang out alone with Stefan, the very person she had come for despite having been there a few days. Something was just always coming up and she felt like she had gotten to know Klaus a hell of a whole lot better since she arrived than him. It's not like she wasn't having fun with everyone else, but she was looking forward to just spending time with him and getting to talk, especially after she had learned about his intent to propose to Elena. It bothered her that she had to find out the way she did and it made her wonder what else she didn't know about him.

For months now she felt like he was starting to become a stranger to her and she hated that. He was her brother, the only family she had left, the only family he had left so shouldn't they be trying to come closer together instead of drifting further apart?

For these very reasons, she was really excited when he told her that they would be spending the evening just the two of them and they could go out anywhere she wanted or have a movie night the way they used to growing up. She had opted for pizza and movie night and ignored Klaus' teasing. Nothing could get her down about this night.

Or so she thought.

After running around the city with Klaus the whole day, they had made it back to the apartment before Stefan did. He called saying he was stopping to pick up the pizzas on the way home so in the meantime, she jumped in the shower and changed into some comfortable shorts and tank top and by the time she got out, Stefan was back. She saw he had changed into some jeans and blue sweater and he was pulling out some beers from the refrigerator.

"Smells good in here," Caroline smiled as she walked into the kitchen and caught a whiff of the delicious aroma hanging in the air.

"I wish I could take the credit," Stefan chuckled as he set the beers down on the counter and moved to the cabinets to pull out some plates.

She moved over to open one of the large pizza boxes and felt her mouth automatically water.

"So listen Care um I tried calling you earlier," Stefan started making her look up when she noticed that he had set three beers down and looked over at him to see him holding three plates.

"Is Klaus joining us?" she asked.

"No, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," he answered awkwardly. "I invited Elena to join us tonight."

"Oh," she replied in a somewhat tight voice after a brief pause.

"I know we had planned on it just being us but Elena had a really rough day today and I didn't think she should be alone," he quickly added, his gaze fixed on her.

She nodded her head silently, trying to swallow her disappointment and frustration that yet one more thing came up.

"Yeah, I get it," she answered in that same tight voice.

"Hey, come on don't be like that," he said with a small sigh.

It was the wrong thing to say and he knew it the moment he saw her raise her eyes to meet his, the frustration visible in them.

"I'm sorry Stefan, don't be like what exactly?" she asked in an eerily calm voice.

He sighed again and looked at her for a moment before replying.

"Come on don't make me the bad guy for wanting to be there for Elena."

She laughed humorlessly and shook her head.

"I'm not trying to make you into anything Stefan," she started. "Am I disappointed because I'm not going to get to hang out and just catch up with you again? Yeah. Ever since mom died, you and I have been growing further and further apart. We hadn't even seen each other in almost two years and I can count the number of times we've talked in the last six months on both hands so forgive me if I'm a little frustrated that even after coming all this way to visit my brother I have spent barely 20 minutes alone with you. And you know, I get it. You've moved on from Mystic Falls. You have your life here now, you have your job, you have responsibilities, your girlfriend that you're apparently planning on proposing to-"

"How did you know about that?" he asked in surprise.

"It doesn't matter," she said, angry tears starting to form in her eyes. "What matters is that I didn't learn about it from you. Up until I got here, I didn't even know how serious you two were. I thought she was just your coworker you went to get drinks with a few times because that's all you told me. I feel like I don't really know anything about you anymore, not since you left and I thought being out here would help change that but it hasn't because there is always something. This is what it's going to be like now isn't it? There's always going to be something else that takes priority."

He looked away, looking almost ashamed for a moment before he ran his hand over his face in frustration.

Before he got the chance to say anything else, his phone started ringing and from where it was sitting on the counter she could see Elena's name pop up on the screen. He looked at her and hesitated for a moment before answering. She sighed softly before walking out of the kitchen and as she walked away, she heard him say something about not needing to bring any drinks over because they had it covered.

She felt like she desperately needed some space and perhaps some air and walked out of the apartment, not sure where she would go but just knowing she had to get out of there for a little bit. Once she had ridden the elevator down to the first floor, she realized she had walked out with nothing, not even her phone.

Great.

Not exactly wanting to go back up and being very limited with where she could go, she decided to explore a little bit of the luxurious apartment complex. She knew they had a gym from when Stefan had mentioned it in passing when she first arrived, but she wondered what else they had.

The luxurious complex was certainly nice and their gym could definitely put their gym in Mystic Falls to shame and it wasn't long after walking through the gym before she found their large state of the art swimming pool. She nearly stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the lone swimmer in there that was currently resting by one of the edges, giving her a perfect view of his broad shoulders and toned arms.

Was that a tattoo?

She was contemplating making her escape undetected when he snapped up his gaze and looked at her in surprise before his lips broke into his signature smirk.

"Caroline, I wasn't expecting to see you down here," Klaus said.

"I was just taking a little tour of your complex since that seems to be something my tour guide missed," she tried to tease, silently thankful that her eyes had at least dried.

There was no use in trying to make her escape now that he had spotted her and truthfully, she found she wouldn't mind his company right about now so she walked closer to where he was.

"My apologies," he responded with that smirk widening. "What happened to your movie night?"

He noticed her tense and appraised her curiously.

"Everything alright, love?"

She released a small sigh and kicked off her sandals before she sat on the edge of the pool beside him to dip her feet in the water that was nicely heated.

"I may have gotten just a little frustrated with Stefan and needed to get out and get some space," she responded meekly.

"Ah, a good old sibling spat," he said almost sarcastically, keeping his gaze on her. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," she answered with a small sigh, wading her feet in the water a little for a moment.

He was trying to think of what to say when she suddenly started speaking again.

"I'm not even mad that he invited Elena because I get it. She's having a bad day and nobody should be alone when they're having crappy days it's just…it almost feels like I literally have to fight to spend some time with him when that's the only reason I came out here in the first place. I feel like we're growing further apart and I'm trying so hard to keep us from becoming strangers and it's like he doesn't even care. I mean, he didn't even tell me he found somebody he loved so much he was thinking about proposing. We used to be so close before and now I guess part of me is wondering more and more if he really wants me here and I hate that feeling," she added quietly. "I came all this way to try and reconnect with him but I feel like I might as well be back in Mystic Falls. At least there I wouldn't be in anyone's way or messing with whatever you had planned before I was pawned off on you."

She released another small sigh and looked away from him, feeling embarrassed for sharing all of this with him.

"Sorry, maybe I'm just overreacting and should probably quit dumping all of this on you and bringing you into this," she added quickly with a slight frown.

"You don't have to apologize for expressing how you feel Caroline, not to me," he started. "I'm not exactly the most suited individual to dole out advice on familial relationships but I've been told it's better to just be upfront about what's bothering you."

"I'm pretty sure I just was," she said meekly.

"Then now it's up to him to decide what he's going to do with this information and then you respond accordingly," he said simply. "He's your brother but even family can let us down. Sometimes they're the worst offenders. You're doing what you can but why should you be the one to do all the fighting? You're worth fighting for too Caroline, you should know that."

She silently took in his words and was mulling them over, not knowing how to respond.

"And dispel the notion that you're messing anything up for me. I think you know me well enough to know I don't do things unless I want to. I enjoy you. I enjoy spending time with you and that's why I'm doing it."

She felt herself begin to blush a little at all of his words and almost wished they didn't have the effect they did on her. She honestly did not expect to end up down here on the poolside with him, having this kind of conversation but she would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel a little better.

"Thank you," she said softly with a small smile that widened a little when she thought of something. "You know, your reputation is all wrong."

He tilted his head and looked at her questioningly.

"I need to tell everyone back in Mystic Falls that Klaus Mikaelson isn't just this arrogant and cynical asshole, he's actually pretty nice," she said teasingly.

"Now now, love, let's not be hasty," he said teasingly. "I can assure you I'm not being nice. Just honest," he added with a hint of a smile that she returned.

She sat there for a brief moment when she noticed a mischievous smirk appear on his face, making her cock an eyebrow.

"In fact," he continued with that smirk widening. "I don't think the word nice has ever been used to describe me, and for very good reason."

Before she could question what the hell he was talking about, she felt his grip on her wrist and seconds later felt herself being plunged into the warm water, barely making out the sound of Klaus' laughter before she went all the way under.

"Seriously?" she bellowed as soon as she came up to the surface, gasping for air and turning to glare at him when she heard him continue to laugh. "What the hell?"

"What? You fell in, sweetheart," he said unabashedly, laughing some more when she turned to glare at him and the next second felt himself being splashed in the face with water.

"Jerk," she grumbled with a smile, despite her efforts to fight it back.

"You really shouldn't have done that," he said in a low voice and before she could move, she was being splashed mercilessly with water coming at her from what felt like every direction.

She squealed and immediately tried to retaliate and for the next couple of minutes all you could hear were the sounds of water being splashed and their loud laughter until he managed to get close enough to sneak an arm around her waist and tried to flip her over in the water. She reacted quickly however, and latched her arms around his neck and held on tightly, only releasing one arm to try and continue splashing water at his face.

After a few minutes they both seemed to give up and just gave in to their laughter and it was only until he quieted down that it dawned on Klaus that they were in a bit of a compromising position. The feel of her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her soft curves pressed flush against his body had another part of his body stirring and seemed to render him immobile, as he did nothing to move away but instead reached out and softly pushed back a loose strand of hair stuck to the side of her face and gently tucked it behind her ear, letting his fingers linger for a brief moment.

The feel of his fingers along the shell of her ear made her snap out of the small daze she was in and made her realize their close proximity and vividly aware of the thick tension suddenly surrounding them. She turned away quickly, releasing her hold on him and put a little distance between them part of her immediately protesting at the loss of contact and she thought she heard him sigh too.

"I should probably get back before Stefan starts to wonder where I went," she said somewhat flustered as she started moving back toward the edge of the pool. "And thanks by the way. He and Elena are totally going to be wondering what the hell happened to me when I walk in looking like a half-drowned rat."

He was not expecting her little comparison and laughed out loud, causing her to turn and half-heartedly glare at him.

"I strongly disagree with that sentiment. I think you look good wet," he said amusedly.

She desperately tried to not think of a very obvious innuendo and turned to roll her eyes at him instead, making him laugh some more before she lifted herself up on the edge of the pool and tried wringing the hem of her shorts and shirt, thankful that she was not wearing white.

He got out after her and she tried hard not to stare at his naked chest in all its glory and not to think about how those firm yet soft planes had felt against her and oh God. When had she reverted back to that hormonal teenage girl around him again?

She forced herself to focus only on wringing out her wet clothes and was taken off guard when she felt soft fabric on her arm and turned to see him holding out a dry towel for her.

"Consider this a peace offering?" he asked with a small smirk.

She rolled her eyes and took it from him with a small laugh.

"This still doesn't make us even," she said playfully, cocking an eyebrow when she saw him grow more amused.

"So tell me then, what can I do to acquit myself?" he asked with a dimpled grin.

"We'll see," she responded simply with a slight shrug as she wrapped the towel around her shoulders, feeling cold now that she was out of the warm water.

"I can hardly stand the suspense," he teased as he walked beside her.

"Are you always so annoying?" she retorted with a small grin.

"I'm afraid I don't have the slightest clue as to what you mean," he responded innocently, grinning when he heard her light laugh.

They kept up their playful banter as they made their way back upstairs and when they reached their floor, it hit her that he had managed to get her mind off of what had been bothering her when she had walked out of here so frustrated earlier.

Right before they reached the apartment, she tugged on his elbow to stop him.

"Thanks for you know, letting me vent down there. I really don't want to make things awkward for you-"

"You're not," he assured her a small grin. "What are friends for right?"

She felt her smile widen and internally cursed the way she felt her heart start accelerating because of the softness she saw in his eyes and the way he was smiling at her.

"Are you going to be alright in there?" he asked quietly.

She was a little bit surprised with his question but nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

The next morning she was surprised when Stefan said he was taking the morning off and going in to the office after lunch. He apologized for the previous night and promised he would make more of an effort to be there with her. Wanting to just move past it, she accepted his apology and the two spent the morning going around the French Quarter. It was a gloomy and cold day, but she wouldn't complain because they were finally getting to spend time together and catching up with all that was going on in the other's life and he finally told her about Elena when they sat down for lunch. She listened quietly almost the whole time, and she could tell that he really cared about this girl, obviously, since he was planning on proposing to her.

"So what's kept you from proposing to her?" she asked, absentmindedly tracing the rim of her water glass. "I mean, it sounds like you guys are really serious and it's obvious you really like her and you guys are practically living together already so what's stopping you?"

She had been surprised to learn that he spent most nights at her place now and had a drawer some closet space. He was only staying back at his apartment as much as he was because she was visiting him.

"Do you seriously have to ask?" he asked with a small smile.

"Because of me?" she asked in disbelief.

"You're my sister and one of my best friends Care," he said. "Your opinion's important to me."

She was taken aback and trying to think of what to say when they were interrupted by the arrival of none other than Rebekah Mikaelson. When she saw her, Caroline didn't know whether to groan or be impressed with how flawless she looked even in jeans and a simple top. The woman certainly knew how to accessorize and work that outfit like it belonged on the runway. Clearly Rebekah had not lost her good looks or inner fashionista.

"Stefan," Rebekah greeted him with a smile and quick peck on the cheek before turning to her. "Caroline," she greeted with a smirk that could rival her brother's. "I see that one pony town hasn't entirely robbed you of your sense of fashion. You look well."

"Thanks I guess," Caroline responded with a small eye roll.

"Well, let's get a move on. Priscilla is very busy this time of year and is doing this as a favor. Best not keep her waiting," she said looking at her.

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked in confusion, frowning at the thought of having to go anywhere with her.

"Rebekah got you an appointment at one of the most famous boutiques here in New Orleans so you could pick out a dress for tomorrow," Stefan answered with a smile.

"But if we don't get there soon, she won't be able to pick out anything at all," Rebekah said with an air of impatience making Stefan chuckle as he stood up and walked around to Caroline's side to pull her chair out for her.

"Seriously Stefan?" she asked in a quiet voice as Rebekah walked ahead of them. "You're having me go shopping with her?"

"I thought you would enjoy going dress shopping for your first Mardi Gras ball," he responded with a chuckle. "And it won't be just you two. I still have some time before you have I to go in to the office. As long as you pick out your dress quickly, we'll be out of there in no time and you won't have to spend a single minute alone with her."

She scoffed and turned to look at him incredulously.

"Pick out my dress quickly?" she repeated with an arched eyebrow. "You've clearly never been dress shopping with me have you?"

Even if she had been tempted to pick out any dress just to get away from Rebekah, she was rendered powerless when she walked into the boutique and saw the amazing selection she had to pick from and in the end, her love for dresses trumped her dislike or whatever she felt toward Rebekah, and she soon gave in to trying dress after gorgeous dress. In fact, she actually ended up being thankful to have her former nemesis there as she proved to be much more helpful in critiquing the dresses than Stefan who seemed to only be able to reply, "Looks nice."

By the time he had to leave, Caroline had still not picked out her dress but he told her to take her time. Klaus would be picking her and Rebekah up and he would see her later.

After he left, Caroline went back to picking out dresses and came across one that had her eyes widening and her jaw nearly dropping at how beautiful it was and she instantly knew she had found the one she wanted. It was a gorgeous floor-length strapless sweetheart bust shaped gown. The entire bust area was embroidered with silver sequins and the beaded waistline gave it a beautiful glimmer but her favorite part was the sequin embroidery at the torso that went down the skirt of the dress and gave almost an illusion of shooting stars against the midnight blue ballroom skirt.

"Well that could certainly work," Rebekah said from behind her. "Try it on then."

Not needing to be told twice, she excitedly took the dress in her size and went to the fitting room where she was thrilled to see it fit like it was made especially for her, something even Rebekah agreed with when she stepped out to show her. It all seemed perfect until Caroline took a look at the price tag and knew it had all been too good to be true. She could either buy the dress or pay rent the next two months.

So much for that.

She sighed to herself disappointedly, taking one long last look in the mirror and try to soak up the princess feeling she had at the moment, before she took the dress off and put it back in its place, giving Rebekah some ridiculous excuse as to why she wanted to keep on looking. From there on out she was sure to check all the price tags before she tried them on, realizing her selection was not as wide as she had originally thought. Needless to say, a lot of those dresses cost more than several months worth of rent.

Eventually she found a black and gold one that was also strapless and fit her nicely and was within her budget. It had to be altered just a little at the bust area so Priscilla said she would take care of it and have it delivered to her the next day. She was finishing up paying when they heard the door to the boutique open and saw Klaus walk in, looking as good as always in his black jeans and white Henley today with his trademark smirk on his face as he approached the two blondes. Before he got to say anything, Rebekah immediately dragged him off to ask his opinion on one of the gowns she had spotted earlier and Caroline waved at him with a small laugh that he returned.

Thankfully it wasn't too long before they were on their way back to the bar where he said he had to make a quick stop. Rebekah left them almost as soon as they walked in, making Klaus roll his eyes with a small chuckle.

"I hope shopping with my sister wasn't too unbearable," he said turning to face her.

"Surprisingly no," she said with a small laugh. "She was actually nicer than she's been to me like ever, and she was very helpful in helping me decide which dress to get."

"Did you just make a new friend Caroline?" he teased as he led her over to an empty booth.

"I think that's pushing it," she replied laughingly. "Sorry I know she's your sister but there's a lot of history between us."

He chuckled and nodded his head.

"Well at least you two made some progress today," he said with a smirk. "And speaking of, how did things go with Stefan?"

"Good, surprisingly good," she answered with a smile. "We decided to move past our little fight and today actually felt like old times…" she trailed off, thinking about the last thing he said before Rebekah had interrupted them.

He said he was holding off on proposing to Elena because of her but it was more than obvious to her that he really wanted to and now part of her was wondering if the only reason he invited her there was to get her seal of approval, the thought bothering her more than she was willing to admit.

"But?" Klaus probed, watching her closely.

"It's nothing," she lied lamely and the way he looked at her told her he didn't believe her. "So, what did you need to come here for again?"

He looked at her for a few moments without answering before the corners of his lips turned up slightly.

"Trying to get rid of me, love?" he asked. "And here I thought you enjoyed my company."

She pretended to grimace and looked away, pretending to feel awkward.

"Well, I didn't mean for you to find out this way but…," she said with feigned seriousness.

"Is that right?" he asked with raised eyebrows and an amused smirk he was unable to fight back.

He stared her down until she broke out into a laugh that had him joining in until he noticed Marcel watching them from across the bar with a small smile playing on his lips and suddenly, he felt uncomfortable.

"You are probably right though," he said somewhat stiffly as he made to stand. "I should go take care of that pesky paperwork so we can get out of here."

Stefan's boss had gotten them all reservations at this very popular restaurant in New Orleans and they had a table reserved that would allow them a perfect view of one of the Mardi Gras parades going on that night and Caroline was more than giddy at the thought.

"I'll tell Dean to get you whatever you need. This won't take long," he said with one last glance at her before he left her.

He noticed Marcel was gone from where he had seen him earlier but he was all but forgotten when he ran into Mindy who filled him in on the latest problem they ran into with one of their suppliers and mentioning that his mother had called multiple times and left several messages. Sighing in frustration, he sat down at his desk and spent the next hour dealing with this mess and growing increasingly frustrated with every passing minute.

By the time he hung up with his mother, he was feeling murderous as he left his office to search for Mindy. He gave her some instructions and was heading to the front to get Caroline so they could head out when he ran into Marcel.

"Already heading out? Must be nice to be the boss around here, or one of them at least," Marcel joked.

"It is," he responded sarcastically as he walked past him without bothering to even glance at him, his eyes starting to scan the area for Caroline.

"Heading out with Caroline again?" Marcel asked with a smirk.

"I am. Now is there a point to this conversation or is it simply meant to test my patience the way I'm presuming?" he asked stiffly, turning to face him.

"Somebody's got something stuck up their ass," Marcel said with a small laugh. "What's eating you? Did Caroline turn you down to be her date to the party tomorrow or something?"

Klaus rolled his eyes and turned away again.

"Maybe you should've told her that you were the one who got Rebekah to agree to get her that appointment at that shop and that you warned her to 'play nice'," Marcel continued.

Klaus was turning to respond when he finally caught sight of Caroline and felt his entire insides churn. He spotted her sitting upfront at the bar in one of the corners where he supposed she thought she wouldn't be bothering Dean, and she was talking to some model-looking guy and laughing at something he was saying.

Aware that Marcel was watching him closely, he forced himself to keep from reacting or marching over there and pulling that guy away from Caroline's personal space that he was oh so clearly invading. Fighting back a growl and the urge to kick the guy out his bar -they did reserve the right to refuse service to anyone right?- when he saw the guy brush his arm against hers, he clenched his jaw and forced himself to remain impassive.

"You should get the suppliers on the phone and see if you can come to an agreement," he said in a quiet voice that gave away nothing. "We need this all sorted out soon."

With that, he left before Marcel could get in another word and made his way over to Caroline and the guy he desperately wanted to punch. Caroline turned to and saw him just as he came up behind them and he noticed her grow a bit flustered.

"Hey," she greeted with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"You ready to go, love?" he asked, completely ignoring the other guy.

"Uh yeah," she responded, turning around to get off her stool. "Klaus this is Ethan, Ethan this is Klaus."

"Nice to meet you," Ethan said, flashing a perfect smile that Klaus wanted nothing more than to ruin. "Caroline tells me you're one of the owners. Pretty nice place you got here."

"Yes, well we try," he responded sardonically, barely sparing a glance in his direction before turning back to Caroline.

"It was nice meeting you," Caroline said with a smile.

"Trust me, the pleasure was all mine," Ethan responded with a flirtatious grin. "I would really like to see you again while you're in town so give me a call if you have the chance."

By this point, Klaus was silently seething and praying to every deity for self-restraint but before he could be tested any longer, Caroline smiled and walked away and he immediately followed behind her after shooting Ethan a look that immediately wiped that annoying smile off his face.

"Well it may not have been Rebekah but it seems you certainly made a new friend today," he tried to say nonchalantly as they drove back to his place.

She laughed a little and shook her head slightly.

"You have some friendly patrons."

"So does that mean you'll be giving him a call?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"I'm pretty sure he was only trying to get in my pants so I think I'll pass," she responded. "Besides, I'm only here for a few weeks anyway. No use trying to start anything when I'll be leaving right?"

He clenched his jaw and nodded his head silently.

"Right," he answered after a moment.

They rode in silence for the rest of the way and by the time they got back, she was wondering what was eating at him but before she could ask, he quickly excused himself and made his way to his room, leaving her behind slightly bewildered.

She went to get ready and decided she would ask him about his behavior if she got the chance later at the dinner, or she would simply corner him somewhere. Unfortunately for her, things didn't quite work according to her plan when she walked out of the room an hour later and Stefan told her that Klaus wouldn't be going with them after all, mentioning something about last minute things he had to take care of.

Caroline swallowed her disappointment, realizing how accustomed she had grown to having him around and feeling a little frightened by how much she wanted him around.

Later that night, Stefan and Elena were asleep in his room but Caroline found she couldn't get much sleep what with the storm that had started earlier that night still going on outside. She hated to admit it, but storms like this, with the howling wind and loud cracks of thunder and bright flashes of lightning had always scared her ever since she was a child and she normally had a hard time falling asleep on nights like this. Thankfully these types of storms were rare in Mystic Falls, though this was one seemed a little worst. When she was younger, she used to crawl into bed with her parents or Stefan but she didn't exactly have this as an option now unless she wanted to really weird Elena out.

Huffing in frustration after a while of trying tossing around the large bed, she got up and decided to watch a movie in their living room until she could fall asleep. After setting up the Netflix, she went to the kitchen to get a bowl of her favorite ice cream Stefan had remembered to buy.

Klaus walked in the front door just then, stopping in surprise when he saw the light from the television glowing in the living room and also seeing the light from the kitchen on. He curiously made his way to the kitchen just as Caroline was turning around from the freezer, and watching as she immediately took a step back and muttered an expletive in surprise.

"Shit," she said breathlessly when she saw him out of her peripheral. "We really have to get you a bell or something."

He chuckled at leaned against the kitchen entryway.

"I'm starting to think this is going to become our thing," he said with a smirk.

She scoffed and walked to get her bowl of ice cream.

"Who says we'll have a thing?" she retorted with a small smirk of her own as she walked past him toward the living room.

"Trouble sleeping again?" he asked as he followed her into the living room and sat on the armrest of the couch while he watched her make herself comfortable, noticing she had brought out a pillow and the extra fleece throw he had put in the guest room.

"Not tired I guess," she lied.

He studied her closely and didn't miss the way she flinched ever so slightly right when there was a particular bright flash of lightening and loud crack of thunder. He remembered how growing up, Rebekah had always been scared of storms and how he had to stay with her to help her not be afraid. He was sure that Caroline shared this same fear but decided not to mention it and instead walked into the kitchen and came back with a spoon in his hand, smirking at her confused expression until he sat down right next to her and dug in to her large ice cream bowl without saying a word.

She turned to him and studied him silently for a brief moment before turning her attention back to the movie. She knew what he was doing, keeping her company because she was afraid of the storm but neither one talked about it. They sat like this for a while, silently enjoy the other's company though neither would admit it out loud.

"Did you enjoy your first Mardi Gras parade?" he asked after a while.

She smiled and nodded her head.

"Stefan said I haven't seen anything yet, something about saving the best for last," she said with a giggle. "That's probably a good thing. This way Bonnie and Enzo get to enjoy it too."

He turned to look at her curiously at this.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, they're both coming up here next weekend to catch the end of Mardi Gras," she explained. "Bonnie and I have never been so Enzo is taking it upon himself to show us all the ropes, or so he says anyway. As long as he doesn't get us arrested, I'm good."

"So quick to replace me hm?" he asked with mocked offense though a part of him was bothered that he would no longer have a reason to interact with her. "I feel as if I should be insulted."

"And there he goes again with the theatrics," she joked with an eye roll. "You know I wouldn't have to replace you if you were there with me."

He raised an eyebrow at this and saw a hint of color appear on her face and it made him wonder if she meant to say that last part out loud to him.

"Do you want me to be?" he asked, trying to keep the light atmosphere but inside his stomach was turning into knots at the thought that she could very well say no. She wouldn't exactly need him around with her friends there.

She turned to look at him with a small smile and silently nodded her head, feeling her heart start to hammer in her chest when she saw the grin that appeared on his face.

"I mean, you haven't been such terrible company so why not?" she joked.

He scoffed and rolled his eyes at this but he was unable to wipe that smile off his face.

"Hey, was everything okay earlier?" she asked quietly. "When we left your bar you seemed kind of tense."

He stiffened just a bit at the reminder of his mother's call and his night but quickly tried to push it to the back of his mind.

"Yeah, just some problems with one of the suppliers," he answered quietly.

She looked at him like she was unconvinced so he decided to turn it on her.

"And what about you?" he asked. "Earlier at the bar it looked there was something else on your mind when we were talking about Stefan."

He noticed her slight frown that she quickly masked.

"It's really nothing, just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Stefan will probably be engaged soon," she answered, not really sure she wanted to share her other concerns with him right then. "It's like, so much is changing so fast. My brother's getting married. And you know what they say. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage."

He threw his head back in laughter, making her laugh as well.

"And pray tell, who says this?" he asked.

"Every elementary school child probably," she answered. "I don't know, it's something I grew up hearing on the playground. Don't tell me you've never heard that before?"

"I'm afraid not that particular version no," he chuckled.

"Seriously?" she laughed lightly. "You really missed out my friend."

"So tell me then, what other conventional words of wisdom have I been missing out on?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're sure you're up for this?" she teased, smiling when he chuckled again.

"Lay it on me, love."

She smiled and tried to think of other playground rhymes and sayings she had grown up hearing and somehow this conversation turned into sharing some embarrassing stories of their elementary years and even some high school ones. She told him a few unsolved pranks she pulled on Rebekah and even on Kol before he graduated and he laughed loudly at these, admitting he was very impressed. He in turn shared some stories about Stefan she was already planning on using against him by the time Klaus finished.

They both fell back into a comfortable silence after a while and turned their attention back to the movie that both had no idea what was happening in.

"So are you sure you're okay?" she asked after a short while of sitting in silence.

"I am," he answered with a small grin.

I am now.

At some point, he felt her head slump against his shoulder and he carefully turned to see she had fallen asleep and found himself smiling softly at the sight of her like this and to feel her resting against him.

He couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering back to what had happened at the bar earlier and that irrational jealousy he had felt at the sight of this other guy flirting with her. It had taken him a moment to place what he was feeling because that wasn't him. He didn't get jealous over women, he simply moved on to another.

"What are you doing to me Caroline Forbes?" he murmured softly, as he carefully pushed some loose curls out of her face and gently let his chin rest against the top of her head for a moment.

A moment he was in no particular hurry to end.

The next morning, Caroline woke up to see the sun was out and as she stretched our limbs, she stopped suddenly and tried to remember when she had gotten back to her room.

She could hear the sound of the blender in the kitchen and decided to get up and go out there. She walked in to see Elena blending something while Stefan was cooking what smelled like bacon.

"She's awake," Stefan said with a grin when he saw her walk in.

"Morning," she greeted as she stifled a yawn and immediately sought out the coffee.

"Excited for your first Mardi Gras ball tonight?" Stefan asked.

"I guess," she responded with a small laugh. "Is this ball a really big deal?"

"Rebekah already dragged Klaus down there to help oversee the setup since I was getting up for my morning jog at 6," he laughed. "You should remember Rebekah's knack for going all out for events like this, you fought with her enough all of high school over every school event, so yeah, I would say it's a big deal."

"You got a package dropped off a little while ago by the way," Elena told her. "I set it on the coffee table for you."

"Thanks, that's probably my dress," Caroline said as she walked to the living room and saw the large brown box waiting for her.

She quickly opened it and gasped in surprise as her jaw dropped open at the sight that greeted her. In the box was the dress she had fallen in love with but unfortunately could not afford.

What? How?

She was wondering if the boutique had made some kind of mistake and was searching for any slip with their number on it to give them a call and inquire what had happened, when she came across a white envelope instead. She curiously opened it and pulled out a plain note card addressed to her and quickly read it, her heart practically hammering in her chest when she was done.

At the risk of provoking your wrath for yet another surprise, I thought it was worth it to get to see how beautiful you will look in your dress tonight.

Fondly,

Klaus

P.S. Save me a dance.

Thanks for reading everyone! I know Caroline just kind of brushed things under the rug with Stefan right now but that won't be the case for long. If you have some time and feel so inclined, please share your thoughts with me? :)