A/N: Welcome back, everyone. Hope you enjoy this chapter as it features our star pairing. Thank-you for all the feedback so far; it's greatly appreciated. I am developing this story slowly with a purpose, so there won't be much "cutting to the chase" for now-but it will come!

Enjoy!

Heartbreaker

Chapter five

Klaus woke up that morning feeling exhausted, realizing more and more that the next few months with Rebekah living with him were going to be, quite frankly, a pain in his arse. Today was the only day this week where he had the opportunity to sleep in later than oh-seven-hundred hours and his original plan was to spend most of the day in bed or on the couch. Apparently his dear sister and canine friend had other plans because the clock had barely struck eight when he heard their respective squealing and yelping down the hall. They had barely known each other for a few weeks, and already he could see they brought out the worst in each other. Not that it was difficult to rile up Rebekah. But, being the good older brother he was, and knowing he'd never be able to get back to sleep at this point, Klaus rose from his bed with a sigh and quickly slid on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt before joining them in the hallway.

"Where's the fire at?" he asked jokingly. Frank barrelled towards him, excitedly. Rebekah did not look impressed and was trying to pick off each individual dog hair that had managed to attach itself to her outfit.

"It's your dog, Nik. I've given him everything he should require. Food, water, toys. God I've even stooped low enough to play tug-o-war with the little bugger," she said with a huff and crossed her arms, "He won't stop harassing me."

Klaus chuckled in response. "He just wants his morning walk is all," he said. He bent down to play with Frank's ears. "Don't you, chap? You just need some fresh air from all the perfume stinking up the place." He wasn't used to the offending smell either. It made sense to some extent; neither he nor Frank was used to sharing their living space with a woman.

"Excuse me, but I'll have you know that it's the new line from Ralph Lauren. If he doesn't like it, it must be a reflection of his owner's poor taste," Rebekah said snippily.

"You know what, Bekah? I think you're complaining to cover up how much you really like Frank," Klaus teased and stood up.

"Yeah, that's totally it, Nik," she snorted.

"Alright you brute," he said talking to the dog, "We'll go out for a walk. But first some coffee and breakfast are in order."

"Good luck with that! There's barely anything in this place to eat. I wonder how you've managed to keep any meat on your bones, Niklaus," Rebekah scolded.

"Look, not everyone is on the next fad vegan/gluten-free/acai-berry/chia-seed diet," He replied sarcastically, "Some people are more than satisfied with good old bacon and eggs. Right, Frank?"

"Oh very clever, Nik. Team up against me with the hound, why don't you? Of course he's bound to appreciate bacon over egg whites!" Came her prissy response as they made their way into his kitchen.

"No need to be a Pissy-Patty, sister; there's a supermarket nearby. We can go this afternoon to stock up, if you'd like," he told her. As much as he enjoyed teasing his sister, he knew better than to leave her unappeased. To do so would only bring him much regret in the future—and possibly a cupboard overflowing with quinoa.

After numerous attempts to come up with something edible for Rebekah's breakfast and much complaining on her part, Klaus had been able to take Frank out. They had already run three miles around his neighbourhood when he felt the pup was finally beginning to tire out. Sure that both he and Frank could agree—more time was needed away from his sister before their shopping expedition began, so Klaus brought them to a park. He made a game of throwing their brand new red frisbee over and over across a long stretch of grass, watching as his dog would catch and retrieve. Klaus got ready to make his last throw before returning to the condo.

"Last one, Frank! Make it a good one!" he called out, adding a little more power behind his throw before releasing the red saucer to fly up the air. There must have been a change in the wind, as his aim was never off, because the frisbee began to curve towards the gravel path just as a runner was passing through a break in the shrubs. Quickly realizing what was about to occur, he yelled "Look out!" into a hand cupped over his mouth. It didn't matter, because the stupid disk had been too quick and whacked the poor woman right in the side of her head. Frank did not appear to understand what had happened because he continued dashing after his toy at breakneck speed. The woman picked up the weapon of assault and Klaus had a sinking feeling of doom in his belly. Oh shit.

He saw Frank jump and heard a shriek of surprise before the two of them disappeared from his view. Klaus cursed under his breath and started running towards the spot he'd last seen them.

"Frank! Frank!" he called out, "Frank, where are you?" His run slowed to a jog as he approached the spot. He looked beyond the tall bushes and his eyes widened at the sight. Frank was sitting on top of a petite blonde woman, licking her face with reckless abandon, while she was squirming beneath his weight.

"Frank, there you are—oh my God. Move you big oaf; get off this poor woman." He grabbed his dog by the harness and yanked him away from her in one swift motion. Quickly instructing the beast to sit, Klaus turned back to the woman lying in the grass and eyed her from head-to-toe to check for any obvious injuries. He bent over her and stretched out an arm to her.

"Here, let me help you up, sweetheart," he crooned, hoping she wouldn't be hurt—or overly upset. He looked down at her face, that she had wiped off with her sweater, and saw it was red; she looked as mad as a hornet.

"Oh you're damned right, you're going to help me up, you—" uh oh, he was about to be laid into by the little thing of a woman. They locked eyes and he felt a tug of déjà vu looking into her crystal blue irises. He shook the sensation and helped her to stand, steadying her as she wobbled. She snatched her delicate, soft hands from his grasp angrily and before she could give him a chance to say a word she bit into him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she accused.

"Are you alright? I cannot begin to describe how apologetic I am, miss...?" he started.

"Oh I'm not falling for that! Does that trick work on all women you throw frisbees at?!" Frank sat idly by, wagging his tail happily. "And why did you let that menace off his leash? Are you stupid?"

This wasn't how he imagined the encounter to proceed; most women would have taken one up-and-down look at him, allow him to make sure they were in fact unharmed before easily doling out words of forgiveness and even asking to exchange numbers. I should call you later, just to make sure you're alright, he would say—and they would fall for it. Unfortunately, the woman standing in front of him, huffing and puffing, waiting for him to say something, did not seem like the type of woman to fall for his tricks. He wasn't even going to bother. He focused his gaze on her face, noticing she possessed beautiful features despite her roll around in the ground and the reddened area at her temple.

"No, actually, I don't make a habit of sending my dog after anyone. I'm sorry the frisbee hit you, sweetheart. When you picked it up, he must have assumed you wanted to play. I know he was very wrong in that assumption, which is why I am apologizing," he said. She looked ready to burst she was so furious. "Well you're very lucky," she spat, mocking him, "It seems the only damage done is a few grass stains."

"Are you sure? You don't have pain anywhere?" Klaus wanted to be sure.

"No. I'm fine," she said. The woman reached back to pull her hair of its pony tail, bringing a leaf down with it. He felt another odd wave of recognition wash over him as her wavy blonde locks fell around her face, but he couldn't place the memory. Had she been one of his patients? A family member? Staff? Surely he would remember a pretty face like hers with the smart mouth to match. He eyed her closely, trying to figure it all out.

"Look, if you're done checking me out now, I'm going to go," she told him. He wanted to ask if they had met before, but he didn't really feel like having his balls crushed by this fierce Amazon of a woman. "I am sorry, if it's any consolation," was all he said. She turned around and started mumbling to herself, probably a slew of other things she wanted to say to him. He watched as she stalked away from him, making it a few steps before letting out of cry of pain and falling to the ground again. Klaus rushed over to her, Frank following at his heels.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked and bent down to look at her more closely.

"I'm fine! Can't you just go away?" she complained, cheeks bright red. Klaus grabbed her left leg, completely ignoring her embarrassment and examined her ankle. He tried to ignore how smooth her skin felt under his touch.

"Hmm, looks like you rolled on it, love. Probably a sprain," he said pensively.

"Oh gee; thanks Sherlock. Now let me go!" she exclaimed, tugging her leg out of his grip. She winced in pain with the movement. "See, it hurts doesn't it?" he scolded lightly, "Let me help you over to a bench." He could tell by her expression that the last thing she wanted to do was accept his help. Without any alternatives, and as she was clearly not interested in falling a third time, she reluctantly took his outstretched hand. Klaus leant his support and noticed how light she felt, with her side pressed against his own. He couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like with other parts of her pressed against him. Although from her response to him so far, it appeared that he would not be finding out. They made it over to the nearest park bench and he slowly lowered her to a sitting position. She exhaled a sigh of relief and he wasn't sure if it was because she was sitting safely or because he had let her go. He tied Frank's leash to the bench and bent down to take another look at her ankle that was already swelling up.

"I'm going to feel your ankle. Let me know if you feel pain, alright?" he said and looked up to meet her eyes. God, she was so beautiful and the sun was shining around her, forming an angel's halo around her head. She looked down at him questioningly, but nodded. Well, he would take what he could get. Klaus gingerly took off her shoe and sock and then began lightly pressing his right second two digits on the top of her foot, progressing downwards. She didn't move or didn't indicate any discomfort, but held his gaze and Klaus found he was unable to look away. The air suddenly became thick and difficult to take in as he moved his hand along the outer aspect of her foot, the other holding her calf in place. Her sudden intake of breath alerted him.

"Painful?" he asked softly and she nodded.

"A bit," she replied. He let go of her leg and cleared his throat.

"I don't think it's broken, but definitely a sprain. We should wrap it up," he told her.

"Wrap it? With what exactly?" she questioned, looking around.

"There's a drug store nearby. I can run there quickly and grab a tensor," he offered. He wondered why he was going to so much trouble for a woman who not fifteen minutes ago was biting his head off. Was it because he genuinely cared when someone needed medical attention? Of course he gave one-hundred and fifty percent when providing patient care. Or was it for the reason that she was gorgeous and feisty all mixed into one and he didn't want to stop talking to her? Perhaps he could admit it was a bit of both.

"You really don't have to do that," she said, "I'm sure I can manage."

"And I'm sure that I insist. Now, can you promise that my friend Frank here will remain unharmed before I return?" he said as a joke, sending her one of his dazzling smiles. She conceded to his charm with a small laugh.

"He'll be fine. I'm more worried about being attacked again," she said, but her tone was light-hearted. "OK. I'll be back shortly," he promised and left.

Sending a small prayer of thanks that he had brought his wallet with him, Klaus made the short walk to the store and was on his way again to the bench with tensor in hand in no time at all. He was relieved to find that she was still sitting there with his dog. He bent before her again and effortlessly tied the bandage above, around, and below her ankle. Completing the task by tying two ends together, he rolled back on his heels to examine his handy work.

"Too tight?" he asked.

"Nope; it's perfect. Thank-you," she said and showed him a true smile. She leaned down to finger the bandage, "It feels better already." He moved to sit beside her on the bench.

"No problem. If the pain doesn't get any better or you're unable to walk on it within the next few days, I'd advise having an x-ray done. But with a little rest, elevation, and some Tylenol I think you'll be fine, sweetheart," he responded. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"My name isn't 'sweetheart'," she said grouchily. And suddenly he remembered why she had seemed so familiar all along. It all clicked into place; she was the woman he met at the bar several weeks ago...The one he had been about to take back to his place. The last woman he'd have had in his bed before Rebekah made her untimely reappearance in his life.

"No. It isn't, is it?" He said more to himself than anything, "It's Caroline, am I right?"

"Yes."

"And we met before today. At Mystic, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Mhmm." She was looking at her feet. Where had the confident tigress run off to?

"Well, I must confess, I don't know which personality I prefer—the little seductress from the dance floor or literally the down to earth girl before me now." He really wasn't doing himself any favours by teasing her, but he couldn't help wanting her eyes on him again. She looked at him, unimpressed by the joke.

"Are you always this rude, Nik?" she asked, "Or am I just special?" The way she said his name gave him a shudder. He gave her a smirk, "Good memory—to be fair, I aim to be straightforward in all cases. If I'm to be considered rude, I suppose there's no helping it. And if memory serves me, you are indeed special, Caroline."

She scoffed, "Nice try. I won't be seduced by any of your cheesy lines, you know."

"Of course not. You weren't fishing for compliments either, now were you, love?" he asked, knowingly digging his own grave by incurring her anger. He just couldn't help himself.

"From you?! Hah!" she crossed her arms and looked away from him. He only chuckled in response to her antics.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"I'm thinking, how is it possible that you and the guy I met a few weeks ago are actually the same person!" she exclaimed, and then looked at him with wide eyes, surprised by her own outburst.

"I can assure you, the man you danced with that night and the one in front of you now are the very same Nik," he replied with heat. He recalled that night clearly now—how good she had felt in his hands when they danced. She was wild and sexy; he remembered he had been greatly disappointed when she left the bar that night. Without him. What a coincidence was it that they had run into each other again?

"Prove it," she challenged, looking directly at him.

"Certainly; Let me take you out," he said it as more of a demand than a request, "I would offer to take you for a coffee now, but you see, Frank doesn't much like being a third wheel. And I'm sure you would appreciate the chance to clean up beforehand," he teased, referring to her untidy appearance.

She looked as if she was ready to rip him a new one. "Fine!" she exclaimed. "You have one date to try and impress me. Don't think I'll go easy on you," she said haughtily. "And allow me to point out that it's your dog's fault that I am a mess right now!" He could only laugh out loud in response—her cute, outraged face made it too difficult for him to resist.

"One date is all I'll need. I'm sure Frank is terribly sorry for the earlier mishap as am I," he told her. Said canine looked up from his relaxed position at hearing his name called.

"I guess I can't stay mad at him—he's pretty cute," she said about Frank, but she was looking at him. He would swear by the look in her eyes she was not talking about his pet.

"Cute? I think I prefer handsome, manly, sexy..." he started with a smirk.

"Not you! I was talking about Frank," she giggled and reached down to pet his head. The beast nearly purred as he enjoyed her ministrations and Klaus couldn't help but want her to touch him instead.

"Anyway, I should get going. Thanks again for playing doctor," she spoke.

"You're welcome. I suppose you're hoping I'll conveniently forget to ask for your number?" he reminded playfully.

"Oh right," she said before pulling out a pen and slip of paper from God knows where—women had a way of doing things that he knew men would never understand. She scrawled her digits in perfect penmanship and handed him the paper. "Here. Don't chicken out now," she taunted. He took it from her, the gentle touch of their hands sending a delightful electrical shock up his arm. Klaus folded and pocketed the paper and then assisted her to stand.

He walked with her and hailed a taxi, sending her on her way before heading back to his own place. Klaus walked down the street with a devilish smirk on his face; he would show her that he was exactly the same man she had met all those nights ago. In his bed, on the couch, in the shower; hell anywhere she'd let him. Klaus would take her bait because he was always ready to face a new undertaking, especially one as tempting as Caroline.

A/N: Thanks for reading; please drop a review to let me know what you thought :)

Until next time!