III

"What do you mean you're not going to the wedding?" Bonnie Bennett, Caroline's friend and party planner (who was in fact in charge of the Stefan/Rebekah wedding) demanded. "I've slaved on this party for months, do you know how many times Rebekah changed the menu and now you're not going?"

"I'm sorry," Caroline said as she took a sip of her iced lemonade. "It's just, I've been so tired lately, and tomorrow is opening day for Be Positive, and I'm nervous-"

"Oh, please." Katherine rolled her eyes as she played with her chicken salad on her plate. "You're just too much of a chicken to face Klaus."

"I'm not afraid of Klaus." Caroline shot back. "I could kick his ass if I wanted too."

Katherine raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing it. "Then why don't you prove it by going to the wedding looking hot, besides when was the last time you saw each other, five, six years ago? I most often get to experience the pleasure of his company."

"Nine years ago." Caroline corrected as she looked over the rest of the table at the Grill. Just hearing his name made Caroline want to throw up. "Since my high school graduation."

"Wait," Bonnie said, obviously missing something. "Klaus? Klaus Mikaelson as in Rebekah's older brother? You two know him?"

"We went to the same school growing up." Caroline said stiffly. Bonnie had only moved from Atlanta two years ago so she hadn't experience the same school dramas that Katherine and Caroline had gone through. "Do you know who he is?"

Bonnie wrinkled her nose. "Meet him only once, he's not very nice."

"You could say that." Katherine pointed her fork in Caroline's direction. "Caroline and him have had a sort of rivalry since elementary school."

"It's not a rivalry." Caroline said exasperated. "We just got a little too competitive, and you don't know how many times I've wanted to wipe that smirk off his face."

Katherine nodded. "True that, so all those art fair projects, science fair competition, and presidential campaigns . . . those were all your ideas of fun?"

Caroline looked offended. "For your information I like being a leader, and I did win over Klaus in someone of those competitions." She bended her straw, desperate to get off the topic about Klaus, just hearing it made Caroline want to stab something. "So Kat, how was you and Elijah's romantic night together?"

"Oh, yes." Bonnie squealed. "Please share, future Mrs. Mikaelson."

"Oh, please I'm not getting married until I get my doctorate at least." Katherine's pretty face flushed with pleasure. "And it went great, I don't think either of us slept all night. Elijah may look like a boring old square, but he's an animal!"

Caroline, Bonnie, and Katherine burst into giggles like school girls.

"Maybe you two made a baby." Bonnie joked.

Katherine's face darkened and Caroline frowned, she knew that her friend had a crappy childhood and just talking about having children put her on edge. Katherine had always preferred her career and shopping to fairytale weddings and babies, while Elijah was the complete opposite. "No, no way. That's not funny, Bonnie."

Bonnie flinched, obviously sensing that she had said something wrong. "Sorry, it was a joke."

Katherine flushed. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little on edge." Her pager started beeping. "Well, that's me I have to go girls."

"Here's your car, Mr. Mikaelson." The valet attendant said as he got out of Klaus's brand new black Lexus and handed him the keys.

Klaus grabbed the keys and nodded. "Thanks, Harold."

"It's Henry actually."

Klaus ignored him as he got into the car and drove out of the parking lot. His sister's invitation stared back at him, he had forgotten to take it out of the car, and honestly he had forgotten about it all together.

Klaus wasn't fond of weddings, in fact they annoyed him and he always thought that the bride and groom always looked perfectly happy and if rubbing it in everyone's faces that they weren't as happy as them.

He had never really agreed with the concept of marriage, but to be honest he had never really had one serious relationship, it was always going from one girl to the next. He didn't want to be one of the many fools like Elijah and Stefan who easily became tangled in a woman's web.

Klaus killed the engine once he got into his apartment building complex. He was seriously considering ditching his baby sister's wedding until he remembered that he was in the wedding party and Rebekah would probably kill him.

"Hi, honey how is it going?" Liz said as she kissed Caroline's cheek. She looked around the store. "Wow this place is beautiful."

Caroline's entire face flushed with pleasure, this was the first time that Liz had visited the store. She had even bought a bottle of wine for the occasion. "I'm so glad you like it." She led Liz around the store. "The blouses are in the front, next are the jeans and skirts, I put the party dresses in the back, and look accessories." She grabbed a pair of chandelier style earrings and placed them near Liz's bare ears. "Near the counter, beautiful!"

"They really are lovely." Liz said as she looked around the store, she was still dressed in her police uniform. "So are you excited about opening day tomorrow?"

"Yes." Caroline said as she opened the bottle of wine and handed a glass to her mother. "And a little nervous, but I'm not going to let my stupid insecurities get in the way."

Liz nodded. "I'm so proud of you, honey."

Caroline's eyes watered. "Thanks, mommy."

"Caroline, be honest how much is this costing you?" Liz blurted out as she took a sip of wine. The decorations were beautiful and she knew that her daughter had talent, but opening a store wasn't cheap. "Because I've saved up some money, and there's still a little bit left in your college fund-"

"Mom," Caroline interrupted sharply. "I'm fine, especially money wise." She lied. "You don't have to worry about anything."

"All right," Liz said, not really sounding convinced. "But if you need anything, anything at all, call me all right? That's what moms are for."

"I will." Caroline softened as she raised her glass. "So how about a toast-to Be Positive!"

Liz clicked her glass. "To Be Positive!"

"Bonnie told me the funniest thing today." Katherine said later that night, for the first time in a while Katherine was working the day shift so she and Elijah actually shared a normal sleeping pattern.

"Oh, really?" Elijah raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Well, she told me that perhaps our lovemaking last night-don't worry I didn't share too many details-resulted in a baby."

"I wouldn't mind a baby," Elijah said instead as he placed the pillow down. "Katherine, I'm thirty two years old, at some point I kind of want to start a family. Don't you want to have children?"

Privately, Elijah thought that he would have married Katherine years ago if she didn't insist on getting her doctorate first. Elijah didn't care if she was a doctor when they married, he wanted to marry her, but he knew that Katherine would never accept so he didn't bother asking.

"Don't be silly," Katherine said her mood darkening. She had, had a crappy childhood and Elijah knew that, her parents had always been fighting and arguing and more interested in drinking and smoking than caring for their only child. Katherine pride herself in getting away from that toxic environment and enrolling and paying her medical schooling all by herself. She hadn't spoken to her parents in three years. "You know I don't like children, nor do I want to have children." She sighed. "My own childhood was bad enough, why do I want to screw up another child's life?"

"Don't say that." Elijah frowned. "Just because you had a bad childhood doesn't mean you will be a bad mom. Don't you want to have children in the future?"

Katherine shook her head and said coldly. "I don't have time for children Elijah, I have my career and you, believe me there's no room in my life for babies."

-End of Chapter Three-