Hey guys! OMG thank you so much for all the reviews on the last chapter! I was blown away by all the support! Slight confession: I'm a review whore, I just love them! Also, I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to reply to reviews from the last chapter, but I plan on doing that soon. I'm coming off 6 straight days of closing at my retail job and working in day at my other job so activities other than food, writing, and sleeping have been few and far between.

I'm really enjoying all of ya'lls reactions to Forwood, most of you coming some conclusions about his odd behavior. Hmmmm...what is up with Tyler?

Well, I hope you like this chapter! We get to see a little bit more into Caroline's thoughts and feelings about Klaus and the end of this chapter transitions to perhaps my most favorite chapter I've ever written in the history of all my fanfiction stories.

Enjoy!

"You should have seen his face, Kat," Caroline whined, her face in her hands. "It was like I took his puppy, chopped it's head off and then drop-kicked it across the restaurant."

She was sitting in her office at the Herald, two days after the incident with Klaus. She took a personal day on Thursday citing a headache, when in actual truth, she had been avoiding her office that was full of Mikaelson family research. The thought of returning to it the day after the Klaus incident, made her completely nauseous.

Katherine was looking at her sympathetically across her desk, her nose wrinkling at Caroline's puppy reference.

"First of all, that's a terrible example. I might need to pet an actual puppy now that the image is in my head," Katherine began, Caroline grimacing in response. "Second of all, what are you going to do now? Jenna is counting on you."

Caroline sighed, glancing down at her notebook. Ever since her disaster dinner with Klaus, she had been having major second thoughts about the whole article. In his own smarmy way, he was right. It wasn't just his life that would be ruined with something like his true paternity coming out, it was the company and his family. Call her crazy, but she didn't think his siblings deserved all that pain resurfacing. Plus, he was annoyingly right about her ethics. She wasn't a tabloid reporter, she was hard-working journalist who didn't rely on scandals and secrets for her articles.

"I don't know," she groaned. "I'm screwed with whatever I do."

"Call me crazy, but don't you hate Klaus?" Katherine asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Caroline shrugged, looking down at her hands. "I did. But-"

"But what? Caroline, what changed?"

She exhaled loudly, casting a side-eye at her notes from the museum press conference. She was reminded of how annoyingly charming Klaus had been that afternoon with bringing her coffee, helping her land that interview with Ayana, and inviting her to dinner.

Which, somehow he knew that Italian was her favorite food, but her own fiancé didn't.

She really didn't know how to explain it. It's like she saw the other side of him that he always claimed existed. He was genuine, thoughtful, and apparently a great listener since he knew things about her that she probably didn't even know.

He wasn't exactly who she thought he was.

He was...more.

"I think there is more there than meets the eye," Caroline eventually concluded. "I mean, it was like he was a completely different person that day. His ego was in check, he was thoughtful, honest. I don't know. He was… different."

"Good different, or bad different?"

"Good," Caroline breathed out. "Which is bad because now I feel like a complete bitch for using his stupid attraction to me to gain information by agreeing to dinner."

"So now you finally agree that Klaus is attracted to you?" Katherine quipped with a Cheshire smile lighting up her face, completely ignoring her best friend's obvious distress.

Scoffing, Caroline glared at her. "I never denied it. Hello, he hit on me the very first time I met him. Right after insulting me, I might add."

Katherine shrugged slightly, acquiescing Caroline's point. "True, but this is the first time you haven't denied it without motioning that you're going to vomit."

"Baby steps," Caroline gestured, flippantly waving her hand to the side. Katherine giggled, propping her chin up on her hand.

"Was it really that bad?" she asked sympathetically, wrinkling her nose.

Caroline groaned, burying her hands back into her face. "So bad that I took off yesterday to avoid Jenna asking me for a progress report."

Katherine grimaced in response. "Well, at least she's at that conference until next week. No deadlines to deal with!"

Caroline hummed in response, flipping open her notebook as she propped her head up on her fist. She had written up the article on Ayana the night Klaus stormed out of the restaurant as a means of distraction. She'd emailed it in late that night before promptly curling up in bed with Netflix and chocolate bars. Her opinion article was long completed, and Jenna had given her special instructions over the last week to ignore any fluff pieces. Her concentration was to solely spend time researching and digging up information on the Mikaelson family.

The thought of discovering anything else made her slightly queasy.

"I'm bored." Katherine sighed, picking at her nails. "It's Friday and we have the weekend off. Why the hell are we still here?"

Caroline smiled slightly, looking at her calendar to check her next deadline. She was inwardly praising the brunette for the change in subject. "Because we have jobs and articles to work on."

"Please, you wrote your articles for this weekend all last night. Don't even deny it, you little overachiever," Katherine commented, giving her a sly smile.

Caroline pursed her lips together, raising her eyebrows innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Katherine threw the blonde journalist a knowing look, causing her to lift her eyes to the ceiling. "Fine, I sent them in this morning when I got here."

Giving her a satisfied smirk, Katherine leaned back in her chair propping her hands behind her head.

"Girls night? There's a new club on 77th Street I want to try."

Caroline had began shaking her head "no" before Katherine could even finish getting the words out. "Can't. Date night with Tyler."

Katherine pouted at her grumpily. "Cancel, he always seems to."

"Excuse you." Caroline scoffed. "He is busy with this Salvatore case at work and it's been taking a lot of his time."

The brunette narrowed her eyes at the blonde suspiciously. "You're making a lot of excuses for him lately."

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Kat. He's just busy."

"You'd figure he'd pick getting laid over dealing with cranky old people," Katherine quipped.

"Katherine!" Caroline chastised. "That is none of your business."

She shrugged back in response. "You're my best friend, your sex life or lack of it monitors your moods."

Caroline wrinkled her nose at her. It had been a while for her and Tyler, especially after she had avoided morning sex last week. However, she didn't think her attitude was that different.

"You're so crass, Kat," she huffed, getting up to put the Mikaelson research in her filing cabinet. She unlocked the top shelf and dropped all the files in there. Out of sight, out of mind.

"I'm just being honest," Katherine claimed, twirling a curl around her finger. "Maybe you should call up Klaus and ask him for some anger sex. I'm sure he could ruffle your feathers a time or two."

"Katherine!"

"What? It's a suggestion," she blinked up at her blonde friend. "God, Care. You're really turning red."

Caroline blushed harder at that. It's not like she was that desperate for sex. She and Tyler were going through a dry spell. And it had been a while. That's all. It's not like she had thought about what sex with Klaus Mikaelson would be like.

Okay, maybe in passing.

And maybe last night when she kept picturing the disaster scene in the restaurant.

Or the small moment in her office before the press conference.

Those damn dimples were just so charming to look at. His lips were so plump, and delectable. Sometimes she may accidently fantasize about biting them. Especially more often since Wednesday night.

It's human nature.

"I'm sure all of the unattached women he surrounds himself with are keeping him busy," Caroline suggested, vaguely wondering if Katherine would think turning the AC on would be suspicious. Her office was getting slightly warm.

Katherine brow arched as she watched Caroline discreetly fan herself with her journal but didn't say anything.

"Why don't you go for him if you are so sure the sex is good?" Caroline asked, ignoring how her heart seemed to clench at the thought of that.

Katherine flipped her hair, nonchalantly shrugging. "I'm waiting for Elijah Mikaelson."

Caroline giggled at Katherine, who smirked back in response. "You haven't even met him, Kat."

"Oh, I don't need to meet him to know he'd be great in the sack," she smiled suggestively, Caroline wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"You talk like such a guy sometimes."

The brunette just shrugged, flipping her glossy curls over her shoulder. "What is up with you Caroline? You didn't blush this much last year when you told me about the disastrous Role Play of 2014 with Tyler."

"Nothing," she protested shrilly, reaching up to feel her hot cheeks. "And I told you to never bring that up again!"

Katherine just narrowed her eyes back at her, reaching for her long forgotten coffee cup on the edge of the desk. Caroline briefly flashbacked to the chemically-charged moment by the filing cabinet with Klaus and her cheeks flushed harder.

"Girls night next weekend?" Caroline asked, clearing her throat as she tried to change the topic from the Mikaelsons and sex.

And sex with the Mikaelsons. Preferably away from Klaus.

Katherine pursed her lips, pouting slightly, cocking her head to the side. "Deal."

There was a pause, and Caroline sighed a breath of relief. Then-

"But just let me know if you need me to call Klaus for you later."

"Katherine!"

Caroline stared at herself in her bathroom mirror, waiting for Tyler to pick her up for their date. It had been a few days since she had last seen him, so she was looking forward to spending some alone time with her fiancé. Plus, it would be a great distraction from work and the elusive article that she had yet to decide on whether she would be able to continue.

She really needed to forget Klaus and how pissed he was at her off the brain too.

She tilted her head to the side, studying her date night outfit. She was wearing Tyler's favorite sleeveless red wrap dress that clung to her curves, the short hem showing off her long legs. On her feet were her favorite shiny black pumps, her lips were red and eyes darkened.

Tyler wouldn't know what hit him.

Personally, Caroline thought the dress was a little too conservative for her taste. It was a gift from Tyler's mom at Christmas two years ago. It had a somewhat high neckline and a high back, but Tyler loved it so she tried to wear it more around him.

She shrugged in the mirror, making her way to the living room to wait for him. He was running a little late, as usual. She impatiently checked the clock on the wall, wishing he'd hurry up. She'd been alone for the past couple of hours and the silence wasn't doing well to distract her from all the thoughts she was trying to avoid.

Sighing, she grabbed her clutch to double check that all of the necessity items were there, including extra lipstick and gum. Her phone let out a shrill ring, startling her. Her clutch went flying in the air, the contents spilling into the floor. Cursing under her breath, she grappled for her phone. Seeing Tyler's name on it, she immediately answered, hoping she didn't sound as breathless as she felt.

"Hey!" Caroline grinned. "Are you here yet?"

She crawled around her living room floor reaching for all the items that had spilled out, silently praying that Tyler wasn't right outside.

"About tonight," Tyler began. "Babe, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."

Her shoulders instantly slumped, and she rolled her eyes, annoyed.

"Seriously, Tyler? It's been three days since I've last seen you and you've canceled every date in between," she snapped, glaring down at her carpet like it was at fault.

"Babe-"

"And you didn't even have the audacity to call half the time. You just texted me," she continued, her annoyance at him growing in her chest. "I'm your fiancée, Tyler, not a buddy!"

"Babe, I know," he interrupted. "I'm so sorry. But, Luke just called and Mrs. Salvatore is apparently having some sort of breakdown and it's causing a whole lot of issues between her and Stefan."

"Who the fuck cares?" she asked bluntly, her eyebrows narrowing. "You're a lawyer, not a shrink."

Tyler sighed patronizingly into the phone. "I have to go with Luke to calm them down. If they go to trial at each other's throats, then the case is lost."

Caroline continued to glare at her carpet, sure that her red dress was wrinkling from where she was perched on the ground. So much for quality time with Tyler.

"Fine, go," she bit out. "Since work is obviously more important than me and our lives together."

"Caroline, don't be like that."

She was being petty, but she couldn't bring herself to be concerned about it. "Seriously, I don't even care right now. It's obvious work is going to always come first, so go ahead."

"This case is almost over, I promise."

Caroline was eerily reminded of Klaus' side comment about the Salvatore case being finished, but she quickly pushed that out of her brain.

"Sure," she said shortly.

"I'll come by later?" he said, phrasing the statement as a question. She really wanted to snidely tell him "no," but that wasn't a productive way to deal with her future husband.

"Okay," she muttered. "Just call me when you're on your way."

He uttered a quick reply and then hung up, citing his need to head back to the office. She tossed her phone onto her couch with a huff, glaring at it all the way.

So much for spending a romantic, distracting, quiet date night with Tyler.

She groaned as she struggled to her feet, kicking off her high heels. Looks like it was going to be a lonely night on the couch for her.

Again.

But, then...

She grabbed her phone, hitting speed dial number 3 for Katherine.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she chanted, hoping her best friend hadn't already started drinking or partying yet for the night.

"That bored already?" her best friend's voice infiltrated her ear. Caroline would have rolled her eyes at that, but she was already annoyed enough as it was.

"Guess who's plans were canceled?" she groaned.

Katherine scoffed through the receiver. "What a dick. You sure he's not banging a little something on the side?"

"Thank you so much for your confidence in my relationship," Caroline said sarcastically, looking into the mirror in her entry way. If he was going to blow her off, that doesn't mean she had to stay at home waiting for him.

She yanked out her shiny while gold hoops, fluffing her hair afterwards. With a quick change and a new lipstick color, she would be ready for a long night of partying.

Lord knows she needed it after this week.

"It's my job," Katherine shot back. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really," Caroline sighed. "But...are you still up for a girl's night out?"

"I'm on my way."

With that, Katherine hung up, and she giggled into the receiver. Her mood instantly lifted, she moved back into her bedroom. Her brain was swimming with new outfit ideas, and she was looking forward to drinking and dancing with her best friend.

No Tyler, or Klaus, or Mikaelson family to worry about.

One hour later, Katherine and Caroline were standing outside Donovan's, the new club in Chicago. Both girls were dressed to impress; Katherine was in a skimpy burgundy bodycon dress, while Caroline wore a sequined black and gold skirt and a cream tank top with a fly away back. With a little flirting on Katherine's end, and some cash from Caroline for the cover charge, the girls walked into the new, flashing club.

"What do you want to do first?" Caroline asked, surveying the room. There was a throng of sweaty bodies bouncing to the loud bass beat, the strobe lights flashing along with it.

"Want to go flirt with the bartender for free drinks?" Katherine suggested. Caroline lifted her eyes to the ceiling as she grinned in spite of herself.

Flirting with the bartender was a Katherine specialty. The two girls hadn't paid for their own drinks since college. Making their way to the bar, they managed to snag two seats at the end of it. The blonde male bartender came up to them, his kind blue eyes sparkling through the dimmed club light.

"What can I get you two ladies?"

"I'll take a jack and coke and your name please," Katherine flirted, her eyelashes batting at him. The bartender pursed his lips at her humorously, and Caroline rolled her eyes in amusement.

"It's Matt, and I'm the owner." He grinned back, causing Katherine's eyes to widen.

She tossed her brown curls over her shoulder and gave him a brilliant smile. "Well then Matty Blue Blue, you better get me that drink soon, or I'll have to tell the manager on you."

Caroline rolled her eyes again and interjected Katherine's blatant flirting. "Ignore her, she just wants free drinks. Rum and coke for me."

Matt barked out a laugh as Katherine elbowed her in the ribs. The bartender moved to make the drinks, Caroline throwing an impish grin to Katherine's annoyed glare.

"What?" she asked. "You were being way too obvious."

"That was the point," she sighed impatiently. Caroline snickered, thanking Matt for her drink as he plunked it down in front of her.

"On the house," he announced, winking at Katherine.

"You're the best Matty Blue Blue!" she called, waving her drink at him. The bartender laughed in response, tipping his head at her.

Caroline made a face at her drink while Katherine blew him a kiss, tugging the blonde journalist off the bar.

"I don't know how you do it," Caroline shook her head, taking a long sip of her drink.

Katherine sipped at her own, licking her lips before responding. "It's a gift."

She chuckled, allowing herself to be pulled over to a relatively empty lounge area. The girls sat down on a couch, sipping at their drinks. The club was pretty full, filled with lots of people around their age. Katherine was flirtatiously making eyes at all of the men who looked their way, whilst Caroline studied the club. It didn't take long for them to finish their drinks and Matt brought over a tray of shots, bought by one of the many suitors that Katherine was nonverbally flirting with from the lounge.

A few shots and a couple drinks later, both girls were feeling pretty buzzed. Caroline stared off into space, her mind occupied by the events of the last week. She didn't know why she kept picturing the hurt look on Klaus' face when he found the recorder. The guilt in her stomach continued to gnaw at her, and she couldn't shake it off her mind.

"I cannot believe Klaus is pissed at me." Caroline bemoaned, throwing back a vodka shot.

Katherine raised her eyebrows at her in surprise. "That was random. Where did this come from?" she asked, sipping a new cosmopolitan.

"I mean, how dare he get pissed at me when he's been a total asshole for the past two years?" she continued, ignoring her best friend's confused look. "A free meal and a free coffee is hardly a good start to repairing our relationship!"

"Your relationship?" Katherine echoed, tilting her head to the side.

"Like I would be seduced by his charm! I'm too smart for that." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Fucking dimples."

Katherine broke out into giggles, leaning back into the lounge sofa. Caroline stared at her confusedly, narrowing her eyes.

"What's so funny?"

She continued to laugh, Caroline widening her eyes at how insane she was starting to look.

Clearly the alcohol was affecting her more than she knew. "It's j-just s-so funny!"

"What?" Caroline snapped, annoyed.

"You have spent the past day brooding over Klaus and his reaction to the article instead of being upset that your fiancé blew you off again for the third time this week," Katherine answered, a wry grin tugging at her lips.

"I have not!" Caroline protested irritably. "I'm more upset about Tyler than Klaus!"

"No, you aren't," Katherine told her, throwing her a knowing look and she ducked her head.

"It bothers me," she muttered, sipping at her gin and tonic.

"Why?" Katherine asked, looking at her in concern.

She was quiet for a minute, trying to convey why she felt so ashamed. The pit in her stomach that had formed at the restaurant just seemed to grow with every passing moment since then. The genuine smile during the press conference, the expression on his face at her agreement to dinner, the pain on it when he found her out. Hurting him bothered her more than she ever expected. All of it was just too much for her to handle.

And she couldn't understand why.

"I don't know," she confessed, biting her bottom lip. She looked up at her brunette friend who was studying her with an unreadable expression.

"I think you do," Katherine mused quietly, shrugging slightly. "But you don't have to figure that out right now."

Caroline sighed, tipping back her drink. The tart liquid burned down her throat, shocking her senses. She coughed a little, rubbing her chest a little with her hand. Katherine watched her amusedly before looking over her shoulder.

"Or maybe you can figure it out right now," Katherine continued, wiggling her eyes at Caroline. "Look who just walked in."

Caroline turned around, eyes widening as she took in the sight of Klaus. Her heart clenched slightly as she took in his form. He was wearing dark jeans, a grey henley, and his signature necklaces. He was surrounded by a few people, some Caroline recognized as his family from the pictures she'd found. The blonde girl was obviously his sister, Rebekah. She was holding hands with a dark-haired man that she didn't know. The other dark-haired man in the group was easily Klaus' brother, Elijah. The man was stiffly surveying the room, obvious distaste colored on his face. Klaus' eyes were skimming over the crowd, his raspberry lips fixated into a slight pout.

Caroline drew in a small breath, willing her heart to calm down. She tapped her fingers against her empty glass anxiously, slightly prompting him in her head to not look her way. Katherine bit her bottom lip suggestively at the site of Elijah and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Dibs on the older brother."

Caroline wrinkled her nose at that. "Have at it."

Katherine winked at her coquettishly. "Don't mind if I do."

With that, she got up from the couch and began making her way over to the Mikaelsons.

"Don't leave me alone!" Caroline gasped, reaching to tug her back to the couch. Her request was ignored as she watched her best friend continue to slink across the club to the front door where the family was still standing.

"Oh my God," she murmured, watching Klaus continue to study the room. "Please don't look over here, please don't look, please-"

Sucking in a low breath, she watched Klaus' gaze land on her. She swallowed heavily, looking down self-consciously before peeking back at him. For a minute, he watched her inquisitively, his eyes roaming over her form. Her cheeks reddened at the slight yearning on his face, her heart thudding with unknown emotion. Their eyes locked and his hardened in response, his mouth setting into a thin line. Throwing her a dark look, he turned away and stalked to the bar area as her cheeks flushed and she looked down at her hands.

This was going to be a long night.

Oh I hate to leave it there for you guys, but I had to! What are your thoughts on this chapter? What's up with Tyler? (Everything is not what it seems is all I can say about that), How are we liking Caroline's mixed feelings? Is it guilt or something more? What do you think is going to happen at the club?

Thank you guys so so so much for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it more than you guys will ever know *hugs*

ALSO! Don't forget to get your votes in for the KC Awards! Voting ends Tuesday!

Until Next Time

Kaitlyn