I'll explain myself at the end, promise! Just read first! And yes, there's Klaroline in this... just wait for it ;)
"Her eyes like fire and ice,
Her words sharper than a knife,
Her hands are ever so cold,
But her voice is like wine and roses…"
She picked it up easy, the stealing thing. A voice like fine wine and a face like an angel. She was practically designed for this life.
It wasn't something Caroline set out to do, but after 40 plus years of being 17, one tends to get a little bored.
She started out small. Picked a few pockets here and there, just to see if she could get away with it. Then she went shopping… with her own type of discount. Only, it wasn't as fun, stealing something she could easily buy. That's when she met Kieran.
Kieran made a living "acquiring" artifacts and whatever else a client would be willing to pay a hefty sum for. He happened to notice Caroline one day, as she lifted a particularly sexy pair of red Blahnik's from a store he had been told to meet a client at. Many clients asked to meet him in public places, and this particular client wanted to get all their Christmas shopping done in one place.
It didn't matter to Kieran. Money was money.
But when he saw a blonde beauty trying on a pair of shoes and promptly walking out in them, his client was forgotten. He watched from behind a rack of shoes as she walked towards the exit only to be stopped by the security guard at the door. Mumbling a few words he couldn't hear, she stared the guard down and walked out.
He suspected there was something special about her… Something that closely resembled the type of people he had been known to do business with. A vampire, he thought to himself. Kieran followed her until she stopped at a popular local bar.
Years of doing business with the most dangerous creatures to prowl the Earth made him proficient in observing his target without them having a clue. She never noticed as he took a seat at the bar a few stools down, never noticed as his eyes flickered when she threw her hair over her shoulder turning to flirt with the guy next to her. Never noticed as he licked his lips when she picked her prey for the night.
Her innocent beauty a far greater weapon than anything her nature bestowed upon her, he knew then and there that he had to have her.
Kieran allowed her to enjoy her more desirable meal as she drained him in the dark alley outside, before approaching her. "Shoot," he heard her mutter when the man she had just made a meal of refused to respond to her. "Not again."
"Thirty-seven seconds," he spoke, coming out of the shadows to approach her. "You made quick work of that poor fool."
Caroline turned on him, baring her fangs. Kieran was amused at how strongly his body responded to a woman with blood dripping from her lips. With a small smirk, he came to a stop three feet away from her. Dropping his eyes pointedly to her newly procured shoes, he continued, "but I guess stealing does work up an appetite."
Caroline didn't know who this man with the smooth Gaelic accent was, but he was definitely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sizing him up in one glance, she noticed he was tall and lean, with wavy, auburn hair that settled just above his shoulders. He was dressed casually, but impeccably, in black slacks and a gray shirt under his black overcoat.
Class. The man oozed class.
She didn't know how he knew about her shoes, but she knew that he wasn't going to make it out of this alley to let her secret slip. Her hunger had made her careless in her feed again. She felt bad about the poor guy lying on the ground behind her. She hadn't meant to kill him when she brought him out here. But she wouldn't feel a hint of regret at ending this impertinent man's life.
"If you know what I am, you should know better than to sneak up and antagonize me," Caroline snarled at him.
"Well, I've been 'sneaking' for quite some time. I only stayed back because I wanted to see what you're capable of," he said, walking around her to get a closer look at his newest protégé. "Seeing you in all your glory… well, I simply had to know you, my dear."
Caroline wasn't sure what to make of the man. Friend or foe?
"You're human," she said, looking him over again. "A pretty stupid human, too. You know, I could kill you before you could blink."
"Hmmm. You could," he said coming to a stop two feet away from her. "But you haven't yet. And you won't, either."
Caroline lifted her chin, surprised by the man's audacity, "and what makes you so sure?"
The man licked his full lips and leaned towards her to whisper, "you're bored, sweetheart, and looking for adventure." The flickering of her eyes told him he hit his mark. "And I'm about to give you a life you've only dreamed of."
Caroline saw the promise in his eyes and dared him to deliver. And that was that.
She was a killer by nature, but Kieran had made a far greater weapon out of her. He taught her the tricks of his trade until he no longer knew who the student was.
Truth was, Caroline just wanted to impress him. Being a 27 year-old human, he had seen and experienced more of the world than she had in her sixty years. His business had taken him all over the world, got him stuck in situations she still didn't know how he got out of, and yet here he was. Living the life she always dreamt of.
So anything he taught, she took in willingly and tried to make him proud.
At first he took her on his trips with him. He taught her how to get into the most secured places undetected. He taught her how to verify the legitimacy of the artifacts, and then replace it with replicas that were good enough to get by for months before anyone suspected anything.
When she had gotten the hang of it, he sent her on jobs on her own. He would direct her from his home office in Chicago. When the job was complete, he'd fly her back home and they'd celebrate together.
During down-time, they'd laze around his Gold Coast penthouse, overlooking the beach and the breathtaking Chicago skyline. Sometimes he'd take her out in the town, but mostly they just enjoyed each other's company.
Caroline hadn't been looking for a relationship when she had first started working with Kieran. But he surprised her. She had been looking for a distraction from the man who never left her thoughts. Kieran… just crept into her heart anyway. Where he inspired her, she aroused him. Where he enticed her, she responded to him.
In the end, their coming together was inevitable. But anytime a little voice told her Kieran was just a substitute for the man she really wanted, she shut her mind off to the world and fell just a little more in love with the man she had.
Love. That's what it is when two beings have been inseparable for the past 3 years, right? Caroline asked herself. When every waking moment is spent either with him or wanting to be with him?
"Another job came on the line, sweetheart," Kieran interrupted her thoughts as he walked out of his office.
Caroline kneeled on the sofa to twine her arms around his neck as he came up to her. "But Kieran… we don't need another job. You're rolling in money as it is. Why do you keep taking on more work?" she asked a little sulkily.
"To keep you on your toes, my dear," he replied with his crooked smile, pushing her down into the cushions as he fell on top of her.
It wasn't that she minded the work. She just wanted more time at home with the man in her arms. Kieran only ever took a couple weeks off in between jobs.
Once, she was lucky enough to have an entire month at home with him. An entire month of lounging and going dancing when the mood struck her. She would go out to feed on the never-ending supply of locals, while he would be at home preparing a more traditional meal for her to show off his surprising culinary talent. It was an ideal vacation for her, but she noticed him getting a little antsy towards the end there.
And it wasn't even like he needed the work. After fifteen years of working in the black market, Kieran had built up a small fortune and quite the reputation. His services didn't come cheap. And by association, neither did she. But he wouldn't just retire. He couldn't. It was like an addiction with him.
That night, as they lay wrapped up in each other, their bodies pleased and sufficiently sated, he asked her to turn him. Caroline had been stunned to say the least. "Why would you want that?" she asked, lifting her head off his chest to face him.
Lifting himself on an elbow, he countered, "don't you want that? We can have an eternity together, Caroline. An immortal Bonnie and Clyde."
His voice was wondrous, and for a second Caroline considered it. In the end, Caroline had to be honest. "I've never turned anyone before, Kieran, and you're not going to be the first."
His eyes flickered for a second to hide any emotion from her, but it wasn't fast enough to disguise the hurt. His jaw worked as he slowly nodded and responded, "I see."
God, he frustrated her. Pushing him down into his pillow, Caroline straddled him. "No. You don't see. This stealing gig? It's fun, but it's not something you want to spend an eternity doing."
Leaning down, Caroline braced her arms next to his head so he could see how serious she was. "You want me to turn you so you can continue this life forever. It gets boring, Kieran. Trust me. Everything gets boring after a while…"
His brow creased. Caroline could see the skepticism in his stormy gray eyes. Running her fingers across his forehead to smooth it, she tried again. "Find another reason to live. And then maybe we can re-visit this conversation, okay?"
Her words caused his eyes to glint dangerously with hope. "One last job?" he asked.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline sighed. Pecking his lips, she agreed. "One last job."
"Her smile's both pleasure and pain,
And her guns are always loaded…"
Over the centuries, Klaus had done a little bit of everything. He had taken years to travel and enjoy a life of leisure, spent decades indulging in debauchery, but he most enjoyed the times he contributed to world progression.
Whether it be land or business empires, Klaus loved having something to rule. He had gotten distracted by that hybrid business during his time in Mystic Falls, but now he was back on track, making the world go round in his own right.
He had a hold in many ventures throughout the world. Some were cover-ups for other dealings, and some were more precious to him than others. These days he was focusing on his more minor operations.
"I trust everything is taken care of?" Klaus asked the man standing before him.
"Everything has been arranged to your liking, sir. I've made sure of it," the man responded, only slightly quaking at the thought of a mishap occurring in Klaus Mikaelson's presence.
"Excellent. I'll be off then."
Klaus left the man's office and turned the corner to the main area of the gallery. He was about to exit the building when he saw a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, making his skin prickle.
All he had to do was open the door and walk out. He could go on living his life in the same dissatisfied way he had been living for the past three decades. A life he had gotten used to.
But he couldn't walk out. Not when he knew how close she was. Not when his body couldn't help but yearn to be near the one it craved.
So he turned around and followed the flash into a room consisting of renaissance artwork. And there she was. Standing with her back towards him, she was studying a painting in repose, completely oblivious to his presence. His eyes roved down her body clad in a sheath-like gold dress.
"Caroline," he whispered, needing her to face him.
He saw her back stiffen as she stood up straight at the sound of his voice. She turned to face him slowly, almost hesitantly. "Klaus."
His body sighed as she breathed his name. His Caroline. She was here.
"What are you doing here?" she asked warily.
Her apprehension surprised him. She obviously wasn't pleased at their chance encounter as he was. The thought miffed him, putting him on the defensive. "This is a gallery, Caroline. I'm an artist. Or have you completely forgotten me?"
Caroline tilted her head to the side and sighed in exasperation. "I wish it were that easy."
Her words pleased him. So she's accepted that there is no escaping it.
"The better question, love," he spoke walking toward her, "is what are you doing here?"
She could have lied, but Klaus had the uncanny ability to see through her. She doubted any amount of time would change that.
"I'm here on a special job," she replied vaguely.
"A job?" he asked, confused.
"Yes! A job! I'm not the same girl you left behind, Klaus. I've done more in my life than you could imagine," she said indignantly.
Oh, he could certainly imagine. In fact, up until a few years ago, he had known exactly what she had been up to. He had his men keep tabs on her throughout the years, reporting when necessary. But then a few years ago, she had started spending some time with someone else, someone who had men of his own.
Klaus could easily have gotten information if he wanted, but he knew it would arouse suspicion in the man she had gotten involved with. That would lead to Caroline finding out about his keeping an eye on her, and he didn't want that.
So he had backed off. Trusted she was safe. The man was a human, after all. What harm could he bring to a vampire of Caroline's caliber?
"I have no doubt you have been productive over the years, sweetheart. I'm just curious as to what it is you do. Purchasing a painting for an art collector, perhaps? Or something to hang in a boutique of your own?" he ventured.
Caroline rolled her eyes at the pure girly-girl image he had of her. Isn't he in for a surprise?
Looking him straight in the eye, Caroline told him the truth. "I'm here to steal a painting for a client who has offered me an absurd amount of money that I'm going to use to buy myself a small island. It's not a boutique that I work for, Klaus," she spat at him, disgusted with the idea. "It's the black market."
Klaus absorbed this information without even a twitch of an eye to betray his thoughts. Slowly he nodded. "Well, I see you have made a way for yourself. Dirtied up the perfect edges you had. Lost our scruples even," he said with a hint of mockery and pride. "But you've come to the most secure gallery in this side of Italy. Tell me what it is you're here for, Caroline. I can help you get it. I promise."
Caroline had noticed the security detail as she perused the gallery. She had actually been trying to come up with a plan she could execute that night as she walked around observing the gallery, when Klaus came up behind her. This threw her for a loop, but she knew she could use his help. "Kieran won't like this," she muttered to herself.
He wasn't meant to, but Klaus heard. Kieran… is that her human cohort? "Who's Kieran?" he asked out loud.
Caroline would never admit to the pleasure she felt hearing his heavily veiled jealousy. "He's my in to the black-market business." With a smug smile, she added, "and he's my boyfriend."
Klaus saw the challenge in her eyes and accepted it. "Is that so?" he said moving in on her.
Caroline regretted adding that last part as she stepped back to keep him from touching her. "It is so," she said as her back met the wall. She needed him to back off. One touch from Klaus and she knew it was game-over. She'd be back in his arms, back where she always wanted to be, but she wouldn't let him have the satisfaction of knowing it.
Klaus braced his arms on the wall on either sides of her face, his body caging her in. Caroline hated herself for the hitch in her breathing his proximity caused her.
"Speaking of," she said hoping to distract him. Touching the earphone she had hidden with her free flowing hair, she spoke to the man on the other line while keeping her eyes on Klaus. "Kieran, we have company."
Klaus stopped his lips descent six inches away from her lips as she spoke to the human through the device in her ear.
"Who is it, sweetheart? Do you need me to come in?" Klaus heard his voice as it rang in her ear.
"No!" Caroline practically screamed at the thought of Klaus and Kieran meeting. Kieran could handle himself in any situation, vampires included, but Klaus would make a meal of him in seconds. "I mean, no. I've got it. He's… a friend," she said staring Klaus down. "I trust him."
Klaus rolled his eyes at her blatant attempt to get him to acquiesce. Pushing off the wall, he stepped away from her. He could go along with her plan for now.
"So what is it we're here to steal?" Klaus asked as she ended the connection with Kieran.
"A painting. L'amour Eternel," she told him, grateful that he had backed off.
Klaus narrowed his eyes at her. "The painting isn't as old as most of the work here," she explained to him. "It's actually quite recent, so you might not have heard of it. Only problem is, when my client tried to buy it legitimately, the artist refused to sell. That's why she came to us."
Klaus nodded. "I believe I have heard of it. But it's not hung in display. It's in one of the storage rooms for now."
"How do you know this?" Caroline asked, suspicion tinting her voice.
"I donate a generous sum to this gallery to keep my work well displayed. That and the fact that these people have heard the legends of the monsters the original family are gives me access to most everything here," he finished with the smirk she still saw in her dreams.
Not letting herself get carried away in him again, Caroline shook her head. "Right, so how do we get to the painting?"
Klaus lifted his eyebrows. "Easy," he said, pulling an access card from his coat pocket. "We walk right in."
Caroline shook her head at the ease with which Klaus worked and followed him as he walked towards the offices.
The employees at the gallery all nodded in greeting as they walked by, making Caroline a little nervous. She was used to getting in and out of locations undetected, so this was definitely not her level of operating.
Walking into the storage room, Klaus took her all the way to the back of the room and pulled open a large crate. Inside were about ten paintings, securely covered to protect the art. Klaus read over the tags and pulled one out. "Here we are. L'amour Eternel," he said, holding it out to her.
"Eternal Love. I wonder what's so special about it," she mused at the title.
"People are infatuated with the idea. Have been since the beginning of time. Only when they find it do they realize it is a curse, not the paradise they assumed," Klaus answered, his eyes never leaving her face.
"Right… well, thanks… I guess I'm going to go…" Caroline said, unable to take the intensity in his eyes.
As she turned to go, Klaus grabbed her arm to spin her around. "One question first. You owe me that much at least."
Caroline studied him. Knowing she was going to regret it, she nodded slowly.
"Kieran… does it compare? Does it even come close?" If he was going to let her walk out on him, he needed to know what it was for.
Caroline saw the war in his eyes and turned away before she got swept in again. "Nothing compares," she said, walking away before he could stop her again, because if he did, she knew she'd stay.
It was with a tired and beaten heart that she presented the painting to Kieran with.
"Here it is! If it was meant to be our last job, it was by far the best one, my dear!" Kieran exclaimed as he carefully uncovered the art.
"What do you mean?" Caroline asked. If he asked her, it was by far the easiest.
"Stealing a Klaus Mikaelson painting right from under his nose! His gallery is boasted to have the best security, but you breached it without a sweat. You're extraordinary, Caroline," he said, leaning over to peck the lips of a very stunned Caroline.
His painting. His gallery. He helped me steal… from him? It didn't make sense.
But when Kieran drew back the last layer keeping the painting hidden, everything fell into place.
It was them. Klaus and her sealed together in a kiss, with blood running from their lips to their bare chests. His hands in her curls, hers gripping his face, it was them without a doubt in her mind. Kieran wouldn't notice, but she did.
L'amour Eternel. Eternal Love. This was Klaus's love…
That night, she whispered good-bye to a peacefully sleeping Kieran as she took the last painting she ever stole and left.
It may have been love with Kieran, but the words she spoke to Klaus were true. Nothing compared to what they had. Nothing ever would.
If she ever forgot, she would be reminded by the two painting she had hung in her new home, miles away from Kieran.
The first painting she had ever stole. And the last.
"She's both shadow and light.
She's both surrender and fight.
She wears her heart on her clothes,
And her scars always remember…"
Okay, So first, I'm soooo incredibly sorry for the late update! This chapter was just harder than most to write! I had a severe case of writer's block, but then I got to the Klaroline scene and it all flowed out :)
I know many of you don't like other characters coming between these two, but think of all the time that's passing! They have to try to move on so they can realize there is no moving on from each other. They have to go through some tough times before they can get to their happily ever after ;)
Also, I've been procrastinating writing this oneshot by making graphics for Loved in Shades of Wrong. Check it out on my blog if you get a chance. I'll put a link in my profile!
This chapter was really difficult to write. I mean RIDICULOUSLY difficult. I only got through it with the help of all my reviewers who wouldn't let me forget about this story:
crimsonseer12, glevez25, Taylor Snape13, Rucky, justine, HelloCutePanda, zingolies, jessnicole, Aaammber, NuzNuz, KlarolinexDelenaxx, louann97, Estel la Rodeuse, Tigerchild1, Booklover9477, JenerasX, Carelle, whisperslove, Coolgirl1015, MissPopuri, chikchirik, crazyrawrx3, Rianeliza, fangler, Rose Jean Black, and all the guests, thank you soooo much for reviewing!
Honestly, I was about to quit this fic because of the writer's block. It was the non-stop reviews on this and people who went back and read the previous fic that inspired me to keep going, so please don't stop reviewing. Harass me on my tumblr, spam my inbox, leave me long-winded reviews that just won't let me quit on this story! I would hate myself if I did.
Review! Pretty please with JoMo on top? Thank you!
Only one short one-shot left, and then we're back to a full blown fic again!