Hey dolls. I know it's been an eternity and a half... but I just want to say, thank you for all your patience and support.
Please note: I hope you guys are liking the flashbacks, but for the purposes of this story, most of the flashbacks will be summarized, since they aren't the main focus of the story. I hope you guys understand and don't hate it.
Enjoy. :)
CHAPTER 6 – FLASHBACK
PRESENT TIME – STORY TIME WITH BONNIE, STEFAN, AND KATHERINE
Bonnie walked in, carrying a tray holding four cups of coffee. No one ever asked her to get coffee, but she did it anyway. Katherine hopped from her seat as soon as Bonnie set the coffee down. Stefan finished reading something on his screen before thanking Bonnie and reaching for a cup.
"I brought one for Caroline," Bonnie said, noticing her boss wasn't present.
"She has a meeting this morning." Stefan informed her.
Katherine rolled her eyes as she sipped her coffee. "Or a date…" She shrugged her shoulders.
"Katherine." Stefan said her name in the same stern tone he used when admonishing her like a child.
Stefan agreed with Katherine's position against Caroline's unspoken relationship with Klaus, but he respected Caroline's decisions and acknowledged it wasn't their place to say anything. For they, too, had problems within their own version of a relationship.
"Caroline has a meeting with the President." Stefan reiterated.
"Why are you so against Caroline and the President?" Bonnie looked to Katherine.
It wasn't as if Katherine was subtle about her distaste for Klaus.
The brunette snorted. "You still don't know the whole story."
Stefan sighed. He hated talking about other people – especially his boss, who he also considered to be one of his close friends. But he felt like Katherine wasn't telling the whole story. He took in one big gulp of his coffee and said,"To be fair, Klaus and Caroline's relationship didn't just go from sex to scandal."
FLASHBACK – REBEKAH'S BIRTHDAY FORMAL
"Ouch!" Kol yelped after Caroline threw a pillow at him. "What was that for?"
"You were supposed to be my date for Bex' twenty-first formal!" Caroline complained.
Instead of a typical drunken birthday night, Esther and Mikael arranged a formal birthday celebration for their only daughter. They booked the same ballroom as Rebekah's debutant coalition. In fact, the evening was basically Rebekah's second 'coming out' party. Rebekah didn't mind, though. She loved the fancy ball gowns and whole evening planned. Kol and Caroline agreed to be each other's dates, since neither of them were dating at the moment, but of course Kol decided to leave her hanging at the last minute none-the-less.
"In my defense, you're the one who introduced us."
"Yes, as a friend, not as your date!"
Caroline was mentoring a girl from the undergraduate Yale program. The girl, Davina, was interested in following Caroline's footsteps and enrolling into Yale law school. Caroline introduced Davina to her friends, but she didn't think Kol planned to ask her to be his date. She didn't blame Davina, though. Davina had no idea. This was all of Kol's doing and he was not Caroline's favorite person at the moment.
"She could be the one," Kol said in a cherry voice, but Caroline rolled her eyes.
Kol said that every girl he dated 'could be the one.' She knew Kol was just attracted to Davina and she, him.
"Now I'm going to be dateless and your parents will add another reason not to like me."
Esther and Mikael was indifferent towards Caroline in the past. They neither loved nor hated her. At least not until Mikael basically called Caroline Klaus' hooker from the end of semester party at the Mikaelson manor this past summer.
"Oh why don't you be a doll and stop fretting." Kol said with his same aloof manner, while he straightened his bow tie. "Bekah and I have found you a date. In fact, Rebekah went to fetch him."
"A pity date!" Caroline threw up her hands in frustration.
"Not to worry, darling. I know for a fact you'll like him." He winked at her and Caroline wanted to punch Kol right in his teeth.
Caroline was about to ask Kol for the details on her mystery date, but then Klaus came in the room, followed by Rebekah.
"Coming to gloat?" She asked Klaus in an annoyed tone.
He shook his head and flashed his infamous smirk. "Actually love, I'm your knight in shining armor."
"Your tailor did such a great job at hiding your armor under that black tux." She said, sarcastically, making it clear that she wasn't in the mood for a joke.
"Aww, Caroline. Won't you please let Klaus be your escort?" Rebekah begged. "It's my birthday."
She glared at her two best friends for setting this up.
"You said I'd like him." She said, glaring at Kol.
Kol shrugged. "In my defense, you two snogged in bed on more than one occasion."
He and Rebekah didn't bother to refrain their snickers.
Caroline picked up another pillow and threw it right at Kol's face. She was surprised when Klaus did the same.
"Hey!" Kol grumbled.
"Let's get going." Klaus said, while offering his arm to Caroline.
Klaus escorted Caroline to the main ballroom, staying silent at her side until they were in the ballroom. Many people came to greet them – or rather, greet Klaus Mikaelson. Caroline just forced a smile and nodded as she passively listened to the small talk Klaus would exchange with each person.
After nearly ten long minutes, Klaus excused them for a dance.
"Lighten up, love. It's a party." He said, in that playful flirty British accent of his.
She took in a deep breath and with her exhale, she released all the irritation and tension from earlier. He was right. It was a party and Rebekah's happiness meant more to her.
With her hand in his and his other on her back, she felt like he was sweeping her away from her annoyance with Kol. It felt nice, just dancing across the ballroom. She was thankful to her grandmother for taking her to ballroom dancing lessons. Otherwise, she'd be making a fool of herself on the dance floor in front of Klaus. She didn't know why the thought made her feel embarrassed, but she pushed the thoughts away and let him lead.
"What happen to your date?" She asked, curiously.
"She can't make it. Her jet took off later than planned. She's coming over from Australia."
"Couldn't find anyone in the states to date you?" She teased, to which he chuckled.
"She is a U.S. citizen, just returning from vacation." He explained, as he spun her around on the dance floor. "But my parents set the whole thing up. She comes from old money. Her parents and mine have been trying to set us up recently and we seem to always miss each other. I have yet to meet this woman."
An unsettling feeling stirred in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it. The last thing she wanted to feel was a tickle of jealousy over Klaus Mikaelson's dates.
"But I'm glad she didn't arrive tonight." He stated.
"I'm sure she's lovely." Caroline said politely.
He shrugged and said, "That may be true. But then I wouldn't be dancing with you right now as your escort."
He looked down, staring deeply into her ocean blue eyes and he couldn't help but want to drown in it. This time she couldn't hide the smile forming on her lips.
That was the night she started dancing with the devil. Yet, despite everything that happened before then and everything that would happen thereafter, she chose to see the good in him. She didn't, nor did she have the power to silence his demons. Rather, her angels played with his demons and danced to a song only they could hear.
FLASHBACK – CAROLINE AND KLAUS STUCK IN A STORM
Caroline loved the weather – rain or shine, sleet or snow. She mostly loved storms with fat rain drops, loud thunder, and bright lightening. She sat down at the bay window, gazing out. She was patiently waiting for Kol and Rebekah to return from their family trip at the Mikaelson manor. She was lucky the housekeeper let her in before the rain came. Instead of going to Rebekah's room, like she'd done many times before, she decided to sit down at the bay window in the living room. She was so mesmerized by the rain outside that she didn't snap out of it until she felt something fall onto her thigh. A small shiny cooper penny glistened in her lap. She looked up to see Klaus Mikaelson standing a few feet away from her.
"Penny for your thoughts."
She gave him a small smile, which he returned with his infamous smirk. She straightened her back and made some room for him to sit next to her.
They hadn't spoken much since Rebekah's birthday party. He was her escort for the night, but afterward, they went on living their lives as they were. Anyway, Caroline was busy with her school work to bother dating anyone right now. Not that she wanted to date Klaus…
"Where's Rebekah and Kol? And the rest of your family?" She wondered.
Klaus explained that he decided to come home earlier than the rest of his family, before the weather warning announcement. Apparently, the Mikaelson family were stuck on their trip and had to wait until the storm past. He decided not to tell her the reason he chose to leave earlier than expected. After his fight with his father, seeing Caroline brightened his mood.
"Well, I'm glad you made it here safely."
Her genuineness made him flash a small smile, something he didn't show often. It was nice to hear someone care about his well-being for a change, rather than just his career or school.
"I should go. I'll come back when they return." Caroline said, while standing up.
Klaus stood up with her and before he registered what he was doing he said, "Stay."
She raised an eyebrow at him, questioning his motives. It was fair for her to do, given his character. "Is this part of your plan to sleep with me, again?"
"There's a storm out there and Bekah would kill me if I let her best friend die in the storm." He reasoned. "You can stay in Bekah's room and I'll be in mine. But if you absolutely want to sleep with me, be my guest…. So long as you beg at least three times… on your knees." He joked in a playful tone and winked at her, which prompted her to laugh.
She pursed her lips to mask her smile, while she considered his offer. It would be stupid for her to drive in this weather condition, now that the lightning and thunder rolled in.
"Fine." She said, rolling her eyes and pretending to be annoyed. She sat back down.
"You still haven't shared your thoughts, and I paid good money for it." Klaus said eyeing the penny that dropped on the ground when she stood up and let it fall from her lap.
Caroline looked out the window. "I just love the rain."
"What's so interesting about the rain?" He asked.
She thought about an answer, but then came up with an idea that would be better than words. She stood up and grabbed his hand. He tried to resist and asked her what she was doing, but she kept telling him to trust her. He reluctantly gave in to her strange behavior and allowed her to drag him away from the bay window. He didn't expect to leave the manor, but then she opened the front door and pulled him out into the rain.
"Just you wait! There's a feeling that I get when I stand in the rain and it's one of the best feelings in the world." She said in excitement.
"If you are referring to the cold and wetness of the rain, then yes. I feel it. Now let's go back inside before either of us gets a cold."
Their clothes were quickly drenched and their hair was soaking wet within seconds of standing in the rain.
She let go of his hand and closed her eyes. She raised both of her arms up and held it out on either sides of her to form a T-stance. She loved standing like this, embracing the rain.
With the beat of the raindrops, she started twirling around and dancing like a little girl playing in the rain. And no matter how ridiculous she may have looked, Klaus couldn't help but wear the same smile she wore. Her happiness was contagious and despite the darkness of the storm, she emitted the only ray of light that he could actually feel from within. Her carefree laughter drowned out the sound of fat raindrops and her laughter was the only soundtrack he wanted to hear on repeat. Klaus realized for the first time, how truly beautiful she looked. He'd seen her dressed in beautiful dresses and gown, and now she was soaking wet, but he couldn't help thinking the water glistening on her skin glowed when the lightning flash.
She stopped spinning to face him and asked, "Aren't you going to play in the rain?"
His mood was lighter, but he wasn't about to embarrass himself in front of her. "I don't know how to play in the rain and even if I tried, I'd be horrible at it."
"Fine." She replied. "But at least feel the rain."
She stepped forward, closing the distance between them, stopping only inches away from him. She reached for his wrists and this time, he didn't resist her when she tugged his hands out of his pocket. She could feel his hot breath against her cold lips. Gently, she glided her fingers down his wrists following the slowest speed of a raindrop. She titled her head back so that their eyes locked. Her delicate fingers tickled his palms, until her fingers tangled with his. At the same time, they squeezed each other's hands and an electric current shocked them and invoked a surprising warmth between them.
"Do you feel it?" She asked, gazing up at him behind her long wet lashes.
He squeezed her hand again and said, "I feel you."
Without missing a beat, he pulled her against his chest and his lips came crashing down onto hers. He half-expected her to pull away from him when she let go his hand, but instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down to her. He cupped her face with one hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb, while his other arm wrapped around the small of her back.
Neither of them knew it then, but he became the storm in her life, yet she loved to the play in the rain.
PRESENT TIME – STORY TIME WITH BONNIE, STEFAN, AND KATHERINE
"That's so romantic!" Bonnie gushed.
Katherine rolled her eyes and pretended to vomit. "There's still more to the story."
"That's right, Katherine." Stefan agreed. "Their relationship wasn't just about romance or sex. Klaus confided in Caroline, more so than anyone else, including his family."
FLASHBACK – kLAUS' GRADUATION
The Mikaelson manor was full of people, young and old, celebrating Klaus Mikaelson's graduation from Yale Law School. Klaus never personally invited her, but Kol and Rebekah took it upon themselves to invite their own friends. Everyone who was anyone was present. Lawyers, politicians, a few celebrities, and other important people were there. Needless to say, Klaus was too busy to be bothered with a greeting from Caroline.
They may not have been close, but he deserved to be congratulated and recognized for his accomplishment. She maneuvered her way through the crowd, hearing bits and pieces of small-talk conversations about Klaus and the Mikaelsons – some good, but mostly gossip. She stopped shortly, beyond the group of people surrounding him. Older men dressed in business suits took the place of his usual frat boys and washed up girls hanging around him. Instead of the smile she'd expect to see on the face of a graduated man, she saw an old man's grimace. He didn't seem all that happy, standing with the older men. His father was talking most of the time, getting most of the attention.
He lifted his eyes from the drink in his hand and his eyes met with hers. She wasn't expecting him to notice her, so when he finally did, she awkwardly smiled and inwardly chided herself for looking like a lovesick teenager seeing her crush in the hallway. She didn't know why she felt embarrassed, she just knew her face was probably red because he smirked and looked down at his drink, as if he was holding down his laughter.
Before she had a chance to walk away and save herself from further embarrassment, Esther started clinking her glass to get everyone's attention. Conversations ceased and everyone turned their attention to Esther, coming to stand next to Klaus and Mikael. The crowd around them backed away to give them some room and allow everyone else to seem him.
"Thank you all for joining us in celebrating Niklaus' accomplishment," Esther said, wearing her tight-lipped smile. Caroline always noticed that Esther always wore a tight-lipped smile every time she saw her, despite the occasion. "I'm very proud of Niklaus finishing the first in his class."
She stopped her speech when everyone decided to clap. Some of the people around Caroline's age shouted and cheered their praise. It was a big deal to graduate as the valedictorian at Yale Law School. Everyone who graduated the first in his class was always remembered.
"The first in his class, but the salutatorian was only half a point a way." Mikael said, once everyone stopped clapping. He said it as if it was a bad thing and the room went silent, letting Mikael's sinister laugh echo around the manor. "But at least the boy finished!" He followed up, clapping his hand.
The crowd of people followed and began cheering again, as if Mikael's throw of shame went unnoticed. Esther told everyone to enjoy the rest of the night and people resumed to their conversations.
Caroline noticed Klaus slithering away from his father's side and walking toward the backdoors. She also noticed his hands balled to fists at his sides and his less-than friendly glare as he pushed his way through the crowd. She probably shouldn't be the one to check up on him, but it didn't seem like anyone else noticed. She followed him past the people gathered just outside the doors and huddled near the pool, ignoring everyone on his way. He proceeded down the paved pathway to the cottage they had in their backyard. It was a guest cottage, but Klaus, Kol, and Rebekah usually used it when they threw parties at the manor. Caroline was still way behind when Klaus entered the cottage and kicked out the drunken college students. He slammed the door shut as soon as they scurried their way back.
A part of Caroline wanted to turn back and leave him be, but she knew that if she was in his place, she'd want someone there. She walked over to the door and knocked on it twice before he answered.
Klaus had his mouth opened, ready to yell, and expecting to see the drunken students he'd just kicked out, but was surprised to find Caroline standing before him.
"Hi." She said awkwardly, not really knowing what else to say.
"What do you want?" He asked, his voice harsh.
She wanted to roll her eyes at him, but she didn't. She just couldn't believe that they were back to this. They'd gotten along the last few times, and now he was treating her as if she was some stranger.
"I saw you in there and you seemed upset, so I…" She didn't quite understand it herself as to why she followed him. She just did. "I'm sorry." She apologized. "I'll just go." She felt like such an idiot for thinking it was ok to follow him to the cottage. What was she expecting? It was Klaus. They weren't even friends. What did she think was going to happen?
As she turned around and attempted to leave, Klaus reached for her hand.
It surprised him probably more than her. He felt stupid for not noticing her following him to the cottage, but it felt strangely nice having someone coming to check up on him. He didn't remember the last time anyone of his family members did that.
He let go of her hand when she froze in place.
"Stay. Be here... with me."
He turned around, hoping she'd stay with him. He'd come to the cottage seeking some time alone, but decided to welcome her company. He walked over to the kitchen and prepped them drinks when he heard her enter and close the door.
She sat down on the couch, waiting for him to finish. She thanked him when he gave her the drink.
"Don't listen to him. You came out on top and that's all that matters." She said, breaking the silence.
He shrugged, giving off a cold shoulder. "I don't know what you're referring to."
"Your father." She replied.
He shrugged. "I can never seem to appease him." He took a sip of his bourbon and set it back down.
"What is this place, anyway?" She asked, admiring her surroundings.
"It was Henrik's version of a treehouse. Mum refused to build him a wooden play area in trees, so he settled for a cottage." Klaus explained. .
Caroline remembered Rebekah and Kol mention their little brother, Henrik who died at an early age.
She noticed how the mention of his little brother made Klaus uneasy. He threw his head back as he gulped down his glass of bourbon.
"Hey, take it easy. Wouldn't want the future President of the United States to be known as an alcoholic." She teased, recalling his confession of becoming the President of the United States. She wanted to make the tone lighter, but it didn't seem to lift his mood.
"Being President was Henrik's dream."
Klaus didn't plan on telling her, especially not in his mood, but being in Henrik's old space made tugged at his heartstrings a tad bit more than he wanted. He hated telling the story, but it was the only one that haunted him.
"Did Bekah or Kol ever tell you how Henrik died?"
Caroline shook her head. She never wanted to pry on a sensitive matter.
"Figures." He shrugged, while pouring himself another glass. "Our father never wanted anyone to know the truth. He gathered all documents and hid them from public records."
"The truth about his death?"
"The truth about how I killed my brother."
Caroline blinked back at him, gaping and struck frozen in her stance. She was still processing the statement in her head. She certainly must have heard him wrong.
He took another swig of his bourbon and began telling the story of his brother.
Klaus was a sophomore in high school at the time. He and his buddies were planning a hunting trip out in the woods to hunt some elk. Klaus knew the rules set by their father: Kol, Rebekah, and Henrik weren't allowed to go hunting without their father's supervision, so he never planned to bring any of them and neither one of his older brothers were interested in joining that weekend. Henrik, being the little sneak, hid himself in the backseat of Klaus' truck. He didn't reveal himself until Klaus parked his car at the camp spot, deep into the woods. Klaus planned to drag Henrik back home, but Henrik begged and pleaded to stay. Giving into his little brother's pleas, he let his parents know Henrik was with him and that he'd be back the day after tomorrow.
Klaus remembered the way Henrik held a grin on his young boyish face at the camp fire that night, surrounded with Klaus' buddies. The following day, the boys set out for the hunt and Henrik was the most excited of them all. He even caught shot one down. That night, the boys were celebrating their victory when they heard a howl off in the distance. Being boys, they howled along with them with Henrik the loudest of them all. They all laughed and cheered, celebrating their kills, but the night went south when a pack of wolves surrounded their campsite.
The boys had tried to scare them off, but the pack didn't deter. There was only one option: to flee the campsite. Klaus made sure to keep Henrik at his side. When they started running toward their cars, Klaus held onto his brother's hand. He was practically dragging him along, since Henrik had a hard time keeping up.
They were near Klaus' truck when one of the wolves pounced onto Henrik, tackling him to the ground, forcing him to let go of Klaus' hand. The other wolves continued to chase after the other trucks leaving. The rabid wolf started biting Henrik's arms and neck. Henrik's horrid screams of terror filled Klaus' ears. A few of the boys stayed back to help Klaus by throwing rocks at all the wolves. Klaus frantically searched and found a big branch stick on the ground. He used all his power and frustration to force the wolf off Henrik.
It gave them enough time to pull Henrik away and carry him to the car. The boys were able to run away, with the wolves chasing at their tail. One of Klaus' friends drove while Klaus sat in the backseat, with Henrik's head on his lap.
Klaus tried to sustain Henrik's wounds, but there were too many. His blood was smeared all over the place. By the time they brought him to the nearest hospital, he was pronounced dead after sustaining a ton of blood loss caused by traumatic injuries.
"There's not a day where I don't think about Henrik or how I killed him. I should have drove him back home."
"You couldn't have known that was going to happen. You can't blame yourself for what happened."
"I can and I will. My father blames me and he has every right to do so. His death is on my hands."
Caroline usually had something to say, but this time she couldn't form the words after hearing such an unfortunate loss of life.
"That night before the hunt, at the campfire, we were talking about future colleges and careers. At the time, I had no aspirations of being anything other than a trust fund kid. But Henrik said he thought I was capable of becoming the President of the United States. My mates hollered and joked about it, but Henrik was serious." He took another swig of his bourbon. "It sounds quite silly of me, really, but I want to be the man Henrik thought I was capable of being. In a way, I want to commemorate him by becoming President and living out the dreams he aspired for me."
This whole time, Caroline thought Klaus wanted to be President to beat his father and gain more power, but she was wrong. His aspirations of becoming President was in honor of his late brother.
She spent the night with him, without taking her clothes off and it was a nice change – being able to connect with him other than being sexually intimate. She appreciated him confiding in her about his brother's death. It was nice, seeing Klaus open up to her without the alpha male façade he usually put on. She left the Mikaelson manor the next morning, hoping she'd get to see that side of him more often.
PRESENT TIME - STORY TIME WITH KATHERINE AND STEFAN
"That's so tragic." Bonnie said, wiping a tear after hearing Henrik's death. "But the fact that Klaus became president because his late brother believed in him - well, that's just so sweet."
"Yea. From there, Caroline and Klaus ran into each other a lot at the court house. He flirted his way into her heart."
"But... why did they break up? Why did President Klaus marry Madame First Lady Haley?" Bonnie asked, still not clear on the history of Klaus and Caroline.
"That's because Stefan is sugar coating it!" Katherine said, pointing an accusatory finger at him.
"I am not." Stefan replied. "I wanted Bonnie to know the President and Caroline had a relationship that was more than sex and arguments."
"So there's more to the story?" Bonnie questioned, even though she guessed that there had to be.
"Of course Kol and Rebekah were happy when Klaus and Caroline made their relationship official." Katherine said. "Elijah and Finn - back then - didn't care much when they started dating. But mommy and daddy Mikaelson didn't exactly have their arms wide open."
FLACKBACK - MIKAELSON DINNER
They became very fond of each other over the year. It was the first time Klaus officially had a girlfriend and it was definitely the first time he brought a woman to dinner to meet his family. Caroline had been over for dinner in the past, but only as Rebekah and Kol's best friend and their father was never present. Klaus decided it was time to introduce her as his girlfriend. He wasn't looking to be tied down in a marriage, but he acknowledged the seriousness of their developing relationship and he couldn't ignore it any longer.
Everyone was present at the table, except for patriarch of the family – Mikael Mikaelson. He was usually late for dinners, but today Caroline was a little on edge. It was the night Klaus planned to declare Caroline as his girlfriend to his father. Mikael's approval meant everything to the Mikaelsons. So it was a big deal.
Klaus had his hand on Caroline's thigh, stroking her slowly to ease her nervousness, while they listened to Kol and Rebekah tease each other. Finn, Elijah, and Sage were engaged in a conversation on the other side of the table, near the empty seat of the patriarch. All noise silenced when Mikael entered the room. Esther cued the maids to start dinner, while Mikael settled down.
"How are you today, father?" Rebekah asked, putting on her best well-mannered tone for the sake of her father's presence.
"Good. Thank you, Rebekah." He replied, wearing a very small smile.
Mikael had a soft spot for Rebekah, since she was the only daughter of his children.
He went on to ask Finn and Elijah how work had been treating them and they all shared some small talk. Caroline tried to listen in on their conversation, but her heart was beating louder than she wanted to hear.
"Who is your guest, Niklaus?" Mikael asked, bluntly.
Surely, he'd seen Caroline in the past, but she was always seated next to Rebekah as an indication of her being Rebekah's guest. Tonight, Caroline was sitting next to Klaus.
"I'm glad you asked, father. I'm sure you remember Caroline, but I wanted to let everyone in the family know that Caroline is officially my girlfriend."
Rebekah grinned in satisfaction, but Kol knudged her as a sign to tell her to stop. She looked to her father and saw his nostrils flaring and disgust creeping up his lips in a harsh scowl.
"You are still but a fool, Niklaus." Mikael said, with a unsympathetic tone.
"Father –"
"Have you not considered your future? That woman is not fit for you! I tell you to find a woman like Finn did with Sage. Sage has no aspirations of outshining Finn as he proceeds in his career. Besides, that girl comes of no money. She has nothing to offer you."
"What my husband is trying to say, is that we don't think you're fit to marry our Niklaus." She said, using a gentle tone. "Don't get us wrong, Caroline, you are a beautiful, smart, hard working woman, but that's just it – you are a working woman."
Caroline looked at her desperately confused.
"Niklaus needs a wife that will be by his side when he runs for Governor. Not someone who will outshine him with her own career goals."
"That woman –"
"Caroline." Klaus muttered under his breath. He'd had enough of his parents referring to Caroline as "that woman." They acted as if she was some prostitute or wench he'd pick up off the street.
"Excuse me?" Mikael said, eyes widening in the most chilling way.
"Caroline." Klaus repeated. "Her name is Caroline." He said, enunciating each syllable.
Esther took note of Mikael glowering at Klaus for speaking out of turn, while clenching the butter knife handle in his right hand. She hated when it came to this, between her husband and son. She looked to Finn and Elijah with a knowing look that they'd use over the years. It was her signal to her eldest children to advise them to escort everyone of out of the room. Finn and Elijah nodded as they placed a hand on Rebekah and Kol's shoulders indicating it was time to leave. Elijah was about to reach Caroline, when Klaus stopped him.
"Caroline stays with me." Klaus spoke up, as Caroline got up from her seat. She wasn't sure what to say or do. She risked a stolen glance at Mikael and she saw the menacing glare he kept on Klaus.
"Mikael, please." Esther said using a sweet voice. She knew it was a useless effort, but she did it anyway for Caroline's sake. After all, she did like Caroline, but as Rebekah's best friend, not at Niklaus' wife.
"I'm taking Caroline home." Klaus said, as he got up and threw him napkin on the table.
Klaus stormed out and Caroline had no choice but to follow after him, not knowing what to say to make up for the night.
The drive home was a silent one, with only the hum of his car in their ears. When they reached her house, he turned off his engine and sat there, staring straight ahead.
"He's right." Klaus said, finally breaking the silence.
"What are you talking about?"
"He's right." He said, again. "My father is right. I want to be governor. I want to be President. I need a wife that will be there for me through it all. I need a wife that won't outshine me. You're -"
"I can't believe this."
"Caroline, you have to understand-"
"Oh, I understand. All you care about is protecting the precious Mikaelson name and making sure that your family stays on top. God forbid anyone in the Mikaelson family to marry anyone who has aspirations in life that is much bigger than being a glorified trophy house wife!"
She couldn't stand to be in the presence of any Mikaelson any longer. She let herself out, half-wanting him to ask her to stay, but he didn't. He watched her as she left his side.
Caroline slammed her front door angrily. She didn't understand why tears were starting to fall from her eyes. It wasn't like she was in love with Klaus. They'd been seeing each other exclusively, but still...
Her heart hurt, like it didn't before. And it wasn't just because the Mikaelson family didn't think she was good enough for Klaus. It hurt her more, knowing that Klaus believed all of that. Granted he defended her name, but still - he believed his father's words, despite having been against his father's views for most of his life. Yet there was Klaus, agreeing with everything his father said.
But she still didn't understand why she was hurting so much? So what if he decided she wasn't good enough for him. She didn't even like him at first.
And with all the reasons she gave herself not to cry over him, she still couldn't stop the tears from coming.
PRESENT TIME - STORY TIME WITH STEFAN AND KATHERINE
"He just broke up with her just like that?" Bonnie asked.
Katherine nodded. "He went on to marry the woman that his parents have been trying to set him up with since Rebekah's 21st and she became Madame First Lady Haley Marshall Mikaelson."
"President Klaus married Madame First Lady Haley right before he ran for governor. Mean while, Caroline went on to become the infamous fixer of D.C. She was a rising star at the law firm and became heavily invested in legal political cases. That's when Klaus decided he wanted Caroline back."
"But not as his girlfriend." Katherine added. "He wanted her back to run his presidential campaign."
"And she just agreed?"
"Of course not!" Katherine exclaimed. "She made him work for it, but then he weaseled his way back into her heart."
"Let's save the story for another time." Stefan said.
Bonnie frowned, wanting to know more.
How'd you guys like it?
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xx, Bri