Chapter 12

Klaus, as always, was true to his word. When she woke the next morning she saw a black box accompanied with a white ribbon, much like the one the bracelet had been in, on her desk. The fact that the hybrid had been in her room should have scared her, but she found herself incapable to be afraid of him now. She first picked up the invitation on the rich parchment that was placed upon the box.

"Please join the Mikaelson's family this evening."

She frowned at the written name. She never even thought that Klaus would have a surname. Probably because something trivial like that was too human for him, she concluded. On the front were all the details; time and location. Knowing there was bound to be more she flipped the card over to see the personal message in Klaus's unmistakable elegant script.

"I'm holding you to that promise.

Fondly, Klaus."

She sighed in resignation. She was grateful she had attended many dance lessons in her life to prepare her for later. Caroline reluctantly opened the box next knowing she would, against her will, love its contents. She was greeted with a beautiful, luxurious blue dress covered in sparkles. She gasped in amazement in its beauty. If there was one thing she could say in certainty, it was that Klaus had very good taste.

She ran her fingers over the soft material. She wondered why he chose blue for her. It was probably because his own eyes were blue, the self-important egotistic being that he was. She grinned at the thought, knowing it probably wasn't true. She caught her reflection in the mirror, her own blues eyes staring back at her. She held the dress up to herself and saw the replication in the mirror smile back at the comparison between the clothing and her eyes.

They were a perfect match.

"Who are you bringing to the ball this evening?" Esther asked her son. An almost bashful look came across Klaus's face before he covered it up with a small laugh.

"I can answer that mother." Elijah intercepted from the next room.

"Oh?" Kol piped up, suddenly very interested, "Do tell Elijah."

Klaus growled. "How about both of you shut up and stick to the conversation in the room you're currently in."

Esther joined in, "My, my. Who is the lucky lady Niklaus?"

He looked at his mother with an annoyed look in the hope it would stop her interest. It may have worked had his sister not chosen to show up at that time.

Rebekah leant against the doorframe. "Who did you compel to love you this time brother?"

Kol, who had followed, peeked over her shoulder, "And if she's cute may you share her? I seem to find myself in the unfortunate predicament of being dateless."

Rebekah looked up from observing her newly polished nails in fake shock, "You mean the young and humble bachelor who rarely mentions his dashing good looks every five minutes is single?"

"Don't be so judgemental Bekah." He smiled unkindly, "It's not like you have a date either."

"That's true." She agreed with a pleased grin, "Well, not yet I don't."

Kol pouted. "I was hoping we could go together, dear sister." At her instant denial he turned to Klaus, "As I was saying before –"

"No." Klaus harshly interrupted, feeling a headache on its way because of his family's antics.

Kol's smile grew, "I promise not to charm her too much. But if at the end of the night she wishes to return with me and not you…well, it won't be very surprising since it's me."

The brothers exchanged a heated glare that neither was willing to back down from. Esther crossed her arms in irritation at her children's quarrels, prepared to step in and command them to stop when the inevitable threats began.

"I said no, Kol." Klaus's words were sharp, "Do not test me on this matter."

"Interesting." Kol smirked as he teased, "Do you care for this girl?"

Klaus took a threatening step towards Kol, who merely adjusted his bowtie while keeping eye-contact, deliberately showing how unaffected he was.

Elijah appeared before a fight started and rested a hand on each of Kol's and Rebekah's shoulder. "What is the problem Niklaus?" He returned Klaus's hostile glare with a calm stare, "I believe you said no real feelings were involved."

The three family members stood there expectantly, waiting for Klaus's answer.

Klaus slammed the door in his sibling's faces.

Esther raised an elegant eyebrow at the action, "I'm not sure that was the best method to earn their forgiveness."

"No," he agreed, "but it's the best way for some peace."

"Well, whoever she is, I don't believe she would appreciate you dressed like that." She indicated to his casual attire, "You should start preparing yourself for her."

"Don't be ridiculous," he muttered, but nevertheless went to change.

Esther let her happy pretence slip away and be replaced with melancholy now that she was alone. She had never considered there may be someone who would mourn her children's deaths – especially not Niklaus. She questioned if he had truly changed so much to freely earn love from another. Regardless, even if that was so, he was still an abomination and thus the plan would still be set in motion.

Caroline stood nervously in the ever growing crowd. Despite being glammed up like the rest of them she felt out of place. She briefly entertained the thought of running out the mansions massive front doors before anyone noticed her. This ball was simply a ruse of hiding behind expensive garments in an attempt to create a false pretence of friendship.

She found herself fiddling with the diamond bracelet in her anxiety. For the first time since Klaus had given it to her she had decided to wear it. She did say she would wear it on a special occasion and if this wasn't special, then nothing was. From the stares she was attracting from the male audience she figured the set Klaus had given her was working.

She was able to make out a few familiar faces across the large foyer. Elena was accompanied by both Stefan and Damon — no surprise there. She saw Matt smiling shyly at Rebekah and frowned when Rebekah laughed, the sound poisonous from her lips. Did Matt have a death sentence? Although the same could very much be said for her accepting Klaus's invitation. She easily spotted Klaus among the crowd who was socialising with the human guests, full of host charm as he earned a laugh from the brunette he was standing with. As if he felt her eyes on him, Klaus met her gaze intently.

Once Klaus saw her, he was unable to look away. He had always known from the moment he laid eyes on her that she was beautiful. For a vampire she was radiant, and glowed unlike any other he had met. She was breath-taking and seeing her now, standing there so timid in the dress he had picked out for her, made him easily forget everyone else's existence.

Caroline braced herself and started walking towards him, suddenly self-conscious from the look he was giving her when he met her halfway.

"Good evening Caroline." Klaus greeted when she approached, charming in every way.

She felt almost giddy, as if on a first date. The expensive black tuxedo he was wearing reminded her once again of how handsome he was. She wasn't ready for this yet; to face him after their encounter last night where they had both been more exposed.

"I need a drink." She said blatantly. Or two. Or three.

Caroline marched past him as fast as she could in her attire heading for the champagne, wasting no time by pouring herself her own drink as the waiter was busy serving another. She easily finished the first glass and glanced behind to see if Klaus was still watching her.

He was.

Caroline went to grab another wine but a hand shot out and snatched the object away before her fingertips could even touch the glass. Annoyed, she glared at the rude intruder ready to take all her anger out on him.

The intruder was unaffected and smiled back, "You'll have to be quicker than that."

She took an instant disliking to the handsome stranger. "Or maybe you should be politer."

He laughed, "I like you. You've got fire." He admired her hungrily, not bothering to be discreet, "I can see why my brother is interested."

He saw her confused look and nodded in the direction of Klaus. Caroline followed his gaze she and turned back round immediately as a glare returned to her face. Even from this distance she could see that Klaus was watching them both with an annoyed expression.

"You're a Mikaelsen." Caroline said resentfully.

She scolded herself for not realising straight away. Of course he was one of the Originals. They all seemed to be blessed with godly good looks and rich accents.

"Kol Mikaelsen, to be exact." He extended his hand.

She ignored it, not having the patience to deal with another Mikaelsen. "Not interested."

"I admit my family is quite a troublesome bunch. I, on the other hand, am nothing less than charming." Kol flashed a smile that was annoyingly attractive, "Care to find out just how charming I can be?"

Caroline blinked as any attraction she felt towards him disappeared in a flash. "Wow. You know what? Keep that drink. You'll need it for when every girl here realises what an egotistical idiot you are."

And with that, she spun on her heels and walked away leaving a very annoyed Kol in her wake.

Kol let his still extended hand drop to his side and his playful smile vanished into a menacing scowl. That hadn't turned out quite as he had planned. He had betted on being able to easily allure the young lady his brother had chosen and delight in the discomfort it would surely have caused Klaus for the rest of the night.

He had first spotted Caroline shortly after she arrived and had witnessed the brief interaction she shared with his brother from the staircase above. He instantly knew this was the girl Klaus had been reluctant to share any details about when he saw the longing look Klaus gave her and how he never broke his gaze from Caroline, even long after she had walked off. Kol had to admit his brother had good taste; she was very pretty to catch even his eye. But not pretty enough to humiliate him and get away with it.

Kol was done playing nice.

The Mikaelsen's all stood on the extravagant staircase, looming over the guests below. Klaus half-heartedly listened to his brother's announcement while scanning the faces to find the only one he was interested in. He smirked in accomplishment when he found her and kept his eyes remaining there.

Elijah spoke to the crowd, "Tonight's pick is a centuries old waltz. So if you could all find yourselves a partner, please join us in the ball."

The crowd instantly erupted into whispers and people were already pairing up and making their way to the ball. Caroline stood uncertain on the side-lines as she watched the happy couples. She saw Damon whisk Elena away and felt a tinge of jealousy. Her mind drifted to Tyler and how it may have been if he was here. She pushed the thought away, knowing it would only result in depression.

Klaus descended the stairs and made his way straight to Caroline. He approached her and offered his arm. No words were needed.

She hesitated as the butterflies in her tummy grew, "Only one dance."

Klaus hid his disappointment, "That's all I ask for, Caroline."

"Well…I did promise." She took a deep breath and reached out, fitting her hand through his arm.

His beaming smile at her acceptance was rather cute, like he had expected rejection, and she couldn't help but smile sheepishly back as he guided her to the ballroom. They took their place and Klaus noticed how perfectly her hand fitted in his as they got into position.

As soon as the music started, Klaus was expertly leading her around the room. She cursed whoever had made the waltz an almost close embrace as she tried to hide her nervousness at being so near to him. Finding it difficult to hold his mesmerizing gaze she chose the easier option; to keep her eyes drifting to the other dancers. Matt was dancing with Rebekah and she hoped they would both feel the scolding glares she was directing their way.

Klaus drew her eyes back to him, "I'm glad you came."

She was all too aware of his hand on her lower back. "Yeah, well it was either caviar or sympathy casseroles."

Klaus nodded, understanding. "You needed the distraction."

Caroline didn't deny it. Being at this freaky Cinderella ball was better than being at home moping and having time to dwell on everything bad that had happened in her life.

"I knew you'd look ravishing with that dress on." He glanced at her wrist and smiled, "You're wearing my bracelet this time too."

She was going to make up a reason for wearing them but decided to remain silent. They were past excuses now.

They passed by Elena and Damon through the dance. Elena, as expected, was giving her a confused frown while Damon simply sent her a knowing smirk which Elena caught and she began fervently questioning him. Damon, annoyed, mouthed 'thanks Barbie' which Caroline returned with an apologetic smile and stopped listening to their conversation. She wasn't eager to learn what Elena thought of her current situation.

Klaus could have continued giving her endless compliments but there was a matter that had to be solved. "What did Kol want?"

"Weren't you listening?" She asked.

"Well I certainty tried." His smirk disappeared as he remembered the awful memory, "But Mayor Lockwood was rather insistent on talking to me about council matters. Several council matters."

Caroline giggled at his painful expression. "Sounds like you had fun."

Klaus took a moment to enjoy the light sound before insisting, "So…my little brother?"

"He just wanted to drop by and tell me how amazing he was. I kindly told him the truth." Caroline saw his pleased grin, "You seem rather happy about that."

"Delighted." He twirled her around. "You know, you're quite the dancer."

"Well I've had a lot of training." She informed him with pride, "I happen to be Miss Mystic Falls."

"I know." Klaus said ever so softly.

Caroline couldn't fight against the happy smile that made its way on her face. Klaus knew a little insignificant fact about her and she felt flattered he even bothered to find out such a thing.

After the first chorus it came to the part of the dance where they switched partners and Caroline was pleased to see it was Matt. This must have showed on her face because Klaus momentarily held her closer and whispered, "I'll find you after the dance."

Feeling light headed, she simply nodded in response. Klaus then unwillingly and very reluctantly released his hold on her and she twirled into the safe arms of Matt.

Caroline didn't hesitate, "What are you doing? Why are you here with the she-devil?"

"What was I supposed to say?" Matt said, frustrated, "No?" She was about to say yes, that's exactly what you should have said when he put in, "And why the hell are you here with Klaus?"

She huffed at the inevitable question that had no answer. The past week she had been asking herself the same thing every time she saw Klaus; why, why, why?

Why had he saved her life twice?

Why did Klaus shower her with gifts and attention?

Why, when she danced with Klaus, did she feel a nice and warm bubbly feeling everytime he complimented her?

Caroline settled for, "Don't even get me started."

"Stop staring. It's creeeeeepy." Damon told his current dance partner. Rebekah's eyes, however, stayed glued to the happily dancing pair.

"Of course she looks beautiful." She bit out in envy, "Nik gave her everything she's wearing."

"Everything?" Damon glanced over at Caroline again and whistled, "What do I have to do to get expensive gifts from Klaus as well?"

Rebekah smiled sweetly. "Cease to exist."

Damon smirked back with equal sweetness. He changed the subject entirely to a more serious one, "Is Klaus capable of love?"

Rebekah's eyes flicked to him for the first time since they started dancing. "Now why would you ask me that? I really hope this isn't you 'coming out.'"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm asking because the hybrid that ruined all our lives seems to have a new obsession with Caroline."

"Oh?" Her voice was now laced with interest, "I thought the one you loved was Elena."

"I wish," he gritted out, "everyone would stop announcing that. Look, I owe Caroline. Let's just say I was a cold hearted bastard who used her and now I feel obliged to help her out, et cetera et cetera…"

"Sounds believable." Rebekah glanced at Niklaus and her features softened. "He has loved before and he will undoubtedly fall again." She looked away and the hardness in her eyes returned. "He has terrible taste, as always."

Damon looked around curiously to see Klaus still gazing at Caroline, completely ignoring his current dance partner who looked greatly offended. He spotted Elijah, who had clearly perfected the waltz with elegance, also focusing on Klaus before he met Damon's gaze evenly. Elijah smiled and Damon could easily translate the meaning; I told you they had a relationship. I was right and you were wrong. He sighed as he held back the urge to be childish and stick his tongue out at Elijah. He concentrated back on Rebekah, "So…we can trust Klaus with her?"

"No." Rebekah answered simply, her eyes wandering back to Matt. "But that's how love works."

Damon didn't miss when Elena started leading Stefan outside, away from the dancers to presumably spend time alone. "…Sure is."

Kol swirled his champagne as he stood next to his clearly annoyed sister. "Where's your date?" He inquired devilishly, knowing it would increase her annoyance.

Rebekah sighed in irritation. "Flirting with his ex."

Kol looked over at the human boy his sister had, for some silly reason, invited to see Caroline next to him laughing freely. A vindictive smile appeared on his face as a plan began to formulate. Ruining that girl's life was almost disappointingly easy; however he would need his sister's co-operation.

"You've changed Bekah." Kol inspected the glass he was holding to appear indifferent. "You know, settling for mortals is the first sign of weakness."

As he predicted Rebekah was offended by the statement. "I'm not settling," she argued, "I brought him here to kill him."

Kol grinned; this really was far too simple.

"He's Elena's friend." Rebekah clarified. "If he dies, she suffers."

"She won't be the only one to suffer." Kol watched as happiness practically radiated from the young vampire as she spoke to the boy. That would all change soon.

Rebekah glimpsed at Kol in questioning but didn't pry. Her mind was only set on getting revenge on the doppelganger. "But I've already been scolded once." She smiled coyly and said innocently, "So, I was hoping you'd help your baby sister out."

Kol feigned uncertainty, "And spit right in the face of mothers rules?" He smirked as Caroline walked away, unaware it would be the last time she would see the human. He looked to his sister, excitement apparent in his eyes, "I'm in."