Caroline Forbes had this awful habit of waking up. She would stay up until the sun came out and passed out, but she still woke up, dreading the day in front of her, she opened her eyes sickeningly slow, as if it was deter the pain of the day. Caroline was supposed to meet up with Damon, Elena, Bonnie, Matt, and Stefan at the Grill.
When she woke up, she noted that she had about seven missed calls from Elena. Caroline groaned in spite of herself, typing in Elena's number and after one ring she picked up.
"Okay what the hell? Where have you been all day? It's 3:00 Caroline, what have you been up to?" Obviously Elena was in a rush.
Caroline moaned and put her hand on her forehead, "Sorry, I got to bed pretty late last night." Totally intentional though, after Klaus had left, she stayed up shaking to herself.
"Well take a shower and meet us at the Grill. We've been waiting - oh, and thanks for the heads up that Stefan was coming." Elena says, a slight whine in her voice.
"Oh shit." Caroline puts her hand on her forehead, "I totally forgot, I'm so sorry. I've been so out of it lately." Caroline climbs out of her bed and heads for her bathroom, turning on the shower to all the way hot, waiting for the water to warm up.
"I can tell." Elena grudgingly says, "Damon and Stefan have been fighting like there's no tomorrow, Bonnie's on the edge of just giving them massive headaches and then separating them or something."
"That'd probably be the best idea before Damon rips his heart out." Caroline looks in the mirror and takes note of her chapped lips, applying chapstick quickly.
Caroline can hear angry shouting in the background.
"I better go." Elena groans, "I'll see you in a bit." Elena hangs up the phone and Caroline puts her hand in the shower to test the water and notes that it's at the perfect temperature.
She strips down and quickly takes a shower.
Caroline climbs into her car and drives to the Grill, parking in the parking lot which seems to be over-piling with cars. So, two vampires are fighting in a over crowded bar, her life obviously couldn't get any easier.
She enters the Grill and she could already hear their shouting.
Caroline prances over to them, "Would you two just shut the hell up already? You're bringing unwanted attention." Caroline impatiently says, squeezing into the booth next to Elena.
"Tell this idiot that we had the coffins under control! Tell him that we had a plan!" Damon snaps at Stefan.
"Why don't you tell this idiot that his plan was stupid! And, that his plans never work!" Stefan snaps right back at him, they look ready to rip each other's throats out.
"What's done is done." Bonnie impatiently snaps at the boys, "Klaus has the coffins now and everyone is out, there is nothing we can do."
Elena nods, "I agree with Bonnie. Besides, what about this ball thing?"
Caroline looks down, flushing.
"Esther wants to talk to me." Elena says, and Damon and Stefan both have their attention on Elena now.
"Why?" Caroline asks, wondering why on earth Klaus's mother would want anything to do with her.
Elena shrugs, taking a drink of her Pepsi, "I don't know." Elena's brow furrows in frustration.
"Maybe she has some secret plan to marry you off to one of her sons." Damon raises a glass of scotch to Elena, downing it in one drink.
Caroline eyes the two, obviously there was some sort of tension between the two.
Elena flushed at his comment, "Of course not."
"So Caroline, did you get a invite to the ball?" Bonnie interrupts the awkwardness that seemed to be spreading near Damon and Elena.
"Um, yeah, I did." Caroline says, "What about you?"
Bonnie sighs, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Bonnie slips out of the booth and Caroline does the same, Bonnie leaves the grill with Caroline on her heels.
Bonnie digs into her pocket and takes out a necklace with the word 'beauty' embellished with gold.
"I found this, on my doorstep. With the invitation." Bonnie pulls the invitation out of her pocket, "I didn't know the Originals were into gifts."
Caroline takes the invitation from Bonnie and reads it eagerly.
To my witchy friend, I hope you do save a dance.
-Kol
"What the hell?" Caroline asks, eyeing the invitation, as far as Caroline knew, Kol was into her - not Bonnie. But obviously he had set his eyes on someone else besides her.
Not that she didn't mind, that meant she wouldn't receive obnoxious visits from him in the middle of the night.
But hell, he set his eyes on Bonnie it was as if he was signing his own death. Bonnie was a spitfire in her own way, she was seriously locked up and never opened up to anyone. She despised vampires with a fiery passion, the fact that she even let Caroline befriend her after becoming a vampire was still a mystery.
Also, Bonnie had been through a lot. She went through so much to keep Elena alive, it was unfair.
"I know, it's so weird. We meet once and apparently that means we're friends." Bonnie takes the letter back from Caroline and puts it in her back pocket, "Does this have something to do with you and Klaus?"
Caroline turns a bright red, "What? Klaus and I? What about us? Seriously, there is nothing about us - nothing."
Bonnie eyes her carefully, "I saw him leaving your house the other day."
The color fades from Caroline's face, "He was trying to make a good impression on the sheriff." Caroline gruffly says, "I had quite the surprise when I saw him trying to get a good impression on her."
Bonnie nods, but she obviously doesn't believe her, "Right. But what's up with this Kol kid, he thinks just because he was daggered in a coffin gives him the right just to pick any girl he pleases?" Bonnie rolls her eyes, "I don't think I'll even go."
"No no no!" Caroline protests immediately, "You are not leaving me alone with Damon, Elena, and Stefan drama. On top of that, there is loads of Original drama to think about too."
Bonnie groans, "But Caroline.."
"No buts! You are not throwing me to the wolves." Caroline sheepishly smiles in spite of herself for the wolf reference.
Bonnie grimaces, "Fine, but only because I wouldn't want you to deal with the drama by yourself." Bonnie links arms with Caroline and they walk back into the Grill.
Caroline had told Bonnie she'd meet her at the ball, mainly because Klaus insisted on picking her up. To add onto that, her Mother insisted on taking pictures, as if it was Prom or something. Her Mother waved this off by simply saying.
"You look gorgeous honey, wouldn't want to waste a good memory, would I?"
Sometimes she wish her Mother would keep her memories to herself.
Caroline had to link arms with a grinning Klaus and shoot a smile at the camera, but every now and then, her smile would falter and she'd be scolded.
"Would you at least pretend to be happy?" Klaus scolded her, "You're upsetting your Mother."
Caroline pretends not to hear him, but she does as he says, she pretends to be happy. Not for her, not for him, but for her Mother.
"Ah, Caroline. Be careful, also, don't worry about curfew tonight." Ms. Forbes beams at her daughter, hugging her tightly, "Be safe."
That was the understatement of the century. If she really had wanted her to be safe, she would have token her out of Mystic Falls the minute they got here.
"I will." Caroline reassures her Mother despite what her brain is thinking.
Klaus leads Caroline out to the car and they drive in silence before arriving.
"Why are you giving me the cold shoulder?" Klaus asks as they walk up to the huge mansion, "I must admit, you look ravishing in blue."
Caroline turns to glare at him, "I'm only going because your creepy brother is sending love notes to Bonnie."
"I thought you wanted to be here with me." Klaus mockingly says.
"Keep thinking." Caroline mutters under her breath as they walk in.
Klaus puts his hand in the middle of her back to guide her in, she jumps at the sudden contact.
"Someone's a bit jumpy today." Klaus notes, "No worries love, no harm will come to you tonight, by me or any of my siblings."
"Is that a promise?" Caroline asks, looking up at him.
"Of course." Klaus nods to himself, licking his lips.
"Caroline!" Caroline hears Bonnie call out to her.
Bonnie shows herself in a full length one shoulder shimmering black dress, she looks stunning.
"Oh my god." Caroline releases herself from Klaus to smile at Bonnie, "You look amazing."
Bonnie grins in spite of herself, "Thank you, what about you though? Blue is just great on you. So you're here with.. Klaus." Her voice falters.
"Miss. Bennett, I must admit, you look rather fierce tonight." Klaus smiles at her.
Who knew a sadistic murderer could make his smile look so genuine.
Bonnie nods to him, "Thank you, Klaus." She reaches into her clutch and takes out the necklace that Kol gave her, "Give this back to Kol for me, would you?"
Klaus eyes the necklace, accepting it into his palm, "Kol has been dropping gifts for you?"
"Unfortunately so. Also let him know that I won't hesitate to kill him." Bonnie says through a husky voice.
"Why love, if you didn't enjoy my gift, you could have found me." At the mention of Kol, he pops up out of no where, standing beside Bonnie with a smirk set between his lips.
Bonnie turns to glare at Kol, "Stop leaving gifts and creepy notes on my doorstep. It's getting on my nerves."
Kol smirks, "I thought you were the kind of woman that preferred presents over advances."
"I already told you I'm the type of woman that prefers humans." Bonnie states.
"But Vampires are much more fun. I forgot to add we never die or wither out." Kol smiles, "So, I stay handsome forever and you can stay beautiful forever with your witchy mojo."
Bonnie glares at him, "Vampires are just more temperamental and much harder to deal with." Bonnie shoves past him and stalks off.
"Well, quite the feisty one. But I've always enjoyed the challenge, brother." Kol turns to face Caroline and Klaus, "Look at you two, the hottest couple here." He says in a over enthusiastic voice.
"We are not dating." Caroline says through her teeth.
Kol smirks, looking down at his feet, "But I must admit, you look absolutely ravishing in that dress. Makes me wonder what's underneath.." Kol glides his fingers out, as if to stroke her arm, but he retrieves his hand quickly before she rips it off.
Caroline rolls her eyes at the young Original, "Thank you, for the first part. The second part makes me want to rip your heart out."
"I don't die, sweetheart." Kol says.
"I can try, can't I?" Caroline smiles in spite of herself.
Kol grins at Klaus, "You've picked quite the headstrong one, Klaus."
Klaus rolls his eyes, putting a protective arm around Caroline, "Nothing I can't handle. Why don't you go chase your witch friend some more? She obviously enjoys your company."
"Touche." Kol tips his head to Caroline and takes her hand and places his lips on her knuckles, leaving a soft kiss that lingers a fraction too long, "Have a nice night, Caroline."