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Stefan called for a meeting in Elijah's office with Kol and Elijah, while Elena met with Bonnie and Rebekah to lay out the plan. It was simple enough; they would just need to get Caroline to believe that Klaus had feelings for her and for Klaus to think the same of Caroline. The rest would be left to the natural chemistry between them. It was almost too easy, but Elena and Stefan both believed that it would work.
"All I am asking you two to do is to encourage him once we get him on the right track," Stefan explained.
Kol wasn't even sure why he was called into this meeting, and now he was really sure that he wanted nothing to do with any sort of plan that involved his brother's love life. "You want me to get my brother, who doesn't believe in love, to think that the blonde is in love with him?"
"Yes, essentially."
"I can see why you would want to meddle in Klaus's life, Stefan, since you have seen such happiness with Miss Gilbert, but are you sure that this Caroline is really the right person for him?" Elijah asked. "Any time the two are in the same room someone ends up storming out. They seem to infuriate each other."
"But that's the thing, isn't it Stefan?" Kol commented. "Elijah, you must not know the passion that lies behind those kinds of relationships. For as much as you annoy each other the passion is hiding underneath."
Elijah shook his head. That was just not the way that he did things. His relationships were always about partnerships, with people with similar values and ambitions. When he realized that there was an issue he ended things, plain and simple. His brothers on the other hand were hotheaded and more likely to make rash decisions like these. "Rebekah."
"Mmmm Rebekah, yes, she was one of them. She lives here in town doesn't she? I should really give her a call, she's an animal in bed."
"Will you do it or not?" Stefan interjected, uninterested in whatever Kol was going to speak of next.
"Yes," Elijah said, and Kol nodded. It was about time their brother met his match.
"I'm just saying that I think the two of them would be good together, that's all," Elena said to Bonnie and Rebekah. After Stefan told her that the man in the mask was really Klaus, Elena knew that this was the right thing to do for her friend. It was about time that Caroline found someone and realized that love was more than something for the movies.
"Klaus, though? I mean I understand your desire to set up your friend and all but I can't see how Klaus would be a good person for her," Rebekah told Elena as she sipped the cup of tea that Elena had made her.
Bonnie nodded. "From everything that I have heard about this guy, particularly from Caroline I think this is a bad idea. All I have heard is that he is a jerk and she fights with him constantly. How would they be good together?"
"You should have seen them at dinner with Stefan and me, there is chemistry there. Plus the first time that Caroline goes on about a guy since high school was the man in the white suit. Rebekah, what color was Klaus wearing at the benefit?"
"White, with a red mask and pocket square," Rebekah said without thought, "I chose it for him."
The revelation dawned on Bonnie. "That was him? Okay I guess I can play along, but if it all goes to hell I will say it was all your idea."
Rebekah was confused, "What does Klaus's suit have to do about anything?" Elena explained what had happened that night between Caroline and the man in the suit, how they had spent the evening talking and dancing. After hearing about how Klaus had told Caroline about the paintings in the gallery. "He talked to her about art? He never does that… I guess I can try and help," she told them reluctantly.
Elena smiled and told them exactly how she thought it would be best to convince Caroline that Klaus was more than just a person for her to argue with. It would take more than just a few words, Elena knew from experience that was not enough to sway Caroline. The first step would just be to perk her interest in the person that Klaus was, the person that discussed art with her and danced with her.
Caroline was sick of calling gossip magazines and paying them off not to talk about Kol Mikaelson and his adventures in their city. She basically had to babysit him, follow him around and try to get the paparazzi before they went to the papers and tabloids. Today after class she stopped by the hotel to find him passed out in the lobby, strewn across a couch, his jacket and tie hanging off the back of the couch. She had been called by Elijah who had been contacted via the management of Kol's condition and Elijah asked politely if Caroline would handle it.
Caroline flashed a smile at the concierge as she walked over to the couch, crouching near Kol's head. "Mr. Mikaelson?" she asked to see if he was awake or even conscious. His head lifted up slightly and he looked at her face.
"Why isn't it my brother's beautiful blonde?" Kol slurred.
Caroline didn't understand what he meant by the statement and shrugged it off as a drunken statement instead of truth. "Why don't we get up and get you into bed…"
Rolling his head to have it crack, Kol started to slowly move to a seated position. A front desk worker handed Caroline a bottle of water and Tylenol. Caroline thanked the man and gave the medication to Kol and forced him to drink the water. After finishing the bottle she helped Kol to his feet and towards the elevator.
"What's your room number?" Caroline asked.
Kol was confused and squinted, trying to remember what the number for the room was. "With Klaus," he explained. He fumbled inside of the pocket of his pants and produced a key, but it still didn't tell Caroline what the room number was. She took the key from him and waited for the elevator to arrive.
"Do you remember what floor?"
"Fifteen," Kol said without thinking. As the doors opened they walked into the elevator and Caroline pressed the button for the correct floor. She hoped that once they got to the floor Kol would remember which door to go into. As the doors opened again Kol stumbled out and headed down the hall before he chose one on the left side. "This one."
1511. Caroline made a mental note of it in case something like this happened again. She swiped the key card that Kol had handed her and turned the handle as the little light went green. Stepping inside she saw that it was one of the hotel's suites, with a sitting area, dining area and two bedrooms. It was almost as large as the apartment that she and Elena shared, and Caroline didn't even want to think about how much it probably all cost.
Kol walked over towards the kitchen and grabbed a glass in the cabinet and a bottle of Jack Daniel's that was on the counter. Caroline hadn't noticed his move over to the small kitchen, having been so captivated by the luxury and quickly ran over and plucked the bottle from his hand. "Maybe we should have some more water and then take a nap, Kol," she said as she placed the bottle back on the counter. She filled a glass with water and replaced the empty one in Kol's hand.
"You can't sleep with me," Kol stated. "That would make Klaus angry."
"I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the warning," Caroline said, still trying to shrug it off as something drunk people do.
Kol finished the water and started to stagger over to the bedroom, kicking off his shoes and socks on his way. Caroline followed after him, picking up the clothes and followed him into the bedroom. "He likes you, you know," Kol told her as he took his belt off. "And not just because you're fit as hell. You like art and literature, he likes that about a woman."
Caroline just nodded as she walked over to the closet and placed the shoes on the floor. Kol wasn't done yet though, he kept talking, "Klaus doesn't like to admit that he likes anyone, not after Tatia. That's why he argues with you, he wants to find fault in everyone he meets. He wants to prove to himself that people aren't worth his time."
Kol removed his shirt and pulled off his jeans before climbing into the bed. Caroline tried not to take anything he said seriously, but drunks were known for being honest. She walked over to the window and closed the blinds. When she turned around to say goodbye she saw that he was already asleep, and hadn't even bothered to get under the blankets. She had to smile at the way he looked so small in the large bed as she walked out of the room.
Klaus had finished his work for the day and was getting sick of hearing Stefan talk about Elena and Damon complain about Stefan that he just decided to head back to the hotel. When he got to the room he headed over to the kitchen and grabbed a Red Bull before making his way to the couch. He wasn't surprised when he heard the door to Kol's room open and turned around to greet his brother, only to see a familiar blonde instead.
"Caroline?" he asked as he turned to face her.
"Klaus! Oh my god, I didn't know you were here," she said as she jumped, surprised by the sound of her name. "You just scared the shit out of me."
"What are you doing in my hotel room? More specifically what are you doing in Kol's room?" Klaus asked a hint of anger in his voice. He had made it more than clear to his brother that Caroline was off limits, but he knew that his word probably didn't mean anything to his mischievous brother.
Caroline's eyes widened as she realized what it probably looked like from his perspective, "oh no, not that! Elijah called me about an hour ago. The hotel called to tell him that his brother was passed out in reception and they couldn't get him to move. And Elijah had a meeting or something so he asked me to take care of it."
Klaus understood completely, he had had his fair share of moments exactly like that one. It reminded him of his days in high school when he would have to throw his younger brother over his shoulder to get him out of the view of their parents. "Sounds like Kol, I'm sorry you had to come all this way. He can be quite a pain when he's drunk so I hope he didn't bother you all that much."
"Pain isn't the word I would use. Just… gossipy?" Caroline told him.
"Running his mouth about things that don't concern him, I bet. What was it this time?"
Caroline bit her bottom lip as she walked over to the living room and sat on one of the plush chairs. She took a moment to consider exactly how she wanted to word what Kol had told her but decided to avoid the main topic of conversation. "Who's Tatia?"
Klaus frowned, "yes, definitely things that are not any of his business. Tatia was my college girlfriend. We were going to get married, travel the world discussing art and making it a better place."
"What happened?" Caroline asked candidly. She was actually curious. Thinking back to the pictures that she had seen of him in high school she could picture the boy with the big dreams, and it looked as though Tatia was a piece of the puzzle that connected that boy to the man that sat in front of her today.
"She broke my heart, don't they all?" he replied. "One day I go back to our flat right off campus and open the door to see her in bed with one of my best mates, Finn. I guess she fell in love with him but didn't have the heart to tell me and didn't want to move out."
"I'm sorry."
"I don't talk about it much, and I don't want your pity. It was my past, and believe it or not I'm glad she broke my heart. I was living in a dream, and now I'm part of reality."
"So being in love is a dream?" Caroline asked.
"In a way yes, but my whole life was living in a fantasy world. A world where all that mattered was the future and world peace and making art. Love was just a piece of that fantasy."
Caroline stood up, no longer enjoying the conversation. Even as someone that didn't really think that highly of love, Klaus's perspective was extremely dark and pessimistic. "I thought I had a bad idea about love, but you saying that makes me realize that love is real. Love is real and it is part of this reality you think you live in. The world isn't an awful place, Klaus. It's beautiful, painful sometimes, but still beautiful. Maybe I was wrong about you, and maybe Kol is too."
"What do you mean by that?" Klaus said, placing his can on the table. He didn't like the tone that she was taking with him.
"The man in the white suit understood beauty. And love in ways that you don't. Kol told me your attitude was just a front, not really you, but maybe he's wrong. Maybe you are just as bad as you come off." Caroline turned around and headed towards the door. There couldn't be any truth in what Kol had said about her and Klaus, because the man was incapable of love. That much she knew was true.
"Why do you need me to go with you to the art gallery? You are perfectly capable of finding something on your own," Klaus told Rebekah in his office the next day. He was rather surprised to find his childhood friend waiting for him when he arrived, insistent that he travel with her to find a new piece for her bedroom.
"Because you have the best taste in art," Rebekah answered. "And my other option is really rather annoying so I would prefer it was you that came with me."
"Who else would you go with?"
"Caroline Forbes. Have you met her? I heard that she had an internship here," Rebekah said as though it was casual. It was her idea to remind Caroline of Klaus's art side by convincing both of them to meet her at an art gallery to choose a new piece for her apartment.
Klaus nodded, "Yes, Stefan is dating her roommate, so I have seen her quite a bit. How do you know the girl?"
"She's my neighbor," Rebekah replied. "Always telling me to turn down the music and to be quiet, but for what I pay in rent I deserve to be as loud as I please."
Knowing Rebekah's taste in music, Klaus couldn't help but agree with Caroline on that one. It probably was rather annoying to have her as a neighbor. "Fine, after lunch then," he said waving her out of the office so that he could get back to work.
Rebekah wandered back down the hall when she unfortunately ran into Kol. "Hello Kol," she said politely as she tried to walk by.
"Rebekah," he answered with a smirk, wrapping a hand around her waist. "How have you been?"
Rebekah tried to wiggle out of his grasp, forgetting his strength. "Let go of me," she said just above a whisper.
"You used to love it when I grabbed you like this," Kol said into her ear. "How about you and I take a turn down memory lane, maybe in one of these offices."
"Not in a million years," Rebekah said placing a hand on his chest, pushing him away. His grip on her became stronger as he wrapped his other arm around her. She was clearly struggling to get away from him, and yet he persisted.
"I know you want to, stop playing games with me," he told her as he started to take her down the hall.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and before he knew it Kol was pinned up against the wall. A tall man with broad shoulders pushed him harshly. "She doesn't want to go with you," he told him. "Let her go."
"Fine, I can find someone sexier anyway, take my seconds if you want," Kol told him. Kol turned towards the exit of the building and headed to the elevators.
Rebekah turned to the man that helped her. "Thank you, so much, really, I don't know how I could repay you. Who are you?"
"Tyler Lockwood, Elijah Mikaelson's assistant," he answered. "And you are?"
"Rebekah. Childhood friend of the Mikaelsons, and that prat's exe. Really, if there is anything I can do, just say the word."
"It's not a problem, men should never treat women like that, it's disgusting," he told her firmly. "I would hate it if it someone did that to me, it's only right to help."
"At least let me buy you a drink. Do you have a business card?" Rebekah asked.
Tyler pulled one out of his suit jacket and handed it to her. She took a pen from her purse and wrote her phone number and name down. "Tonight at nine, the Titanium. Call me."
I do feel bad about making Kol such a bad guy, but you will see why I needed to get Rebekah into Tyler's arms soon enough! I am loving writing this classic story with a modern day twist, and I hope you guys are enjoying reading it. As always reviews are recommended and feel free to send any messages to me via FF or on tumblr at riverssongs!