Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, the Originals, or any of their respective characters.

Chapter 4: Not You Again

Caroline tapped her pen on her open notebook and pretended to review her notes while a few of her coworkers chatted idly beside her. They were all seated around the circular table in one of the conference rooms at Walker Segal, the Chicago design firm she transferred to not too long ago. They were waiting for their guests to arrive and the conference to begin.

Francesca Guerrera, her new supervisor at the firm, had compiled a team of employees, ranging from architects to interior designers, to work on the latest Mikaelson Corp. project: the restoration of a decaying mansion into an upscale hotel. Francesca would be the project manager and Caroline had been appointed as her assistant manager. Granted, this was one of Walker Segal's smaller accounts but, to Caroline, who had only been working at the firm for a few weeks, this would be her first serious project.

"They're here," murmured Jesse, who was sitting beside her. Caroline craned her head to the left in an attempt to see who was at the door. There were two men in suits, but she could only make out one of their faces since Francesca's head was blocking the view of the other. Francesca finally moved to the right and Caroline let out an inaudible gasp. Heat rose to her cheeks and she immediately slouched down in her chair, allowing the sight of herself to be hidden by the man seated next to her. Jesse shot her a puzzled look and she only shrugged lightly in response.

"Thank you all for being here, today," spoke Francesca. She was standing at the front of the room with the two men beside her. "Before we get started, I wanted to introduce Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson, co-partners of Mikaelson Corp., and whom most of you are already familiar with due to a long history of both our companies working together." Francesca smiled proudly.

Caroline leaned slightly forward to see who she assumed to be Elijah address the room. "Thank you, Francesca. It's a pleasure to be here," he said. "As most of you probably already know, our company demands excellence in each and every aspect of our business. So, it is no wonder that we would choose to work with Walker Segal for yet another time." A few people smiled and murmured their thanks. "This project is very dear to my brother and I, and we hope that you all will share in the joy and adventure of restoring this property's former beauty and life. We look forward to working with all of you."

Caroline, who had made sure the person beside her was still blocking the brothers' view of her throughout Elijah's speech, peered discreetly over her neighbor's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Elijah and his brother taking a seat at the head of the table.

The meeting was brief, and served only as an introduction to the property they would be working on together. From the way most of the questions about the intended creative direction were aimed at Klaus, Caroline gathered that he would be the one working most closely with their firm. The thought of that made her uneasy. She was finally getting back on her feet again and here was the one person who was witness to her most embarrassing moment in this new city.

The meeting soon ended and people slowly began to file out of the room. Only a few stayed behind to talk to either the brothers or Francesca. Caroline attempted to make a quick escape when she heard Francesca, who was in mid-conversation with someone, call out to her from behind. Caroline cringed and slowly turned back around, coming face-to-face with the stranger from that night.

He openly stared at her for a few beats before his eyes lit up in recognition and a grin spread across his face, making his dimples more pronounced. "It's you," he exclaimed. She bit her lip in hesitation.

"You two know each other?" asked Francesca, who had finished with her previous conversation and had moved closer to them.

"No," she exclaimed while he simultaneously responded, "Yes." Caroline turned red and Klaus's grin only got wider. Francesca and Elijah looked on in mixed curiosity and confusion.

"Barely," amended Caroline. "Not really." Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her.

Francesca shook her head in confusion and continued on, regardless. "Well, Klaus, Elijah, I want to introduce you to our new assistant project manager, Caroline Forbes. She just joined us a few weeks ago from Lockwood+Perry in Richmond and, I assure you, she'll far exceed your expectations."

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Klaus said, his grin still plastered to his face, as he shook her hand, ignoring the glare Caroline was shooting him.

Elijah shook her hand next. "Welcome to the team, Ms. Forbes," he said politely.

"Thank you." She smiled, now a little more at ease in the presence of Klaus's more mannered sibling. "I really look forward to working on this project." She made it a point to avoid looking at Klaus.

"Likewise," replied Elijah.

"Caroline will be helping me oversee the project, and she'll be handling more of the day-to-day affairs," explained Francesca. "So, Klaus, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of Caroline over the next few months." Fantastic, thought Caroline.

Klaus smirked. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Have you seen the property yet, Ms. Forbes?" Elijah inquired.

"I only had a chance to see some pictures we already had on file when I was doing some research on the property, but I haven't actually visited it yet."

"I'm afraid none of those pictures are going to do it due justice," Klaus offered. "If you're going to be working closely on this account, you're going to need a firsthand experience of the property." Caroline could already sense what he was hinting at before he even said the words. "I would be more than happy to give you a personal tour." Was that mischievous glint a permanent fixture in his eyes or was she just imagining things?

"I agree, Klaus," replied Francesca. "Everyone else has already had a chance to visit the property and, anyway, they'll be filtering in and out of there as needed over the next few months." She turned her focus on Caroline. "Caroline, Klaus is right. It would probably be best if you took a tour of the property as soon as possible to better acquaint yourself with it." Caroline, distracted by Klaus's pleased grin, couldn't find the right words to say, and so just nodded.

After scheduling a day later in the week for a visit and after a few more pleasantries, she took her leave of them and made her way out of the room and into the hall. She picked up her pace, wanting to put more space between herself and the newly-introduced guests. Her second attempt at a quick escape that day was cut short yet again, however.

"Caroline!" She suppressed a groan of annoyance and turned in the direction of the voice. Klaus was walking faster to catch up with her.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she said, coolly.

He came to stand in front of her. "Caroline, I'm quite sure we're past formalities at this point. I mean, it really wasn't that long ago that you jumped into my arms that night," he insisted.

Her eyes widened. "Stop doing that that," she replied, indignantly. She looked around to see if anyone standing nearby had heard him.

"Doing what, love?" he asked, innocently.

"Making it sound like it was something sexual just so you can get a rise out of me," she gritted. "It's not going to work."

"But it's the truth, sweetheart. You jumped my bones." She swore he looked like the devil himself.

"I did not jump—." She shook her head in an attempt to calm herself down. He was teasing her on purpose and there was not a chance she was going to fall for it again."Ugh, you know what? Nevermind. You're unbelievable." She made a move to walk past him. She'd only met this guy twice, and both times he'd managed to successfully anger her to the point of storming off.

He stepped to the side to block her retreat. "Wait, Caroline. I'm only teasing you. Have a sense of humor."

She rolled her eyes. "I have a great sense of humor. You're just not funny."

"Rolling with the insults, I see. But don't you worry, love. I can take it."

"Stop calling me 'love.'"

His dimples deepened with his stretching smirk. "Don't be cross, sweetheart."

"Or 'sweetheart,'" she insisted.

As much as her annoyance with him amused him, he felt an inexplicably strong urge to lighten her mood. This was not exactly how he'd planned this conversation to go, so instead of another cheeky retort, he replied, "Caroline, I fear we've gotten off on the wrong foot. How about we start again?" He stuck his hand out to shake. "Hello, Caroline Forbes. I'm Klaus Mikaelson. It's lovely to meet you."

She looked down at his hand and then back up at the eager expression on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure of whether she should trust his split-second personality change. She glanced down at his hand again and, after a few long moments of consideration, she slowly brought her hand up to meet his.

"Hello, Klaus. It's nice to meet you, too," she reluctantly greeted him. His mouth split into a grin, happy for the second chance.

"Niklaus," Elijah called to him from behind. Caroline dropped his hand instantly and both of them turned to see Elijah standing at the end of the hallway waiting for his brother.

Klaus pursed his lips in annoyance and turned his head back around to face Caroline. "It seems we must now part ways, Caroline. I'll see you on Thursday, then." The soft smile that had returned to his lips captured her gaze for a moment before she looked back up to meet his stare.

"See you Thursday." With one last small nod in response, she turned back around and continued her walk down the hall to her office, choosing not to think about a particular man's stare watching her walk away from him.

Upon seeing her disappear down the hall, Klaus finally turned around and walked back over to his waiting brother. "Niklaus, what on earth has gotten into you?" asked Elijah once Klaus stood near him. Elijah had little tolerance for any behavior that was even remotely unprofessional. "How do you know that woman?"

Klaus sighed and walked on towards the elevator, leaving Elijah to follow behind him. "I don't know her," he answered. "At least, not really. We met briefly a while ago. I didn't even know her name until just now." He pushed the button for the elevator.

"Well, then I trust you to keep things fully professional, Niklaus," Elijah said with a hint of warning in his voice.

"I am the picture of professional, Elijah," he quipped.

Elijah didn't back down. "Oh really, brother? Is that why you were openly flirting with a woman who is basically your employee in front of her employer, at her place of business, no less?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh, big brother, quit being so dramatic." He turned to Elijah with a wicked grin. "You know, I've quite liked the new Elijah that I've seen these past few weeks. That Elijah hums, cooks. He even cracks a funny joke every now and again. I was really hoping your new self would be more permanent." Klaus smirked as his brother went red in the face.

Elijah turned towards the elevators doors. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Niklaus," he finally forced out.

"Yea, I thought so," laughed Klaus.

Caroline brushed a couple of her fingers across the dusty wooden banister. Her eyes followed the circular spiral of the staircase up to where it ended at the second floor and to where it began again in its ascent to the third floor. Many of the steps were either rotted through or stripped entirely of their wood, creating a checkerboard pattern of light and dark colored wood.

She walked further into the mansion, her fingers lightly grazing the wall as she walked. She peered up at the stained-glass windows lining the upper wall of the long hallway. The late afternoon light filtered colorfully through the glass images, most of which were distorted by missing or broken pieces. The transparent blues and reds danced on the right side of her face as her slowly moving form walked the length of the hallway.

She gasped when she turned the corner, stepping into a room fit to be a ballroom. Tall, wood-framed glass doors lined the walls of the massive oval-shaped room. An old grand piano was cast carelessly to one side and surrounded by a scant few pieces of broken and dusty furniture.

Caroline tilted her head back to peer up at the high, rib-vaulted ceiling arched majestically over her head. What was left of the paint decor was faded or peeling and a large, crystal chandelier hung from the center, though its disrepair looked near unsalvageable.

The sight of the room brought unexpected tears to her eyes and the aching in her chest swelled. The distant memory of its former beauty reignited her senses in the same way one unexpectedly stumbles across a folded note hidden between the pages of a long-forgotten book. It is only found again because it was never intended to be found in the first place.

Maybe it was chance or by some organized fate that she was standing there in that moment, inhaling the musty scent of a disfigured memory that was not even hers to recall. It was all dirty, broken, and scarred and she didn't think it possible to love it anymore than she already did. It was sad and shattered, any hint of its former greatness long buried under a thick film of dust and chipped away with age and circumstance. It was the material embodiment of herself—lonely, decaying, cracked and, yet, still managing to survive despite its long list of ailments. It was her and she was it, and she never thought anyone, let alone anything inanimate, could understand her sorrows so perfectly. A lump rose in her throat and more tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that took so long," she heard from behind her. Her heart stopped for moment in surprise.

Caroline hurriedly swiped the wetness from her cheeks and took a deep breath, not turning to face him as he came to stand right beside her. Her long hair framed the sides of her face, making it difficult for him to see her expression.

"How do you like it so far?" he asked, anxious for her response. Klaus had received an important phone call just as he'd let her into the building and he'd signaled for her to take a look around as he finished up with the call. He had wanted to witness her first reaction to the property and was irritated when the phone call deprived him of the opportunity.

She took a deep breath to steady her shaking nerves. "I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered, not trusting her voice not to crack. She smiled sadly and finally turned to face him, discovering his inquiring gaze fixed intently upon her.

"Caroline, are you alright?" he asked softly, concerned when he saw her red-rimmed eyes and the remnants of tears glistening on the tops of her cheeks. He didn't think twice when he raised the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the wetness under her eyes. Caroline's breath caught in her throat and her eyelids instinctively fluttered closed at the gentle contact, her long eyelashes creating a shadowed pattern across her skin. He felt a tug on his heart at the sight of her angelic features so obviously marred by a sadness he couldn't understand.

As he pulled his hands away, he gently brushed some of her falling hair to the side, trailing his fingers down the length of her golden waves to where they ended below her shoulders. She could feel her heart beating wildly.

When he fully pulled away, she snapped open her eyes and took a step back from him, clearing her throat unnecessarily.

"I'm fine. I think I got a little bit of dust in my eyes, that's all," she lied, hoping to brush her embarrassment away in the process. The concern on his face didn't fade and his blue eyes remained trained on her. She bit her lip in response to the intensity of his gaze.

"Now, I believe you promised me a personal tour. I did hear that part right, didn't I?" she asked, breaking the moment and attempting to change the subject. She shot him her best smile.

He took the hint and repaid her with a smirk of his own. "That you did, sweetheart." He winked at her when he saw her scowl at the nickname.

"Well then, lead the way. I'm your dutiful follower for the day."

"Be careful, love. I could get used to that," he teased, eliciting a small laugh from her in response. The tinkling of her voice echoed throughout the room and he found himself entranced by the sound.

"The tour, Mikaelson," she reminded, effectively snapping him out of his reverie.

"Right, well since we're on the first floor, how about we start at the front entrance and work our way from there," he suggested.

"Sounds good to me," she nodded with a smile. "Show me the way."

"Hello, Rebekah," Elijah greeted into his cell phone.

"Hello, 'Lijah. Am I interrupting anything?" Rebekah asked. It was the middle of his work day, which she often forgot to consider because of the time difference.

"No, no, sister. Just answering some emails. How was your day?"

As if on queue, she let out an audible yawn. "Exhausting. Henry came down with a cold last night and it took all my power today to keep him from coming anywhere near Theo. One sick child is plenty, thank you very much."

"How is he feeling now?"

"Better. I gave him some medicine just now and Stefan is putting him to bed. I finally have a few moments alone so I thought I'd give you a ring. How are you doing?"

"I'm well. This week has been pretty hectic, actually. Niklaus and I signed a contract with a design firm a few days ago to begin work on the Palmer property."

"Is that the old mansion you were telling me about?"

"Yea, that's one," he answered. "Anyway, I was buried in paperwork for the better part of this week because of it."

"Ugh, that sounds awful," she replied, horrified at the prospect.

He chuckled. "It's not that bad. I'm used to it."

"How's Nik? I've been playing phone tag with him all week. I have a closer relationship with his voicemail than I do with him, " she complained.

"He's fine. He's just busy with this new acquisition. This week was a big one and I'm sure he's about to get a lot busier."

"Fantastic," she responded sarcastically. She paused a moment before continuing, "He's still not speaking to Mother, you know."

"I'm aware," he replied, shortly. The topic of their estranged family members was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"She still won't tell me what they're fighting about. Has he said anything to you?"

"The last time I mentioned Mother in front of him he nearly bit my head off, so suffice it to say he isn't exactly forthcoming with such information," he said, annoyed.

"What has gotten into the two of them? It has to be something colossal or else it wouldn't have gone on for this long," she reasoned.

He let out a tired sigh. "I don't know, Rebekah. I honestly have no idea. Let's change the subject, I beg you."

"Fine," she conceded. "How's your love life?"

"Rebekah," he groaned.

"What?" she asked innocently. "You asked me to change the subject."

"Yes, but to a more agreeable topic of conversation and I don't consider my love life an agreeable topic of conversation."

"Elijah!" she insisted. "I am your only sister. It is my duty to ask you about these things. You're not in your twenties anymore and heaven knows you're not cut out to be a bachelor for the rest of your life. You have to take these things seriously!"

He sighed again and lifted his eyes to the ceiling, willing himself to be patient. "What about my love life do you want to know, Rebekah?" He figured he might as well give in now and save himself the trouble later. She was the most relentless woman he knew and he was powerless against her.

"Well, for starters, are you dating?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." He offered her no further explanation.

"Well…?" she led, impatiently.

"Well what?"

"Well, who is she? How did you meet her? Is it serious?" she rattled off.

"Her name is Katherine and she works for Marcel. I met her at a business dinner and we have our first date tomorrow night," he answered.

"Hold on a moment. Marcel? As in, Marcel Gerard?"

"The one and the same."

"Ugh, Elijah. What on earth were you doing with that cretin?"

"He wanted me to sign with his firm."

"Tell me you didn't."

"Of course not, sister" he replied, offended she'd ever doubt his judgement. "No focus, Rebekah."

"Right. So she works for Marcel. I'm going to go ahead and assume she's nothing like him."

He hummed in agreement.

"So what's she like?" she asked. She was curious about the woman who'd interested her brother long enough for him to agree to ask her out.

Elijah swiveled around in his chair to face the tall windows behind him offering a view of downtown Chicago. He leaned back, scratching his fingers along his jaw and allowing himself a moment to think over his sister's question.

"She's beautiful," he began, "and intelligent, and strong, I think. I don't know her well, yet, though."

A knowing smile tugged at Rebekah's lips. His description may not have been much, but it was more than she'd ever gotten from him before, and that had to mean something.

"You said your first date is tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'm talking her to dinner."

"Where?"

"Jardiniére."

"Ooh, how posh. Pulling out the big guns, are we? She must be some kind of girl," she teased.

"Rebekah," he warned in jest.

"Alright, alright. No more teasing." She let out a loud yawn.

"It's time for you to go to bed, 'Bekah. You're exhausted."

"Alright, but you better remember all the details about the date because I'm calling you first thing the next morning."

He chuckled at her persistence. "As you wish, sister. Give my regards to Stefan. Goodnight."

"I will. 'Night, Elijah. I love you," she mumbled tiredly, barely able to keep her eyes open.

He smiled. "Love you, too, Rebekah," he answered softly before ending the call.

"I think I'm in love," she said, dreamily. He looked puzzled by her declaration. "With the property," Caroline laughed. "I'm in love with the property."

They stood at the top of the stairs on the third floor, having slowly worked their way up there after touring the bottom two floors in their entirety. They had wandered in and out of rooms all afternoon, with Klaus offering up new pieces of history as they went. She had clung to his every word, getting carried away by his voice and the way his eyes lit up every time he spoke.

"Ah, yes. That would make two of us, then," he agreed. "I felt exactly the same way the first time I saw it. I was so overcome by its beauty that right then and there I made the promise to do everything in my power to save it. Nothing so extraordinary should ever be allowed to waste away like that." He looked straight at her then and she felt her heart clench.

"That's the thing though, isn't it?" She moved her gaze to focus on something behind him. "I mean, I don't know what it used to be like, but I look around now and I can imagine that it was great once. I imagine it was a real sight to behold," she smiled up at him, "but all you see now is broken wood and peeling plaster. It's all just so hopeless and I don't think I've ever seen anything sadder than that." Tears sprung to her eyes and she turned her back on him to grasp the staircase railing a few steps ahead, peering down at the vast expanse of the first floor. Regaining her voice, she continued, "It'll keep crumbling until nothing remains and soon all you're left with is a memory of what it once was. It was once great, it was once beautiful, but not anymore and maybe not ever again. There's a certain beauty in that sadness, don't you think?" she asked, softly.

He took in the sight of her standing tall, golden waves cascading down her back and her hands on either side of her gripping the staircase railing, and he was immediately struck by the notion that she resembled a queen peering down at her subjects from above. She looked regal, though he noted the slight slump in her shoulders that deepened with the weight of her words.

He moved closer toward her. Something about the despair in her voice left an unsettling feeling in his gut.

"But you've missed the point entirely, Caroline," he said, shaking his head behind her though she couldn't see him. "It's not just that it was once beautiful that makes it worth saving. It's that even after all these years that it's been left to wither away, it's still bursting at the seams with life." He was by her side now, though instead of facing the bottom floors like she was, his back was leaning against the railing and he was facing her. One of the hands that gripped the railing behind him brushed softly against hers. "This," he gestured with a sweep of his other arm, "was never supposed to be its fate. Once upon a time, it was built destined for greatness and once upon a time the insides of these walls did see greatness. But due to unintended circumstances it all...fell apart, somehow. And yet, despite all of this, here it still stands." She peered up at him through her wilted eyes.

"You're right," he said softly this time. "Any ordinary person might take one look at it and declare it hopeless. Unsalvageable. But that's not what I see, Caroline." His brow furrowed as he shook his head. "I look around and I know the state that it's in now will only be temporary, because when I close my eyes, I can feel its spirit still very much alive. That spirit may be broken and trampled upon, yes, but it has survived regardless and that, to me, is all the reason I need to save it." The last part shot through her heart like a searing bullet. His words held a significance of which even he couldn't understand the true extent.

She wasn't sure how they ended up so close to one another or why. Perhaps it was a result of the heightened emotions inspired by his profound declaration, or perhaps it was the sight of the taut muscles exposed near his neck that accelerated the beating of her heart and drew her closer to him. Either way, one second he was brushing away a strand of fallen hair from her eyes and the next second their faces were slowly moving towards each other—both matched in a pair of held breaths and hammering hearts. They were so close she could feel the ghost of his breath on her lips.

Their mouths were only centimeters apart when, in perfect timing, his phone let out a shrill ring. Snapping out of their trance, they both jumped apart. Caroline took a few steps back.

"I should go," she murmured, softly. Disappointment was etched clearly on his features but he nodded reluctantly in response.

She strode over to the staircase steps, turning around again to say, "Thank you for the tour, Klaus. It was incredible." She didn't wait to hear his response when she turned back around and began her downward descent.

She could still hear her heart pounding in her ears and she cursed herself for being so stupid. Everything about what they were just going to do was wrong on so many levels that she had no idea where to begin. She didn't even want to begin to imagine the kind of mess she'd be in right now if his phone hadn't gone off like it did.

As she got further away, she could faintly make out his voice murmuring something into his phone. Her feet, clad in ballet flats, barely ghosted over the steps in her haste to be out of the building. She wanted to forget about what just happened, and the faster she got out of there, the faster she could do so.

Klaus remained rooted to the same spot. His hand mechanically ended the call from his driver letting him know he was parked out front.

He had followed Caroline with his eyes the whole way down the stairs and until she'd shut the front door behind her. Deep down, he knew that what they had just been about to do wasn't right, or even professional, but there was just something about her that drew him to her. The fire he'd seen in her on the first night they'd met, and again at the office, had been replaced today with a certain desolation she seemed to accept resolutely and with a calmness that told of the resignation she had to her fate.

When she had spoken earlier about the beauty in sadness, he swore he'd never seen anything look as beautiful as she did in that moment. He wanted to get to know her, mainly because he wanted to understand why he was so enthralled by this singular woman.

He shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts, remembering Elijah's warning from earlier. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. He was a professional and he needed to keep it that way.

AN: Hope you liked it! I promised you last time that there would be more Caroline and Klaus to come and I hope I didn't disappoint. I love these two so much, though I found writing them to be a bit tricky.

A huge thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed last time. I love getting every new alert. I believe I responded to everyone who has reviewed so far. Again, I really look forward to the reviews. I'm kind of a junkie now because they mean so much to me. So please don't forget to follow, favorite, or review if you haven't already. Thank you!