Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or the Originals.

Chapter 6: Twenty-Four Too Much

Push, push, push, Caroline mentally chanted. Her hands pumped back and forth beside her waist, slicing through the air with their rhythmic motions. Harder, harder, harder, she chanted. Only a few more yards and then she could stop. Just a little bit more, and then it'd be over.

The fire in Caroline's chest blasted through her as she pushed her body to outrun Katherine the last stretch to the grass. She pumped her legs as hard as she could despite their painful protest. Finally reaching the grassy area, she halted to a stop, bending over to catch her breath, before unceremoniously collapsing to the ground. She laid her back flat on the grass and flung her arm over her eyes to shield herself from the sun. Her legs lay spread apart like fallen logs, aching with pain and fatigue.

Katherine reached the spot a few seconds after. She remained standing, doubled over with her hands braced on her knees, attempting to catch her breath. After a few moments, she lowered herself down onto the grass, leaning her back up against the base of the thick tree trunk.

"I hate you, Katherine Gilbert," Caroline wheezed, still unable to control her breathing. It felt like she was breathing through her ears.

Katherine leaned her head back on the tree and closed her eyes. "Your ass will thank me later," she responded, still similarly out of breath.

Caroline uncovered her face and turned her head to glare at Katherine. Her face was flushed and a few strands of hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. "My ass is just fine, thank you very much." She was entirely unamused by Katherine's superficial observations.

"Whatever," muttered Katherine, noncommittally.

"Was forcing me out of bed at the buttcrack of dawn to go running really necessary? It's Sunday, Katherine! For heaven's sake!" Caroline whined for the umpteenth time that morning.

Katherine pushed the toe of her tennis shoe into Caroline's side, eliciting an indelicate grunt of protest from the other girl. "Quit being such a baby. You'll survive."

Caroline had been subject to a rude awakening this morning when Katherine had barged into her bedroom, flinging the covers off of her body and pulling Caroline from her bed. Caroline had whined and complained, but Katherine's football coach-like intimidation tactics to "Move, Move, Move!" had finally gotten her dressed in her running clothes and out the door. They walked the few blocks to Lincoln Park, with Caroline scowling in protest the whole way, until Katherine had forced Caroline to run laps around the park with her. Because she knew how competitive Katherine is, out of spite, Caroline pushed herself to her limits in order to outrun her around the park.

They stayed laying on the ground in tired silence for the next couple of minutes, each girl lost in her own thoughts or watching the early morning risers pass by in front of them.

Katherine broke the silence first. "So I had a date on Friday." She said it as casually as if she were announcing the weather. Caroline's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"So that's where you were gone all night," Caroline observed out loud, turning on her side to face Katherine. She propped her head up on her palm. Caroline had arrived that night to find the apartment empty and had gone to bed, tired after a long week, before Katherine had made it back home.

Katherine nodded, her head still leaning back on the tree and her eyes still closed.

"So who was the lucky guy?" questioned Caroline, curiously.

"His name is Elijah," she said, offering no further description.

Caroline eyed her doubtfully. "Elijah what?" she asked, the name sounding off bells of recognition in her head.

"Elijah Mikaelson," Katherine answered. She peaked one eye open to watch Caroline's expression.

"What!" Caroline shot up in a seated position. "Elijah Mikaelson, as in the one who's basically my boss?"

"That would be the one," Katherine drawled in a lazy stretch of words.

Caroline's jaw dropped slightly. "How come you never said anything when I mentioned I was working with Mikaelson Corp.?"

Katherine opened her eyes and sat up straighter against the tree trunk. "You never mentioned Elijah when you talked about the project. You only talked about working with Klaus," Katherine responded simply.

"But working with Elijah was obviously implied," continued Caroline.

"Look. I didn't keep it from you on purpose, it just happened that way. I barely know the guy. He knows my boss from way back, apparently. I met him, like, two weeks ago at some work dinner and then again at another lunch. I didn't even know he was paying attention to me until he asked me out."

Caroline nodded, accepting her explanation, though her eyebrows were still furrowed in surprise and confusion. "So how did he ask you out?"

Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "After we had that lunch with Marcel last week, Elijah walked me out of the café after Marcel had stormed off." Upon the look of confusion that crossed Caroline's face, Katherine interjected, "Don't worry about it. Long story." She continued with her story. "Anyway, he was kind of nervous when he asked me. I'm pretty sure he thought I would say no," she laughed.

"He didn't really strike me as the nervous type when I met him," stated Caroline with a quirk of her eyebrows.

"I was just as surprised as you are," agreed Katherine.

"So how nervous are we talking here?"

Katherine thought about Caroline's question for a second. "Think, 15-year-old high school boy, all nerves and self-doubt, except a lot hotter and in a super expensive suit."

Caroline considered her description with a laugh. "I just can't believe you went out with Elijah Mikaelson. He just seems so…" Caroline trailed off, unable to come up with the appropriate adjective.

"Uptight? Boring?" supplied Katherine.

Caroline laughed, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs out in front of her. "No. Just not your speed."

Katherine smiled, having considered the exact same thing over the past few days. "Yea, well, I've been thinking a different speed may be exactly what I need."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Is Katherine Gilbert, self-proclaimed queen of settlement-phobia, actually interested in being serious with someone?"

Katherine scoffed loudly. "I think you're hearing what you want to hear, Blondie. Who said anything about settling down."

"Mhmm, right. Because Elijah Mikaelson is totally the kind of guy who's in it just for a fun time," Caroline responded, sarcastically.

"What would you know about Elijah Mikaelson? You barely know him."

"Well, am I wrong, then?" Caroline challenged.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what kind of guy he is, Caroline. I'm not my sister. I don't do serious relationships. They've never worked for me. And you want to know why? Because I have about the same level of emotional development as a 17-year-old boy."

Caroline grunted in objection. "What are you talking about, Katherine? You've been in serious relationships before. What about that guy you brought home once after you moved to Chicago? You were with him for over a year. What was his name? Trevor?"

"Tom?" Katherine corrected. "I left him."

"Why? He was so sweet and he adored you."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Tom couldn't handle me. I would've eaten him alive, so I decided to cut him loose while the emotional scarring I caused him was still minimal. It was an act of mercy more than anything, really."

It was Caroline's turn to roll her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

Katherine offered her a playful smirk and a shrug of her shoulders.

"So have you talked to him at all since Friday?"

Katherine nodded, forcing herself to sound casual. "He called me last night while you were in the shower."

"And?" Caroline prompted.

"And what?" Katherine responded, deliberately making it harder for the girl.

"Katherine! I swear, it's like pulling teeth to get answers out of you!" Caroline exclaimed. "You're the one who started this conversation, not me!" she reminded Katherine.

"Fine," Katherine laughed, unaffected by the blonde's outburst. Her childhood and teenage years had prepared her quite well for such displays currently exhibited by her little sister's best friend. "He wanted to see if I enjoyed the date. I told him I did. But I'm pretty sure he just wanted to check to see if I'd changed my mind about wanting to go out with him again."

"That's pretty cute," Caroline conceded.

"Yea, it kind of is," Katherine nodded with a laugh. "Anyway, we're having lunch this week." Upon noticing Caroline's pitiful attempts to conceal her glee, Katherine exclaimed, "And you can wipe that look off your face. We're just having a good time. Period."

Caroline winked at her jokingly. "You keep telling yourself that, darling."

The girls' attention was briefly caught by a group of middle-aged women on roller-skates skating on the path to their left. The girls turned to each other and snickered at the absurd sight of pink and orange protective gear donned by the skaters.

Katherine spoke up again once the group was out of sight. "I talked to Jenna a few days ago."

Caroline smiled. "Oh yea? How is she?"

"She's fine. She says hi and that the girls miss you." Jenna and Ric had two little girls. Caroline had grown close to them while she was in Mystic Falls since she was one of the few from the group who stayed in town and was able to visit regularly. She'd babysit and take the girls out whenever she had the chance. Even when her mom got sick, she'd make time for them. Some days, those girls were the only thing that could make her smile.

"Ugh, I miss them so much," Caroline said softly, the threat of tears beginning to form in her eyes. She lay back down on the grass again.

"So, Thanksgiving's coming up," Katherine brought up conversationally, eying Caroline's form on the ground. Caroline remained quiet. "I can't skip it again this year," Katherine continued. "Jenna said she has news. I think she's pregnant again." Caroline still didn't respond. "We should probably book our flights soon."

Caroline's eyes closed and she held her breath for a few counts. Not breathing was better than letting the tears fall. She'd been doing better. Work was keeping her busy, which meant there was less time to let her mind wander to those dark places. Talking about her hometown and her old life only made it hurt all over again.

She eventually released the air she'd been holding and sucked in a clean breath and then another.

"I don't think I'm going back for Thanksgiving, Katherine." Caroline paused when Katherine didn't respond. She couldn't bring herself to look over at Katherine's face. "I think I'm just going to stay here," she said, her eyes still closed.

Katherine stayed quiet, and Caroline briefly wondered if she might have angered her somehow until she felt Katherine move closer to her and nudge her over with her arm.

"Move over. You're hogging all the sun."

Startled, Caroline quickly scooted over so Katherine would have room to lie down next to her in the small area where the sun shone through the trees surrounding them. Much of the space around them was shaded by the large tree branches, and the sun only made it all the way down to a small patch of grass.

Katherine lay back against the grass and folded her hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her exposed skin. The cool breeze brushed across her face.

After making herself comfortable, she spoke up. "You can't hide from your old life forever, Caroline. It'll never stop hurting, but you're eventually going to have to go back and face it all again. The sooner you do it, the easier it'll be in the long run. Believe me, I know."

Katherine felt Caroline shake her head beside her. "No, Katherine. That's not true and you have no idea what it feels like right now. I don't ever have to go back there, not just because I don't want to, but because I've got absolutely nothing left there for me.

"I'm not you, Katherine." Caroline sounded angry, and Katherine understood Caroline's need to point that anger at someone else. "I don't have an Aunt Jenna, or Ric, or the girls. I don't have siblings like Jeremy and Elena to meet up with on holidays and breaks. I don't have a house I can stay in when I go back home." She paused, breathing in deeply. "I have nothing left. I should start getting used to that."

With that, Caroline pushed off the ground, not giving Katherine a chance to protest. "Come on," Caroline said, emotionless. "Let's go back." She walked back toward the path, leaving Katherine to follow her.

Katherine remained lying there for a few moments. In thought, she touched her fingers to the silver necklace hanging from her neck.

It wasn't Caroline's anger directed towards her that upset her. Truthfully, it didn't bother her at all. What upset Katherine was that what Caroline was saying was entirely untrue. Sure, the girl was right about not having a real family to go home to, but Katherine and Elena were just as much family to her as they'd always been, and even more so now.

Katherine understood the pain and loneliness. The following year after her parents had died, Katherine had moved away to Chicago, leaving the rest of her family behind. She'd let the solitude and pain consume her entirely for the majority of her college years. Most of it passed by in a haze and she had few fond memories from that time of her life. It didn't matter that she still had family to lean on because, at the time, she had wanted nothing to do with them. Instead of coming closer to them, she'd pushed them all way, was still pushing them all away.

She didn't want Caroline to make her same mistake. It was enough that she'd left the comfort she'd known all her life and moved out here to escape the painful memories, but that didn't mean she had to completely push away all the people who still cared about her.

Maybe Thanksgiving was too close and Caroline wasn't ready to face her old life yet, but eventually she would be, and Katherine made a silent promise to be by her side when it happened.

Caroline shot off a quick email to Francesca. With a knot in her stomach, she ignored the three missed calls and two unanswered messages that lit up her phone. Twenty-four was the agonizing number that had been flashing in her mind since she'd woken up early this morning.

She shoved her phone back in her purse. She wouldn't be answering any of them today. Caroline pulled open the door and walked inside, shifting some of the bags she held to her other hand. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she adjusted her sight to the drastic change in lighting.

Today was the weekly meeting with Klaus and the team. It was designed to keep everyone updated on each other's progress as well to raise any questions that might need to be addressed as a group. A few of the team members had already checked in with Caroline letting her know they wouldn't be able to make it due to other appointments, and a few others were not expected to attend due to their minimal work on the project.

Caroline had effortlessly coordinated a meet-time with Klaus via email, but today was the day she would have to face him once again. She felt her heart rate increase at the thought of their last awkward encounter and she willed herself to be calm.

She rounded the stairs and walked down the hall towards the ballroom, the designated meetup location. As she walked further down the hall, she spotted Klaus in the ballroom through the glass of the closed French doors. Klaus sat at the head of a long, wooden table with what looked like a ledger and some documents spread out in front of him. He sat, leaning back in a fold-out chair, with a paper in one hand and his other arm folded across his chest. He was holding the paper up to his face, examining it with a furrowed brow.

The fluttering in Caroline's stomach picked up its pace, and she gripped the bags she held in both her hands a little tighter. She was walking closer to the ballroom now, and the steady beat made by the block heels of her suede booties on the hardwood floor caused Klaus to distractedly look up from his papers.

He spotted her then and sat up in his seat, his eyebrows rising a little at being caught by surprise. Caroline watched his surprise fade and then his forehead crease slightly. In a flash, his features had returned to an outward look of coolness. Caroline took in the storybook of his expressions. She would later marvel at the quickness with which he attempted to hide his true emotions.

She was within steps of the ballroom entrance when he rose quickly from his seat to open the double doors for her.

"Caroline," he greeted, opening the doors wide on each side to let her pass. "I wasn't expecting you this early."

Caroline looked sheepish. "I know, I'm sorry. I just thought I'd get here a little early to set up and then review a few things before everyone arrived." She'd arrived a half hour early with these excuses but really with the intention of talking to Klaus about what happened between them.

"If you're busy, though," she continued, sensing her imposition, "I can just come back—"

"No, of course not, Caroline. Don't be ridiculous. I'm just catching up on some paperwork," he explained. "Do whatever it is you need. I won't get in your way."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Caroline offered him a grateful smile and walked deeper into the room, setting her bags down at the foot of the table. Klaus followed after, his hands stuck casually in the pockets of his dark wash jeans.

"So what exactly is it that you need to set up?" Klaus asked, eyeing the bags she had just placed on the floor.

Caroline turned to him, undoing the belt of her beige trench as she did so. "I just brought some coffee and bagels. I figured it would make the morning go a lot faster." Caroline pretended not to notice how his eyes followed her movements as she undid the buttons of her coat.

Klaus nodded in understanding. "May I help you set up, then?"

"Thank you, but you don't have to," she answered, graciously. "I've probably already distracted you enough," she said, gesturing back to the paperwork that now lay forgotten on the table.

Klaus shook his head and chuckled. "I've been staring at these papers for the past two hours. Truthfully, I was just short of going mad before you showed up. I promise you, it's a welcome distraction."

Caroline nodded, smiling. She could tell he was being sincere, either that or he just really wanted to spend time with her. Both options pleased her for reasons she refused to contemplate.

"Alright, if you're sure."

"I am," he nodded.

"In that case, would you mind pulling that other table over to the side here so I can put all this stuff on top of it?"

"As you wish," he assented readily.

Caroline picked up the bags from the floor and set them on the chair, getting ready to remove the items in them once Klaus had pushed the table over to where she wanted it. She eyed him discreetly as she did so, taking in the sight of him in his casual dress shirt with rolled up sleeves. She shook away the wanderings of her mind, reminding herself why she came here early in the first place.

After Klaus pushed the table into place, she began arranging the items on top of it. He wordlessly picked up one of the remaining bags and unpacked its contents onto the table.

"Thank you," she murmured, reaching over and arranging them with the rest of the breakfast contents. He repeated the same process with the last of the bags, both of them working together as if it were only natural. She hated that there was a heat emanating from the small space separating them from one another.

Caroline placed the napkins on the side of the table, smoothing the wrinkle on the topmost one in a last ditch effort to stall. Klaus had stepped back, not wanting to get in her way, and was watching her now with curiosity and a keen sense that there was something more to come.

"All done," she stated, turning to face him and neatly folding the paper bags in her hands. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Klaus…" she hesitated, "I, um, wanted to talk to you about last week." She had to get this all out before her nerves made her shaky.

Klaus stuck his hands in his pockets again. "What about last week, love?" he questioned. It was obvious he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She could sense a hint of mirth in his eyes, which only made her even more nervous. Damn him, she thought. This was so not a good idea. It's too late now, though.

"What happened between us…" she trailed off, not quite able to finish her sentence. She was trying her best to avoid his gaze.

He kept his eyes trained on her and a hint of a smirk appeared on his lips. "You mean what almost happened, love?" he offered when it was clear she wasn't going to be finishing the sentence.

"Yes," she agreed, nodding her head and thankful to him for offering something to say. "What almost happened was unprofessional and completely inappropriate," she declared, emphasizing her words by gesturing emphatically with her hands. "It shouldn't have happened."

"But nothing happened, love," he protested. He had wiped the smirk off his face, not wanting to increase her distress, though he had to admit seeing her flustered was rather entertaining.

"I know nothing happened," she assented, "but it could've happened if your phone hadn't gone off." Now she was starting to feel as though she'd imagined the whole thing. "Look, all I wanted to say is that I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I'm not that kind of girl. My job is very important to me," she stressed. "I love what I do and I pride myself on how well I do it. I would never intentionally do anything to jeapordize that," she said, staring at him with purpose. "I just wanted you to know that from now on, you can always count on me to be professional."

Klaus examined her with a look of interest, contemplating his next words. "You needn't be so worked up about it, love. I have no doubts about your professionalism or your work ethic. I assure you, it'll take a lot more than something like that for me to question your ability to do your job."

Caroline noticed how he completely avoided mentioning the almost-kiss and only addressed her professionalism. It was a consensual agreement to pretend to forget. Such an agreement should've eased the twist in her stomach. She breathed in, wondering why his statement hadn't made her feel any better.

"Ok, thank you. I appreciate it," she said, slowly looking up at him, schooling her face to look calm and contented.

"Don't worry about it, Caroline," he urged.

The feeling of unease persisted and she quickly changed the subject, hoping to distract herself from it. "So, Francesca asked me for an update on the art acquisitions for the lobby and the dining room. We thought we'd hold off on picking any artwork for the bedrooms for now." She walked over to the other table, reaching for her purse to pull out her agenda.

Klaus's forehead creased as he watched her retreating back walking away from him and over to the table. He had more to say that he hadn't said, couldn't say.

"Caroline?" he called out.

"Hmm?" she answered distractedly, looking back around to him. Professional, focused, and appropriate were the thoughts that rang through his head.

His eyes were stormy and he looked uncharacteristically conflicted, like there was something he wanted to tell her and he just couldn't form the words.

"Never mind," he quickly responded, shaking his head and dissuading himself against the idea of following the line of conversation he'd formed in his head. "So, about that artwork?"

Elijah leaned back against the car door with one hand stuffed casually in his gray pant suit pocket. He observed the passersby through the dark lenses of his aviators. It was a quarter past noon, and people were filtering out of the towering edifice like a swarm of caged animals ready to relish in their short-lived freedom.

He was here to pick up Katherine for their lunch date. Today happened to be the only day of the week that she could fit him into her schedule for more than twenty minutes. If he had thought he had a busy schedule, he'd had to reconsider that notion upon attempting to coordinate a date with Katherine.

All of a sudden, he felt, rather than saw, a pair of hands grip him by the shoulders and turn him around towards the car. In a whirlwind of motions, he came face to face with the back of Katherine's head. She was swinging open the back door of his black sedan with a frantic haste. She descended into the car and then grabbed his hand, tugging him down into the car with her.

He landed with a thump and a befuddled expression, staring at Katherine like she'd lost her mind. She didn't even spare him a glance before reaching her hand over him to shut the car door.

"Katherine, what on earth—" he stuttered. He was cut off by Katherine leaning across from him to peer stealthily out of the window.

"Oh shit," she cursed, spotting someone on the street and ducking her head down to conceal herself from the view offered by the car windows. She reached over to tap Elijah's driver on his shoulder.

"Go, now. Please," she urged. The driver obeyed, turning on the car and swerving his way back into traffic.

"Katherine, can you please tell me what is going on?" Elijah insisted. Katherine finally lifted her head.

"Are you crazy?" Katherine demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" Elijah responded, confusion and horror written all over his face.

"You parked right in front of my building!" she exclaimed. Elijah looked confused, as if he were wracking his brain for an explanation to that statement.

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Katherine."

"When you said you would pick me up," she explained with a huff, "I figured you would park around the corner or something. Not right smack in the front!"

Elijah's look of utter confusion only increased. Katherine looked near hysterical.

"I imagine it must be great being self-employed and all, but some of us unfortunate ones have bosses to please." She elaborated, "Marcel was right behind me in the lobby. He could've seen me leave with you!"

"Katherine, I still fail to see where all of this is leading."

"After that last stunt you pulled at lunch, Marcel has basically despised you ever since. But he is my employer, in case you'd forgotten, and he therefore has the ability to fire me if he so pleases. Do you see where this is going now?" she questioned him.

"You think that being seen with me is going to jeapordize your job at the firm?" he asked, with a little more understanding now.

"Yes," she huffed, fastening her seatbelt and leaning back in her seat, letting herself relax a little more now. "I can handle him for the most part, but who knows how he'd react to seeing me with you, and I'd rather him not find out about us. I quite like my job, thank you very much." Elijah felt a surge of anger course through him at the thought of Katherine having to be subject to Marcel's stupidity and childishness.

"An insignificant piece of scum like Marcel cannot dictate whom you see," he stated with an uncharacteristic edge to his voice. He couldn't stand Marcel before, and he was loathing him even more now. Katherine immediately reached over to clasp his hand in hers. Her features softened as she looked over to him and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"Maybe not, but he can still give me a hard time about it. I can take care of myself, I would just rather not have to deal with something I can easily avoid," she explained more calmly now, mostly in an attempt to quell the anger she could sense was rising in him.

"What does that mean exactly?" Elijah found his attention distracted by the feel of Katherine's hand in his. Her hand felt so soft and warm, so foreignly feminine, the specific sensations of a woman he most adored. Her grip was firm, though, and he marvelled at the quickness with which she'd acted on her need to comfort him.

"It means that he can't know we're seeing each other, at least for now." Her eyes looked uneasy for a moment as she contemplated another thought. "I mean, not that I'm assuming we're going to keep seeing each other in the future or anything," she rushed.

"We will be together," he responded confidently, looking her straight in the eyes. "But we'll deal with it when it gets to that point." It was his turn to squeeze the hand he held in his own.

Katherine didn't hide the pleased smile that shaped her lipstick-colored lips. Normally she would find herself cringing when men attempted to act confident around her. It seemed to be nothing more to her than a child trying to fill an adult's shoes, a pitiful excuse of a man overcompensating for all that he lacked. But Elijah's confidence was neither contrived nor ill-conceived. It was simply a part of who he is—a man who rests comfortably in his own skin because he knows exactly what he wants.

Neither of them made any move to pull their hands away from one another.

When the driver pulled up to the curb, Elijah's hand never left Katherine's as he helped her out of the car and onto the sidewalk. She made a move to walk towards the restaurant when he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him.

"I don't believe we had a proper greeting today." His eyes bore into hers and only a hint of a smile played on his lips.

Katherine smiled, warmth creeping into her chest. She could tell he was moving in to give her an innocent kiss on the cheek, but before he could, she let go of his hand and placed each of hers on either side of his face. Maybe proper girls waited until at least after the meal, but her actions were beyond her control now and she felt an aching need to be closer to him—to show him what her words couldn't explain.

Elijah stilled in anticipation, not expecting what was happening. Katherine leaned forward, bringing his face down slightly and interlocking her lips with his in a soft, tender kiss. She could feel his hands come up and tangle in her hair.

She pulled away first, smiling at the look of utter captivation on his face. She swiped her thumb slowly across his lips, erasing any traces of her lipstick on his swollen skin. She laughed and hooked her arm in his.

"Come on, I'm hungry."

The meeting had wrapped for the day. It had lasted just a few minutes over two hours, but it had passed by quickly enough. The meet-up was satisfyingly successful, and the group was able to work out many of the most pressing kinks at this time. It was only the first of such meetings, which mostly explained why it took so long.

Jesse waved goodbye to her and promised to see her later at the office. Gia stuck around to figure out some scheduling issues for the meeting they would be having next week. Francesca needed Gia for a consultation at that time, and Caroline was considering moving the meeting to the afternoon in anticipation of a few more people who wouldn't be able to make it at that time.

Caroline declined Gia's offer to let them help her pack away the rest of the food and drinks that remained. Save for two other people who were standing off to the side talking to each other, everyone else had filtered out to get on with the rest of their day and all who were left were Caroline and Klaus.

"I think that was rather successful," observed Klaus as he stuffed some documents into his shoulder bag. Caroline looked up from where she was packing the remnants of the breakfast foods and utensils into a brown grocery bag.

"Yea, I think so, too." She smiled at him, pleased at the way today had gone. She was still new to the team dynamic, and she had been nervous about the meet-up today. Caroline resumed cleaning up the table.

Klaus observed her from where he stood. He'd been itching to say something to her for the past two hours. Caroline had even caught him stealing a few glances at her throughout the meeting but had been polite enough to pretend not to notice.

"Caroline," he called out. Caroline looked up at him again, mid-way through wiping down some spilled coffee on the tabletop.

"Hmm?"

Klaus walked forward a few steps closer to her, though still keeping a safe distance between them. His knuckles rested lightly on the table.

"I just wanted to say how much I'm looking forward to working with you. You've shown incredible talent so far and I can tell how much everyone on the team respects you." Caroline's eyes lit up in happiness.

"Thank you," she replied, genuinely. "That means a lot. I look forward to working with you, too." Klaus smiled back.

"And I just wanted you to know that what happened last time was just as much your fault as it was mine. Probably more so mine," he amended. "And I don't want you blaming yourself for it."

Caroline nodded, surprised he'd want to bring up the subject again and appreciative of him for finally acknowledging what happened. She had to admit, though, it was rather satisfying to have him say it now. It means he must have been thinking about it at least somewhat during the meeting.

"Alright, Klaus," she answered. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it," she admitted with a kind smile.

Klaus nodded, the moment ending. Both of them turned back to their tasks. Caroline gathered all of the bags, including the purse she'd left on the chair, and turned back to Klaus.

"I should be heading back to the office, now," she said. Klaus nodded in understanding. "I'll see you soon, then."

"See you soon, Caroline," he smiled, the twinkle back in his eye.

She walked out of the ballroom, feeling strangely lighter than when she'd arrived. He pleased her in a way she couldn't understand, but she wasn't so preoccupied with figuring it out today.

Caroline rounded the stairs, making a pit stop at the one working bathroom to her left, figuring now would be her only chance to go seeing as she'd be stuck in meetings for the rest of the afternoon as soon as she arrived back at the office. While in the bathroom, she thought she heard the faint sound of heels clacking on the hardwood floor, but thought nothing of it.

She finished up, washing her hands and drying them with one of the napkins on the table beside the sink. She emerged from the bathroom to hear voices coming from down the hall near the ballroom. It was odd, considering the two others who had remained in the room had left a few minutes before Caroline had taken her leave of Klaus.

Curious, she walked back around the corner to peer down the hallway. She froze at the sight before her. A tall, red-headed woman was in Klaus's embrace, peppering kisses along the side of his face. Klaus's face was hidden by the woman's head, though she could see that his arms were wrapped around her slim waist.

Her stomach clenched. She turned around, walking quickly back around the corner to grab her bags off the ground and towards the entrance. She nearly ran outside, trying desperately to push back the unwarranted tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. It's not like he was even remotely hers. It's just that, they had a moment, she reasoned. Was she crazy before to think he had expressed some kind of interest in her?

Caroline shut down her thoughts immediately. Today was destined to be awful, she concluded. A silly man was the least of her problems. She would just add it to the long list.

All she had to do was get through today. The back-to-back meetings would surely distract her. If the Lord had any mercy, she'd make through in one piece.

Caroline sat on the wooden bench near the edge of South Pond in Lincoln Park, her legs crossed and her hands clasped and still in her lap. Her trench coat was buttoned all the way to the top to ward off against the chill creeping in with the setting of the sun. She peered wearily over the vast pond, observing the reflection of the waves of pink and orange reflected off the water's surface.

A few people were walking along the dirt path closest to the water. Her eyes followed them without any real interest or care. Her hands were gripped together so tightly they had turned white—a half-willed effort to keep her chest from exploding. There was a beast within her clamoring and clawing painfully for a way out, weighing down on her heavily and robbing her of breath. Orange, black, and grey and red—all swirling inside of her like a nauseating poison of torment and heartbreak.

When would it all stop hurting so damn badly? She wanted so much to be better. Shouldn't that count for something, dammit? This darkness, she feared, would swallow and consume her until nothing was left. Maybe then it would stop hurting so much, she thought vaguely. She sat there, wishing to be numbed to the world, scornful of her lot in life. She wished for anger, but all she got was despair. What if that was all she'd ever get? Pain, and more pain after that. The thought made her shiver.

Her mother should have been here today of all days. Their hands would be clasped together and carefree smiles would stretch across their faces. They'd laugh about all of the awful things they'd been through, the pain of it all only a foreign memory in their hearts. They'd exchange stories over forkfuls of sinfully sweetened delights. And then, at the end of the night, her mother would hold her in a tight embrace, kissing her softly on her forehead, whispering gentle well wishes into her ear for the many years waiting ahead for her glittering daughter.

But she wasn't here. She was gone. She was gone. She was gone. Oh, God, she was gone.

Caroline stood abruptly, grabbing her purse from beside her. She ran towards the street. She needed to move before she spontaneously combusted—before the demons broke a hole through her ribcage and scratched their way through her skin. She had to get out of here. Her blonde waves shook furiously behind her with the movement. She reached the street, sticking out her hand and waving down a cab.

Her fingers tap, tap, tapped furiously on the seat. It was dark now. She had to get home. She needed some safety. She needed this day to finally, Jesus, be over.

She paid the cab driver in a rush, pushing open the door and walking quickly to the front door, sticking her key in the lock and letting herself inside. She took the stairs, running the whole way up the five flights. She shoved her keys in the door and slipped quickly inside, shutting the door shut swiftly behind her.

Caroline took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and leaned her head back on the door, letting her purse fall from her hand to the floor. She unbuttoned her coat with one hand, desperate to have nothing constraining her. Her chest heaved and her breaths were coming out ragged. She stayed like that for a minute or so, catching her breath and regaining her footing, trying her best to distract herself from her cold reality by focusing on her breathing.

She eventually lifted herself off the door, standing up straight, and walked deeper into the apartment. Curiously, none of the lights were on. She turned the corner into the living room, finding Katherine propped up on the white couch, the room lit by a dim lamp in the corner and and the flame of a few candles that lit a white-frosted cake. Katherine's hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean of any makeup.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday this morning but you slipped out before I got a chance."

Tears sprang to Caroline's eyes. She walked further into the living room. "Elena told me that the Scooby Gang's been trying to call you all day but you won't take any of their calls." Caroline didn't respond but Katherine continued anyway.

"I know that saying that this year was a bad year would probably be the understatement of the century. I know you think I don't know what it feels like to be you right now. And, you're probably right. I've never been truly alone. I had Jenna, and Elena, and Jeremy, and even Ric and the girls now. I still had someone else to fill some of the void after I lost Mom and Dad."

Katherine snuffed out the candles before they melted entirely into the cake and then stood up. She smoothed her sweater over her leggings with the palms of her hands.

"I know you think you don't have anyone, and that you have to go through it all alone. But you've never been more wrong." Katherine took a few steps toward Caroline. "I'm here for you, and I always will be as long as you need me, probably long after you even want me anymore. You're my family, as far as I'm concerned." The tears were falling freely from Caroline's eyes now. "And family doesn't leave family. Not this time."

Heavy sobs broke through Caroline's chest, gurgling their way out of her and leaving her knees too weak to stand. She slowly sunk down onto the ground by the sofa, her hands covering her face and her whole body shaking with grief.

"Oh God, I can't breathe anymore. I can't breathe," she cried. The emotional weight on her chest was suffocating her.

Katherine rushed to her side on the floor. She gathered Caroline in her arms, brushing her palm against her hair and back as the other girl's tears soaked her shirt. Caroline wrapped her arms around Katherine, holding onto her tightly, needing to hold onto something for fear of melting into nothingness.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Caroline sobbed. Her hysteria had reached its breaking point tonight. "She's supposed to be here with me."

"I know," Katherine whispered. "I know."

Her hand continued to rub up and down Caroline's back. Katherine felt a few of her own tears slide down her cheek. At some point in the night, or maybe it had happened much earlier, one girl's grief became the other's, intertwining and fusing together until it wasn't clear which belonged to whom.

"It hurts so bad, Kat," she weeped, her sobs becoming quieter now. "I thought I would be better by now, but I'm not, and I can't figure any of it out."

Katherine swiped at one of her own tears and resumed her task of combing through Caroline's hair with her fingers.

"It won't get just yet," Katherine whispered, "and never when you expect it to." Katherine felt her heart clench. "You have to let the pain go, slowly. And, eventually, it'll just fade away in time. But you just have to get through it until then."

It was no simpler than that. Katherine spent years after her parents' death fearing that the hole in her chest would grow so wide it would kill her. And then years went by—after all the misery and torment—and suddenly she found herself laughing again, that deep guttural laugh that sounded foreign to her even while it was coming out from her. It had been so long since she'd offered to the world anything more than a forced smile or polite conversation. It all just faded eventually, she discovered.

Caroline had quieted down now, the last of the hysteria disappearing and leaving only a tired girl resting her head on Katherine's shoulder. Katherine continued her soothing ministrations until Caroline slowly lifted her head off of Katherine, sitting up. She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

"So, I got you something for your birthday," Katherine announced. She rose from the ground to grab the small velvet box on the coffee table by the forgotten cake. She came back to sit down by Caroline.

Katherine continued, "You keep saying that you're all alone, and I wanted you to know how wrong you are." Caroline's eyebrows furrowed slightly when Katherine handed her the small box to open.

Caroline flipped open the lid, revealing a familiar silver heart-shaped pendant. It was the same one Elena had received on her fifteenth birthday from her mother, just a year before her death, and the same one that was hanging from Katherine's neck right now. Caroline's fingers ghosted over the necklace. She peered up at Katherine for explanation.

"Mom gave one to Elena and me for our birthdays that year," Katherine explained. Caroline nodded, remembering Elena's excited squeal the next day at school. "She said that no matter what, when all was said and done, even if she wasn't around, us sisters would always have each other, no matter what. She said that we're two halves of the same heart, and one can't survive without the other.

"Well, I've realized Mom was wrong. We're not two halves. There's three of us now. You're our sister, too." Tears pooled in Caroline's eyes, falling silently down her cheeks. "You're our family, now. Elena and I just wanted you to know that." Caroline smiled through her tears, reaching over to wrap Katherine in another embrace.

"Thank you," Caroline whispered.

It was all so damn hard. She'd spent the entire day with one single thought eating her up: if this was what life would be like, could she really handle any more of it? The thought of living out the rest of her life seemed so utterly pointless and exhausting. She didn't think she had the strength to continue on for long.

But Katherine, in the surprise of all surprises, was gently sliding in to plug up the gunshot wounds littered all over her body. It was a nice change, Caroline would find, to have someone there by her side—family. Katherine would survive the test of friendship, for family sticks around long after everyone else has deserted you. Because when all was said and done, when the fight was finally over, she'd look to her side and, for once, find that she was not alone. She'd be part of a whole.

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

AN: This chapter is so freaking long. As in, it's over 8,000 words long. That's basically like three chapters combined in one, right? I know should really work on posting shorter chapters, but it's a skill I have yet to master. And I just love this chapter so freaking much, so I'm not too worried. I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was sadder and much more emotional, but I felt it was appropriate considering all that Caroline's going through. I never understood how people get over things so quickly, and Caroline, although a fighter until the last second, understands and feels things so much deeper than everyone else. It just felt obvious to me that her mother's death would hurt her to her very core. And, as a plus, I just love the dynamic between Katherine and Caroline. Who else agrees?

Anyway, as usual, leave me a comment because I can't wait to hear what you all have to say! And don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already. Until next time!