A/N: So, since you guys have been so patient with me, I've decided to update earlier than I normally do because I had this chapter done, and it contains the highly anticipated klaroline scene.

Enjoy the chapter. You guys deserve it!


It had been two months since the coffee shop's talent show. Nik hadn't said a word to her still. Nor had she tried having a conversation with him. She kept telling herself that if she gave it time, he would come around. That was proving to be completely wrong though.

Now, Caroline was with Elena, Tyler, and Damon at her apartment, ready to celebrate Christmas. Her apartment was about to puke holiday spirit. A medium sized tree was standing by one of her windows, with candy canes and ornaments all around it. Presents were under the tree for everyone, and an assortment of holiday foods were set out on her dining room table. Caroline had made sure to get the Christmas movies, music, and treats ready before her friends had come over. This was her absolute favorite time of year, and she always tried to make each year the best celebration of them all. She had definitely outdone herself this time.

"Have a holly jolly Christmas! It's the best time of the year!" Caroline sang as she danced around the apartment. Tyler just covered his ears while Elena joined in.

"I don't know if there'll be snow, but have a cup of cheer!" Caroline laughed as she went over to grab Elena from behind.

"I love your singing," Caroline said cheerfully.

"I could take it or leave it," Damon shrugged. Elena punched him in the arm. That was something else that had developed in the last two months. Damon had become a part of the group somewhat, and Elena seemed to have a growing fondness of him. Damon was still Damon, but he seemed more tolerable the more they got to know him.

"Hey! Get in the spirit, Salvatore!" Caroline chided him, stepping away from Elena and going to fix the hot chocolates.

"I am. I'm just choosing not to make everyone deaf in the process," he teased.

"Where's Stefan? He would sing with us," Caroline pouted. Damon only shrugged.

"Said he'd be here, but that he needed to finish wrapping the rest of the presents."

"Well he needs to hurry before the Grinch completely steals Christmas," Caroline said, giving Damon a pointed look. He returned the look, eliciting a sigh from her.

"No fighting. It's Christmas," Elena said. She grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and went to sit by the tree after grabbing a sugar cookie. Caroline did the same once all the drinks were made. She began perusing the presents under the tree.

"So what'd you guys get me?" Caroline asked, looking anxiously at all the boxes.

"Absolutely nothing," Tyler said proudly. She glared at him before searching for his present to her. She frowned when there really wasn't anything.

"Tyler!"

"Care…you honestly think I didn't get you anything?"

"The tree says you didn't," she said as she gestured toward the presents.

"It's hidden. So you can't guess what it is," he said smugly. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Before she got the chance to chew Tyler out, there was a knock at her door. Caroline quickly got up and saw through the peephole that it was Stefan.

"Yay!" She smiled and opened the door, taking a couple of bags off his hand.

"Thanks, Care. Had a…ah-choo!" he said, covering his mouth just before he sneezed, "a hard time getting those up here."

"Oh! Stefan," she said, motioning him to come in, "don't tell me you're getting a cold!"

"It's colder than I thought it would be," he chuckled.

"Someone get this boy some cocoa!" Caroline placed the presents by the tree before taking Stefan's coat, and replacing it with a warm blanket.

"Thanks," he said, taking the mug of hot chocolate Damon offered him.

"Don't go getting sick on me. I don't want to have to take care of you," Damon warned. Stefan just shook his head.

"I'll do my best," he said as he took a seat on the couch. Damon gave him a worried look before resuming his usual cockiness and sitting right next to Elena on the floor.

"So, whose first in the present department?"

"Stefan first, since he had to bring all the presents up!" Caroline suggested. Everyone agreed, so Caroline handed him her present to him first. He smiled and began unwrapping it.

"Hey! You got me a journal!"

"Not just any journal! A fancy one that's decorated all pretty," Caroline exclaimed. Stefan smiled and put it beside him.

"Thank you, Care. I'll be sure to thank you when I become a famous writer."

"That's all I ask," Caroline giggled.

"Me next," Elena smiled, going for a box under the tree. It was one of the ones from Stefan. She smiled and opened it.

"A friendship necklace? Where's the other half?"

"Right here," he said, pulling out the necklace he was wearing from under his shirt. The other half of the charm was on the end of the black string. She beamed and went over to sit next to him on the couch.

"It's beautiful! I love it. Thank you," she said softly. He grinned and put his arm around her.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, okay. Me next," Tyler exclaimed, grabbing the gift from Caroline.

"Oh my god this is awesome," he said, picking up the glass chess set after unwrapping the gift. He looked at the rest of the group who were staring at him, and cleared his throat.

"I mean…this is cool," he said calmly, setting it back down under the tree. Caroline started laughing as they opened the rest of their presents.

Caroline's presents consisted of a cupcake decorating kit (from Elena, no doubt a hint to stop stealing the ones she made at the shop), a teddy bear (from Tyler), some makeup (from Damon, a gift which she wasn't sure was a sweet thought or a bad joke), and a small compass attached to a chain to create a necklace. She turned to Stefan for an explanation.

"In case you ever get lost. Now, you'll be able to find your way back," he said gently. Her eyes lit up and she got up to hug him tightly. For some reason, she thought he meant more than getting lost physically.

"It's perfect."

The rest of them began opening their presents soon after. Caroline had gotten Elena a how-to book for yoga poses. Tyler got her a gift card to a little Italian restaurant. Damon was the one who really impressed everyone with his present though. It was a gift basket that doubled as a spa kit. Different soaps, brushes, candles, potpourri, sponges, lotions, and even some chocolate were included in the basket. Caroline was expecting him to get some kind of expensive jewelry for her. It was easy to see that the basket was a better present than jewelry, since she worked so hard at the shop. Elena looked at Damon with wide eyes.

"Thank you. This is really thoughtful."

"You're very welcome, Gilbert," Damon said as he waggled his eyebrows. He sure knew how to ruin a sweet moment.

Next was Stefan. Tyler had gotten him some kind of fancy pen set. Elena gave him a framed picture of them all from Thanksgiving. They had all been around the dinner table. Caroline, Elena, and Tyler had their mouths full, except Stefan, who was giving his best smile for the camera. Damon had given him a black pea coat.

"Too bad you didn't have it for today," Damon said.

"Thank you," Stefan said smiling.

"Yea, yea. Just trying to keep you warm."

Tyler opened the rest of his gifts next. Elena got him a movie she had never heard of. Damon got him a really flamboyant hat. Caroline couldn't stop laughing at the pink monstrosity. Stefan got him a gift card to Victoria's Secret. This made Tyler laugh, but Caroline and Elena looked at each other with a confused look on their face. There had to be an inside joke there somewhere.

Last, but not least, it was Damon's turn to open presents. Everyone had been reluctant at first to get him anything, but Stefan had really wanted Damon to join the festivities. So, of course, everyone had gotten him something. Stefan gave him The Shining, a book Caroline didn't recognize. She was pretty sure there was a movie on it though. Caroline had bought him a how-to book, like she had done with Elena. Only it was for manners. Tyler got him a football. Then it was Elena's turn. She handed Damon a box, and Stefan a box.

"They kind of go together," she whispered.

The two looked confused, but opened the boxes. Inside were identical rings. Stefan smiled and immediately put his on. Damon gave her a funny look.

"Matching rings?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. The storeowner said the gems are lapis lazuli, and that it signified many different things. I figured it would look nice, and would be the one and only way to tell you and Stefan are actually related," she explained.

"Thank you, Lena," Stefan said, looking his ring over with a grin.

"Yea, thanks I guess," Damon said, trying to feign indifference. As he slipped on the ring, Caroline could tell it was a front by his expression. He liked it.

When everyone had finished with the gifts, Caroline put in one of the many Christmas movies she had. Once Rudolph was on the screen, Caroline took Elena aside while the boys watched the movie.

"I think I'm going to slip out for a bit," Caroline whispered. Elena looked confused at first, but then everything seemed to click. She looked at the boys, and then back to Caroline.

"Fine. Don't be gone too long though."

"I won't. I think it's time I try, however. What better way than to bring him Christmas cookies?"

"I'm not going to stop you," Elena said, giving her one last look before going over to sit next to Stefan. Caroline got up and grabbed the plate of cookies, then as quietly as she could, stepped out of the apartment.

As Caroline was going up the stairs, Rebekah came downstairs with the red haired boy Caroline had seen at the talent show. She gave the other blonde a wave.

"Hey! I was just about to go up and see you guys! Thought I'd bring some cookies."

"Oh, how sweet! Unfortunately, my boyfriend and I were just leaving. Nik will love the thought though."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yea. Caroline, this is Landon. Landon, this is the girl who lives below Nik."

"Nice to meet you, Caroline," Landon greeted her, a very deep voice erupting out of him. Caroline was stunned. She smiled.

"Pleasure to meet you too. That's so funny, I always thought you lived with Nik."

"Oh god no," Rebekah giggled, "my brother would never want me living with him."

"Huh. Look at that. Learn something new everyday," she chuckled. Brother? Ha…ha ha…. she had thought…HA. Caroline bit her lower lip, trying not to blow up from excitement.

"Well, we'd better get going. Have to go see Landon's family for the holidays too. Good to see you, Caroline!" Rebekah smiled as her and Landon went down the stairs, leaving Caroline to herself. She couldn't believe it. Nik was single.

Her smile never left her face as a newfound confidence grew inside her. She knocked on the door. This huge discovery changed everything. Not his personality perhaps, but she didn't feel so bad trying to get to know him now.

The door opened slowly. Nik stood in the doorway, looking her up and down. Her smile remained.

"Merry Christmas! Thought you'd like these!" she said, lifting the plate of cookies to indicate that's what she was referring to. His serious expression never changed. Hmm. Time to take matters into her own hands, and see how far she could get with this new confidence while it lasted.

"I'll put them up for you. Got to make sure they stay cool," she said, pushing open the door and walking in. He continued looking at her. Okay, so he wasn't stopping her. That was a plus. She heard the door shut slowly after a couple minutes of silence.

Caroline looked around, noticing that the place was much similar to hers. Not one Christmas decoration though. Not even a tree. This was just horrible. She shook her head and turned back to face Nik, who was still just looking at her while he rubbed his hands together. He had on a long sleeved, black shirt, and dark blue jeans. He could make anything look good. Damn him.

"So, I can see the holiday spirit is oozing out of this place," she stated sarcastically, going to the kitchen counter and putting the cookies down. She noticed all the liquor bottles that were lined up throughout the kitchen. So he wasn't short on alcohol. Caroline went back into the living room, noticing from the corner of her eye that Nik went to sit on top of the kitchen counter. She could still feel his gaze on her.

"I figured you could use some company today. I saw your sister leaving as I was coming up. She's a sweet girl." Still nothing. What the fuck was it going to take to get him to say something? Caroline inhaled deeply before continuing her inspection of the apartment. A piece of paper on his coffee table caught her attention. She walked closer and picked it up.

Red seemed to be the dominant color of the drawing. It was horrific. Skeletons that were more at home around Halloween adorned the page. There was another paper she saw on the table that had a creepy black wolf on it, its teeth bared and bloody. She quickly put the drawings down, noticing that the others she saw were just as spine chilling as those two.

"You have a gift. Creepy drawings…but you have talent," she said thoughtfully. Caroline turned to give him a smile, but he was looking at the floor. Did it embarrass him that she had seen his pictures? What was even scarier was that she was pretty sure she was becoming better at reading his facial expressions and movements. Maybe she was spending too much time observing him.

"Are you always this quiet, or is it just with me?" she said, leaning against a wall. His eyes narrowed, and the grip his hands had on the edge of his counter whitened, but he didn't say anything. She took another deep breath. What was his problem? He wouldn't say anything, but he obviously wasn't shooing her out of the apartment. That had to mean something, right? Or was she reading too much into it?

"I'm not trying to be pushy or anything…okay well maybe I am, but it's your fault," she said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. His eyebrows rose, which was probably the most movement she had gotten from him in like…ever. A smile spread across her face as she crossed her arms in front of her chest triumphantly.

"That's right," she sang a little, "it is all your fault. I mean all you'd have to do is talk more, and then I might actually shut up. Unfortunately for you…I could talk for ages without stopping. It's a gift. My mother always said I was a hyper child. She said when I was little, that my friend would always go to her and complain that his head hurt because I kept talking about how my dolls needed his attention, and that he wasn't giving them the proper amount. I was very serious when it came to my dolls," she said, nodding her head in agreement with herself. His expression still didn't change. He was just watching her. It was kind of creepy and unnerving. She continued though.

"The last guy who lived here was a dick. So, at least you're an improvement. I was always afraid when I went to yoga that he would break into my place and steal something. He was creepy as hell. Thankfully, I think he got arrested or something. I'm not entirely sure what happened to him. He was just out of here one day, and I was like 'Yes!'" Nik still continued to just look at her. At least she knew she had his attention. Caroline began walking around again, looking at his stuff. He didn't seem to mind that she was totally going through everything. Was this his way of letting her get to know him?

Unfortunately, nothing, besides the drawings, gave her any sign as to what made him so troubled at night. Especially since he seemed all right then. What triggered the fits? Did anything trigger them? What if he just began thinking about it, and he started hallucinating about it? Caroline was no expert when it came to this stuff. Was there anything she would be able to do to help? Or would he be stuck in whatever endless cycle he was in? Caroline turned back to Nik.

"So what are your plans for the rest of today?" Nothing. Big shock. She could see something in his eyes though. Something that suggested he was indeed enjoying her reaction to him. Caroline pursed her lips and folded her arms.

"Look, all I was trying to do was be nice and keep you company, but I can only do so much when you won't talk to me. I don't know if you like watching me get all wacky or if you just don't like talking to people, but you don't have to be such a…a…meanie!" Well that was lame. She huffed.

"My door is always open if you ever want to talk, but I'm not going to stand here and be your source of entertainment. You know where to find me," she sighed and walked to the door. Something had just snapped. He was infuriating and all she wanted to do was maybe be his friend. Or more…more would be good. Not while he was being an ass, however. Why did he have to be like this? Why couldn't he just talk to her?

"Thank you."

Caroline stopped. It had been so quiet, she almost wasn't sure she had heard it. She turned around to face Nik, whose gaze met hers. God his eyes really were gorgeous. A sense of victory kind of hit home when she realized he had just spoke. Holy shit he spoke! A large grin spread across her face as she nodded to him.

"You're welcome," she said as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear. There, had that been so hard? She would worry about his lack of emotions later. She had gotten him to speak! Caroline could have done a cheery jig right there.

"My name is Niklaus, by the way. You can call me Klaus. Nik is just what Rebekah calls me."

"Oh! Sorry. Sure…yea, Klaus it is then. I'll see you around then?" she asked tenderly, not wanting to push things now that he had said something. Klaus nodded.

"I hope so, Caroline."

She smiled, nodding her head. "Then we will."

With one more look at him, she closed his door and went down the stairs, a little lighter on her feet than usual. He had spoke! She couldn't get over it. Klaus had spoken to her. Oh the things she had to tell Elena later. Caroline looked once more at the door she had just left. She had it bad, but now, it didn't seem so wrong. Klaus was single and had spoken to her. This wasn't just in her head. All she had to worry about now were his fits. No big deal, right? Well…one step at a time. There was still tonight, after all.


A/N: And there it is! Klaroline scenes will come more frequently now that they're on speaking terms, I promise. In fact, I have a flashback and AN ENTIRELY KLAROLINE scene planned for the next chapter. Thank you for sticking with me through this agonizing build up. It was new for me to write this, because I honestly just want them together x] but the troubles aren't over yet! It's just going to be easier to get them to have scenes with each other now.

The new cover art was also done by thecunningcock! She's awesome, and her graphics are as well.

Thanks for getting me to 100 reviews too! I have many things planned for this fic's future, and gosh I'm so excited! Until next time! =]