A/N: A chapter full of much needed fluff for you guys. Enjoy!
It was like a dream. When Caroline woke up, she remembered talking to Klaus the night before. That had actually happened, right? She had talked to him, they had hugged, and they had cuddled. They had a sleepover, and they had cuddled. Wait…
She sleepily reached behind her, checking to make sure it had actually been real. A solid body behind her stopped her hand. So it had happened. She smiled as her hand rubbed Klaus's back. Caroline hadn't realized how much she missed sleeping next to someone until last night. She heard Klaus move a little behind her.
"Sweetheart," he whispered huskily.
"Mmm?" she mumbled, still half-asleep.
"Why are you rubbing my ass?"
Caroline froze, snatching her hand back quickly while her cheeks heated up appropriately.
"I-uh…thought that was your back."
"Sure you did," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist tighter. She giggled and turned herself around so she was facing him.
"I think that was our best sleepover yet," she said quietly.
"It could be better," he said suggestively, trailing his finger down her side, just barely touching her body. Even through her tank top and shorts, she could feel every spot his finger glided over.
"No, don't start," she laughed, "I want to wait!"
"But we're already here, on a bed," he said, pulling her playfully on top of him as she laughed harder, "and you look so adorable with your bedhead."
"And what about my morning breath?" she asked.
"I'll risk it."
"Oh, tempting, but…still no," she said, running her fingers through his curls.
"You're such a tease."
"I just want this to be right. We both deserve that. Besides, I don't put out until after I've been taken out at least once."
"That's right," he drawled, "I owe you a date today. Guess I better get to the romancing, shouldn't I?" Klaus gently eased her back on the bed, brushing her hair back before kissing the top of her head, and then getting up. She pouted.
"Aww, must you leave?"
"Have you changed your mind about the other bit we've been talking about?"
"Nope."
"Then yes, I must get up," he said, taking his shirt off and slowly going through his drawer to get a new, cleaner one. Now he was just being mean. How could she not ogle at his back muscles while he rifled through his clothes? Caroline bit her lower lip; sad to see him put on a light gray t-shirt. He walked to the kitchen then and started searching his cabinets. She smiled when she realized she would get to stay for breakfast.
Caroline thought for a minute while she watched Klaus get pans and food out. An idea struck her, and Klaus had been right. She was a tease. When she was sure he wasn't looking at her, she quietly got up and went through the drawer Klaus had just been in. His shirts were haphazardly placed, not a sense of organization or cleanliness anywhere to be seen. Not much color either, as most of his shirts were neutrals. If he had colors, they were dark… be it dark green, dark red, dark blue. Men.
She picked out a white t-shirt and put it on. It was big enough to cover up her pajama shorts, so it looked like she was only wearing his shirt. Caroline smiled as she strolled over to the kitchen and raised herself up to sit on the counter and watch him cook breakfast.
"Hope you don't mind me borrowing a shirt," she said playfully. Klaus looked up from placing bacon on a pan, only to rake his eyes over her body.
"I don't mind at all," he said thoughtfully.
"Careful…your bacon might burn if you keep looking at me."
"A small price to pay," he said quietly, finally dragging his eyes away from her and turning them back to his bacon.
"What's on the menu, Chef Klaus?"
"Very funny," he said dryly, "And how do you feel about eggs and bacon?"
"What about pancakes?"
"Nope."
"Waffles?"
"Nope."
"Bagels? Muffins?"
"Don't have either."
"Eggs and bacon it is then."
He nodded, cracking eggs into another pan on the stove top before tending to the bacon once more. It all smelled heavenly, and she couldn't believe she was actually being cooked for. Elena normally did that for her, but only because it was her job. Not as a friend, but literally because Caroline always ate breakfast at the coffee shop.
"Do you have any Orange Juice?" she asked.
"Just ran out," he said, transferring the bacon from the pan to a plate.
"Milk?"
"All out."
"Oh my god!" she grunted, "Water?"
"Got some bottles in the fridge."
"Seriously, how do you survive?"
"This is a bachelor pad, Caroline. That means little to no food, unless you can grab it and go. Or make it quickly, like eggs and bacon," he explained.
"Well this isn't a bachelor pad anymore," she said, going to the fridge and grabbing a couple of water bottles, "We're making a grocery run today."
Klaus turned to her with an amused look on his face. "We are?"
"Yes. If you expect me to come over here, then I expect there to be food," she said, crossing her arms and giving him a final nod. He shrugged.
"Fine. Get whatever you want."
"Really?" she said surprised. Caroline had expected more of a fight.
"Yes, really. I don't care. My only suggestion is getting some chocolate sauce. I may want a little blonde sundae in the near future," he said with a wink. She could feel her cheeks getting hot.
"I'll think about it," she mumbled. Klaus didn't say anything else on the matter, and instead put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her.
"Eat up, you'll need your energy for today."
"Look, I told you I would think about the chocolate. I didn't say it was a sure fire thing."
"I don't mean for that. I mean for the date?"
"Oh," she said, shyly going for a fork and digging into her food. Baby steps, Caroline…baby steps.
Klaus only shook his head and shoveled in his food. Caroline ate at a much slower pace. She wanted to actually taste her food, which ended up being not half bad. He was a decent cook. She would give him that.
The suspension was killing her, as she realized she wanted to know what he had planned for the day. Her face must have shown it, because Klaus put his empty plate in the sink and turned to her with an understanding expression.
"You can go ahead and get dressed for our trip. I'll meet you outside your door. I need to change into cleaner pants," he told her. She nodded and went for his window, deciding to go by way of fire escape like they had done so long ago.
Once in her apartment, it was time to rummage through her many piles of clothing. What should she wear? He hadn't exactly said where they were going to go. Guess it was just a surprise. Caroline ran her fingers over all the stuff in her closet. Nope, there was nothing in there. She switched to searching her dressers, deciding on a pair of tight, dark blue jeans, along with a moss green, lace trimmed tank top.
After pairing that ensemble with flat, brown leather sandals, Caroline went to take care of her other necessities. She brushed her hair thoroughly, keeping it down instead of putting it in a ponytail. Then she brushed her teeth, sprayed some strawberry scented body mist, and applied a light amount of makeup. Now she was ready.
Grabbing her purse from the top of the dresser, she went outside to meet Klaus after locking the door behind her. He stood by the stairs, not looking much different than he had the day before, besides the gray shirt she had seen him put on. Klaus still had on a black pair of jeans with his black leather jacket.
"I thought you were changing jeans?"
"I did. I have more than one pair of black jeans."
"Huh. So, where are we going?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased, holding his hand out for her to take. She smiled and took it, walking down the steps with him. Caroline didn't see Elena in the coffee shop, so she assumed she was still with Damon. The girl had to have the day off. Elena always worked. Of course she had taken time off when Stefan died, but she was back to work as soon as she thought she could handle it. She claimed it kept her busy and her thoughts from going to sadder places.
Klaus waved a cab down when they were outside, letting her get in first after opening the door for her like the perfect gentleman.
"Why thank you," she said.
"My pleasure," he said, sliding in after her.
"Where to?" the cab driver asked.
"Central park zoo," he told the driver, settling back in his seat once the car began moving. Caroline looked to him with utter excitement.
"Are we really going to the zoo?" she asked, trying to keep from jumping up and down in her seat. It was like being a little kid again. When was the last time she had actually gone to the freaking zoo?
"No, I just told him we were going there as a joke," Klaus deadpanned. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him, but she couldn't even pretend to be mad. She was going to the zoo with her…well, could she call him boyfriend now? They were together, and they both had admitted to wanting to be with each other, and he had called her his girl…as far as she was concerned, he was her boyfriend.
"Do you think it's going to be crowded? Gosh, it's been so long since I've been," she mused.
"It's Saturday, so I don't know. Maybe."
"Are you going to be okay with that? I thought you might want something more private."
"I told you I would try. I can't keep you all to myself. The look on your face when you found out where we're going was enough of an assurance for me that this is right."
Caroline smiled and scooted closer to Klaus, resting her head on his shoulder for the rest of the drive there. Her excitement made the drive longer than it probably was, but she was ready to dart out of the cab when it came to a halt at the entrance. Klaus paid the man, and then got out, offering her a helping hand. She took it gratefully, and together they walked up to the booth to pay their way in.
Once inside, Caroline began jumping up and down a little. "I can't contain my excitement anymore!"
"You were containing it before?"
"Klaus!"
"Sorry, sorry…how about you pick where we go first?"
"Perfect. To the rainforest we go," she said seriously, tugging Klaus over to the map.
"What are you wanting to see there?"
"The snakes."
"What?" he asked. Klaus sounded a little surprised at her choice.
"I'm not as girly as you think. I like animals with scaly skin."
"Could have fooled me," he said sarcastically, "but we can do whatever floats your boat."
"Hey, being around you doesn't allow one to be girly and timid. It doesn't exactly work. I've always liked reptiles, just so you know. I'm no pansy though. That's a bit of knowledge for the future," she said, poking him lightly in the chest. He held his free hand up in surrender, not about to argue the point with her. She smiled with satisfaction, pulling him off in the direction the map said the rainforest exhibit would be in.
"When was the last time you were at a zoo?" Klaus asked her as they strolled through the park.
"Mystic Falls doesn't exactly have a zoo, but I went when my mom, my dad, and I had gone to the beach when I was ten. So it's been a while. What about you? There must be a reason you thought to bring me here in the first place."
"What if there isn't a reason?"
"Is there not one?"
"No, there is. I'll show you after the reptiles though. We're here, by the way," he said, pointing to the entrance.
Caroline and Klaus spent a good half an hour roaming the exhibit, looking at all the snakes, lizards, and toads the zoo had to offer. She was happy that she got to see the lemurs too, but when she called one Zoboomafoo for a laugh, Klaus just looked at her like she was crazy. Apparently, he hadn't watched many children's shows as a kid.
After they had gotten their fill of rainforest scenery, they started walking in the direction of…well, she didn't know exactly.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Patience, sweetheart. You'll find out soon enough."
Caroline sighed, but remained quiet for the time being. He was right, of course. It wasn't long before she saw they were heading toward the polar zone. Klaus began leading her to where the polar bears inhabited. The two of them walked inside a dimly lit, cave like area. Visitors were able to see the polar bears swimming underwater through thick, clear glass. The temperature had dropped almost instantly, causing her to shiver just a little. It had been moderate outside. Not to hot, but not to cold. In here, the zoo apparently wanted to give people the full experience.
Suddenly, Klaus was letting go of her hand, only to shrug his jacket off and hold it up so that she could put her arms through the sleeves. Caroline gave a small smile as she put it on, taking her hair out from inside the jacket when it was on. It was a little baggy, but it was cozy, and it smelled like him.
"You are being the perfect gentleman today," she told him.
"Just trying to remember everything girls expect from a guy on the first date," he said quietly. She turned around to place a hand on his cheek gently.
"You're doing great," she said comfortingly. He turned his head slightly, so that he could place a kiss on her palm, and then took her hand to walk closer to the glass. Klaus wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind.
"This is why I brought you here," he whispered right into her ear.
"The polar bears are the reason why?"
"Elijah and I used to come here when we were little. Our parents would take vacations here often, before actually moving to the big apple. Elijah liked the polar bears, and so I learned to like them too. After all, I wanted to enjoy the same things my older brother did. We would come here as an escape from our parents."
"Why did you need to escape?"
"My step father was always pushing us to watch how he did business. He wanted us to learn from him. Even on vacation, he would always be working. Elijah and I both didn't want to join though. I was fourteen when Elijah went off to training, eventually becoming a marine. As soon as I turned eighteen, I went off to training as well. I wanted to prove to him I could be something better than a man whose world revolved around money. I wanted to be a man who everyone could respect."
"What does your father do?"
"He's just some CEO at a corporation. I don't pretend to know or care about the specifics. All I know is that they talk a lot about money. They talk about their money, and money that belongs to other people."
"Have you tried talking to your father? He might understand you not wanting to join the family business."
"It's too late now. Hell, he doesn't care now. I'm damaged goods. He's cut me off from the family fortune. The only one with access to it now is Rebekah."
"What about your mother?"
"She does too, but I don't talk to her either. The gold digging wh-"
Caroline shushed him as a couple little kids ran by them. After they were out of sight, he continued.
"The gold digging whore found my step father, Mikael, after my real father had died before we left England. He couldn't leave us any money, since he didn't have any to leave. You can imagine my mother's enthusiasm upon finding a wealthy man like Mikael. Married him as soon as the opportunity presented itself."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. Since Rebekah still has access to the family's money, she takes enough out to help keep me going, seeing as it's hard to get a job when I'm not exactly a people person."
"You know, I've always wondered how you afford your place."
"That apartment is far from being Shangri La, but it's not awful. I've lived in worse. Luckily, the neighbors didn't enjoy my presence long enough for me to get used to the rats and cockroaches that infested them."
"Ew."
"Yea."
"If you don't mind me asking…how did your parents react to Elijah's death? Wouldn't they be more considerate of your feelings if they knew what you had gone through?"
"They blame me for it, sweetheart. At least, Mikael does. My mother is too busy planning balls and gossiping with the dignified women of society to place blame. Mikael, however, believes I should have been able to stop it somehow."
"That's ridiculous! No one could have foreseen his death."
"You make the mistake of thinking my step-father has common sense. If anything, the small relationship we had before I left for war diminished after Elijah's death. If it weren't for Rebekah, I would have been on my own for the past two years."
Caroline turned around in Klaus's arms to place her hands over his chest. "You're not alone. Not only do you have Rebekah, but you have me."
"Never thought I'd be so lucky," he said sincerely, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and placing it behind her ear. She smiled and wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug.
"Come on," she said sweetly, letting go so she could take his hand, "we have a lot more zoo to see. And we should hurry."
"Why is that?"
"You didn't think you were the only one who was making plans for this date, did you?"
It was about six o'clock before Caroline and Klaus left the zoo. They had spent practically the whole day looking at the animals, and grabbing a quick hot dog or fries when they got hungry. It was Caroline's portion of the date now, and she couldn't be more excited for it.
She had made him stop at the grocery store with her, picking up a load of items for his bare refrigerator. Caroline picked out the food, grabbing cereal, pancake mix, ingredients for a variety of dishes, and a handful of fruit. Klaus managed to sneak in a small bottle of chocolate syrup when she wasn't looking, causing her to blush at the check out line.
After that, they stopped at a nearby liquor store for the perfect bottle of wine. She let Klaus pick it out, since he was the alcohol connoisseur. At least, that was what he claimed. Caroline thought he was just picky.
When they got back to the apartment buildings, Caroline waved to the café employee currently working, and headed upstairs with Klaus. They went straight for his apartment, and inside, she walked hurriedly to the kitchen to prepare for the second part of their date night.
"Why the rush?" he asked.
"I want to get some food made before the sun sets. Do you have blankets we can take outside?"
"Uh, yea, but why-"
"No questions! Just get the blankets."
He did as he was told, grabbing a couple of red blankets out of his closet. Caroline quickly made a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches, sticking them into the brown paper bag they had gotten for their groceries. She also grabbed some grapes, and the bottle of wine they had gotten, stuffing them in the bag as well. When she was sure everything was ready, she grabbed a couple of wine glasses, and motioned to the door.
"Door please."
Klaus nodded, opening the door and letting her through, since her hands were very full.
"Now, follow me."
Caroline smiled as she led Klaus up a few more flight of stairs. She hadn't planned on getting a work out, but this was necessary. Taking the chance of having the elevator stop working was not an option. If walking meant avoiding that tragedy, then she'd walk twenty flights of stairs. Okay…maybe that was exaggerating.
"That one," she said, nodding toward a red door. Klaus opened it, letting her go through first. They had gone as far as the stairs would go. Which meant that this door put them straight to the roof.
It was getting dark, but the space ahead of them was vast. Plenty of room to enjoy a picnic on the rooftop, right as the sun was about to set. Caroline knew she had watched way too many chick flicks, but this seemed like a good idea, if not a bit cheesy.
"Just set the blankets down near that wall, and we should be able to eat our meal in what light that's left."
"I see why you wanted to rush now," Klaus said, placing one of the big blankets by the wall. Caroline set the bag down on the blanket, taking out the bottle of white wine first, and then the rest of the food.
"Hope you don't mind eating out here," she said, pulling the grapes out and then taking a seat against the wall.
"I don't mind. It's nice." Klaus grabbed one of the sandwiches and leaned against the wall with Caroline, taking a seat beside her.
Caroline poured a little wine into both of the glasses, and then lifted hers up. "To a wonderful first date," she said cheerfully.
"Cheers to that," he said, clinging his glass with hers.
"However, it's not over yet," she said as she plucked a grape from its vine and popped it into her mouth. Klaus mirrored her actions.
"Well the sun hasn't set yet," he shrugged.
"I mean," she smiled, "should we have another sleepover?"
"Can we use the chocolate sauce?" he asked suggestively.
"No."
"Then I thought it was already a given by now," he said, going for another grape. Caroline stopped his hand though, right before he could pick one. This caused his gaze to meet hers.
"You know, for all your talk of chocolate…you haven't exactly made a first move," she informed him. He suddenly looked very embarrassed.
"Did you want me to? I…didn't want to mess anything up," he mumbled.
Caroline smiled, looking at the supposed killer in front of her. He wasn't all that scary, to be perfectly honest. All she saw was a timid little boy, who had been thrown a lot of bad curve balls in life. Very slowly, she inched forward; about to do the one thing she had wanted to do since that night two months ago. Her lips met his softly, enveloping those plump masterpieces with her mouth. He didn't move though, and Caroline pulled away when she realized she might have crossed the line.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I thought-"
The feel of his lips on hers shut her up pretty quickly. Caroline could feel his mouth work skillfully on hers, making a few pleasurable moans escape as he worked his magic. Oh god, why hadn't she done this sooner? His hand came up to her face, holding her cheek gently while his fingers entangled themselves in her hair. Caroline moved to position herself on his laps, straddling him as she put her hands on his shoulders. His other hand went to her face as well, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs while his mouth sucked on her bottom lip a little. After a bit more of that back and forth between them, she pulled away to look him in the eyes, her own no doubt filled with complete wonderment at what had just occurred.
"Sometimes," he said in that sexy rasp of his, "you just have to stop talking, sweetheart."
Caroline couldn't help but smile brightly as she went in for another heated kiss. They couldn't get far though, because as her hands traveled down his chest, and his began finding their way to her butt, her phone went off. The nonstop buzzing in her pocket eventually made her stop for air, digging through her jeans. She sighed when she saw it was a text, or texts, from Elena. Plural.
"What is it?" Klaus asked, unsure about what was going on. That was obvious by the puzzled and disappointed look on his face.
"I got a few text messages from Elena," she said distantly as she read through them.
"What do they say?"
"That her and Damon have been talking, and she wants to go to Mystic Falls. Take a break from everything. I told her that I wouldn't mind going back with her, so she's asking if I still want to go."
"Do you?"
"Well, yea, but…I don't want to leave you."
"What? Are you never going to see your friends now?"
"No, but I can't just leave you alone."
"I'm a big boy, Caroline. I can take care of myself while you visit with your friends and family."
"I'm not leaving you!" she insisted. Yes, she was being stubborn, but she couldn't just leave him alone. Not after everything. It was silent between them for a few minutes, before Klaus nodded his head.
"Is Tyler going?"
"No. Elena says she asked, but he didn't want to go back home. He doesn't like it there."
"Well…then I have no choice but to go with you."
"You have to…huh?"
"If you won't leave me, then I have to go with you. I'll just be meeting your mother sooner than I thought, but that's okay. I only have one request."
"What's that?" she asked, completely confused and ecstatic all at once.
"We take separate vehicles. The last thing I need is an awkward car ride with Damon and Elena."
"Done. I'm sure they'll understand." If not prefer it. Caroline couldn't stop smiling as she hugged Klaus.
He was really going to Mystic Falls with her.
A/N: Yay for kissing. Now, time for a field trip to Mystic Falls. What shall happen? Only another chapter shall tell.
Stay tuned my loves!
