AN: Hi lovelies! Sorry I haven't updated! I've just been busy dealing with personal and school related issues. But no fear, everything's fine now :) I'm done with exams and I graduate in two weeks, yay! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I just want to thank you all for your reviews! You're the best!

~O~

The elevator doors opened and Caroline stepped out into the lobby, her eyes brimming with tears as she rushed out of Klaus's apartment building. She couldn't believe that had just happened. She'd put herself on the line like that and Klaus had tore her apart.

Pathetic

Pitiful

She closed her eyes tightly, his words still stinging. How could she have been so stupid? Stefan had warned her about him, and she'd still chosen to not listen to him and walk into the lion's den. She wiped away the tears that threatened to fall and hailed a cab, directing it to the White Oak Bar. She took her phone out and typed in a message to Stefan.

You were right. Sorry that I didn't listen to you.

She placed the phone on her lap, sighing as she ran a hand through her blonde curls. She'd told herself she wouldn't get involved with him, that it would be no good for her, but the moment he showed some signs of being decent, she put her heart on her sleeve. She felt her phone vibrate on her lap and she picked it up, opening up the message Stefan sent her.

Care…I'm sorry. What happened? I swear Klaus will get an ass whooping.

She shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips at how protective Stefan was.

It's fine, Stefan. It's my fault. Please, don't. I don't need you standing up for me, I'm a grown woman. Thank you though. I'm going to the bar to see if I can pick up a shift. If you're in the mood, you should pass by later. Love you!

She set the phone back down on her lap and looked out the window, admiring the city. It was so full of life and diversity, there was always something new going on. Whenever she felt down, she just looked outside a window to remind herself of what she'd accomplished. She'd gone from a small town girl, to living in The Big Apple. And feeling like she was feeling now, reminding herself of her accomplishment made her feel better. Her phone buzzed and she looked down at Stefan's reply.

Ok Care. Sure, I'll let you know if I will. Love you too!

She smiled as she placed her phone in her bag, realizing that she had reached the White Oak Bar. She paid the driver and stepped out of the cab, waltzing through the wooden doors and heading straight for the bar. Rose stood by, serving the few people that were at the establishment already, when she noticed Caroline. She gave Caroline a wink and pursed her lips as she always did in jest, but was met with a sigh and roll of her eyes from her blonde friend. The redhead finished taking the customers orders, and headed over to where Caroline sat on one of the bar stools.

"All right, what happened?" Rose questioned. She gave the order to the bartender and took a seat next to Caroline.

"Being optimistic has never backfired on me as badly as it did today," Caroline sighed as she ordered a drink from the bar.

"What happened?" Rose asked again, leaning towards Caroline.

"I had a date today with one of the brothers, Klaus. I'd thought he was a jerk at first, but yesterday at the party he was actually pretty decent so I decided to give him a chance…god that was a mistake. Anyways, he was supposed to pick me up for a lunch date but didn't show up. So I ended up finding out where he lived and went to make sure that nothing was wrong. But it was. He was drunk…and he started insulting me saying that I was pitiful and pathetic for caring that something was wrong with him. I-I slapped him and rushed out. I didn't wanna stay in there another second," Caroline answered, nodding in thanks to Mike, the bartender, as he set her drink down on the bar. She took a long drink from it as Rose took in the information.

"Well he's a dick and you deserve better than that," Rose answered simply.

"I know, I just…I thought maybe he was different, you know?" Caroline stated.

"Sweetie, he's a guy. " The red-head stated knowingly, as she watched Caroline look at her drink and letting out a deep sigh. "Now you're going to finish your drink, get your ass up, and I'm taking you shopping for an outfit because you and I are going out tonight."

Caroline's eyes widened at the statement and she immediately shook her head. "No Rose I-I came to see if there was a shift available so I could work tonight." Rose gave her an exasperated look and shook her head as she pulled Caroline out of her seat.

"Caroline, you just got stood up and insulted by some multimillionaire playboy. You don't need to work, you need to party and have a good time. And besides, who knows? Maybe he'll be there and you can show him what he's missing." Rose smirked at her as she waggled her eyebrows, making the blonde laugh at her friend's antics.

"Now come on, let's get your pretty little ass out of here and to a store so you can buy an outfit for tonight." Rose set down her notepad on the bar counter and dragged Caroline over the coat rack, grabbing her brown leather jacket.

"Paul!" she called, making one of the young guys who worked there turn his head at the sound of his name. Caroline knew Rose would ask him to take her shift, and she knew the guy would do it. He was head over heels for Rose. However, the feeling wasn't reciprocated by the red-head who had a strict rule against not dating or sleeping with younger guys.

"Take my shift, would you sweetie?" Rose said sweetly, batting her eyelashes at the young guy. Paul gave her a wide smile and nodded. "Of course, Rose. Anything for you," he said charmingly, sending her a wink. Rose let out a school girl giggle and blew a kiss at him, "Thank you!" She grabbed Caroline once more and headed out of the bar.

"You know you're stringing the poor guy along, right?" Caroline laughed as they stepped out onto the sidewalk and Rose hailed a cab. The redhead zipped up her jacket and shrugged, "He's willing to be at my beck and call, might as well take advantage of it." Caroline let out a laugh and shook her head at Rose. A cab finally pulled up in front of them and the two got inside, excited for a day of shopping.

~O~

The trilling of a cell phone sounded in his ears, making his head pound. He rolled over on his side and reached over to grab his phone off the nightstand, letting out a loud sigh as he stared at the caller ID: Stefan. Klaus let out a deep breath, knowing that Stefan had probably already heard of what had transpired between him and Caroline. He pressed accept and put the phone up to his ear.

"Stefan," he muttered into the phone.

"What did you do to Caroline?" Stefan said angrily into his phone.

"I didn't do anything to her," Klaus answered.

"Oh come on Klaus, cut the crap. I tell you to not do anything to her and you say you have no interest in her. Yet I find out today that you have a date with her and a few hours later, I get a text from Caroline saying that I had been right when I warned her about you." Stefan was beyond pissed at Klaus. The man had become one of his closest friends over the years, but he still knew how he was. Though he had warned Caroline and she still decided to ignore his warnings, he wasn't angry at her. He knew she hadn't dated anyone since her debacle with Matt, and he understood her wanting to get to know Klaus better. But his anger flared at knowing that Klaus had done something that hurt Caroline.

"You warned her about me? What am I, the Big Bad Wolf?" Klaus seethed into the phone, "I did nothing to Caroline. I may have said a few things that were out of line, but that's it."

"What did you say to her?" Stefan asked.

"I'm afraid that's none of your business, mate," Klaus stated, as he sat up on his bed. "And besides, Caroline is a big girl. You don't need to be acting like her father, Stefan."

"I'm not trying to be her father," Stefan growled into the phone. "Caroline has had her fair share of heartbreaks and I only wanted to spare her from what I knew would be another one."

"Your opinion of me is overwhelming, mate. Please, go on," Klaus said sarcastically. He heard Stefan let out a sigh on the other end of the phone.

"Look, you're my best friend Klaus, and you know that. You're like a brother to me. But Caroline is like the sister I never had, and she's also one of my oldest best friends. I want what's best for her," Stefan explained.

"And you're saying that I'm not?" Klaus asked.

"Are you saying you want her to be something other than a meaningless one night stand?" Klaus immediately realized what he had said. His words implied that he felt something other than lust for Caroline. Which he didn't, he didn't care for anything or anyone….fuck, who was he kidding? He would be lying if he said that he didn't find Caroline interesting. With her sharp tongue and witty remarks, the perky blonde had gotten under his skin.

"You still there Mikaelson?" he heard Stefan say.

"She's interesting, that's all. She's one of the first girls to not fall for the famous Mikaelson charm," Klaus chuckled into the phone.

"Ah, so it's the thrill of the challenge," Stefan remarked.

"No, mate. It's more than that. She's just…she—"

"She's gotten under your skin," Stefan said.

Klaus nodded and sighed. "I'm afraid she has."

"Well, let me tell you something Mikaelson. If you do plan on getting to know Caroline better then you're gonna need to have a hell of an apology so she can start talking to you again," Stefan replied.

"What do you suggest I do?" Klaus asked.

"Beats me. But you're a smart boy, you'll figure it out," Stefan chuckled. Klaus rolled his eyes at his friend's answer. "Very helpful, Stefan."

"That's what I'm here for bud. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to relaxing on my couch with the pizza I ordered and some Law and Order."

"You have fun with that, mate." Klaus chuckled. Both men hung up, and Klaus placed his phone on his nightstand. He ran a hand through his short blonde curls and sighed. He got up and stretched his arms, looking at the clock on his nightstand to check the time; it was 6 pm. He wasn't sure of what he was going to tell Caroline, but like Stefan said, it would take a hell of an apology for her to forgive him. He had said some mean things and he had seen the hurt on her face, the image imprinted in his brain. He had to think of something good, and he had to do it now. But first, he really needed to do something about the smell of whiskey that emitted from his clothes and the pounding in his head. A shower and some Advil would hopefully help.

~O~

"So how do I look?" Caroline asked, as she stepped out of Rose's bathroom. The redhead, who had been applying some lipgloss, turned to her blonde friend and her eyes widened.

"Like sex on legs!" Rose exclaimed. She let out a wolf whistle as Caroline gave her a seductive pose and winked at her. The blonde let out a laugh as she walked over to her friend's Vanity mirror and looked at herself once more. She wore a simple strapless black dress that hugged her body in all the right places, showing just the right amount of cleavage while leaving some to the imagination. The dress reached mid thigh, making it sexy while not making her look like street walker. She had paired it with a pair of black pumps that she had bought while shopping with Rose; and her hair was down and curled. She had applied some eye shadow, giving her eyes a smoky, sexy look and applied some blush. The finishing touch was the lip-gloss she had just finished applying.

"Now how do I look?" Rose asked, as she posed for Caroline. She wore a dress similar to Caroline's. It was made out of black lace, and had straps that crossed at the back. The front dipped a little lower than Caroline's, showing off Rose's breasts more.

"Like sex on legs!" Caroline squealed, repeating her friend's words.

"Perfect," Rose smirked, as she put on her heels. The girls looked at their reflections one last time in the mirror before turning off the light and heading to the door.

"Ready to forget all about that asshole Klaus?" Rose asked, as she and Caroline headed out the door.

"Klaus who?" Caroline responded, as a smirk formed on her lips.

"Now that's more like it!" Rose said happily, as she intertwined her arm with Caroline's and they made their way downstairs and hailed a cab.

20 minutes later, they were inside the club that everyone had been raving about lately, The Cove. Multi colored lights shone all around the dance floor while music blasted from the speakers. The club was packed, with people dancing and drinking the night away. The girls made their way to the bar and ordered a drink.

"So, what do you think?" Rose asked as the girls waited for their drinks.

"I like it!" Caroline exclaimed over the loud music, as her body moved to the rhythm slightly. "I cant even remember the last time I went to a club! Or danced!"

"Well, that's a pity." They heard a voice say, and Caroline turned her head to the left to see a man resting his arms on the bar as he watched the two girls interact. He was attractive, with dark brown hair and warm, chocolate colored eyes. He wore a long sleeved light blue shirt and dark wash jeans.

"I'm Tyler," the man smiled, as he extended his hand out to Caroline. Caroline looked down at it, hesitant, before placing her small hand in his.

"Caroline," she answered back. "And this is my friend Rose," she stated, as she pointed at the redhead who was taking a sip of her drink.

"Nice to meet you, ladies. Now, as I was saying, it's a pity that you can't remember the last time you danced," Tyler said.

Caroline raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh and why is that?" she asked.

"Because you look like a terrific dancer," he smiled back. Caroline narrowed her eyebrows at him and pursed her lips.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to say that I'm not and then you say something along the lines of 'prove it', and then I end up dancing with you?" Caroline asked. Tyler let out a chuckle and shrugged, "Am I that obvious?"

"You're kidding right?" Rose deadpanned, making Caroline and Tyler laugh in response.

"I guess I should work on that then. But, even if you figured out my plan, would you do me the honor of joining me for a dance?" Tyler questioned, his brown eyes hopeful.

"The thing is I came here with Rose and this is supposed to be a girl's night and-"

"She'd love to," Rose cut in. Caroline turned to her, about to argue when Rose gave her a pointed look. The blonde sighed, turning back to Tyler as a smile formed on her lips.

"Lead the way," she smiled. A large grin formed on Tyler's face at her response, earning a giggle from Caroline at how cute and boyish he looked. He placed his hand out for her, and she placed her hand in his as he began leading them to the dance floor. She turned back to look at Rose and mouthed "Oh my god!" Rose laughed, but not before putting her hands in fists at her sides and thrusting her hips back and forth, waggling her eyebrows at Caroline. The blonde's eyes widened and she suppressed a laugh, not wanting Tyler to see her friend's obscene gestures. Once they reached the dance floor, Tyler placed his hands on Caroline's hips as Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck. They began moving to the rhythm and enjoying themselves.

Caroline looked up at Tyler and smiled. So maybe her day had started out bad, but the night was looking so much better. Tyler seemed like a decent guy and he was charming, not to mention really cute. She closed her eyes and moved her head to side to side as the music filled the room. She hadn't had a night out like this in a long time and so far she was enjoying it; nothing could ruin her mood.

However, if only she'd looked up a little bit higher at the VIP lounge she would've noticed something that was sure to put a damper on her mood. A certain handsome, blue-eyed devil stood at the balcony of the VIP lounge, looking down at the dance floor with a heated gaze. Anger boiled inside him as he saw the scene in front of him. Caroline, who was looking breathtakingly sexy in that tiny black dress, was in the hands of some tall, football player looking guy. His hands were on her waist and she had her arms around his neck; she was enjoying herself, he could see it on her face. He didn't know why, but he felt like walking downstairs and beating the crap out of the guy for having his hands on Caroline.

The blonde had really gotten under his skin, making him feel things that he shouldn't. He was jealous, and he hated it. Why should he be jealous? It's not like Caroline was his to begin with, and with the argument they'd had, he had a very minimal chance at making that happen. But he was jealous, and the longer he watched Caroline and the guy dancing, the more jealous he got. He didn't like this. He didn't like it all.

~O~

AN: What did you think? Like it, love it, hate it? Let me know! Next chapter will continue with them being in the club and there may be a Klaroline confrontation and maybe an apology? Who knows ;)

Also, as I stated in my Author's Note last chapter, I'm still looking for a beta and someone who would be kind and lovely enough to make a graphic for this fic! I'd be forever grateful! OH and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to whoever may be a mother already, and to your lovely mothers!