Happy Halloween and happy update!
Thanks again for all the reviews on the last chapter. I'm not usually a cheesy romantic, but I LOVE Pretty Woman, so I like to homage romantic scenes that I actually like from time to time.
Hope you enjoy this chapter! Everyone have a great holiday and stay safe :)
"This is a new low for you Elijah."
Elijah flicked the top half of his newspaper down to see Klaus, standing over his café table. He offered an indulgent glare in answer to his brother's menacing smirk.
"I'm surprised to see you awake so early Niklaus. Please have a seat brother and tell me what I've done to offend you," Elijah gestured to the vacant chair across from him. Klaus yanked on the wooden chair, its legs scrapping across the floor, the sound disturbing the morning serenity of the café.
"It's not me you've offended," Klaus replied as he sat, "It's Caroline."
At that Elijah's expression changed from irritated to concerned. "I'm not sure I understand."
"The story, about the bar fight and her almost being drugged. That wasn't meant to be used as a spin."
"I assure you, her name was kept out of it."
"People she knows from her hometown found out about it. She fought with her boyfriend about it."
"I see," Elijah said, "well I'll speak to Katherine about keeping Caroline's name out of the press in the future."
"That isn't the point Elijah. The story should have never been leaked in the first place."
Elijah put down his newspaper, smoothing it out across the table. "I'm sorry that you don't approve Niklaus and I regret if Caroline was hurt by the exposure, but my job is to worry about you. Sometimes I have to make the tough call to protect what you and I have built."
Klaus glowered at his brother, but knew he was right. He just hated that Caroline had gotten caught in the crossfire.
"Besides," Elijah quipped, "doesn't her fighting with her boyfriend make it easier for you?"
Klaus's angry expression softened a bit. "I thought you didn't approve."
"I don't," Elijah said raising his delicate cup of espresso to his lips, "you're taken and she is much too good for you."
Klaus chuckled. Even Elijah's minor insults couldn't bring him down that morning. He was in much too good of a mood from the night before. He'd gone to bed consumed with thoughts of Caroline and their late night chat in the banquet room. The way she kissed him. The way her white skin glowed in the darkness. The way her body felt in his hands for those few brief touches. Even the cold shower he took after he had returned to his room had done nothing to dispel the thoughts, and slight regret, at not following through when she had offered the one thing he had been wanting for days.
However, there was a silver lining to it all. He knew it would be smooth sailing with Caroline from there on out. She could no longer deny that she was attracted to him. He just needed her to admit it when she wasn't drunk. Her attempt at seduction had revealed her true desires. She would have succeeded too if he hadn't felt the need to be all moral at that moment. Christ, what was happening to him?
"I do have some good news," Elijah said breaking Klaus away from him musings.
"Our ideas of good news usually differ," Klaus muttered, ordering an espresso for himself as the café waitress hustled over to their table.
"We've rescheduled a bit. We'll be going to London tomorrow," Elijah told him.
Klaus cocked his head. "London?"
"Yes. I've invited Elena and the others to stay at our home with us while we are there."
Klaus smiled. "And we'll see Rebekah?"
"And we'll see Rebekah," Elijah answered with a smile that mirrored Klaus's.
Klaus's mood soared even higher. He couldn't wait to see his baby sister; it had been months of nothing but phones calls and emails between them. No doubt she would be slap him the moment she laid eyes on him for missing the run of her latest show on the West End. But she was always easy to win over with a few smiles and gifts.
"Well I'm off, I have a conference call with Katherine in fifteen minutes," Elijah said, standing and tossing a few bills on the table.
"Is that what you two call it?" Klaus quipped, knowing that Elijah hated to be teased, especially about sex.
Elijah just chuckled and shook his head. "Tell me, did Caroline enjoy the piano concert last night?"
Elijah took his small victory in the eye roll that Klaus gave him. Of course Elijah already knew: he always knew everything.
In effort to avoid Klaus, Caroline spent her day outside of the hotel, seeing the sights that Milan had to offer. One of her favorites was the Sforza Castle.; she had never stood in a castle before. She paid for the tour and listened closely as the guide led them from room to room explaining the history of Italy and of the castle. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder what Klaus would be saying about everything. He'd probably be whispering in her ear about what an idiot the tour guide was and how he was would make a much better guide. Then he'd probably tack on some sort of sexual innuendo about giving her a private tour or something. She giggled at the thought, almost as if he was right there next to her. The woman next to her frowned at the outburst and Caroline muttered an apology.
Just before sunset, Caroline made it to the Duomo. It was another church, but Caroline was beginning to appreciate the gothic beauty of cathedrals. She meandered through the pews, listening to her iPod, looking up at the massive paintings that hung mid air from the ceiling. She found her way up to the roof of the Duomo. It was something else that she had read about in her guidebook. She strolled across the roof, the music drifting through her earbuds creating the perfect soundtrack to the moment. The view between the great spires was hazy, like a faraway dream, but she could still see the vast expanse of the city from where she stood. Dark blue, the sky purple, and the buildings glowing yellow. It was a breath-taking array of color, so dazzling and bright. Up on the rooftop, with the wind in her hair and city below her, Caroline felt like the moment was painted just for her; the whole vision was truly amazing and she would never see anything like it anywhere else on the planet.
A yawn crept up out of her mouth and she realized she should probably be getting back. Elena had mentioned that they would be going to London the next day; a slight change in the original plans. It meant less time in Paris, which would have been their next stop, but Caroline was excited to see London.
Caroline stifled another yawn as she opened the door to her hotel room. Something crunched under her foot as she walked through the doorway, and with a glance down she spied a folded piece of paper on the floor under her shoe. Letting the door close, she picked up the paper and tossed her bag onto the bed. There was something very familiar about the creamy piece of paper in her hand. Something that made her not want to open it and face what was inside. But she opened it anyways and it was just what she expected. Another drawing. This time of a piano, that looked just like the one she had been sitting in front of the night before. At the top of the drawing was a sketch of just her eyes, looking out from behind long luscious lashes. The eyes were hooded and sensuous. Once again she stared at the likeness of herself, unable to believe that's how she really looked. That anyone could see her that way.
Below the drawing was another note.
Can't avoid me forever love.
Well technically he was right, she thought. She couldn't avoid him forever because they weren't going to live forever. She smiled at her own joke and slipped the paper into her bag, pressing it between the travel guide so it wouldn't get ruined. Just as she had done with the other drawing he had given her.
"Brothers!" The youngest, and only female, Mikaelson sibling exclaimed as she threw her arms around Elijah and Klaus. The two of them squeezed her back, Klaus lifting her a bit off the ground as he returned her hug. Caroline and Elena watched as they stood on the steps to the Mikaelson home. They Caroline shuffled her feet and Elena glanced down at her phone, both girls feeling a bit awkward, like the were intruding on their family reunion. Caroline took the moment to look up at the house, examining it from the outside.
It was very large. Larger than the old, hulking mansions back in Mystic Falls. Rebekah lived there by herself, now that both of their parents were dead. That was another thing Caroline had picked up during their trip to London. She had been chatting with Elena, who had gotten the skinny from Elijah on some of the family history. Their mother, Esther had died of cancer and Mikael, the father, had passed on a few years ago. It was Rebekah who now resided in their family home, which had been in Mikael's family for generations. It looked old. Caroline could imagine Jane Austen using this house as inspiration in one of her novels.
"I should be mad at you. Both of you," Rebekah said as they gathered into the house. They walked through the foyer, where a grand staircase awaited. Caroline gaped at the vastness of the house. It seemed liked a lot of space for just one girl.
"You completely missed the run of my last show," she continued to chide, "even after it was extended."
"Apologies sister," Klaus replied. "I'm sure I will be able to make it up to you."
"You can try," she said, "although I did hear about your knocking Kol's teeth out in Italy."
"Yes well," Elijah cut in, "that's not precisely how it happened."
"I'm only sorry I wasn't there to see it," Rebekah said. "I'd like to have done the job myself."
Caroline and Elena were giving each other speculative looks over Rebekah's comments when the female Mikaelson finally noticed their presence behind her brothers.
"I see you've brought…company." Her statement was dripping with obvious disdain, her cool blue stare filling the warm family atmosphere that had surrounded them a moment ago with ice.
Elena cleared her throat, stepping forward first, her hand extended. "Hi, I'm Elena Gil—"
"I know who you are," Rebekah replied with a saccharine smile, "and you?" The second was directed a Caroline.
"Caroline. Forbes."
"I don't believe I've ever heard of you," Rebekah said. Either Rebekah wasn't a very good actress or she wasn't even trying to pretend to be polite to either of them.
"Umm I don't know why you would have," Caroline shrugged, at least making an attempt to keep the introduction light.
"Are you an actress Caroline? A singer?"
"How about we save the inquisition until later," Klaus interrupted, stepping in front of his sister. "At least until we've settled."
"Rebekah dated Kol for almost two years. They were practically engaged until she broke it off with him because she found out he sleeping with groupies."
Elena and Caroline sat poolside, enjoying the afternoon at the Mikaelson home. As it turned out, Rebekah didn't live there alone. Not exactly. She lived with a small staff of maids and butler, one of the whom served the girls with lemonade and sandwiches as they bathed in the sun. Caroline smiled and thanked the older woman. She wasn't used to being waited on hand and foot. It felt so old fashioned.
It had been quite some time since she'd gotten the chance to relax and gossip with Elena, it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of stardom. Elijah had given her some very juicy family stories. Like, the whole sordid affair between Rebekah and Kol. It was an absolute scandal, Kol trying to marry Rebekah for her money, almost like a soap opera come to life. When they had broken up, Rebekah felt her reputation was so tarnished that she had ran away to the south of France for three months until a new source of disgrace had emerged and everyone had forgotten about her misfortune.
"I never realized Elijah was such a gossip queen," Caroline joked, taking a sip of her pink lemonade. It was fresh and perfect, half sweet, half sour.
"He's easy to talk to, once you get to know him," she replied, "have you talked to Tyler since the other night?"
Caroline sighed. No. She hadn't. If she were being honest, calling Tyler had slipped her mind.
"I don't know if he has a point. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should just see him when I get back to Mystic Falls. I don't know if this is something that will be solved over the phone," Caroline hedged.
"Tyler loves you," Elena reassured her, "he may have said he wouldn't wait, but he will."
"Maybe," Caroline muttered, "he was quite the man-whore back in high school, if you remember." She laughed. Tyler had been a total dog when they were teenagers, going after anything with boobs. But by the time Caroline started dating him, she never worried about Tyler cheating on her. She trusted him. Too bad she hadn't really deserved that trust. She was the one who was kissing other guys while her boyfriend was far away. Or ex-boyfriend. Technically.
"Hey," Elena said noticing her friend's frown, "you have nothing to worry about I promise. You two will make it."
Caroline gave her a weak smile. Elena still didn't know about Klaus. She wanted to tell her something. She needed Elena's advice. Caroline had managed to successfully avoid him for the better part of two days, but she knew the clock was ticking. He wouldn't let her go for very long. In her time alone the day before, she had been thinking about him non-stop; over-analyzing everything he did and said, in typical female fashion. But that only meant one thing. She had it bad. She didn't want to have it bad. For some reason, she couldn't shake the intuition churning in her gut that having feelings for Klaus would only end in heartbreak.
Caroline cleared her throat. "Elena I—"
She was interrupted by the sound of the sliding glass door behind them and turned to see Rebekah stepping through it.
"Oh," the blonde frowned, "I see you two are making yourselves at home."
"Care to join us?" Elena asked out of politeness.
"I'll just come back later," Rebekah said, stepping back inside and shutting the door behind her. Caroline watched her disappear into the house before speaking.
"Someone seems to have a stick up their ass," Caroline observed.
"Elijah warned me about her," Elena said, "he told me she can be very unfriendly to her brothers' girlfriends." Caroline nodded. The protective sister thing. It made sense. "Something tells me she won't like me any more after she finds out the relationship is fake."
"She's an actress. Those types of girls are always such drama queens," Caroline said.
"Hey!" Elena yelled, throwing a piece of ice from her glass at Caroline. She threw up her hand to shield herself and laughed.
Caroline walked up the stairs, heading for her guest room to take a shower and get ready for dinner. Her hand trailed along the wooden bannister as her bare feet padded across the lush green carpet. The Mikaelson home had retained its air of agelessness in the way that it was decorated. It must have been a strange place to grow up in, she mused. It reminded her of the homes she had seen in paintings at the museums she'd been visiting. Her red bikini must look quite out of place in the posh corridors. She clutched her towel a little bit tighter around her body as she reached the top of the stairs and turned in the direction of her room.
She and Elena had made plans to continue their girls' day into the evening. Dinner and drinks were on the schedule for that night; Elijah had caught them in the kitchen and suggested a nice place they could go that was nearby, then he pulled Elena away to discuss a few upcoming press opportunities while they were staying in London. Caroline felt a little bad for Elena. Her friend had done nothing but work, work, work since they had left Mystic Falls. She barely had a moment to rest. Caroline was feeling a bit tired herself; after a morning of travelling and an afternoon spent baking under the heat of the sun, the exhaustion was beginning to weigh on Caroline's shoulders. But despite the fact that her energy was waning, she refused to miss out on a fancy London dinner.
Just as she reached her room, with thoughts of a luxurious bubble bath tickling her brain, the door to the room across from hers whipped open. Klaus stood in the doorway with a victorious grin on his face.
"It's about time love."
"What are you doing in there?" Caroline asked.
"It's my room," he answered, as if it were obvious. Caroline took a minute to realize that the room she had been given was directly across the hall from Klaus's. Giving him access to her comings and goings and also ensuring the fact that they would run into one another sooner rather than later.
"How convenient," she muttered, turning from him and walking into her room.
She could hear Klaus follow her, and she sighed. As long as he was there, she might as well nip this thing in the bud.
"Look Klaus we need to—"
But she was stopped as Klaus's lips came crashing down on hers. A noise of surprise tickled the back of her throat as he slipped his hands behind her neck. His mouth slanted over hers, his tongue darting past her lips, sending a wave of excitement through her that she felt all the way down to her toes. Klaus nipped at her lips a few times, before releasing her and stepping back. Caroline's knees felt like jelly. She almost stepped back toward him just to keep her balance, but the satisfied smirk on his lips kept her in check.
"Talk," she finished her earlier sentence, sounding a little breathless, "we need to talk."
"So talk," Klaus said leaning against the footboard of her bed.
Caroline opened her mouth but no words came out. She put a hand to her forehead. "I forgot what I was going to say."
"Good," Klaus purred. He advanced again, his stare sending chills down her spine.
"Stop, no," she appealed placing her hand on his chest to hold him off. Bad move. Touching him did not help her concentrate. "Look I'm sorry if you got the wrong impression last night…"
"You mean the impression that you want me?" He asked, "That in spite of your constant denial, you are attracted to me. Now what would have given me that idea?"
"Klaus—"
"Was it the part where you mouth attacked me," he continued wrapping his fingers around her arms, "or the part where you started taking your clothes off?"
He brought her closer again, dipping his head down toward her neck, brushing his nose along the tip of her ear.
"I can't concentrate with you doing that," her shakey voice betraying her.
"Mmm," he hummed, "and I can't concentrate with you in this tiny swimsuit."
His fingers trailed from the nape of her neck, down her spine and over the knot holding her bikini in place. Caroline's breath caught as she felt him pause, wondering if he would pull the string and take it off. But his hands continued their exploration of her bare skin, finding their satisfaction in what was already being revealed by her 'tiny swimsuit'.
His teeth nipped her ear and a quite moan rumbled in her throat. His nose traced a line from her temple, down across her jaw. Caroline's eyes fell shut as his lips brushed across hers, and continued to the other side of her face. He smelled so good. She knew it was some expensive cologne he wore, but it made him that much more male and sexy. Her throat bobbed as he continued to skim his lips down her collarbone. He was barely touching her and already her head was spinning. She wondered what it would have been like if they had finished what had started by the piano that one night. A wave of fantasies flashed behind her eyelids. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp as Klaus's teeth nipped her clavicle.
Just as she was beginning to imagine herself as Julie Roberts, sprawled across the top of the hotel piano in Pretty Woman, Klaus pulled away.
"There now that that is done. What was it you wanted to say love?"
Caroline blinked at him a couple times, trying to regain focus. The world had gone a bit hazy now. Klaus's face remained passive, as if he was unaffected by the past few minutes, but she knew better. She had a feeling that if she let her eyes drop south, she'd see just how much he had been…affected. The devilish man was toying with her.
"I wanted to say that the other night was…"
"A mistake?"
"Would you stop interrupting," she snapped, stomping her foot like a child, "yes a mistake."
Klaus chuckled; she didn't like it one bit. "You know, you're becoming thoroughly predictable."
"I am not!"
"Let me guess," Klaus said, "you feel bad because you aren't entirely sure that things are wrapped up with your boyfriend and you don't want to commit any sins while separated, just so you won't have to feel even more guilty when the two of you do eventually kiss and make up."
"No that wasn't what I was going to say at all," Klaus's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, "it's not!"
"Then what were you going to say?"
Caroline had to think fast, because that was what she was exactly what she was going to say; but she didn't want to be predictable. It wasn't only about feeling guilt—and hearing it from his mouth made her feel even worse—but it was also the fact that she was terrified that any involvement with Klaus would just end in a broken heart; hers.
"I believe your primary excuse to me was the presence of a boyfriend in your life," Klaus helped her, "a fact which I was willing to overlook, but now that it seems that little bump has been smoothed over…"
"Thanks for the sympathy."
Klaus chuckled. "You don't seem that broken up about it."
"You know," Caroline said, "your dick remarks are not helping your case."
"I could just go back to kissing you then."
Caroline's mouth twisted. "Fine. If I admit that yes I am attracted to you, will you leave me alone?"
"That seems a bit counter-productive love."
Caroline rolled her eyes, but smiled. "You know what I mean."
"I do," he smiled, reaching for her again and giving her another thorough kiss. Caroline pulled back and smiled, an odd sense of relief filling her. Klaus returned her grin and then, with another kiss to her forehead, released her and headed for her door.
"Wait, where are you going?" Caroline exclaimed.
"You have a dinner to get dressed for I believe," Klaus said, "besides, I think you deserve a little bit of your own medicine love, now that you've finally decided to drop your act of denial."
Caroline pursed her lips. "Oh really?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Fine," Caroline shrugged, "I'll probably have come to my senses after dinner anyways."
Klaus smirked, not giving in to her bait. "Then I guess you'll have nothing to worry about."
It was barely noon the next day and the Mikaelson household was in a uproar. Rebekah had decided that she wanted to throw a small party to celebrate her brothers' homecoming. The blonde girl had been up at the crack of dawn running around the house, ordering the staff about, making calls and terrifying people into giving her exactly what she wanted when she wanted it.
"Yes I know it's incredibly last minute," Caroline heard Rebekah groan into the phone as she stepped into the kitchen. She hadn't wanted to take the risk earlier that morning, but since she skipped breakfast, her stomach was now screaming at her for lunch. "We can pay you double," Rebekah's upper lip twitched as she watched Caroline enter the room, but other than that she didn't pay her any attention. "Fine! Call me right back."
She let out a loud huff, crossing something off the list in front of her with a violent flick of her pen. "Can't I catch a bloody break?"
Caroline watched her manicured fingers clack against the screen off her phone, writing out a text and muttering to herself about unreliable hypocrites.
"Maybe I can help," Caroline ventured, "this is pretty much what I do back home. Throw parties and stuff."
The look Rebekah gave her made her feel like she was a silly little girl, who had just shuffled out of the closet in her mother's pearls and heels and expected to be invited to the grown-ups table.
"I'm sure your party planning is perfect for whatever po-dunk town you are from," Rebekah said, "but this is serious. People who matter will be attending tonight. I don't want to be embarrassed."
With that remark, Rebekah flipped her notebook shut, taking it and her phone and leaving Caroline in the kitchen, her heels clacking against the tile as she strutted away. Wow. And Caroline had thought she had been a mean girl. Rebekah could definitely teach the wicked witch of the west a thing or two about being down right nasty.
"Forgive Rebekah, she forgets her manners."
Caroline turned around to see Elijah standing behind her in the doorway to the kitchen. He was wearing a full suit, even though he was in his own home. Caroline wondered if he ever wore shorts or t-shirts. The image that came to mind looked quite funny and she decided that no, he probably didn't.
"It's ok," she said, "I've dealt with bigger bitches than her." She covered her mouth, feeling sheepish at insulting his sister to his face. "Sorry."
Elijah waved her off, stepping into the kitchen. He walked around the island counter and stood across from her. "It's not a problem. Rebekah grew up without our mother for most of her life. She's used to being the alpha female. When other women are present she tends to get…territorial."
"I don't know why she's territorial," Caroline mused, grabbing an apple from the bowl in the center of the island and taking a large bite, "it's not like I'm dating one of you."
Elijah smiled. "Rebekah tends to have a sixth sense about these things. And she and Klaus are quite close. I wouldn't be surprised if he mentioned you to her already."
Caroline swallowed her apple. "What do you mean?"
She tried to play it aloof, but it was clear by the slight raise in Elijah's brow that there was no point in denying anything. He already knew. Caroline doubted Klaus had mentioned anything to him, it was like the eldest Mikaelson had some sort of super power that made him all-knowing.
"I've noticed the small changes in my brother over the past week and a half," he said, "granted, they didn't come from the source I thought they would but either way they are appreciated."
Caroline took another bite of apple to avoid having to respond. She wasn't sure that she was the source of the so called "changes" Elijah mentioned. Klaus didn't seem like a man who would change for anyone, least of all her. She couldn't imagine a guy like him being so committed to a conquest that he would shift his personality.
"I'm paying you a compliment Caroline," he said to her when she didn't respond.
"Thank you?" Caroline supplied with a half grin.
"I respect both you and Elena. Which is why I would like to give you a piece of advice, if you'll accept it." Caroline nodded. "My brother, for all his good intentions, though they are few, has a very addictive personality. He tends to move from one obsession to the next. As much as I appreciate the influence you have over him, I would be very sad to see you hurt."
"But it was okay if Elena was hurt in the process?" She countered. Elijah shook his head, rearranging the fruit in the bowl that sat between them. It seemed to be a nervous habit of his.
"No," he said, "but there were and are not feelings involved there."
"There's nothing going on between me and Klaus," Caroline said quickly. A little too quickly.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know," he said, taking his leave of the kitchen, "just in case."
I hope you enjoyed Rebekah being her usual elitest, snobby self. There will be more of her to come. And did you guys catch the little nod to Rebekol I threw in there? Yes, I crackship them even though it's weird...but in this it's legit cause they aren't related!
Let me know what you thought of everything in the reviews :)
Annnnd, just as a little shameless self promotion: A few of you have mentioned that this is your first Human Klaroline Fic you've read or that you are really enjoying it as a human fic even though you usually don't read stories like that! Awesome! I'm so flattered you like mine! I also have another completed Klaroline Human story called Best of Me. It's over on my LJ (username Hybridlovelies) if you wanna check it out. People tell me they like it ;)
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