Hello babes! Sorry about the update hiatus. I know it's annoying, but patience is much appreciated.

Just a sidenote: A few of you have expressed concern for Caroline giving into Klaus too quickly or her not wrapping things up with Tyler enough. Well my response to that is A) it depends on what you consider "giving in" to be and B) The way I've written this story, Caroline was already pretty done with her relationship with Tyler from the start. She just didn't realize that while she still cares about him, she's fallen out of love with him and they should probably break up.

As always though, thanks for the feedback. Some of the reviews I've gotten have actually helped me change up the flow of this story already, so THANKS! GOOD JOB!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Klaus stood in the center of his crowded living room, surrounded by friends and acquaintances of Rebekah's. Some people he knew, some he didn't. This was one of the tamer events he had been to of late. No sloppy drinking or wild guests. It was a relief, it meant that it would be an uneventful evening.

A waiter passed by with glasses of champagne on a silver tray, but Klaus waved him away, a glass of seltzer already in his hand. Elijah stood across the room, talking politics with a few family friends. They were congratulating him on the success he found in America and renewing sympathies for the passing of their father. Klaus scoffed at the false praises that they bestowed upon Mikael's memory. In life, he had been nothing but a black hearted opportunist, looking for a money-making advantage wherever he could find it. After his death people praised his good instincts when really it was his lack of inhibitions. They had no idea who they were talking about. Mikael Mikaelson the doctor turned businessman when he learned how to make a living off of his own children. It was pathetic how they couldn't see the truth of it.

"Stop look so sour," Rebekah chided, stepping over to him. She grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and shoved it into his free hand. "This is a party."

Klaus gave her an indulgent smile as she slipped her arm around his, leading him into the crowd and forcing him to socialize. She introduced him to a few of her theatre friends who were in attendance; two girls, both petite brunettes, and a boy with long hair tied back into a ponytail. Klaus fought the urge to make fun of the boy, as it was increasing clear in the way his sister simpered and giggled over the lad that she had a crush on him. He made a mental note to corner the boy, who was called Alex, later and put the fear of God into him. Rebekah did after all, have terrible taste in men.

Rebekah had launched into a conversation with Alex, leaving Klaus to listen to the two girls in front of him go on about people and situations he knew nothing about. They asked him a few questions, which he muttered one or two word answers to, but his eyes kept searching the room for Caroline.

He had kept a close watch on the front area, watching the guests mill in and out, trying to catch her as she entered, before Rebekah had pulled him away from his spot. He hadn't been able to find her alone since the evening before last, and he knew that there was a good chance that it was on purpose. Caroline was clever. She stuck close to Elena, relying on the fact that he wouldn't mention anything in front of his fake girlfriend. Well he wouldn't, he thought as he took a small sip of champagne, at least not for now.

Caroline and Elena walked down the stairs, the sound of conversation floating up as the descended. They reached the bottom and looked around, seeing the waiters with their trays of champagne and hor'dourves, the people mingling with one another dressed in their cocktail hour finest. It wasn't what Caroline expected, it seemed more grown up than the parties she had been attending lately, much more like the town council events in Mystic Falls, but it was nice. Rebekah had done a great, if not over the top job.

"Wow," Elena said taking it all in.

"Yeah," Caroline agreed, smoothing down her blue satin dress.

The girls looked at one another and then, each with a nod, stepped into the party. Elena moved toward Elijah, joining the group he was with, and Caroline followed. Her eyes scanned over the party guests, wondering who all of them were, and why they had come there at the drop of a hat. Some of them were around her age—maybe in their later 20s—but there were others that seemed to be the age of her parents. She thought about some of the fundraisers and parties she had planned for the mayor back in Mystic Falls. She would send out invitations weeks in advance and some people still couldn't find time in the schedules to attend. Maybe Rebekah was just that scary that people didn't want to risk saying no.

"Drink love?"

She turned and Klaus was standing there behind her, a glass of champagne in each hand. He held one out to her and, after a moment, accepted with a smile. It was the first time she had come face to face with him since the other day.

"Thanks," she said.

At first her instinct was to scoff, or hit him with a sarcastic remark, but she realized that there was no need in keeping up the act. She had admitted out loud to him that she was…attracted to him. There was no taking it back now; any number of mean things she might say to him would have no effect on making him forget her confession.

He continued to smile at her, clinking their glasses together and raising his to his lips. It was annoying, the way his cocky smile made her go weak in the knees. And of course looked as dashing as ever, in a casual vest and jacket over a white t-shirt, his distressed jeans setting him apart from the other men in the room who were sporting dress slacks. It didn't matter what he wore, he still carried himself with confidence and grace that told Caroline that in spite of his rough neck rocker edge, he had grown up in this high society of London.

"So this is quite the party," she said to him over the din of conversation.

"Yes," he replied, "my sister never does anything half speed."

Caroline nodded in agreement. "Who are all these people?"

"Her friends, mostly," Klaus replied, sounding bored but unsurprised, "a few friends of our parents. No one I particularly care or wish to see." He nodded as a man dressed in a navy silk shirt passed by with a polite hello.

"Niklaus," Elijah interrupted, "there you are. Look who has finally arrived."

Elijah nodded toward Elena, reminding Klaus that even though this was his home, his party, he still had to pretend. Caroline gave him a sympathetic look, knowing how much he loathed being on fake boyfriend duty as he left her side and took his place next to Elena, introducing her to the group as his girlfriend. A small feeling of jealousy tickled the back of Caroline's mind as she watched the two of them, seeing Klaus's hand on Elena's back, or the way Elena would look up at him with adoring eyes. It was stupid to be jealous, it was an act after all, no one knew better than her. But seeing them together, she couldn't help being reminded of things that had happened in high school and watching Elena with other guys she had crushed on.

Caroline disappeared now that Klaus had been pulled to Elena's side. His jaw remained tight as he stood there and conversed with old friends; listening to his girlfriend tell the story of how they met. The high pitch of her voice told Klaus that she wasn't enjoying the act any more than he was. At least they had that in common, he mused, if nothing else. It was annoying enough to be forced in public to acknowledge her but in his own home it was downright irritating. Elijah had even decided that they shouldn't reveal their little scheme to Rebekah. Although, Klaus couldn't exactly disagree with that. Rebekah did have a flair for the dramatics. There was no predicting just how his sister would react.

He endured another hour of mindless chatter in the company of Elena and Elijah before he could excuse himself for a break. Once again, he tried to find Caroline. Rebekah had been effectively ignoring her, refusing to introduce her to anyone or engage her in conversation, so she was left on her own. He had seen her once, talking to Alex in the corner, which hadn't helped endear her to his sister; Rebekah had tugged him away as soon as she had spied them together.

He passed through the foyer, where a few of the guests lingered, and headed toward the library. If anything he could have a break; it would be quiet in there away from the guests and staff. The doors shut behind him, the rolling sound giving him a sense of relief, a feeling that he could breathe for the first time all evening. His fingers found the dimmer switch on the wall and he turned it up enough to give him light to see, but not so much that he would be found out should someone pass by the door.

"Hiding out?" A female voice asked him. He looked up to see Caroline sitting in one of the great chairs in front of the fireplace, her black heels kicked off and laying next to the chair on the floor. Her smile was a welcome sight.

"Seems to be a popular place to do so," he replied, crossing toward the armoire on the other side of the room. He opened it up to reveal a small bar, a few bottles of brown alcohol, and some glasses. "Care for something?"

"No, thank you," Caroline said. She long since replaced her flute of champagne with a glass of sparkling water, "I haven't been making the best decisions while drunk lately."

Klaus frowned, pouring himself a glass of scotch and adding some water. He turned back toward her to see that she had stood up from her chair and stepped closer toward him.

"I didn't really know anyone so…" she trailed off, twisting her fingers together.

"I knew almost everyone and I hated it," Klaus said taking a sip of his drink.

"It seems like this party is more for Rebekah's benefit than yours or Elijah's."

"That's usually how it goes," Klaus said coming to stand in front of her. Caroline let out a short laugh, not at all surprised. "My father would have social gatherings like this every so often and Rebekah and I used to sneak off as soon as we could. My mother hated them too," he told her, "we all became quite skilled in the art of faking smiles and laughing at jokes that aren't really funny."

Caroline took the drink from his hands and lifted it to her lips. She took a large gulp and swallowed, making a face at the intense taste of the alcohol. Klaus chuckled. "I thought you weren't drinking."

Caroline shrugged, setting it aside. "I've never had scotch before. Sometimes it's nice to try new things."

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. The air around them prickled. A second passed, maybe it was a week, neither of them seemed to know, but in the next instant, they were both reaching for one another, their lips crashing together in a hot kiss. Caroline saw stars as Klaus's teeth hit hers. He pushed her back, her spine hitting one of the shelves and rattling the dusty books. Their hands were everywhere at once, rumpling clothes, trying to find skin, their mouths moving back and forth over each others' with frantic enthusiasm. Klaus's palm cupped one of her breasts through the fabric of her dress, his hand kneading her soft flesh. Caroline sucked in a breath as his lips left hers and moved to her jaw, her fingers digging into his back, pressing him closer against her body. She felt the electricity coursing through her as he continued to run his hands all over her body.

When his fingers brushed the top of her thighs, tugging the hem of her dress north, her eyes snapped open and she pushed him away. Klaus relented, her hands braced against his shoulders, both of them breathless from kissing.

"Wait," she said, "someone might come in."

"I don't care," Klaus said attacking her lips again. Caroline let out a noise halfway between a moan and groan. She pushed against his shoulders again, disconnecting her lips from his.

"Wait," she repeated, "seriously."

Klaus pressed his forehead to hers, "Caroline," he groaned, his voice thick with male frustration. She bit her lip, hating herself a little bit for stopping him, but knowing she had to. The party guests didn't actually matter to her, with the way she was feeling the moment before, with his mouth and hands on her, the whole party and all of Mystic Falls could walk in on them and she would tell him to keep going.

"Look you were right," she said, "this isn't what I want."

Klaus's face fell as he leaned further away. "What do you mean?"

"The cheap sex on random pieces of furniture," she said, "I do want more."

Klaus let out a low chuckle. "Oh," he said, remembering his words to her when they had been at the piano. He was going to have to sew his own mouth shut.

Caroline ran her hands over his chest and arms, earning her a flick of his eyesbrows. If she didn't want to have sex with him right then, she wasn't doing a very good job of exuding that.

"I just didn't have a very romantic first time," she told him, "it was, you know, a typical teenage, backseat kinda thing. So now I just try not to jump into all that too quickly. God Tyler and I didn't even—" she paused and looked up at him, seeing a sour expression at the mention of her and Tyler—"sorry I'm babbling, you don't want to hear any of that."

"No please continue," Klaus blanched, "there's nothing a man loves more than hearing about a girl's past lovers."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but let out a small laugh, leaning forward to nip him on the lips. "Well you rejected me, so I owed you one. Now we're even."

Klaus narrowed his stare, his eyes gleaming and his voice dripping with sex. "I think we're far from even sweetheart."

His words, his voice made her shiver. He left her then, walking over to the sliding wooden doors of the library and turning the key in the lock. It clicked shut and he reached over, dimming the lights even further, sauntering back over to where Caroline stood. He enjoyed her delightful mussed from what they had already been up to, but Klaus wasn't finished with her yet. Maybe she wanted to wait for the perfect moment to have sex, Klaus could respect that-Caroline was a planner, spontaneity didn't seem to be in her nature-but that didn't mean they couldn't have other sorts of fun.

"Klaus I—" but he stopped her, placing a finger over her lips. He kissed her once, pressing her back into the bookshelf, before lowering himself in front of her. His hands went to her leg, caressing the smooth skin of her calf before behind it and hitching it over his shoulder. He pushed her dress up farther, placing a gentle kiss on the inside of her thigh. His eyes flicked up to her face and he smirked at her expression. Her mouth hung open wantonly, her breathing stopped, her eyes gleaming with anticipation; all signs that told him he could keep going.

He reached for her, pushing aside the lacey fabric of her underwear and sinking a finger in between her folds. She was slick and tight, a hot gasp coming her as he brushed against her walls. Klaus smirked, sucking on her thigh as he pumped in and out of her. His cock twitched painfully in his pants, wishing to do the work his fingers had undertaken, but he willed himself to be patient. All in good time. They had come this far after all. Klaus would let Caroline have a little taste of what was yet to come.

Caroline's hips bucked forward as the stubble of Klaus's jaw scrapped at her thighs. She had said she wanted to wait, but this was the loophole everyone dove through when they were holding out on the real deal. Her body needed some sort of release from the tension that had been building. His thumb circled her swollen nub, coaxing forth a muffled cry from her throat. Caroline recalled the way his fingers looked while playing guitar at the concert, now he was playing her with the same expert precision.

Just as she was reaching that high point, Klaus removed his fingers, wrapping his hands firmly around her waist. He leaned forward, replacing his hands with his tongue. Caroline fell forward at the sensation of his tongue on her sex, bracing her hands against his shoulders. But Klaus supported her weight, as he licked and sucked on her, enjoying her sweet taste.

"K-Klaus," Caroline stammered as he continued his passes, her hands digging into the fabric of his jacket. He smirked against her heat, nipping down on her again, enjoying the breathy moan that came from her every time he used his teeth.

He was enjoying the little sounds she made; the whimpers and the breaths and the sighs. It was honest and innocent, in a way. Not like the girls who frequented his bed that would moan and screamed so loudly one would think they were auditioning for an opera. But with Caroline, nothing was contrived; every reaction was authentic and was the result of his touches.

Caroline had made a brief mention of her former sex life, something that was skimming at the edges of his mind as he pleasured her. He didn't know if any of the other men she had dated ever made her react this way, and it didn't matter. Klaus would make sure it didn't matter. That possessive need flared up in him again. He had always prided himself on making even the most closed off of girls open up to him and give in to their more explicit needs. It was part of the conquest. But with Caroline, he just wanted to see the sides of her that no one else would see. To see her let go of herself in the throes of passion, an instance when he found that people could be quite honest with themselves. She always seemed to act the way she thought she should act or do the things she thought she should do. Just like her friend, she was driving herself insane with always worrying over doing the right thing. As Klaus licked and teased her into submission, he wanted to show her that a little bit of wrong, could be very, very right.

Her body began to quake as her orgasm erupted through her. She cried out, Klaus continuing to stroke her through the shocks of pleasure. Her fingers wove through his hair as the rumbles subsided, her legs feeling like jelly. He slowly moved her leg off his shoulder and stood, helping her adjust her dress back into a more modest position. His soft lips brushed her cheekbones as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Wow," Caroline said, "best none sex ever."

Klaus chuckled. "Thank you love," he replied brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Back to the party?"

She cocked her head. "Don't you want to…"

Klaus kissed her quickly, cutting her off. "Another time." The truth was, he wanted to dot dot dot. He definitely wanted to. He was only human after all and this small taste he had of her was nothing less than extraordinary. But he didn't want it to diminish what he had just given her. That had been about her, not about him. Gaining her trust. Showing her that the wait would be worth it and would hopefully be very, very short.

The next morning Klaus woke up early and took Rebekah to breakfast. She was quite cross with him for disappearing from the party.

"I try to do something nice for both you and Elijah and you both ditch as soon as you get the chance," she pouted over grapefruit and toast. "You can swan about with your girlfriends any time. I'm your sister! You never see me!"

"I'm here now aren't I?" Klaus countered taking a bite of toast. "Besides I have no idea what you are talking about."

Rebekah narrowed her eyes. "Don't play dumb. I noticed that Elena and Caroline were missing as soon as you and Elijah disappeared. Honestly, I don't know what either of you see in those girls. They are so…common."

"Always so humble Rebekah," Klaus muttered. So, Elijah skipped out on the posh party as well last night. And Elena? Hmmmm, thought Klaus. He would be storing that fact away for later examination.

After a very long breakfast, where Klaus did his best to be an attentive brother and appease his baby sister for letting her down the night before, he left her with his credit card allowing her to do some shopping in hopes that a few trinkets would further clear his name. Back at home, he found Elijah in the library, seated at their father's old wooden desk, his laptop open and his phone at his ear.

Elijah nodded to Klaus as he strolled in and gestured to a seat. Klaus sat down, his eyes flicking in the direction of the fireplace, and the shelf of books next to it. A few of the stack seemed to have come loose from their precise positions on the shelves. Klaus smirked to himself, remembering the sight of Caroline pressed against them, arching into his mouth.

"I have a gift for you," Elijah said to Klaus as he set his phone down and grabbed a yellow envelope.

"You shouldn't have," Klaus quipped, taking the piece of mail from his brother's hand. It was rather heavy. Elijah had already broken the seal, so Klaus slipped his hand inside and pulled out a thick, bound stack of papers. He read the black text on the front of the sheets, his mouth falling open in surprise. It was the script for his movie.

"The small incident in Prague aside, the studio has been very pleased with your change in attitude," Elijah said with a smile, "not to mention the added press potential from your relationship with Elena."

"They're back on board?" Klaus asked, a little doubtful at the fact that things seemed to turn around so fast.

"Yes," Elijah confirmed, "the contract stands. Shooting will start in a month, once you and Elena are back from the press tour."

He finished talking with Elijah, discussing a few more details about the project then headed to find the one person he wanted to share the good news with. It was fantastic. All the bloody misery of pretending to be Elena's boyfriend was paying off. His luck was finally changing.

Klaus hopped up the stairs, taking two at a time, and rushing over to Caroline's room, hoping that she hadn't left for the day. His knuckles hit the oak door with an eager knock and a couple moments later he heard Caroline's feet walking over to answer. She smiled at him.

"Hey good—" Klaus cut her off with a thorough kiss, his free hand wrapping around her neck and holding her in place. He released her after a moment, and watched her blink and stammer as she tried to remember what she had been saying. "Morning."

"Good morning," he smiled, walking into her room and shutting the door behind him.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" She asked taking a seat on her bed and folding her legs underneath her. Klaus handed her the envelope, sitting next to her. She tossed him an odd look, but opened the envelope and pulled out the movie script, her eyes brightening as she read the text. "The script for your movie?"

Klaus nodded. "Arrived in the post this morning."

"Wow. That is—amazing!" Caroline beamed.

"You already knew didn't you?" Klaus said, picking up the note of false surprise in her tone.

She gritted her teeth and smiled. "Elena got hers this morning too. She told me at breakfast. But I am really happy for you. You deserve this!"

Klaus flashed her a dimpled smile. Having her support and well wishes made the news that much better. It was strange, the way their dynamic had changed over the past couple of days. Now that Caroline was no longer hiding behind a mask of indifference toward him, he found he quite liked the way she was looking at him right now, with admiration and sincere happiness for him. It was a look he was not accustomed to receiving from anyone.

"I'll need to start learning lines soon," Klaus said, clearing his throat and shifting on the bed, "if we're to start filming at the end of the month."

"I can help you," she offered, "if you want."

Klaus took the script from her hand, flipping through the pages, his eyes scanning the text. "Shall we begin now?" He asked. "Ah, here's a good scene to start with." He folded back the page and passed it to Caroline, watching her read the text.

"Klaus!" She smacked him on the arm with the book, "it's a sex scene. There aren't any lines."

"I know," he said, his voice low and seductive. He took the script from her hands and tossed it aside, leaning toward her and pressing her down on the mattress.

She adjusted herself with a giggle, unfolding her legs and laying back, allowing him to settle on top of her and cover her lips with his. His mouth moved over hers, his tongue darting past her teeth. Caroline slid her foot along his leg, arching into him, the movement driving him mad. As her fingers fisted in his blonde curls, Klaus wondered if perhaps the wait was over. Maybe he was even luckier than he imagined and now was the time. A day was all it took for Caroline to loosen her chastity belt and give in. He decided to test the theory.

Carefully, he slid one hand under her blouse, grazing the skin of her stomach and reaching up to palm her breast. He pushed up the fabric of her bra, circling her nipple with his thumb and forefinger and giving it a tight pinch. Her response was a quiet yet encouraging moan, and Klaus took that as a very good sign.

Caroline slid her hand down his chest, feeling the lines of his torso through the fabric of his long sleeve tee. The necklaces that he always wore dangled from his throat, and brushed against her chest. She stopped at the top of his pants, feeling around for the button, and popping it open without breaking their kiss. Pulling down the zipper, she carefully ventured beyond the top of his jeans and moved her palm across his erection. Her reward was a throaty growl and a bite on her lip. She continued to stroke him as Klaus braced himself against the bed, his palms on either side of her head.

His lips parted from hers, brushing against her forehead, and she used the moment to glance down at her own motions; Klaus's hips bucking ever-so-slightly in time with her rhythm.

"Your hand feels quite good love," he said, his husky voice giving her a little thrill. Caroline gazed at him through the tops of her eyelashes, his heat-filled stare sending a wave of desire straight to her core.

She held her lip between her teeth, the site of it doing things to Klaus, making him want to lose control. But he had to hold off, if this was to be the moment, he couldn't let himself finish this way. Gently, he lowered his mouth back to hers and grabbed her wrist, moving it away from his cock. He sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt over his head, and then waited for Caroline to do the same. She laid there for a moment, leaning against her elbows, looking at his half naked form hovering over her. It wasn't exactly a lustful gaze, more like an indecisive observation.

"Klaus—"

"Caroline—"

A knock at the door interrupted them both.

"Damn it," Caroline whispered, "just a sex! I mean SEC—just a second!" She covered her reddening face with her hands, her blonde curls bobbing as she shook her head back and forth. "Hide!" She whisper-yelled at him pointing a frantic finger in the direction of her en suite bathroom.

Klaus shook his head, half laughing, half muttering to himself about how the gods obviously hate him as he trudged to the bathroom with his shirt and shut the door.

Caroline quickly smoothed down her hair and shirt.

"Care?" She heard Elena's muffled voice through the other side of the door.

Caroline whipped it open, the motion causing a tiny breeze to blow back her curls, and she gave Elena a big innocent smile. "Hey what's up?"

"Hey," Elena returned, narrowing her eyes at her friend's weird behavior, "did you still want to come with me to the Burberry shoot?"

"Omigosh, I totally forgot," Caroline exclaimed, "yes I do. I do want to go with you. To the Burberry shoot."

"Okay," Elena said, "are you alright?"

"Fine. One-hundred percent, A O-K," she said with a little wink. God Caroline could you be a little more spastic? She thought. "I was just curling my hair."

"Your hair's already curled."

"Straitening! I meant straightening. I'll meet you down stairs in five minutes."

Elena gave her a wary nod and turned away. Caroline shut the door behind her, letting out a slow breath, feeling like a total weirdo. She turned back around to see Klaus, still shirtless, leaning up against the doorframe of the bathroom with an amused grin on his face.

"What are you doing? How long have you been standing there? She could have seen you."

She brushed past him with a huff, going for her pink hair straightener that was sitting on the sink vanity and plugging it in.

"Ashamed of me?" Klaus asked. She looked up at him through the mirror.

"No, but I don't know exactly what we are doing and whatever it is," Caroline said, "I'd rather keep it quiet for the time being."

Klaus stepped behind her running his hands along her arms. "What we were doing was having fun," he purred into her hair.

Caroline shrugged him off. "Well now I have a photo shoot to get ready to go to."

The hair straightener beeped, signaling to Caroline that it was at full heat, and she reached for it. But Klaus grabbed her hand and spun her around pulling her against him.

"How about you don't go to the photo shoot?"

"But I already told Elena that I would go."

"You always do what Elena wants you to do," Klaus said, "what happened to wanting to seeing the world and experience new things instead of following the starlet around on her cloud of fame. It must get cold living in Elena Gilbert's shadow."

"Oh," Caroline said, "I'm guessing if I stay here I can see the wide world of your bedroom and have the once in a lifetime experience of an orgasm at Klaus Miklaeson's hands…oh wait I've already done that."

Klaus let out an indignant snort, his lips pursing in frustration. "You can be quiet the tease you know."

"And you can be quiet the spoiled man-child who stomps his feet and cries when he doesn't get his way."

Caroline met his hard stare, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I think you should go." The statement came out as more of an order rather than a suggestion.

"Fine," she replied brushing past him, "I was already going."

Caroline grabbed her purse and walked out of her room slamming the door behind her. She didn't let a lack of footwear ruin the impact of her dramatic exit.

Elena was at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Caroline.

"I thought you were straightening you hair," Elena asked as Caroline hit the bottom step.

"I changed my mind," she said breezing to the front door, "let's just go."

Going to the photo-shoot ended up being a horrible idea. It was a long and boring experience for Caroline, and all she did was sit in a folding director's chair while she watched Elena change into different outfits and pose for the photographer. The sitting meant she had nothing to do but think about how mad she was at Klaus.

Ok so the more she thought about it, she wasn't that mad at him. She could understand his frustration with her a little bit. It was typical guy behavior. Nothing more. Although he didn't need to call her a tease; that was just mean. At first she had just been angry, and concluded that it was evident by his words and actions that all he cared about was getting into her pants after all; and he would say or do anything to accomplish that goal. But then her anger simmered. Of course he didn't just care about sleeping with her. They were beyond that now. He could have taken advantage of her multiple times yet he never had. Damn him for being such a gentleman!

Either way, she wasn't admitting to being wrong about anything or apologizing. Because she wasn't wrong and there was nothing that she should be apologizing for. He should apologize to her, although, she wasn't sure what for exactly. For kissing her? No. For trying to get her to stay home? No. For making her forget to turn her straightener off before she left the house? Yes! Yes that was it. It was her favorite and it would be damaged if she left it on all day long. Oh, she would make him buy her a new one if it was broken. She would make him…Caroline slumped in her chair.

Okay, she was being a little dumb.

But she still wasn't going to cave in.

When the shoot was over, Alaric drove them back to the Mikaelson home in a black town car they had rented. Caroline sat in the back of the car, next to Elena, her chin in her hand as she stared out at the window, still trying to think of a reason to be mad at Klaus. She let out a heavy sigh as she watched the buildings and people on the street pass by.

"Hey," she said, "do you think we could drive through Trafalgar square?"

Caroline had no idea where they were currently in relation to it, but she did want to see something of London before they left for Paris the next day. London had been her all time favorite city growing up when she was little. She always thought it was where all the princesses went to live and she had wanted to live there too. She remembered the first time her dad had showed her photographs of modern day London, one of them had been of Trafalgar Square, and it had completely altered her perception of castles and knights and magic of a foreign land.

"I need to get home," Elena says, "I have a business dinner to get ready for?"

"Business dinner?" Caroline questioned.

"Yeah…just a thing. But I want to change before I have to leave," Elena replied nonchalantly.

"We can drive through," Alaric offered from the front seat, "it would only take maybe an extra twenty minutes."

Caroline smiled, but Elena still shook her head. "I'd really rather not chance it. There might be traffic."

"Fine," Caroline muttered, crossing her arms, "sorry to have asked, your highness."

Elena's head snapped in her direction. "What?"

"This entire trip has been about what you want to do. Where you want to go. I ask for one little thing and you just brush it off like it doesn't matter."

"Trafalgar Square isn't even that great to see," Elena protested, "if we had time I would let you stop."

Caroline blinked, incredulous at what a self-important bitch Elena was being at that moment. "Let me? You would let me? You don't own me. I can do and see whatever I want to do or see. God, it's like ever since high school it's always about you."

Alaric slinked down in the front seat and concentrated on his driving, hoping not to be caught in the crossfire.

"I'm sorry Caroline, but no one made you come on this trip. I thought I was being nice and letting you experience something new."

"Oh so now I'm your charity case?"

"That's not what I meant—"

"No I get it," Caroline cut her off, "Elena Gilbert, queen of the world, lowers herself to spend time and extend her goodness to us less fortunate, sad people. I'm super grateful that you've bestowed your generosity on me."

Elena opened her mouth to retort, but shut it again, unable to think of anything to say to that. Caroline faced away from her, glaring out the window, her face scrunched up in anger. The tension in the car began to suffocate its occupants as the girls sighed heavily, not saying anything else to one another. Alaric kept his head ducked down, trying to avoid accidental eye contact with either of them through the rear-view mirror. Even without running into traffic, he couldn't get back to the mansion fast enough.

So Caroline is starting to crack a little bit. I mean, who wouldn't right?

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Also one little other favor I have to ask of you: I've been nominated for Best Time Travel Fic (Timeless), Best AU/AH Fic (Best of Me) and Best Overall Author over at the Klaroline awards tumblr. So if you haven't, I'd be much obliged if you'd pop over to their tumblr klarolineawards and vote for me!

Thanks muchly!

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