Disclaimer: I own nothing

AN: Hi, this is going to be a multi-chapter fic. I have done research about the 1920's and I am trying to keep all the facts straight, but if I fail, I am more than willing to be have you correct me. I hope you will enjoy it! The fic is somewhat OOC. I have posted this also in AO3 under the same title.

Chapter One

Fire

Caroline Forbes is a modern gal, Caroline Forbes told her sleft as she hopped into a cab in her newly acquired dress. Or at least she liked to think she was a modern girl. The prohibition had been in place for three years now, ever since she had turned fourteen years old. She had never even tried alcohol, well not before anyway; she had been a good and proper girl. But her friends weren't as proper as she was, or as proper as she liked to think she had been. Elena Gilbert had been her best friend from birth. And ever since Elena's parents passed on about a year ago, Elena was left with no supervision, only her Aunt Jenna to take care of the family fortune until Jeremy and Elena could take over the assets. And to be honest, Elena's Aunt was clueless. She was so wrapped up in her own life, her suitor Alaric Saltzman and the never ending parties to even notice that most nights Elena only came home just before dawn.

Caroline had been sucked into all this because Elena was her best friend. And when your best pal asked you something, you did it. And that was how Caroline Forbes, one of Chicago's most valued debutantes was now sneaking out of her own home to go to speakeasy with Elena and Bonnie. And this was not the first time. Far from it.

For almost a month Caroline had been going to Friar's Inn twice a week with Elena. And that was where they had met Bonnie. She worked at Friar's as a singer. Caroline had been mesmerized by her voice and the exiting rhythm of the bass. She had never heard jazz music before. Her father kept her in a tight leash. Caroline played the piano, but only Mozart, Bach and the other great composers were tolerated in her house. Her father considered musical talent to be very important, after all that was a virtue her suitors would appreciate.

Caroline had enjoyed her life, she really had. But that was all before. Before Elena took her to listen to the 'devil's music' as her father would have called it. Her father thought that music was for colored people only. Well, he had used a nastier word, but after meeting Bonnie, Caroline had made herself a promise that she would never utter the word again.

The taxi came to a halt at 60 East Van Buren. Caroline spotted Elena standing outside, waving. Caroline thought she was perfectly capable of going in by herself, but it was Elena who always had the passwords, and she didn't like sharing them Caroline for some reason. Caroline had no idea how Elena had come by the Inn in the first place, or who gave her the ever changing passwords, but Caroline thought she might not even want to know. She was aware that all this was illegal and gangsters were ever present. Sometimes it was better not to know, even though it killed Caroline not to find out.

She was nosy, she acknowledged it, but she wanted to know, it was just her nature. When she had been younger, gossiping had been her favorite sport, but as she got older, she learned to control herself. Gossiping didn't usually do you any good. Caroline had learned that sometimes it was better to keep your mouth shut.

They had gone in an hour ago. Caroline loved the music and she loved dancing, but at a place like this, she wanted to be cautious. You never knew who was a hard core criminal and who wasn't. Caroline wasn't as naïve as her friends thought. She knew what could happen for a girl who was too careless. Usually the girls stuck together, but Elena had met someone, and she was dancing with him now, and Bonnie had just gotten on stage a half an hour ago. Caroline didn't mind sitting alone, if she would indeed be left alone. But she was a young girl, and she wasn't exactly ugly. Caroline always kept her glass full so that she would have an excuse to turn down the drink offers she fairly often got.

Caroline watched Elena dancing and laughing to the exhilarating beat. She sighed as she watched her friend so utterly happy. She was glad for her, she was. Elena had gone through a lot and she deserved this. But still, she was only human and could not help but to feel a little jealous. Whenever she went somewhere with Elena, Caroline was utterly ignored. Elena was always the center of attention. Caroline told herself that she didn't mind, but the truth was, she did mind.

"Is this seat free?" A handsome young man with dark hair asked her. It was nothing out of ordinary. Whenever Caroline was left alone, it usually took only fifteen minutes for the perverts to come and try to seduce her. Usually they were older and uglier than this man, but she didn't trust any of them. Occasionally she allowed herself to dance with the handsome ones, but tonight she was not in the mood. Elena had left her on her own so soon, and she was a little bit mad. Tonight she just wanted to enjoy the music.

"My friends will be back any minute now," Caroline answered, but the man took a seat anyway.

"I'll give up my seat when they arrive, then," he said with a smile. It was meant to make her trust him, but it did the exact opposite.

"Please, my friends will be back any moment now," Caroline tried to dismiss him, but he wasn't taking the hint.

"Oh come on, doll. I can show you a good time." His eyebrows rose suggestively. Caroline rolled her eyes at him.

"Please leave, I would like to be alone," she hissed with determination. He let out a condescending laugh. It made Caroline see red. How dare any man laugh at her in such a manner.

"Come on now, doll." He grabbed her hand.

"Do not call me doll. I am not an object, I am a woman," Caroline hissed through her teeth and grabbed her glass, ready to smash it against his head any moment now. But she did not get the opportunity.

"You better do as the lady commands," a soft voice said. The voice belonged to a very handsome man with fair hair. For a moment Caroline was struck silent by his good looks. The blonde man stepped closer to the asshole and grabbed the hand that had been squeezing Caroline's.

"I can manage this, I do not need help, thank you very much," Caroline muttered after she recovered. The blonde man looked at her with an amused grin.

"By all means, handle him yourself," the man said with the most delicious British accent Caroline had ever heard. Well, to be fair, she had not heard that many people speaking with the accent. He sat down by the table, his smirk not fading from his lips.

The dark haired man looked at Caroline and then at the other man, looking very confused.

"I think I'm going to go…" he mumbled and left as quickly as he could. Caroline harrumphed and crossed her arms.

"I was handling it, thank you very much." He kept on smiling, and it irritated Caroline beyond belief.

"Sure you were, love." Caroline stared into his grey eyes with annoyance.

"I am not your love. And I am a grown woman, I can handle myself." He nodded, and did not look as amused as he had before.

"Let me guess, you are a feminist?"

"What of it?" She asked with a challenging tone. Caroline had been a secret supporter of the suffragettes. Her father would not allow her to be on the streets demanding the right to vote, of course, but she stood by their cause one hundred per cent. And she believed that it should not end there. Even after women had gained the right to vote, she was supposed to get her education and marry a respectable man. That was not what Caroline wanted. She wanted her life to be more than being the dutiful wife and mother. Why could she not be an engineer? She worked hard and she deserved all the same rights as men did. She was no less important than a man. She was smart. Smarted than many men.

"Nothing, sweetheart. My sister took a very active role in the suffragette movement, to be honest with you." His tone was sweeter now and he had a smile on his face that Caroline deemed to be a genuine one. Caroline nodded in surprise. Usually when men found out about her opinions, they laughed at her, not even trying to hide it.

"Would you care to dance, love?" he asked, apparently not nice enough to respect her wish not to be called 'love'. She was no one's 'love'.

"I'd rather not, sweetheart," she said with mockery. He smiled at her brightly and laughed.

"I like you."

"I do not really care for you." Caroline informed him, making him only laugh more.

"You got moxie, love. I give you that."

"I am so honored, sir," she said, her voice think with sarcasm.

"Very well, I think we will leave the dancing for later."

"I don't think so, stranger," Caroline subtly reminding him that they had just met and were not likely to meat ever again.

"I am so sorry, how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Niklaus. But you may call me Nik." Now she had a name to attach to the handsome face, but what of it? She was never going to see him again.

"It was very interesting meeting you, Nik. But I am afraid my friend is ready to leave," Caroline said, spotting Elena near the exit, waving at her.

"But you did not even give me your name." Caroline smiled at him wickedly.

"You didn't seem to have a problem calling me other names, so I guess you don't really need it, Nik. Have a good life." And with that she took her exit, leaving a very stunned Niklaus sitting in his seat. The girl got fire, he thought. But vampires were a predatory species. And no one enjoyed the hunt more than Niklaus Mikaelson.