2. The first

"I hope you don't mind me barging in like this. I just didn't know where else to go and this place is always a safe haven to me." she was telling Stefan as he was letting her in his beautiful new home.

" Please, after all of these years of friendship you still have the need to apologize for anything to me? Me casa es su casa bonita. You can barge in whenever …"

" Yeah … I remember barging in that one time Tyler and I had a fight and I found you in a very compromising position when a certain gentleman that will remain unnamed. Scared me for life."

Stefan slapped her on the butt and rolled his eyes: "Always such a prude Carebear."

It was just harmless teasing between them, something they have always done, but today wasn't Caroline's day so her eyes filled with tears again. Damn it, when did she become such a cry baby? She hated Tyler for doing that to her, and more than anything she hated that she still didn't hate him at all. I mean she could finally say she didn't love him either, but hate just never came. Sadness and disappointment yes, but Caroline Forbes just wasn't a hate kind of girl. Only when it came to one another man from her past, she hated him with a fire that could wipe out cities.

" Am I really like that Stefan? A prude? Is that the reason Tyler left? Am I boring?"

"My God Caroline you're amazing, you are gorgeous, sweet and kind and funny and you have a heart of gold and nooo, you're not boring. I hate that that little prick made an insecure person out of you. People love you. I love you, don't forget that, ever. Now, tell me … Am I right or wrong when I say you need some liquor in you?"

" Yes please … Yes please with a big P. Let's get wasted in the middle of the day. Always wanted to do that."

"Now that's the spirit babe. I'll whip us up some margaritas. Okay senorita?"

" Muy bueno. Can those margarita's come with some hot cabana boy wearing nothing but a thong?

" Why Miss Forbes I think some needs to get laid and pronto."

" What, are you offering?"

" Well it's been quite a while since I've been with a woman but I'm sure I still remember what goes where." Stefan said while chuckling like crazy.

"Just go get our margaritas cabana boy and I'll just go freshen up a bit."

She entered Stefan's bathroom and started removing the mascara from her face. Waterproof my ass … She took one long and hard look at her self. Stefan was right as always when he told her last time she could play Fantine in Les Miserables without a problem. He was being melodramatic as always, but not so far from the truth, she did lose a lot of weight over the last few months. Her beautiful blue eyes felt too big for her face now and her wavy hair seemed sort of lifeless. Everyone was right; she did have to start taking better care of herself. Maybe proposing her little plan to Stefan was the first step towards it …

When she stepped outside Stefan was already waiting on the deck with the delicious margaritas.

"What, no thong? I'm disappointed … I was hoping for some, well at least PG 13 …"

" Well my black one is in the wash and I just didn't feel like wearing the pink one, it just doesn't go with the surrounding. Now take this and drink up. Let's toast to our fabulous lives, it doesn't matter if they're a bit crappy at this precise moment, but we are fabulous and in the end everything will be fabulous."

" Wow, could you squeeze another fabulous in there? Just kidding … You're right and I'll drink to that, to the fabulous us."

They sat on the brand new chairs she helped him pick out as Stefan was pouring another margarita.

"So how was your day? Still having trouble with that new actress on the show?"

" Omg, she's such a freaking pest. Apparently she doesn't understand we're only playing lovers, she seriously can't keep her hands off me and it's very annoying. If I was a woman I'd sue her for sexual harassment.

" Oh my poor baby. She just can't help it. I mean look it you, you're freaking irresistible."

" Noo, she's just so easy. She's hooked up every guy in town. She dated Klaus for a while …"

" Stefan … I seriously don't want to talk about him …"

" Really? Still?"

" Still … And always and forever … No … Let's rather talk about something sweeter, like you and me for an example?"

" What do you mean you and me?" Stefan gave her a quizzical look.

" Well, I mean …" Caroline slightly shifted in her seat, trying to say what she was about to say in her serious tone, not wanting it to sound like a mockery.

"I'm so sick of the tabloids portraying me like that poor Caroline Forbes that is about to cut her wrist on hung her self on the shower curtain. I'm just sick of it. I don't want to be the victim anymore; I never wanted to be that. I don't need nor want anyone's sympathy."

" Honey, you now the public doesn't mean anything bad. You're their sweetheart, they worry about you, and I mean they push it sometimes but they do love you."

" But what if they had no more reasons to worry about me? If I found a new glorious love of my life? Someone that has been there all along but I was just too blind to see how in love I was?"

" Where is this going Care?" Stefan asked in a serious tone.

" Well I think you can guess … We'd tell the world we'd fallen madly in love and decided to get married without thinking twice about it … We could do it … Marry me Stefan …"

" Caroline … I mean, what the hell has gotten into you? I'm gay remember?"

" But no one knows that, there are only rumors of that. This would be a good way to put a stop to it if you don't want people to know yet."

" Think about it Stef. Please."

" Caroline …" he looked firmly into her eyes.

"This is not the way to deal with things. I know you think it's a good plan but one lie always leads to another one and than another one and it never ends well. Trust me, I know … So no, I'm not marrying you."

"Me neither" she heard a voice say behind her. " I'd rather stop drinking." Caroline turned around to see her nightmare standing in front of her. Niklaus Mikaelson in all its glory.

" Don't let me interrupt folks, this is the most interesting conversation I heard since I heard Mary Kate Olsen tell she had lesbian dreams about Scarlett Johansson. I mean who could blame her, that girl is a tiger in bed. Now that would be an interesting threesome."

The mere sound of his voice made her want to gag. Especially when she remembered the first time she heard it more than ten years ago and how intoxicated she was with it, it was like the finest melody to her young ears and every time he turned to talk to her she would melt, especially since those moments were so rare off screen. There was something about him … Even though she was a famous actress/ millionaire and he was a wash out that Hollywood swallowed and spat out, she still felt like 17 around him.

" What the hell is he doing here?" she looked at Stefan in anger. I mean she knew the two of them were, let us say friends, but she never wanted to here about it …

" Please don't tell me he has a key?"

"Of course I do love. It's for our special rendezvous'". he smirked and gave Stefan a wink.

Caroline just rolled her eyes, something she loved doing in his presence.

" Please. Stefan has far better taste than to fall for the likes of you."

" No, I actually don't" Stefan finally said a word.

" I mean look at him. He's been blessed with the gift that he looks even better as age progress. Too bad he's straight. So I've given up barking at that tree."

Caroline refused to look at him, she knew damn well he was good looking and beyond that, but she wasn't falling for that again. She refused to look at him because she was afraid after all this time she would still blush. Yes, she was that stupid when it came to him. So she always played with the only weapon she had – snotty remarks and sarcasm, lots and lots of it.

"Well Stef hope dies last. Maybe he'll come around once he has his way fucking every woman in Hollywood." Caroline regretted it the very second it flew from her mouth. Damn it, it was like she had Turrets syndrome while she was around him. She didn't mean to say it, because now she was sure he'd in a very gentleman like kind of way mention that he, how to put it, fucked her too once.

" I'm shocked. Someone call the swear police. The goodie goodie too shoes Caroline Forbes actually knows the f word? Alert the media people. And don't you worry about my sex life sweetheart. I'd rather worry about yours … I mean here you were ready to marry a gay guy, it means sex is not all that important to you, right? Come, tell me, just between us girls, Tyler Lockwood was shit in bed right? Could he even get it up?"

Caroline's ears started to burn, she truly couldn't stand this pompous ass.

" I really hate you." she muttered through clenched teeth and run into the house. Stefan ran after her.

"Caroline … He's only kidding." was his lame attempt in justifying his friend.

"I can't believe you're friends with him. You're actually friends with that jerk? You know you don't have to take every stray dog home Stef."

" Caroline, stop it."

" I have no clue what happened between you two all those years ago, and you won't tell me … Fine, I can respect that but … Caroline, he's not all that bad."

" Oh noooo … He's a angel. A drugged drunk man's whore for an angel."

"First of all he hasn't been using drug for years, I swear. And he's not been with every girl in Hollywood; I mean you know better than anyone else that the tabloids live from exaggerating."

" Don't know and don't care … I just know I don't want to be near that man. Could you please just get my purse, I left in on the deck. I want to go home."

" Be a mature person and get it yourself." Stefan said and left her to stand there and sulk like a little child.

"Leaving so soon love? Please don't tell me my visit has upset you, I could never forgive myself for that. " he started picking on her even before she entered the deck.

"Please don't call me that." she said not even looking at him.

"Why not? Scooter enjoyed when Skip called her that, remember? Love? Btw. I remember reading somewhere she made it to the top 10 list of all time American favorite tv characters. Congrats to the old girl."

"Did you really hate that show so much or do you just like to shit on everything in your life?" she couldn't help but to ask.

" I didn't hate the show I just hated the character I played. The good old Skip, uptight little prick …"

This was so sad for Caroline. She loved the character of Skip, he was everything Klaus wasn't. Nice, loyal and madly in love with the character she played. She didn't always look like this. She was entering her teenage years when they started shooting and she felt all of those things young teenage girls feel. Not good enough and not pretty enough. Since her mother died when she was 5 she didn't have a mom to tell her how beautiful outside and inside she was, her father was always working, managing her career putting that first, and so she was left alone. She needed someone like Skip in her life, and all she got was Klaus. And since a fictional character couldn't break her heart, the boy playing him had to I guess.

" I don't think you hate Skip at all. I think you always wanted to be like him but fell so far short now you have to pretend to despise him."

" Oh, that's too much psychoanalytical shit, I'm not even nearly drunk enough to listen to that. Let's get on to more impending matters. Like, now that our Steffy has rejected you, who will be the next mister Caroline Forbes?"

"Aren't you sweet to worry about my little life when yours is such a screwed- up mess?" was the last thing she spat before finding her purse and getting the hell out of there, screaming to Stefan she'd call him later after he gets rid of the vermin infestering his beach house. And yes, she screamed it intentionally loud so he could hear her. Not that it would mean anything to him… Nothing ever did …

Once she was in her home she couldn't believe she let him provoke her like that. What was she? Twelve? She hadn't spoken to him in years, just a hello now and then when they bumped into each other in public where she had to be, let's say polite, but in private … She never wanted to be in private with him again. Because the fact of the matter was, his glare still made her blood boil and her spine turn into mush. She thought Tyler was the love of her life, and one Klaus Mikaelson was nothing compared to that but … Yes, it would be unreasonable to call him exactly nothing, although that's what she wanted to think of him … But no matter how she tried to erase it from her memory, one fact still stuck there, and nothing could change it, he was and always will be - her first …

Thank you so much for the review and story alerts ... I'm having so much fun writing this, as I truly am a huge fan of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Klaus and Caroline just match the characters in the book perfectly ... To answer your question, in the begining I will be holding close to the book, to see where it's heading, but with time I'm probably going to do some adjustments. I think I'll leave Klaus being a prick as he is, because I'm just having a lot of fun writing it, but Caroline will be even more sassier than the character in the book ... Well, I had lots of fun writing this, so I hope you'll have fun reading it, and let me know ... Please review if you have time to spare, it always makes me day ;)