Without meaning to, a laughed out breath fell from Caroline's chest. Slowly pulling her hand back she shook her head with a confused smile. "Nice to meet you too, I guess." Looking over to Elijah briefly, she blurted, "You'll have to give me a minute. This is beyond surreal."
"Color me surprised as well," Klaus hummed at his brother with an accusatory smirk, "My brother failed to mention that my mysterious friend back home was a woman."
An awkward smile graced her lips as she peeped, "Oh." Lifting her arm, she tucked a stray curl behind her ear.
"I failed to see the point in correcting you, Brother," Elijah said politely from beside them.
Klaus responded half in humor and half in irritated chastisement as he shifted his weight, "A little warning would have been nice."
"Yes, well. Shall we sit?" Elijah inquired holding out his hand toward the library seating.
To say this was awkward for Caroline was an understatement. This situation felt like an odd mixture of a blind date and . . . nope. There was no proper analogy for this situation. It was weird to be in a room with a version of Klaus that had no idea who she was. She had grown closer to him over the last few weeks; what with their near-daily texts and phone calls. Their conversations had never been long, but more of a routine born of a need to speak to someone disconnected from the drama and yet sympathetic to supernatural weirdness. Now, though, that was gone for him. Her eyes flicked over to the Hybrid again, and when she noticed his admiring glances, a small blush crept up her cheeks.
The coloring of her cheeks while under his gaze made him smirk with a sense of empowerment. Had he been more than merely friends with this beauty?
"To break the tension, let me begin with my hopes for this situation," Elijah said sitting down onto a plush armchair. "Niklaus, it is my wish that you stay here in this house until I'm able to discover the origins of your memory loss." Gesturing with his head he nodded to Caroline, "And, it is my wish that you will stay here with Caroline. That you listen to her." His eyes studied his brother's reaction as Klaus' face grew more and more tense. "She knows this world. She knows about the dangers in this town. In addition, she knows herself as a vampire. She has exceptional control, and she will help you with this transition."
As beautiful as the woman next to him was, his sibling's words were beyond infuriating. Still standing, he took a few steps toward his brother's seat, "You are joking, Elijah. This is your big plan. I've already said, I am not a child to be sent off to the neighborhood maid whilst my brother goes on a hunt."
Caroline, from where she had plopped herself down on one of the chairs stationed in front of the desk, scoffed, "I'm sitting right here."
Klaus barely gave her an eye roll as he stared darkly at his brother, his hands tense and fisted by his side.
Elijah knew his brother would react this way. He had always been impulsive and impudent. Elijah knew that present day Klaus wouldn't listen to his words, but Human Niklaus was still his baby brother. He held some residual authority. "You will do this for me, Brother."
A cocky smile quirked up one side of the Hybrid's mouth, "And why would I do that?"
The elder Mikaelson's mouth grew serious. "Because I am telling you to." Looking down to the arm of the chair where his fingers slid listlessly across its dark surface, he continued, "And, unless you wish to lose every ounce of what makes you who you are, I suggest you acquiesce. I will find your attackers, Niklaus, and I will restore you, but I need you to follow this single edict. You are to stay in this house with Caroline and let her endeavor to guide you whilst you find your bearings. I don't expect you to like it, but I do expect it nonetheless."
Caroline watched Klaus with hint of confusion and, she'll admit it, amusement. The sight of the Original Hybrid huffing and puffing because he didn't want his big brother to leave him with a babysitter was again all too . . . domestic. First, coffee with her Doppelganger killer, and now, feuding Original siblings. When did this all become commonplace? When did this become her life?
She stood abruptly gaining the attention of the men in the room.
"Miss Forbes?" Elijah asked.
Flicking her blonde curls from her face, she explained, "If you two are just going to sit here and squabble, I'm not sticking around for it. It seems I have some packing to do and some people I need to talk to. I'm going to take Katherine back to my place, so she can pull her things together. We'll be back."
"Very well," the elder brother said standing upon her exit. "I will have your room prepared for your return."
The vampire nodded as the idea sunk in, "Right. My room." A small, short, and slightly hysterical laugh popped out of her mouth. "My room at the Mikaelson Mansion. Yes, please, have my room prepared," she chirped with a lofty voice and a farewell flourish of her hand. Caroline was feeling beyond giddy now that she was starting to consider what she had just signed herself up for. She was going to be living with an unpredictable, amnesiac Hybrid for a month or two, and not just any Hybrid, the Original Hybrid. Shaking her head, she made her way back toward the parlor to collect her least favorite Doppelganger.
Klaus' brow furrowed as he watched the odd woman leave the library, the bold wooden door closing slowly behind her. Her hips swayed deliciously, but her behavior seemed erratic. He wasn't sure what he thought of his friend from Mystic Falls. Turning to his brother, he condescended, "That is my guardian, Elijah? Well, she seems perfectly stable."
"Give her time, Niklaus. This is an unusual situation for all of us."
The room was decorated in several deep shades of blue. Even the walls, though painted a slate grey, reflected the cool tones of the decor. A tall, wide window allowed bright beams of the summer's sun to filter through the sheer white curtains and cascade over the rich wooden floors. Patterned pillows brought interest to the large canopied bed that stood just off to the right of the room. Thin gauzy fabric hung delicately from each detailed post and complimented the painting that hung just over the headboard, a painting she remembered all too well and was surprised to see considering it had been meant as a charity piece. The lonely snowflake. A snowflake whose design was reflected in the crystals that hung from the light fixture just over the center of the room.
"Wow," Caroline breathed laying an appreciative hand on the bedpost. "You guys don't do anything halfway." Taking a few steps into the large room, she turned to observe the two brothers perched in the doorway.
Feeling drawn in by his now ever-present curiosity, Klaus stepped lightly into the room and walked along the wall, his eyes caressing all the small details of the lush decor. Coming up beside the bed, his eyes rested on the painting.
For a moment, Caroline and Elijah just watched him as he discovered this unexplored portion of his home.
He drank in the color and darkness sitting in the gilded frame above the bed. "It's . . . ," he said pensively before boredly stating, " . . . a snowflake."
Unable to control herself, she busted out a few heavy guffaws followed by a string of giggles.
Seemingly alarmed, both brothers looked to the blonde. Their gazes seemed to sober her enough to pull back her laughter. Trying to keep the amusement from her voice, she asked, "Is the artist's work really that literal?"
Elijah quirked an eyebrow and stepped around the doorway to view the art as well. Seeing the obvious style of his brother's work, he smirked at Caroline's joke. "I must agree with Niklaus. It's obviously a snowflake," he chuckled.
Nodding, Klaus continued posturing with his hands grasped behind his back, "Not even a good one."
He turned abruptly with a raised eyebrow when both his brother and Caroline burst into brief laughter.
"I'm missing something, aren't I? I hung this, didn't I?" he asked with a touch of irritation behind his tone, pointing to the artwork.
"Something like that," the blonde said moving to the hallway to grab her bags from where Elijah had set them beside the door, the small smile lingering on her mouth. Setting her luggage on the long bench that ran along the bottom of the bed, she unzipped the largest of the three.
Catching onto her intent, Elijah politely put, "I'll be downstairs loading Katerina's things. I believe we will leave within the hour. I will come to collect you for farewells when all is prepared." Without more than a nod, the elder Original turned to patter down the hallway leaving the vampire alone with the Hybrid.
The blonde tried to ignore Klaus as he stood watching her unpack. His eyes followed her about the room studiously, and as the seconds ticked by, Caroline's skin began to prickle under his gaze. She avoided turning towards him, but practically felt his eyes as they glided over her skin. When he broke the silence, she had to make an effort not to jump.
"What is our relationship?" He asked.
The question wasn't what she expected. Meeting his eyes, she answered, "It's like Elijah said. We're friends."
The Hybrid's eyes narrowed and looked to the ground with one raised brow. "He also said we were once enemies."
A small sardonic laugh fell from her lips. "Yeah, you could say that—"
"—Why?"
"Why?" She asked, her dainty eyebrows furrowing together.
"Yes, why? Why did we hate each other? How did we become friends?" Klaus was genuinely curious. Crossing his arms across his chest, he leaned his shoulder against one of the bed posts.
"Um, well," Caroline struggled trying not to notice the definition of muscle stretched beneath the forearms of his Henley. How do you explain to someone that they've killed people you care about? Jump right in, I suppose. "You sort of . . . killed my best friend and her aunt and my boyfriend. You tried to kill my other best friend too. I mean," she began to ramble, "the best friend you killed came back to life and my boyfriend came back as a Hybrid when you fed him the once-dead friend's blood. And then you tried to have me killed, but saved me at the last second. Well, that happened twice. But between that you also killed the Mayor and—" She stopped when she witnessed the perplexed expression on his face. "Um, it's a long story. Maybe best left for another time."
Klaus remained silent for a moment, his face a complex mixture of sadness and incredulity. "I killed all those people, but we're friends?"
She didn't answer him. She didn't know if she could give him any sort of explanation. This wasn't a question she could answer for herself let alone someone else.
Her silence triggered suspicions of dishonesty within him. Taking a few steps forward he ran a nervous hand back through his hair, a remnant from the days he had longer hair. "I don't seem to have many friends. What makes you different?"
A long sigh released the tension from her blonde shoulders. The frustration of not knowing was grating on him, but she didn't know how to soothe those feelings. Walking past him she sat down on the bed and motioning with a pat of her hand she invited him to sit with her. He seemed almost nervous as he approached, but calmed when his weight had been dropped down next to her.
"You were the bad guy," she began. "The first time I saw you, it was in the context of you killing my boyfriend in attempt to motivate my friends to work for you. You killed him so they would solve your Hybrid problem. You see, you couldn't make werewolves like you because you didn't know you needed living Doppelganger blood. I was watching Tyler slowly die . . . again . . ." This was difficult story to tell quickly. So many details left unsaid. Shaking her head and pushing through, she continued, "—when you came bursting into the room. You weren't cruel to me that first day, but you were definitely cruel to those I cared about. You hurt them before I had ever met you, and you continued to hurt them after, so you became my enemy."
The blonde gave a small laugh as she continued, "Friendship took a long long time and, honestly, was never my intention. I thought you were heartless and merciless. You ordered Tyler to bite me, a fatal bite, as a message to my friends, but then you showed up at my door. I had been depressed about my new life as a vampire; I was certain that the life I had wanted was no longer possible, and I couldn't see the appeal in being a vampire. You saw that in me. You gave me the choice to die or to be healed. You told me about all of the possibilities of life as a vampire. The places I could go, the things I could see." A tiny, peaceful smile curled up the side of her mouth for a brief moment. "I asked you once if you had intended on sitting with me that night and giving me a pep talk. You said that something about me was 'disarming and unexpected'." The young blonde threw up air quotes as she spoke. "That night you took interest in me, and that night I saw a glimpse of the man behind the monster." Caroline took a cleansing breath and looked over to him. "That was the start of a change between us. The rest of the story will have to wait, though, because it's seriously a long one, okay?"
Klaus would say he was intrigued, but that wasn't the right word. Ignoring her obvious attempt to end the conversation, he again asked, "And why did I hate you?"
She opened her mouth to respond but paused. Her sculpted eyebrows pulled together as her eyes shifted to the wall opposite the bed. Her words were soft when she said, "Well, um. You . . . never did." Caroline's eyes popped back over to him as he regarded her.
Watching as she responded to his question, he took note of the straight slope of her nose and the flawless blush on her cheeks. His vampiric eyes drank in the subtle mix of green and blue that swirled amidst her eyes and the rosey pink shining from her lips. She really was quite lovely. There was an honesty held within her eyes, a transparency to her expressions, a sweet elegance to her character.
In that moment, Klaus came to a realization. "I understand."
"You do?"
As if sharing some sort of private joke with the side of himself that was forgotten, he smiled shyly standing up. "Yes." Walking toward the door, he spoke again, "I'll leave you to unpack, Love. Perhaps you can tell me more later. It seems we'll have the time."
Caroline stood too as he left. With a affirming nod, she uttered, "Seems so."
Then Klaus left her with a slight nod of his own and a flash of dimple in his cheek.
"I'd hug you, but I don't like you that much," Katherine said with a sideways tilt to her head and a teasing smile.
Caroline stood near the passenger side of Elijah's black, luxury car with the Doppelganger while the brothers conversed in the entryway of the Mikaelson home. She had briefly worried about Klaus seeing Katherine knowing well that he would recognize her as someone else, but thank god for small miracles. Elijah had already explained her physical resemblance to their once love Tatia. Except for some lingering glances in the Doppelganger's direction that had the blonde girl's skin crawling with irritation, Klaus didn't mention the phenomenon.
Addressing the curly haired brunette, she replied with a small smile and a giggle, "Oh, please no. Who knows what I would catch?"
A pert, brown eyebrow rose on Katherine's forehead. "Speaking of, be careful, Peaches. Watch yourself." Her honeyed chocolate eyes flicked in the Mikaelsons' direction as they patted towards the car. Grasping Caroline by the shoulders lightly, she spun them to face away, her expression growing serious. "He's not your friend anymore. Protect yourself. If he loses his temper, you run."
Caroline wanted to say that Klaus would never hurt her, but the severity behind Katherine's eyes was uncharacteristic and triggered genuine feelings of fear within her. Trying to shake the cold shutter from her shoulders, the smile returned o her lips, "Aw, Kat, do you care?"
Huffing indignantly, the Doppelganger grabbed at the girl's arm pinching it roughly in her grasp.
"Ow!" Caroline yelped.
Katherine's eyes bore into hers. "Do you understand me, Caroline?"
The blonde gulped. The brunette never used her full name. It was moments like this that Caroline remembered that Katherine was old, with hidden wisdom and authority. Nodding stoically, she communicated her understanding of Katherine's warning. "I understand, Katherine."
"You run."
"I'll run."
Watching Elijah and Katherine load into the car and feeling Klaus approach behind her left shoulder as she waved goodbye was sobering. The Doppelganger's warning was like ice in her veins. Surely, she had nothing to worry about, right?
Caroline was all unpacked. Rolling her empty burgundy suitcase under the bed, she nodded her head feeling accomplished. Her eyes looked over the room and a long breath exhaled from her lungs.
"Okay, now what?" The next few seconds ticked by, and she realized that she was already bored. Her plans were clear for the day. While usually she would fill the gap with a project or an errand, it was probably best to stick with Klaus on Day One of his house arrest.
Turning toward the door readying herself to seek him out, a thought occurred to her; she had never just been with him before, never spent time in his company without some sort of agenda. Again, the difference between friends on the phone and friends in person was pointed out to her.
Hesitantly, her feet took her to the door and down the hall. Patting down the spiral staircase she peered around. There was a hint of noise coming from upstairs. Klaus was stomping around up there.
Turning the corner, she walked to the kitchens. If she was going to be stuck in a big house with Klaus, she was going to need a blood bag. The kitchens were quite large and set up not only for cooking but with spacious countertops useful for a house destined to be catered on many occasions. Unstopping the bag she pulled from the fridge, she stood unaware of the Hybrid's steps descending down the stairs in her direction.
Klaus felt on edge. If he were being truthful with himself, he would say he'd felt on edge since the night of the full moon. He couldn't remember feeling so easily provoked before, well maybe once or twice, but this was constant and weighing him down. He couldn't remember feeling so ruled by an emotion. But, then again, he couldn't remember many things.
Turning the corner into the room, he paused. It was occupied by his blond house mate; she hadn't noticed him yet.
Klaus meant to speak up, but the words died in his throat when Caroline's bright eyes slid closed and her pink lips curled around the tubing of the bag. Her body reacted for a moment, dark veins swelling and throbbing beneath her eyes and a slight, pleasured hum breathing out through her nose as she drank. The air refused to leave his lungs when for a moment recognition tingled in the back of his mind.
A few moments passed in which he stood staring before Caroline felt his presence. Their eyes locked, and he could almost taste her fear as she tensed, as if it was a very mist in the air.
Even though he had only been introduced to the species of vampire a few days before, there was an instinctual part of him that ached at the vision of her in her vampiric form. Part of him had longed for her delicate lips to part so he could glimpse the sharp canines that had stood waiting under that innocent flesh.
Pulling the bag away, she turned to face him and paused. "Klaus?" Caroline softly asked not wanting to provoke him; for there he stood, not 10 feet away, in all his predatory glory. Unbeknownst to him, yellow irises shown out in his darkened eyes that hosted spidery veins beneath.
A sigh of relief erupted from her when the Hybrid seemed to snap himself out of his thoughts, his eyes slamming shut. His fingers came to his face attempting to massage away the effect her feeding had had on him. "I apologize, Love," he muttered trying to forcibly relax his shoulders and shoo away the visions the sight of her had triggered in his mind.
"It's all right," she muttered. Slight embarrassment was clear in his expression, so clearing her throat, she addressed him normally, "Would you like one?" Lifting the blood bag, she indicated what she meant.
"Yes, thank you. I guess I was hungrier than I thought."
"It happens. What type do you like?" She asked as she opened the refrigerator door.
"Type?"
"Yeah, do you have a favorite?" When he didn't answer, she peeked over her shoulder at him. His expression was confused. "Oh, right. Um . . . there are different blood types. They all have their own subtle flavor differences. I'm a B+ girl myself."
"Oh, well, I guess I'll have that then."
Tossing him the bag, she busied herself with throwing out her own empty one.
"How did you control it?"
The conversation was a welcome distraction, so she spun lightly to speak. Her words didn't follow though when she noticed his face had changed again just as hers had before, but Caroline wasn't frightened this time for his look was that of curiosity. "You mean, the face?" She asked gesturing to her own eyes.
"Yes. Your face only changed for a moment."
"My friend taught me. Early on. It's when your hunger takes over that the change happens. The trick is to breathe. I think there is tendency to hold your breath at first as you savor," she explained her reasoning and leaned a curved hip against the counter. "And, by definition, savoring makes you focus even more on the hunger. By the time you take that first breath, you're so caught up in it, that breathing in the scent just makes it all the more . . . ," Caroline stopped herself unable to finish. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to take part in an uninhibited feed, the very description had her jaw tingling.
"Arousing?"
The blonde's wide eyes shot up to meet his. With a slight blush on her cheek, an awkward smile hit the corners of her mouth, and embarrassment had her eyes examining the floor. "Yeah. That's about right."
Blood bag forgotten, the Hybrid couldn't help but smirk at her reaction to such a simple word. Taking pity on her, he asked, "So how do you keep from savoring?"
Clearing her throat, Caroline answered, "I don't. I don't resist the taste; I resist holding my breath. I resist the . . . arousal." Realizing her words, a hand flew up to the back of her neck and she shifted her weight.
The moment seemed to stretch. This was awkward to say the least. His steely blue eyes were fixed on her face, and she could feel her skin warm.
"Well," she chirped lifting away from the countertop, "I need to, um, make a few calls. I'll . . . just . . ."
The young vampire didn't finish her sentence as she fled the room. What had just happened? Was it always going to be like his? As she popped out onto the stone veranda behind the house, her heart was anxiously fluttering. Hearing him drawl out the word "arousing" in his British accent had thrown her teenage hormones for a loop. She wouldn't deny it. Klaus never affected her quite like this before. Something about the lack of apology in his lingering, piercing gazes made her feel exposed and vulnerable. She tried to remember that this wasn't her Klaus. It was a different Klaus. But, it was difficult. He looked the same. Sounded the same. Smelled the same. Caroline was in trouble if she didn't get a grip on her feelings.
She didn't know what happened. One moment she was walking through the house, preparing for a night in and the next, she is in a panic.
It had started when she stepped into the sitting room for a nightcap. Pouring her drink, she noticed his presence there on one of the couches, but it took a minute for the stiffness in his shoulders and the quick rhythmic spasms of his knee bouncing to register to her.
"You okay?" She asked timidly fondling her glass of vodka soda walking toward him.
"No," the Hybrid growled out shortly.
He was obviously in a mood. Popping back behind the dry bar, Caroline took it upon herself to pour a tumbler of Scotch. Her feet tapped across the wood flooring as she made her way in his direction. She held the glass out in front of him, but he didn't take it, but merely glared up at her. Scoffing lightly at his refusal to rid her of the drink, she set the glass down on the coffee table. Settling down in the seating opposite him, she piped in, "You wanna talk about it?" He seemed strange. Like a compressed spring ready to jump.
At her question, Klaus tilted his head from side to side as if attempting to crack his neck. "No." He stood abruptly, snagging the tumbler from the table and taking a few steps toward the window, taking the drink in one large gulp.
His behavior, while dripping with hostility was so over the top that Caroline couldn't help but let out a short laugh under her breath. "Ya sure?—"
"—My skin is crawling," he replied abruptly staring out into the night. There was a tension building between his shoulders and his heart beat erratically. It was as if he was losing control and every moment amplified an aggressive restlessness within him. He wanted out. Wanted to run, wanted to feed. Suddenly, making a spur of the moment decision he began walking deliberately in the direction of his front door.
Dropping her own drink down on the coffee table she shot to her feet to follow him. "Uh, where are you going?"
"Out," he answered turning down the hall.
"That's not a good idea, Klaus!" She screeched grabbing at his arm.
His arm jerked out of her grasp, his mind swirling. The reasons behind his behavior were a mystery even to him, but he couldn't seem to come down off his edge. A deep growl he didn't know he could produce jumped forth from his chest when she stepped in front of him placing a small hand on the taut muscles over his heart.
"Elijah said to stay here!"
"Get out of my way, Caroline," he seethed, his eyes burning into hers sharply.
"No! Elijah said you had to stay here. It's for your safety and the people in town! You could kill people, Klaus! Do you get that?!"
Livid with her obstruction, the Hybrid's hands shot out, his fingers gripping into her arms roughly. Briefly he noticed a sharpening in his vision, but he ignored the sensation tingling below his eyes. Pushing her back, she slammed into the hard oak of the door. "Move, Little Girl." His hands still held tight on her but even in his anger he registered the pain present in her eyes. Realizing that he had forgotten his own strength and frustrated that he didn't have the restraint he thought he had, his grip loosened and he lightly shoved her to the side out of his path. Klaus yanked open the door roughly and walked out into the night.
"Klaus wait!" Caroline was desperate to stop him. He was just bored, she guessed, just restless. But what could she do? She couldn't exactly plop him down in front of the T.V. and start up the pilot of Breaking Bad. What does Klaus do when he needs distraction?
That's when a bright light went off in her head. Rushing out the door, she sped in front of him. Placing a hand on his chest once more, she spoke before he could object. "Have you seen your studio?"
For a minute she wondered if he had even heard her. His face only betrayed annoyance. She was sure he was about to run when a question came spewing out of his mouth.
"My what?"
A relieved sigh fell from her mouth. Looking brightly up at him, she explained, "You have an art studio. It's what you do . . . when you need to let off some steam, I mean, calm down."
Intrigued, the Hybrid's eyebrows came together. He always did enjoy drawing, but it was a secret pleasure; one he didn't even share with his siblings for fear it would get back to his father. He couldn't deny that he was curious. "Show me," he ordered.
She didn't know why she did it, but the blonde reached down and grasped his hand leading him back into the house. His posture was stiff, but he followed. She should have been thinking of a game plan for keeping him in the house, but all her brain would register was the warm skin pressing against her palm. She had touched him before, but that's what it was. Before. Before they became friends. Before she started thinking about him as more than the villain. Touching him now felt somehow intimate.
As they reached the familiar door hidden amongst the house's many bedroom doors, she looked over her shoulder at him. "You showed this to me the night of your family's ball." Releasing his hand, she turned the knob and pushed. Sliding her arm around the corner of the door jamb, she flicked on the soft lighting in the room.
Klaus didn't enter immediately, but a soft jerk of Caroline's head encouraged him to venture in.
The room wasn't overly large but something in it spoke to the Hybrid. Slowly his feet carried him through the room as his eyes devoured what hung on the walls, littered the tabletops, and sat ignored in corners. The landscapes all seemed foreign, but one particular oil painting caught his eye. Stepping closer he examined the small pond hidden amongst trees, the blurred lines of the water reflecting rainfall. He knew this place. This had been a secret place. A place for him when Mikael had finished with him.
A realization hit him then. His eyes opened wide as he spun around the room at all the works. "These," he mumbled turning back to the blonde who still lingered in the doorway, "These are all mine? I did this?"
She had watched him for the last few moments and had been enthralled by his reaction to his own studio. She could not admit to being any sort of art connoisseur, but the way his blue orbs danced across the canvases and chalked paper made her feel as if the room held a piece of magic within it. "Yes. I believe so," she nodded.
Reaching down towards the desk top, his fingers rubbed along the outline of a puffed up bird. He said nothing, but Caroline was no stranger to the glittered, wet film that shone in his eyes.
"I'll be downstairs," she mumbled lowly turning to leave him alone in his space.
He barely nodded as he turned around the edge of the desk to settle lightly in the chair his tension forgotten as he felt absorbed in this little bit of himself he had been allowed to cultivate in his life without Mikael. Shuffling through the papers that had been left to curl atop the table, he searched for something blank. When he discovered nothing, he pulled at the drawer knobs. He found cluttered, yet somehow organized along the center drawer an assortment of pens, pencils, and chalk. Shifting to the right he found a drawer full of drawing pads all standing on edge with their spiral edges ready to be plucked from their spot. In a daze, Niklaus reached in and removed one of the pads. His fingers curled around the knob to push the drawer back into place when a loose paper caught his eye. It hung from inside the covers of one of the more warn books.
His eyebrows pulled together in curiosity as he pulled the spiral binding and laid the pad in front of him. Timidly, he flipped open the first page.
There before his eyes was a portrayal of golden curls and large, kind eyes. A woman of a delicate beauty with a look of determination and intelligence peaking out under her dark lashes.
Caroline.
Niklaus released a short laugh before turning the page. And there again her form glided across the page. And then again. Page after page of his friend from Mystic Falls. Some were situational depicting scenarios he could not remember and others were more a capture of a particular feature . . . a smile, a tendril of hair falling down beside a blushed cheek.
As the Hybrid flipped through the thick pages a thought from earlier became clearer to him. Caroline had been more to him than a pretty face, more than a friend-once-enemy. She was more.
Thank you for reading! Please review!
Sorry for the delay, Guys! My pregnancy became difficult shortly after starting this story. That, followed by a move to a different state and then a newborn, made it very difficult for me to A) write; and B) get the creative juices flowing. I won't be able to update as quickly as a did with Protection and Betrayal, but this is definitely the end of the hiatus for Still the Same.
Not a whole lot happened this chapter, but there is some slow setup needed for a story like this. It may have seemed fragmented, but I didn't want to bore you all with a play by play. Keep reading!