He was surprised to say the least. Klaus was definitely under the impression that he would receive a warmer welcome from her. If the way she said good-bye years ago was any precedent, then she should have been jumping with glee at his return.

"Ouch, brother." A hand clapped against Klaus' back. He moved his eyes from the shut door to find his younger brother frowning mockingly. "I have to admit, though. I feel much better about how she treats me now."

Klaus pushed his hand off and said cheerfully, "Bite your tongue,"

"Can't do that." Kol shook his head and splayed his hands out apologetically. "Too many girls have told me it's a gift from the gods."

"I'm sure they all said that as they rolled into the mental hospitals," Klaus smoothly responded. It never took long for the two of them to tease each other, no matter how long it was since they had seen each other.

"True. My perfection usually drives women off the deep end."

"It's either that or your horrible breath." Klaus laughed as he dodged a playful punch. "Sensitive subject?"

"Niklaus! Kol!" A firm, authoritative voice echoed throughout the home. "Stop your antics and come for dinner." The two brothers froze immediately, parental obedience drilled still in the college boy's mind.

They entered the dinning room after the others had already seated themselves. Like everything else in the house, it was ornately decorated. A long table was in the middle of the room covered with a buffet of food. It was too much for any normal family, but the Mikaelsons were accustomed none for anything but simplicity. Various scents filled the air, making the children's stomachs rumble with newfound hunger.

Kol and Klaus quickly sat beside Rebekah in their accustomed seats, avoiding a glare from their father. Across from their only sister was the newcomer. Dark hair cascaded over her shoulders and dark brown eyes flitted back and forth between the eldest brother beside her and the rest of the family. An empty seat was on her left side, open and waiting for the return of Finn, who was currently "traveling like a gypsy with that red-headed tramp" as their father put it. Two regal figures were at the opposite heads of the table, situated like age-old statues.

No one at the table touched their meal.

The older man scanned each face present, the lines in his face tense. "You may begin," His accented voice rumbled.

His words flicked on a switch of animation. Everyone began moving, grabbing their utensils and diving into the food. It was silent except for the sound of utensils scraping against the plates. Katherine fidgeted uncomfortably, not accustomed to the stony quiet the family lived with.

Esther sensed the young woman's unease. She smiled amiably at her son's new love interest, "Are you finding the Falls to your liking, Katherine?"

Katherine returned the smile, "I love it so far. The town is really quaint and your home is magnificent, Mrs. Mikaelson."

"Please," She waved a hand lightly, "There's no need for such formalities. You may call me Esther."

"Okay, Esther," Her face lit up, turning to look at Elijah. He lips curved into a smile at her.

Rebekah made a face, stabbing at the meat with extra strength. Okay, Esther. She mouthed mockingly. Kol bit his lip to contain his laughter.

"Now

"That's wonderful," Their father responded, nodding in approval. He turned his gaze to Klaus and pointed at him with his fork. "What have you been up to in college, boy?"

Klaus' grip tightened around his knife at the familiar term of everything but endearment. "I've been working for my bachelor degree for fine arts."

"Really?" Katherine raised her eyebrows in surprise, "What for?"

"Painting." He answered blandly.

"Niklaus is a wonderful painter," Esther informed Katherine proudly. "He has won numerous awards for his work."

"Awards don't pay the bills." His father pointed out.

"No, but buyers do," Klaus replied tersely, feeling his heart speed up with annoyance.

Mikael laid his fork next to his plate and placed his elbows on the table. Elijah nearly winced, readying for a violent battle of words he was accustomed to since it was announced that Klaus was not Mikael's son. "What makes you think you are good enough to get buyers?"

"I made it into Julliard didn't I?" Klaus tilted his head defiantly.

"You were also accepted to the Mystic Falls Community College."

"Mikael," Esther called her husband in a low voice, trying to keep a calm composure in front of her guest." We are at dinner,"

"Yes, sweetheart," He smiled, his teeth bared in a caricature of a smile. "Niklaus and I were merely having a healthy debate. Weren't we, son?" He uttered the word after a pause.

Klaus felt his blood cool slightly at the interruption. "Yes. All in good sport, mother."

Esther kept her gaze on her husband, who maintained his smile.

It was silent for the rest of dinner.

"How's Caroline been doing?" Klaus asked casually, keeping his eyes on the television. He was seated on the larger couch in the large living room and had been watching V for Vendetta for the past forty minutes with his brothers. Rebekah was upstairs finishing up homework while Katherine went to get ready for bed. Their parents had left earlier to attend their weekly Council meeting.

Elijah wasn't paying attention to the film. He was flipping through a copy of The New York Times. Kol was sitting next to Klaus, legs resting on the antique coffee table laxly. He raised his eyebrows at the question.

"She's grown a few inches. She's become a tad less annoying. Oh, and she won Miss Mystic Falls last year."

"Mother told me about that," Elijah piped in, eyes still glued to the paper. "Rebekah was very put out with being runner up."

"I'm still not sure if she's over that," Kol mused, looking thoughtfully at the miniature of her on the wall along with other family portraits. "Bekah has never been a gracious loser."

"That's an understatement," Klaus said, shaking his head at a rush of memories of his easily infuriated sister.

They continued watching the movie.

"She miss me much?"

Kol nodded. "Oh, totally. Rebekah always bugs Mom about when you're coming home." The answering silence made him raise his eyebrows. "Oooooh, you meant Car-o-line." He drew out her name.

His brother gave him an exasperated look. Elijah looked up, interest piqued.

"Well, if we're judging by the way she greeted you, I'd say no,"

Klaus stared at Kol doubtfully.

"Fine," Kol sighed, "She was sad for the first few months and she kept asking about you. Around month six, she just stopped bringing you up. She hasn't mentioned you in a while."

"Really?"

"Why the sudden interest in Caroline, Niklaus?" Elijah inquired, laying the paper down. He studied his brother, brow furrowed.

"Can't a man just ask about an old friend without getting the third degree?"

Elijah spoke slowly, "Most men can. However, you are not most men."

Klaus put a hand to his chest, "You flatter me, brother."

"It's not a compliment,"

Kol coughed, trying to hide a chuckle. Klaus' eyes narrowed at his brother and his hand tightened into a fist.

Elijah picked up his paper again, "I don't care how bored you are already," His voice was flat as if the conversation bored him, but there was a threatening undertone to it. "Let Caroline be."

B

"Hurry up, Kol!" Caroline shouted from outside the Mikaelson home, disregarding the fact that it was seven-thirty in the morning. She already had to wait twenty minutes for Rebekah to finish her make-up and her patience was wearing thin. "Next time, Beks, tell me when your brother's tagging along."

Rebekah ran her tongue over her teeth, checking in her compact for any breakfast residue. "You should know by now, Caroline," She snapped the piece shut. "Kol is always up for free rides. He's a mooch."

"Just like his sister," Caroline muttered. Rebekah's eyes widened. "Kidding! Kidding!"

Before his sister had a chance to retort, Kol bounded out of the house. "Don't worry. The main event has arrived." He winked as he reached the car. "And the main event calls shot gun."

"No, you don't!" Rebekah objected, reaching for the door handle. "I was here first." She pushed Kol aside with her hip.

He swatted at her with his backpack, "I was on the planet first."

Caroline put a hand to her mouth, trying to fight back her laughter. Thirteen years of witnessing their sibling banter and it still didn't get old.

"Stop it, you two." Caroline's laughter died as she watched Klaus strut towards his siblings. He wore a plain, white t-shirt and jeans, looking like he came out of a Calvin Klein photo shoot. This wasn't the first time Caroline thought he was modeling-worthy. In fact, she frequently mulled this over when she was younger. Not the road to go down, Caroline. Her inner voice of sanity told her. She nodded to herself. The voice was right. Fawning over him wouldn't help her avoid regressing back to her sixteen year old self.

Klaus had pushed aside an objecting Kol and Rebekah, opened the door and was ready to climb in the seat himself. That brought Caroline back to reality.

"Whoa." She shot forward, grabbing his arm automatically to pull him back. Caroline ignored the way her heart sped up at the touch. "What are you doing?"

His eyes glanced down at her hand on his arm, which she quickly removed, then slowly met her questioning gaze. There it was again-that cocky glint in his eyes. "I'm coming along for the ride."

"I can't drive you back—"

"That's fine, love," He smiled as he slid into the seat. "I have some friends I plan to see in town anyway."

Caroline opened her mouth, trying to think of an excuse. He watched her, resisiting the urge to smile. Her efforts were to no avail. "Fine," She snapped.

She walked around the hood of the car and climbed into her the driver's side. She started the ignition and pulled out of the driveway wordlessly.

"So, Caroline," Klaus began conversationally, looking out his window, "How's school? Are you still on the cheerleading team?"

Caroline shot him a quick look then returned her eyes to the road. "School's fine. And, yeah, I'm still on the cheer squad. I'm captain." She couldn't contain the pride in her tone.

"Co-captain," Rebekah corrected from the back.

"Do you girls still wear those silly outfits?"

"Oh god, no." Caroline shook her head, practically shuddering at the thought of the old uniforms. "Beks and I modified that."

"And allow me to applaud you on the wonderful changes," Kol leaned forward in his seat. "They definitely make the whole cheer thing more aesthetically pleasing."

"Shut up," Caroline and Rebekah remarked at the same time. The two girls laughed. Kol rolled his eyes, muttering something about just trying to compliment them.

Klaus watched her laugh, admiring the way her eyes crinkled and the smile that her lips formed. She may be older, but that big smile was the just the same.

Caroline felt his eyes on her and she quickly turned the radio on, in efforts to shut down any more chances for conversation.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up into the high school parking lot. The school yard was packed like always. She turned off the ignition and exited the car with surprising speed. Rebekah followed her lead and they headed towards the school.

"Caroline!" Klaus called, shutting the passenger door. Her blond locks flew around her face as she turned towards him. She back tracked a few feet while Rebekah continued on.

"Yes?" She sounded indifferent, eyebrows raised.

He took a step closer and grabbed her hand. Keeping his eyes on her face, he brought it to his lips and pressed a kiss against it. "Thank you for the ride,"

Blood pulled into her cheeks as she pulled her hand away. "No-No problem," That's my girl.

Caroline shot him a mixed look before following Rebekah to the grass area before the school. Klaus leaned against the hood of the car, not trying to hide his gaze as he watched her hurry away.

He watched as she stopped in front of his sister and two boys, one dark haired and the other blond. The blond kept giving his sister a love sick puppy look, which she returned. He made a note to ask Rebekah about that later.

His jaw tensed as he watched Caroline touch the dark haired boy's arm as she laughed at something he said. The boy smiled dimwittedly at her, proud of himself.

Kol appeared at his side, backpack slung over his shoulder. "What's got your panties in a twist?" He followed his gaze.

"Someone worried he's going to lose his little fan girl?" He asked.

Klaus snorted, "It'll take a lot more than a jock to threaten me." He flashed a toothy grin at his younger brother.

"Well, I would be a bit worried," Kol glanced at the group, shrugging "It looks like she's a lot fonder of him than you right now."

a/n Thank you all for the 53—count 'em- reviews and 80+ follows. That is more than any of my other stories have ever received. THANK YOU ALL! I especially loved your reviews that told me what you hoped for next. To answer JaneA0202's question, Klaus is a little older than twenty years old. :)

Also to the anon, the reason why Rebekah is being "bitchy" to Katherine will be revealed later on in the story. Please review! And if you have a tumblr, you can follow me at .com. Love you all. 3

P.S. I'm trying to copy the careless, self-absorbed attitude Klaus had in season 2 in these first few chapters. So if he seems a bit egotistical and more cocky than he was in season 3, that's because right now he is paralleling the Klaus from season 2 and early season 3. :)