A persistent buzzing somewhere in the very depths of the cocoon made from blankets and pillows made Caroline work hard to find the phone and then jump almost three feet up when she saw Elena's name blinking on the screen.
"Elena, I was about to leave to file a missing person's report." She masked her girly excitement with faux hurt and anxiety and sunk back onto the couch with her eyes fixed on the TV screen just because after twelve hours watching Sherlock Holmes marathon she deserved to know who the bad guy was. "And just so you know, I was also prepared to pay the ransom if Damon decided to call and ask for it. That's how good of a friend I am."
"I'm sorry, Care. Me and Damon had a little bit of… catching up to do." Only the fact that Caroline could hear how happy Elena sounded stopped her from protesting and being her bitter self, no matter how much she wanted to whine and complain.
"Yeah, I bet you both had your hands full. In bed!" She teased jokingly and both of them laughed in unison. And that particular moment Caroline could almost feel like her old happy and careless self again, not like a girl who was stuffing her face full with ice-cream and donuts all day long while not even feeling well enough to go and get herself a new pair of shoes. "Doesn't matter, though. I missed you so much! And I even missed Damon, but don't you dare to tell him that."
"I've heard that, blondie!" Damon's voice echoed through the telephone making Caroline roll her eyes in annoyance. She loved Elena and she always tried to be supportive of her choices, yet this particular one was manifesting in so many annoying ways that she had to take few deep breaths every time she witnessed Damon's cocky macho attitude.
One thing Caroline wasn't ready to admit was the fact that she somewhat understood why Elena was so smitten with the bad-boy Salvatore. He was always the one to cause problems and get them all into complicated situations — or in all honesty simply be a world-class asshole — yet he was so different with Elena and it was no secret that every girl wanted the bad boy to turn good just for them. Not that it changed Caroline's mind about him.
"Real mature, Damon! Keep it up!" She yelled into the phone just to hear a silent snort and something that seemed like a punch. Secretly Caroline hoped that it was to his face. "Anyway… Any news from lovely MysticFalls? Did someone throw another Emily Bronte themed party?"
"Not since the last fiasco that I'm still trying to recover from. But it's not what I called about, Care. Tell me all about your interview!" Elena sounded all excited and Caroline knew that she was about to start bawling her eyes out just because the said interview was nowhere even near exciting. "So, am I talking to a hot-shot lawyer now?"
"More like a hot-shot mess." Caroline accentuated the last word and sunk her teeth into the last sprinkled double-chocolate glazed donut just because it seemed to take her pain away; or at least for long enough so not to let her happy and giggly best friend down. "It's safe to say that my career was washed away with a latte and five pumps of vanilla syrup."
"What… happened?" Caroline could almost see Elena knitting her eyebrows together while trying to make sense from her words and that nearly made her tear up just because she wanted to have this talk in person and not over the phone while separated by a thousand miles.
"Where should I start? Maybe with the fact that I blew my interview by talking about brighter colors and more defined lines? Or that I emptied my cup of steaming hot coffee on Klaus Mikaelson himself and then ran like a headless chicken?" Caroline blurted out and only another bite of the donut stopped her from going on and on just how embarrassing and completely dream-annihilating her Friday was. Who would've thought that queen Caroline will spend her weekend makeup-less and dressed in oversized flannel pajamas while feeling sorry about herself? Well, it definitely wasn't Damon Salvatore, yet he found it very amusing as a wave of laughter filled the temporary silence making her feel that much worse.
"Damon!" This time it was Elena who protested against her boyfriend's poor sense of humor and Caroline could hear his laughter fading away in what she could only imagine was Elena putting some distance between them two. "Care, was it really that bad?"
"Let me put it that way – I would trade that experience with Neil Conaway lifting my skirt up in third grade to what happened yesterday without as much as blinking." Caroline sighed and pulled the blanket over her head as if hoping that it will shield her from the scene of bumping into Klaus playing over and over again in her head. "Well, at least I have time to prepare myself for Monday when the rejection and drycleaner's bill come. You should've seen that shirt! I will have to sell my apartment and live under the bridge while paying for my mistakes."
"I bet everything is going to be fine." Elena sounded both concerned and puzzled and no matter how Caroline wanted, she always knew that her best friend didn't quite understand the situation Caroline was in. Elena chose a peaceful life in a town she was born in, she chose Salvatore mansion and movie nights with Bonnie instead of daring to move to another city and start a different kind of life. She couldn't blame her, but sometimes she wanted the comfort of someone who would be able to understand how the rejection and loneliness felt like.
"You're right – it will be." Caroline's acting skills were paying off as she managed to sound completely nonchalant and even somewhat happy. Deep down she knew that Elena was just as torn by not being able to walk in Caroline's shoes and as much as imagine how she felt like. Only thing that mattered was knowing that her best friend was there for her no matter what. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to your silken sheets and catching up. And also Sherlock is about to catch the killer and I wouldn't want to miss that, would I?"
"It's the woman in a blue dress. Talk to you later, Care!" By the time Caroline wanted to start pouting Elena was already gone and she was left with beeping and a ruined movie still playing in the background.
…
Sunday came and went the same way Saturday did – with tons of sugar and movies all day long until she felt like hibernating for the next decade. Yet the alarm went off at seven in the morning next day and she felt being pulled back to reality where men didn't hold boomboxes over their head or danced with you in the middle of the fountain under a starry sky. The reality was the fact that she looked like a mess, felt like a mess and overall everything simply blew.
Shower was something Caroline was looking forward to, yet it turned out to be less than soothing as there was no hot water and she had to jump in an out in less than ten minutes just because she could barely feel her fingers anymore. It was just as if the universe was playing one nasty prank and giving her a clear sign that bad beginning of the day meant that the ending was even worse. Caroline spent the next hour rummaging through her closet while trying to find something appropriate to wear if by some miracle Elijah finds her empty-headedness a valuable asset and Klaus secretly enjoys being covered in coffee and bad manners. She knew that it was silly to have hopes at that point, yet she spent more than enough time feeling pity for herself and her New York experience.
At ten she was already dressed in black skinny jeans, white shirt and a jacket. It wasn't the most appropriate attire, but truth to be told – Caroline's bottomless closet had very few items that were suitable for interviews and her best combo was lying on the floor together with her self-esteem both covered in stains. A cup of fresh-brewed coffee and one New York Times later she could feel her spirits going down the spiral as she was still trying to make the phone ring with only the power of her mind. One should imagine the surprise when after ten minutes of intensive staring the phone screen lit up with an unfamiliar number making Caroline jump down from the chair and have a short panic attack.
"Hello." She finally managed to calm down and sound as casual as ever after answering the phone even though her expression was distorted by both tension and joy.
"Caroline Forbes? This is Katherine Pierce – Elijah Mikaelson's assistant. He wanted to have a meeting with you at twelve. Don't be late." The woman sounded bored and blunt and before Caroline could thank her she ended the call unceremoniously leaving Caroline to wander if that wasn't something her mind created when facing unbearable stress. Yet after another moment spent holding her phone pressed to her ear and allowing herself to contemplate what just happened she slowly lowered the device back onto the table before jumping up at least few feet. A widest smile settled on her face as she danced in the empty room with no music and laughed to herself probably freaking all of the neighbors out. Yet it didn't matter – she was Queen Caroline and she was invited for another meeting with Elijah despite everything that happened.
…
Walking back into the same lobby she made a complete fool out of herself at was an equivalent to a walk of shame. Maybe she didn't have a messy sex hair and same clothes on, yet it didn't change the fact that she had her gaze glued to the floor hoping that no one would remember her. The man behind the reception seemed to be just as uninterested as the first time and as soon as Caroline had her guest-pass in her hand she hurried towards the elevator and joined the crowd while trying to take the spot in the very back of the tiny carpeted space. The fourth floor was just as empty as she remembered yet this time, without being high on caffeine, she felt more restrained and less crazy.
The door to Elijah's office was wide open and she saw him sitting behind his desk and a young woman hading him documents to sign. She was an exquisite beauty – thick curls fell on her shoulders in a tousled manner, yet she still looked like someone who stepped out of the podium rather than someone who forgot to do their hair in the morning. She was that kind of a woman that was silently hated by the others just for being completely perfect – long eyelashes, long legs and perfect breasts all packed in one body and Caroline couldn't help it but loath her just a bit.
"Miss Forbes, glad to see you here." Elijah's voice snapped Caroline out of her train of thoughts and she smiled somewhat awkwardly while stepping into the office. "Please take a seat, Miss Pierce just brought me some papers to sign."
"Thank you." Caroline nodded and took a seat right in front of the desk while carefully eyeing Miss Pierce. So she was the one to give her good news that morning with not even as much as a pinch of interest in her tone; well, that made it just a bit easier not to like her. The woman, however, didn't seem to notice Caroline and her full and undivided attention was only on Elijah signing stack of papers so meticulously that his signature looked like work of art rather than something scribbled on a line just for the sake of it. She treated Caroline like an empty space and only after the signing was done she cast a short glance at her and Caroline could swear she saw a grin tugging at the corners of her lips yet she was gone by the time she could give it more thought.
"I have good news, Miss Forbes." Elijah linked his fingers together and smiled in one of the most charming smiles she ever witnessed. She made herself a mental note to tell Elena all about his perfectly dreamy self next time they talk. "I did consider your application and I would love it if you joined our firm."
"I would be happy to." She finally answered after clearing her throat and reminding herself that it was neither the time nor the place to start dancing in joy again.
"But…" He started and her heart quickly sank just because but was a powerful weapon. She could swear that it was a but that started all the wars and wreaked havoc all across the world. "…You have to understand that I can't hire you as a lawyer with no experience in the field. Good grades and extra-curricular work in the university isn't what makes a good lawyer, it's all about the experience."
"Which I would love to get if only you allow me." She felt the ground slipping from under her feet and disappointment settling on her features yet she wasn't so eager to give up just yet. Caroline Forbes was stubborn and used to get what she wanted even if she had to fight tooth-and-nail for it. Even though arguing or talking back to the man who was holding her dreams in his grip wasn't the best idea, she felt like one way or the other she didn't have much to lose.
"And that's exactly what I'm offering." He leaned back to his chair still sporting a smile that didn't seem to fade even after her counterattack. "I would like to hire you as an assistant for one of our best lawyers. I know that it's far from what you've imagined, but I can promise you that it's not all about coffee-runs and office work. Plus it will give you a chance to learn from the best while witnessing his work."
Caroline had to be honest – it sounded better than what she was expecting and it was quite a reasonable offer. After all, could she afford to be picky with a hundred dollars in her wallet and enough for only one month's rent left? And just as Elijah said – it would give her a chance to learn until she had that so valued experience that everyone wanted so much.
"I would love to take your offer." She finally answered with a nod and saw that the smile that was fading from Elijah's face returned, making her smile herself.
Caroline was about to bombard him with questions about who she would be working to, yet at the same time the door behind her swung open and whoever came in made Elijah jump up and Caroline swallow her questions.
"What a perfect timing." Elijah exclaimed walking from around the table and stopping right next to Caroline with his gaze glued on the person standing somewhere behind her. "Miss Forbes, I'd like you to meet the lawyer you will start working to from tomorrow."
Running a hand through her hair as if hoping to look more presentable she stood up herself and took a deep breath before turning around with a widest smile on her face just to feel it drop instantly. There he stood – Klaus Mikaelson himself, his hands linked behind his back and a wide mocking grin plastered all over his face. Time seemed to stop as both of them stared at one another and she couldn't help but wander just what exactly she'd gotten herself into that time