AN: Thank you for reading, for putting this on your alerts, faves, and for your reviews. No beta still, so forgive me for the gammar and such. Without further ado, here's the next chapter and yes you know who the brunette is. See you at the bottom!
"Nik! Nik!" Rebekah slapped him across the face
"What?!" Klaus yelled back
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. Go talk to your friend with the funny hair" Klaus pushed her towards Stefan
Rebekah didn't understand what was going on. Nik seemed to be in a haze. She turned and saw Stefan talking to another blonde.
Klaus wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to believe that it was her after all these years. He wanted to reach out and hold her. But all this thoughts were quickly interrupted when the brunette came out of nowhere charging at him. She held a fire extinguisher in her hands and aimed it at him. He moved out of the way and she ended up destroying some of his paintings.
Stefan moved Caroline out of the way and shielded her with his body.
"It's Hayley! And don't you ever forget it!"
"Bloody hell!" Klaus yelled
Hayley threw the fire extinguisher at him and he grabbed her, holding her arms down. She screamed and kicked him.
"Where the hell is security!" Rebekah yelled out
"No one ever treats me like that!" Hayley yelled out
"You're insane woman!" Klaus said trying to hold her down
Hayley screamed. Security finally showed up and dragged her out still screaming a slew of obscenities at Klaus.
"What did you do to that girl to make her so angry?" Rebekah asked
"Women are all crazy" Klaus said
"Am I to believe that you did nothing wrong?"
"Isn't there someone with funny hair you want to talk to?"
Klaus turned from her to look at his paintings. The water started to make them drip and run. He picked up the painting off the wall and sighed. It was a painting of a snowflake, one of many he had done.
"You like snowflakes?" Caroline asked from behind
Klaus turned around and saw her standing there.
"Is my work really that literal?" Klaus asked
"It's rude to answer a question with a question"
"Is it love?"
"It is, didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
"Sadly no, I grew up without parents"
"Were you raised by wolves?"
"Yes actually in the mountains, I was their alpha"
"I bet you were" Caroline looked at the snowflake, "Your work is beautiful, when it's not being destroyed"
"I'll take that as a compliment"
Caroline touched the snowflake necklace on her neck absent mindedly. Klaus saw her doing that.
"Where did you get that from?"
"A friend"
"Just a friend?"
"Yes, just a friend, but that was a long time ago"
"Lucky friend"
Caroline looked over at this other painting. It was a close up of a horse's eye. Except it showed terror and horror. The horse was black and in its eye you could see the reflection of a man walking towards him. Klaus noticed her looking at it. It was the black horse he was riding with her in the mall on the carousel when Mikael came for him. Caroline looked at his other works and Klaus followed her, setting the painting on the floor.
He watched her as she looked at another painting. It was of his trek through the Andes, a landscape. She walked and saw painting of a horse on Bourbon Street. She recognized the street.
"You've been to New Orleans?" Caroline asked
"I've been to many places sweetheart"
"I was there for college, 2 years"
"I was there for a gallery opening, one of many. Do you like horses?"
"Yes, and I also like people"
"Do you ride?"
"No, the only thing close to a horse was the merry go round when I was a kid"
"Pity. They are magnificent creatures. They're the opposite of people, loyal"
"I'll have to take your word for it"
"Isn't your boyfriend going to wonder where you've run off to?"
Caroline's brows furrowed together.
"Oh you mean him?" Caroline tilted her head in Stefan's direction, "He's not, we're not together, he's more like a brother to me"
"Really?"
"And he has a thing for brunettes"
"I'll be sure to inform my sister of that dilemma then"
Caroline looked at the next painting on the wall.
"Who's she waiting for?" Caroline asked
Klaus looked at the painting. It was a small figure standing at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean. The sun was setting the colors of the sunset filled the background. Pinks, oranges, yellows, and reds. People always saw it as someone being alone, or about to jump, but Caroline saw the hope in it.
"How do you know it's a she?" Klaus asked
"I assumed it was"
"It could be a she, I never thought of it that way"
"Then who is he waiting for?"
"He's waiting for the girl he lost"
"Where did she go?"
"He was forced to leave her. And he stands there waiting every day, hoping that she'll find him one day"
"It's you isn't it?"
"Presumptions"
"There's a sense of loneliness to it. I get it, my dad left when I was young for another man. You don't get abandonment issues for nothing"
"And do you wait for him to come back?"
"No, he texts me like every day, but it's not the same"
Caroline looked at the next painting. Klaus couldn't help but stare at her. This was Caroline, his Caroline, all grown up. No longer awkward and lanky, she was beautiful. He had always wondered how she turned out. His last memory of her was when she was 12, crying.
"Asshole!" Hayley yelled
Klaus turned and Hayley punched him in the face. He stumbled back and shook his head. Caroline gasped and reached out to keep him from falling back.
"I don't hit women, but I will make an exception!" Klaus yelled back
Hayley suddenly fell to the floor. Rebekah was standing behind her holding a platter.
"Your welcome" Rebekah said as she dropped the tray to the floor
"Are all your gallery openings this exciting? We should do this more often!" Kol said
"Kol!" Klaus yelled
"Becca wait up!" Kol chased after Rebekah
"Are you ok?" Caroline asked
"I'm fine, she may look like a woman but she hits like a man" Klaus said rubbing his face
"What did you do to make her so mad?" Caroline asked as she held his face
"I forgot her name"
"That'll do it. I'm Caroline"
"Klaus"
"I'll get you some ice"
"No I'm fine"
"Don't be a baby"
Katherine was walking to the police station with Elena.
"Seriously of all the days he could have done this, he picks today?" Katherine said
"He's going through a rebellious phase" Elena said
"You don't say?"
Katherine and Elena walked into the police station and saw Elijah waiting for them.
"They've agreed to release him into your custody provided that we bring him in the morning for the hearing and post his bail" Elijah said
"I'm sorry Elijah" Katherine said
"It's alright, Niklaus won't notice that we're not there" Elijah said
Elena was going to text Caroline to see if she was at the gallery show. She saw a message from Caroline.
OMG totally hottie here at this art thing. Did I mention he was hot? I am so done with Tyler
"She's there, Caroline, she's at the the art show" Elena said
"Did you tell her Klaus was there?" Katherine asked
"She's not answering me, damnit Caroline, stop flirting with some random guy!" Elena said
Caroline placed the ice wrapped in a towel on Klaus's face. Klaus looked down and saw the snowflake necklace shining.
"Are we playing doctor now?" Klaus asked
"No, we're playing nurse and grumpy artist"
"I'm not grumpy"
"No, you're British"
"What gave it away?"
"The accent"
"You're the one with the accent"
"I'm the one holding the ice, wouldn't want your artist hands to get frostbite"
"I'm sure I can warm them up"
Klaus looked into her blue eyes. Caroline suddenly felt uncomfortable under his gaze. The way he was looking at her was making her self conscious. His hand wrapped around her hand holding the ice on his cheek.
His touch seemed to spark something inside her. She wanted to pull away but couldn't. Klaus reached out with his other hand and picked up a curl of her blonde hair in his fingers. He touched it, remembering how soft it was.
"Care, I'm leaving" Stefan said
The two snapped out of whatever trance they were in. Caroline turned to Stefan and glared at him.
"I"m still leaving" Stefan said
"Just wait a second!" Caroline said
She started to pull away but Klaus held onto her hand.
"Don't go sweetheart" Klaus said
"I have to"
"I thought you said that wasn't your boyfriend"
"He's not"
"Then what's the rush?"
"I just met you"
"And?"
Caroline paused to think of an excuse. She didn't have one. She looked back at Stefan and she looked back at Klaus.
"Get to know me, I dare you" Klaus said
"Give me a minute" Caroline said walking towards Stefan
Klaus watched as Stefan and Caroline were talking. He held the towel with the ice in his hands.
"You do realize you're talking to the guy who accused me of being a pedafile"
"That's the guy? Really?"
"Yeah, can we go?"
"I wanna stay"
"Oh cmon, really?"
"He's protective of his sister that's all."
"Do I look like I should be on to catch a predator?"
"No, of course not. But you know he didn't mean it"
"You don't know him, you just met. Is this about getting over Tyler? Cause there are better ways of doing it"
"Whatever, I'm staying. You can head back first then. Take my keys then"
"Care"
Caroline handed him the keys.
"I'm a big girl now. I don't need you worrying about me"
"Fine, whatever, big girl Caroline does whatever she wants. Remember to use protection"
"Stefan!"
"Don't call out the wrong name either!"
"Oh my god, just go already!"
Stefan took her keys and headed out. Klaus stood there and heard her yell at him. So that guy with the funny hair was Stefan. Caroline turned and walked back to him. She reached down to his hand holding the ice and moved it back to his face.
"It doesn't work if you don't put the ice where she hit you" Caroline said
"I seriously think she's a man, she hits like one"
"Didn't you check?"
"I'll make note to check next time"
Caroline just scoffed. Klaus reached out to her free hand and held it in his.
"Thank you" Klaus said
"And if we take all this ice, we can make margaritas"
"Join me for a drink?"
"Sure"
"I mean outside of here"
"This is your gallery show, aren't you suppose to be here?"
"I'd rather not be here if that he-she decides to come back again. I'd feel safer somewhere else, surrounded by other people who didn't see me get punched by a woman"
"Awe, did your ego get bruised?"
"It's just one drink, I won't bite"
Caroline didn't have time to answer. Klaus pulled her towards the back door of the gallery.
"Klaus!" Caroline yelled as he pulled her out the back door
Klaus stopped when he realized it was raining and the door slammed shut behind them. The rain pelted down hard on them.
"Sorry about that love" Klaus said
"Course it's raining" Caroline said pulling her hand away
She turned and started banging on the door
"Hey! Open up!" Caroline yelled
Klaus placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around. He dropped the ice out of the towel and used it to wipe the water off her face. Caroline started to laugh at the situation. And there it was, her laughter. Klaus smiled and started to laugh with her. She hadn't laughed in a while, not since the whole incident with Tyler and Vicki and moving. And she felt relieved. She didn't have to try so hard, she could just be herself. And right now she was laughing in the rain.
Klaus never one to pass up anything, leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft, as he remembered. Caroline was shocked for a second before she kissed him back. His lips were almost familiar in a way. Caroline suddenly pushed him away. Klaus feared the worst. He knew she'd start yelling at him. Instead she grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the door hard. Before he could say anything, her lips were on his again. His hands wrapped around her body as she kissed him more forcefully. They finally broke away, with their foreheads touching, gasping for air.
"Your place?" Caroline asked
Klaus kissed her before grabbing her hand and leading her towards the street where he hailed a cab. They got in and Klaus told the driver the address and kissed Caroline again. They stumbled out of the cab, as Klaus threw a few bills at the driver. They couldn't keep their hands off each other as they stumbled into Klaus's apartment. Trying to pull each other's wet clothes off proved to be difficult. Their wet clothes clung onto their bodies as they tried to rip it off. Frustrated, Klaus pulled his shirt off himself. Caroline's eyes traveled down his body. She lifted her shirt up and over her head and threw it onto the ground. She reached for his belt and quickly undid it. She pulled it through the loops and tossed it to the ground. Klaus's eyes fell to her breasts. They had gotten bigger since the last time he saw them. He remembered her placing his hand on them. He wondered if they were still soft.
Caroline's hands fumbled with his pants as the zipper finally slid down. She tried to push his wet jeans off. Klaus was busy kissing her neck before his hand reached to pull down the straps of her bra. She struggled with his pants and then dropped to her knees to pull them down. Klaus looked down at her amused. Caroline finally got his pants down and realized the position she was in. Was he expecting her to? Klaus stepped out of his pants and she saw the outline of his very eager and excited member through his boxers. Klaus reached down and pulled her up. He threw her over his shoulder and carried her up the stairs to this bed. He dropped her onto his bed. She fell back into the thick blanket that quickly puffed up and dwarfed her. Klaus wasted no time and tugged at her jeans. He pulled them off quickly off her body and tossing them over the railing onto the floor near his door. Caroline pushed herself up with her elbows. He crawled onto the bed, hovering over her. With a predatory glint in his eyes he pushed her down onto the bed and began kissing her fervently. He had always wondered what had happened to his Caroline, and here she was, her warm body under his.
Caroline was pressed further into the bed. She didn't realize that he had removed her bra and panties until she felt his hands on her hips, then her thighs, opening them. She realized he had discarded his boxers as well. She pushed him hard on his chest and he stopped. She didn't give him a chance to say anything before she flipped them both and he was on the bed, beneath her. Not one to give up complete control, he sat up and buried his face in her chest.
Gasps, and moans. Wet skin on sweaty skin. The skin of thighs pressed against each other, rubbing against each other. Fingers grabbing and nails scratching. Moans and grunts. The sound of heavy breathing, gasping for air filled the loft apartment. Caroline pressed her forehead against his, which was sweaty or wet from the rain she couldn't tell. She knew her body was sweaty and his hands still held onto her. She could still feel him inside her. She didn't open her eyes yet, she just wanted to feel the warmth of him on her skin. He reached up and pushed her hair aside. The snowflake around her neck glistened in the light.
"Caroline" Klaus said
"Not yet" Caroline said
Klaus didn't understand what Caroline meant by not yet, did she want to go again? Or was it something else? He did miss her, and here she was, sitting on him with her eyes closed.
"You're beautiful" Klaus said
Caroline opened her eyes and saw he was staring at her. It was the same intense look he had. She swallowed and didn't know what to say.
"I'm already naked" Caroline said
"But you're still beautiful"
"You're pretty too"
"Pretty!? Men aren't pretty!" Klaus grabbed her and flipped her onto the bed, "Men are strong, or handsome not pretty"
"Well you're pretty handsome" Caroline giggled
Klaus silenced her with another kiss before his hands trailed down her body again.
Elena knocked on the door. Stefan opened the door and there was a moment of awkwardness between them.
"Is Caroline here?" Elena asked
"She didn't come back yet" Stefan said
"Where the hell is she?"
"With some artist who thinks I'm a pedaphile"
Elena couldn't help but laugh a little.
"Yeah go ahead, get it out of your system"
"Seriously, someone accused you?"
"Yeah, and he was a real d bag too"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to laugh. But I mean why would anyone accuse you of that"
"Because he saw me talking to his sister, who was so underage I wasn't even going to go there"
"Ok, so did Caroline find Nik last night?"
"Nik? There's a name I haven't heard in forever"
"Yeah, Nik, remember? When we were little kids? And he was so in love with Caroline, and she was so bossy to him"
"I remember who he was"
"Yeah well it was his gallery show last night"
"Wait, you mean the dick that accused me of being a pedaphile is really Nik?"
"Yes, and he's not a dick, well not most of the time according to Kat"
"What the hell happened to him?"
Jeremy walked out of Bonnie's room into the kitchen and saw the two standing there.
"Where the hell have you been?" Elena asked
"Coffee?" Jeremy asked
"You were suppose to be at the hearing this morning!" Elena yelled
"Espresso?" Jeremy asked
"Jeremy!" Elena yelled
"Who the hell is yelling in my apartment!" Bonnie yelled as she walked into the kitchen
Bonnie saw the three of them standing in her kitchen.
"Caroline!" Bonnie yelled as she went to Caroline's room
"She's not here, she didn't come back yet" Stefan said, "She left with Nik"
"Shit! This wasn't suppose to happen" Elena said as she took her phone out
"Well apparently Nik's still in love with Caroline" Stefan said
"Nik's changed a lot, he's kinda like love em and leave em" Elena said
"you don't say"
"This wasn't suppose to happen. Caroline was suppose to go, but Jeremy got arrested last night and we didn't get a chance to get there to introduce them again"
"I'm sure they're getting to know each other again"
"Care's gonna hate me for this!"
"Cause you couldn't just tell her the truth for once? Hmm sounds familiar"
"Stefan!"
Caroline was asleep in a warm comfy bed, too comfy that she knew it wasn't hers. The sound of her phone ringing could be heard down below. From the ringtone she could tell it was Elena. She groaned and buried herself more into the bed. The ringing finally stopped. Caroline smiled she could go back to sleep now. She moved her head into the pillow more, inhaling and exhaling. She realized her pillow didn't smell like her, it smelled like something, someone else. Her eyes shot open. She looked around and realized she wasn't in her room. She looked down and saw an arm across her waist. She turned slowly and saw Klaus sleeping next to her. All memories of what happened last night and into early this morning flashed through her mind. She quietly and slowly got out of the bed. She felt a soreness in her body and looked back at Klaus. He had done this to her. She looked around for her clothes, and remembered that they were downstairs and probably still wet. She groaned mentally. She saw a dresser near the bed and pulled open a drawer. It was filled with shirts, she pulled out one of his henleys and pulled it on. She gathered up her underwear and bra and headed down the stairs to get the rest of her clothes. She found them scattered about and they were still wet. She was trying to think of a way of leaving without being naked. She looked around and saw his studio area. She walked towards it and saw several paintings leaning against the wall. She put her wet clothes down and flipped through the paintings. She gasped when she saw the one of the blonde girl. She took a step back and stepped onto something. She looked down and saw it was a sketchbook. She reached down and picked it up. She saw the faded pink ribbon used as a bookmark and opened it. It was a sketch of the skyline of the city. She flipped through the sketches and stopping on a sketch of a golden bunny. It looked familiar to her. She kept flipping through them and saw a sketch of a girl with cupcake earmuffs. She remembered having a pair when she was a child. She kept flipping through the sketchbook and it was like her childhood was being replayed back to her. And then she saw it. It was a picture of her when she was 12 sleeping. She didn't understand. Was he a stalker? She held the book in her hands and ran back up to the bed.
Klaus was still asleep. He reached out for her and was met with cold sheets. He sighed. For once the girl left before he did. He moved over to her side and buried his face into the pillow. He was laying on his stomach and wondered if he dreamed her up last night.
Caroline reached the top of the stairs and saw him laying there. And then she saw it. It had faded over the years but it was still there. The iron mark on his back. It was him. He wasn't a stalker, it was Nik. She dropped the sketchbook to the floor. Klaus heard it and lifted his head up and turned to see her standing there in his shirt.
"Nik?" Caroline asked
Oh and I just left it there. No hate mail! So are you amused so far? XD What do you think her reaction to him will be? Do you think she'll be happy or mad? Why does Hayley hit like a man? Is she really a man? And where is Damon in all this? Getting into some serious trouble that's for sure! XD Leave me a review k? thanks.
I still haven't seen the originals ep yet. I did watch the season finale, and what Klaus said to her at the end. *swoon* he intends to be her last. *faints* I just wanted to shake Caroline like a british nanny! Damnit woman! Do you not hear him? Do you not see him!? What are you doing?! Go to New Orleans with him!