A/N: In this chapter I am adding a new nemesis for the Mikaelsons. This chapter focuses on the conflicts of both Klaus and his relationship with Caroline as well as Elijah and his options.

Disclaimer: all the characters are not mine, so sad.

Chapter 9

Two SUVs parked infront of a low-rise brick apartment building after Klaus and Caroline had a quick dinner nearby. Signaling his minions to stay with the cars and instructing his personal bodyguard Alaric to go ahead inside to check the lobby. Caroline took the time to scan the sidewalks then glanced at Klaus, "why all the security?"

"Just a safety precaution sweetheart, you never know these days. In fact, I've been meaning to tell you that starting tomorrow, I will assign a personal bodyguard for you, a lady bodyguard since this will make you more comfortable. I take the business of protecting those I value very seriously," not waiting for Caroline's reaction he grabbed her hand and escorted her inside the lobby then to the elevators.

Klaus, Caroline with Alaric proceeded inside the elevator to Caroline's floor. As Caroline grabbed her key, thankfully Bonnie had a spare for her apartment, Klaus turned to Alaric instructing him to wait for them in the hallway.

"Come in," Caroline told Klaus, Klaus walk inside the apartment exploring the living and kitchen area, ending up at the bay window. 'You have a nice view from here, and I see that you take your cooking and baking skills seriously, the kitchen is almost restaurant standard".

Caroline proceeded to her kitchen glancing around proudly, "yes, when we were starting out, Bonnie, Kat and I would all be here. I would be cooking, trying to perfect my recipes and they would be my critics. This place has a lot of sentimental value to it."

Klaus thought for a moment then asked Caroline, "will be hard for you to give this" spreading his arms and gesturing around the apartment, "up?"

Caroline frowned a little, "why would I be giving this up?"

Klaus walked toward Caroline and placed both his hands on the sides of her face, "because, I want you to move-in with me, stay at the mansion full-time. You've been doing it anyway, just make it a permanent arrangement," while he was talking her stared deeply into Caroline's eyes trying to gauge her reaction.

Caroline stepped out of his hold but linked her hands with his, "are you sure? I mean isn't it too soon? We don't really know a lot about each other."

Normally a cautious man, Klaus found himself uncharacteristically disagreeing with Caroline, "I know enough about you to know I want to do this with you."

Caroline walked away from Klaus and faced the bay window. "Honestly, I'm scared. I've never met anyone like you before. You're obviously very wealthy and powerful. I'm just, well, me. I live a very simple life. My greatest achievement is the café I own with my friends." She turned around to look at Klaus, "you could have anyone you want, why me?" once again feeling insecure.

Klaus went to embrace Caroline then kissed her slowly before placing his forehead against hers, "I don't want anyone else, just you. Why do you question that?"

Caroline groaned, "I don't know, it's just all my life, I was never really picked first. All my relationships ended in disaster and disappointment, I was always left with a broken heart. With the little time we spent together, I fear, if I give in, my heart would never recover. I'm afraid to let myself fall in love with you."

Klaus kissed Caroline's forehead, "don't sell yourself short sweetheart. I am not an easy man to attract, but without even trying you have captured my attention as no one else has. I will not give up easily," placing his hand at the back of Caroline's neck he whispered, "I will not give you up," and kissed her passionately.

They ended up in the bedroom and in the aftermath of their passionate haze Caroline found herself telling Klaus that she would move-in with him.

Bonnie was bright and early the next morning at the Café. Katherine, Caroline and her always took turns on who would be with the opening shift to ensure at least one of them were present at all times. The café was half filled with breakfast takers and Bonnie had a relaxed time just supervising inventory checking in the backroom when she decided to take a quick scan at the morning crowd spotting a familiar figure in a corner table. Scowling, she went to confront the customer, "what are you doing here?"

"Having breakfast," gesturing to his meal, "care to join me?"

Bonnie tried again, "why are you here Kol."

Kol decided to mock Bonnie, "why is it a crime to be here. I think you should be more welcoming considering I am a customer. I just wanted to have breakfast here. No one was home, Klaus was MIA, maybe with you friend. I didn't have anyone to eat with."

Bonnie sat down in front of Kol, "technically you're still eating alone." She made a point to Kol.

"Not if you decide to eat with me," Kol challenged, "or would you prefer dinner, have dinner with me."

Bonnie glanced at Kol in disbelief then stood up, "not if you were the last man on earth!"

Kol just smiled, not looking hurt at all, "oh, I get it, you want to play hard to get."

With that statement of Kol, Bonnie stormed away back to the inner room of the Café.

Klaus and Caroline dropped off some of her things at the mansion before heading out again, he went to drop her off at the Café then planned to proceed to his meeting with his brothers, but before leaving Caroline, "now sweetheart, as I told you yesterday, you will have a lady bodyguard with you starting today. Don't fight me on this, do this for me, for my peace of mind." As they alighted from the SUV, Klaus gestured for a lady in a dark suit to come forward, "this is April Young, she's a very qualified bodyguard," to April he said, "guard her with your life" it was a statement that left no room for argument.

Resigned to fact that there was no way to win the issue with Klaus, Caroline gave Klaus a reluctant peck on the cheek before gesturing to April to follow her inside the Café. Klaus once again entered the SUV with Alaric in front. "Alaric, how about the other security detail?"

Alaric pointed out three men who were positioned at different areas outside the Café before responding to Klaus, "three armed men at all times outside the Café."

Satisfied with the answer, Klaus just nodded and shifted his thoughts to the lunch meeting he was to have with his brothers.

"You're late brother." Kol reproached his brother, "Elijah and I have been here for thirty minutes."

Klaus raised an eyebrow at his brother, "I had matters to attend to".

Kol teased his brother, "would this matter be named Caroline, after all you never made it home last night."

Klaus tensed at the statement of Kol and shifted his focus to Elijah, "Elijah, update us."

Elijah gestured to his brother to proceed to a private part of the restaurant where they all sat down before he started his report. "Gilbert's contacts checked out. Kol confirmed this too. All we need to do is finalize a plan for execution. It's a twenty million dollar potential deal after taxes, so I think it's too good to pass up this deal."

Kol shrugged, "the shipping mechanics are going to be tricky, we don't have trusted men in the ports since Marcel, but we can always try out this Donovan dude who has been hanging around waiting for a break. If I supervise his work every step of the way then it might work. Elijah just needs to review the paper work and we need to throw around some hush money."

Klaus glanced at both his brothers proudly, "Mikaelson teamwork, I like it. That's why we are the most feared family if we stick together we are invincible." Turning to Kol, "get the Donovan kid up to speed, be sure he's supervised properly. We do this tomorrow night, I'll talk to Gilbert." Turning to Elijah, "brother, the key to this is the paperwork, we can't move the shipment without documentation it has to be a clean deal since this is the initial shipment, let's strategize for future shipments as they come. Now is there anything more off importance that I need to know before we eat?"

Elijah was conflicted at this point to disclose the Marshall family move, but chose to keep his cards close to his chest in the meantime. While he appreciated the effort his brothers exerted to make him more comfortable, he still had a few remaining doubts. Haley gave him a few days anyway, he still had those before he would make a decision.

Bonnie caught Katherine blushing and smiling, whomever she was talking to on the phone really got to her friend. She suspected it was Mr. Editor-in-chief and made a mental note to ask Katherine about this later on. In the meantime, she went to seek out her other best friend who was back in the kitchen supervising some orders. "Well, well, well, back to work I see." Caroline turned around to face Bonnie, "yup, I missed this. In fact since I had nothing better to do the past week, I listed down potential recipes that I want to try out as soon as the lunch crowd has disappeared."

"I'm glad to see your back to your old form. Hey, have you had a chance to talk to Kat?" Bonnie smiled at her friend.

Caroline grimaced, "not yet actually, she wasn't here earlier. Why what's up?"

"I think she's in a very good mood, I have a feeling mister big shot editor is the reason." Bonnie whispered to Caroline.

"Why are we whispering?" Caroline asked Bonnie.

"Because I'm being paranoid, Kat hates it when we talk about her 'love life'" Bonnie said.

Caroline pointed a finger at Bonnie, "speaking of love life, some of the staff informed me you had an early morning visitor, he's really pursuing this then?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "he's like a virus I can't get rid of. Are you seriously backing him up?"

Caroline grinned, "well Klaus did mention that he noticed Kol acting different around you, something he has not seen in a long time from his brother."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows, "really, you talk about Kol, about me, with Klaus!"

Caroline hugged her friend, "well it would be nice, we could double date or something?"

Bonnie suspiciously glanced at Caroline, "Caroline Forbes, are you keeping something form me. What's happening with Mr. Billionaire?"

Caroline blushed as she told Bonnie, "he might have asked me last night to move-in with him permanently, in the Mansion. And…I might have said yes," finishing with a giggle.

Bonnie's eyes enlarged, "are you serious Caroline?"

Caroline was suddenly teary-eyed, "yes, this is really happening."

Bonnie went to embrace her friend, when Katherine walked in, "well want to share the love, what's all the embracing about?"

Caroline turned to Katherine, "Klaus asked me to move-in with him at the Mansion, and I said yes," then exhaled loudly, "I'm doing the right thing, right?" asking both her friends.

Katherine responded, "normally I would be the grouch and say, it's too soon, but after yesterday and the way I see he really cares about you, all I can tell you as your best friend is, follow your heart."

Caroline finally let tears fall down, "I am, I'm following my heart." The three best friends then proceeded to do a long group hug.

As they released from their hug, Bonnie turned to Katherine, "so Kat, what's the deal with mister big shot editor?"

Kat was the one to blush this time, "well, he might have asked me to dinner and I might have accepted. You know, in the interest of the Café."

Caroline scoffed, "really Kat, you would stoop so low as to use the Café as an excuse, you said it to me, so now I am saying it back to you, just follow your heart."

Elijah opened the door to his apartment after a knock to see Haley. "I thought you said you would give me a couple of days to think your proposal over."

Haley went pass Elijah into his apartment, "things changed, my father talked to Damon, they are finalizing a partnership as we speak. No correct that, my father is finalizing his take-over of the Salvatore interests in real estate and banking. Damon was never the way his father was, the businesses where losing money and the Gilbert pull-out was the last straw. Only the publishing and broadcasting networks remain as part of the Salvatore empire. I personally think, they would be better managed by the younger Salvatore."

Elijah tried to calculate the impact of this in his mind, "so what about the original plan to unlock the inheritance?"

Haley draped her arm around Elijah's neck, "that's the thing, part of the money for the buy-out is from my inheritance. Now the play will be between me and my father, since I am the only heir. If this deal pushes through then it's a double win for me. With our union, I get to unlock my inheritance, and with our marriage you get to be the right hand man to my father for the reemergence of the Marshalls, my father isn't a young man, unfortunately he's so old school he wants a son to run the business, whom ever I marry will get to run the empire. All you need to do is to say yes."

Haley knew she was making a strategic play choosing Elijah who she knew didn't really have the balls to run an empire. Mikael had chosen well when he anointed Klaus over Elijah, but Klaus was too smart for her, it wouldn't have been a win-win situation for her had she continued to pursue Klaus, so she settled for Elijah. She figured, when her father died whether from natural or other causes, she would easily get rid of Elijah and transcend to her role as natural heir and leader of the Marshall empire, it was really just a choice between Elijah or Damon, the unfortunate 'husband' candidate for her, she picked Elijah since even Damon ranked higher in smartness against Elijah.

Elijah removed Haley's hands from his neck, "you will get your answer tomorrow," was all he said before he opened his front door and gestured for Haley to leave. After Haley's departure, Elijah contemplated his options, his family or his ambition. In the end, he decided to sleep on it and make the decision the day after.

Silas and Damon where in the garden having lunch by the poolside when Haley walked in. Damon immediately stood up to greet her, "Haley, long time no see."

Haley smirked, "It is no loss really. Hello Father," turning to Silas.

There was definitely no love lost between father and daughter, since Haley's mother had died they had barely tolerated the presence of the other. Her mother, all throughout her lifetime has served as buffer for both father and daughter who never got along primarily because they were too similar from one another.

Eying his daughter wearily, "do you need anything?"

Haley looked at her father, "not really, I was just passed by to get some papers. I'm off then."

Silas eyed Damon, "you know my daughter is an heiress, my wife left millions to her. She's also single as far I know."

Damon stared at Silas thinking, was he really trying to play match maker? Silas' next statement proved he was. "You know, I would rather has her marry someone I know and approve of then someone who would turn out to be a potential threat in the future." And there it was, the not so subtle hint.

By evening, Elijah was ready and waiting for Haley. He had called her earlier to say they were to meet at a restaurant. Haley eyed Elijah with calculated eyes, "I'm a bit surprised by your decision. I would have bet that you would go the other way with this."

Elijah tried to be as vague as possible, "I thought about it, weighed my options and decided what was best for you turned out to be what was best for me too. So since this is not really a romantic engagement, I think we should plan ahead. And by the way," reaching into his coat pocket, "I almost forgot, I got you this."

Haley stared at the box then at Elijah, "really you wouldn't even bother to put it on me."

At Haley's remark, Elijah let out a breath then opened the box that contained an engagement ring, and put in on Haley's finger. "There, now it's official."

Haley raised an eyebrow as she tilted her finger to gaze at her ring, "I have prepared some press releases so we just have to supply the photos. Since I don't really want a big fuss about this wedding, I was thinking we could just go to Europe for the wedding and stay there for the 'honeymoon', to avoid suspicion. The wedding should be in a weeks' time, get whatever you need in order before then. This should not be leaked prior to the wedding, not to my father and not to your brothers. Is this clear?"

Elijah gave Haley a pointed look, "not a word."

Hey everyone would appreciate your reviews and comments. Please, since I asked nicely. I set up a lot of Halijah in this chapter. Yes, Silas is Haley's father in this story. Want to know if you guys want Kennett to happen?

By the way the ratings for this story will change to 'M' by next chapter.