Author's notes:

I want to thank you all – knowing that you read and appreciate my story means a lot. A special big thank you to the guest reviewers for taking the time to leave a comment and share their thoughts.

Also, I'm sorry I did not update sooner. I was not satisfied with the first version of this chapter, and I had to rewrite it two or three times.

Anyway here it is, I hope it won't disappoint you. This is unbeta'd.

I will leave a note at the end regarding questions I've had regarding Hayley and the cover picture I used (Cassie).

Happy reading!

Warm, heavy rain poured from the navy blue sky; it hit the branches of the trees, shook the leaves of the bush plants and filled the bell flowers with cool clear water. The grass of the garden welcomed the wet reprieve but the outside world arched under the deep low rumble that resonated in the sky. Light and darkness mingled creating a ballet of terrible shadowy creatures, and the blonde little girl jumped and gripped her friend's hand tighter. So tight that he yelped in pain.

''Ouch. Caroline! That hurt,'' the boy mumbled, peevishly. Standing in the middle of his room, inside their imaginary castle, they were safe.

''Sorry.'' She loosened her grip on his hand and moved closer to him under the tent. ''Did you hear that? It sounded really close,'' she said in a hushed voice.

''Caroline. There's no need to be afraid.'' He patted her hand reassuringly. ''You're safe with me.''

''I know,'' she continued in the same hushed voice. Hard rain clattered against the window panes of the room and the strong wind shook the glass. Caroline let out a whimper. ''Did you hear that?'' she asked again, hiding herself under the blanket she had carried with her under the tent. She knew that scary, threatening monsters were hiding in the shadows, waiting for them. Kol had told her.

''What?'' He turned on the flashlight. ''It's only the wind.''

''It sounded like howling. And... And Kol says the gardens are haunted –''

''You're so gullible, Caroline. Kol is a liar,'' he said contemptuously. ''He just likes the attention. He such a pain in the arse.'' She giggled. ''What?'' he inquired with a frown.

''You said 'arse'.'' He shook his head disapprovingly, even though he was the one who had said a bad word, and she continued to snicker, until the sound of thunder made her jump again. ''Ow!'' Klaus exclaimed when she threw herself at him, both of them collapsing in a tangle of arms and legs.''Caroline!''

''Sorry,'' she said above him, and he only grunted.

She took her weight off him and he was able to breathe better. ''You're safe with me, you know,'' he told her again, a little while later.

''I know, Nik.'' She smiled at him and took his hand. ''Thank you.'' He only nodded solemnly.

He was only nine – a child – but he felt like safety to her.

~o~

He opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief, passing his hand through his wet hair; he was drenched to the bone, and cold, but he was finally home. The drive back had seemed never-ending but now he longed for a hot shower and warm clothes, and a good night of sleep. But first, he had to make sure that she was warm and happy in the safety of her bed.

For as long as he could remember, Caroline had always been afraid of thunder, and something about her being scared and unhappy troubled him deeply, and left him feeling weak. And he hated that.

He walked to her room and quietly opened the door; he poked his head in, and frowned when he saw that her bed was empty. She was not home, and it was unlike her to be out by that weather. He just hoped that she was alright and that whomever she was with would take good care of her. He closed the door and walked to his bedroom. There, he began to undress, tugging at his shirt as he yawned tiredly – and stopped suddenly.

A faint buzzing sound was coming from behind him and, for a second, he wondered if his weary brain was not messing with him. He turned and slowly walked toward the source of the strange noise. He stopped at the edge of his bed and stood there, dumbly, looking at the sleeping blonde in it.

Now her scent would linger on his sheets too.

He sighed. He was not going to wake her up; he did not have the heart to do so and he was too tired to even go through the whole process. And she looked so sweet and perfect. She looked like she belonged there.

She belonged there. With him.

Maybe one day. But until then –

He disappeared in his bathroom to take a quick shower. He then took a T-shirt and pajama pants, trying not to make a sound that would disturb her, and went in the guest room. There, he let the tranquil clattering sound of the rain lull him to sleep.

~o~

She woke up in the middle of the night to the dull sound of the falling rain, feeling slightly disoriented. She was not in her room but there was something oddly comforting about the place.

She sat up a little and ran her fingers through her hair. The clattering sound was quite insistent and she turned her head toward the window, from which dim, grey light was coming through. She remembered the angry rumbling sound of thunder, the streaks of light in the sky, like scars in the darkness. And she had been scared, and alone. And, at that moment, she had wanted Nik. Only needed him.

She was in his room. Of course she was.

She fell back against the pillows and pulled the covers over her, and closed her eyes. She lay still, in the comfort of his scent, and let her mind wander. She wondered if he was home, hoped that he was home; she was not sure anymore with his long working hours. He worked too much and she worried about him.

She felt even more guilty for banishing him from his own bed like that. But there was a time when he would have been beside her. She remembered a time where they would lay side by side, sometimes holding each other in their sleep. Innocent, uncomplicated.

But things were different now. And the fact that he was not beside her only confirmed her suspicion.

He was avoiding her.

She had thought that things were okay. He had told her that they were okay. But now, she wondered if it had not been a way to soothe her, give her peace.

She was blonde, not blind. She had noticed the subtle changes in his demeanour as the weeks went by. Nothing too significant at first but, slowly, little by little, things had changed.

Nik's gaze never lingered on her for too long now, never more than what was necessary or adequate. He had never been one to show his affections in an overt manner. But his quiet presence had never failed to comfort her. But now, they would speak and he would be busy doing something else, and, sometimes, she would wonder if he was even listening to her. It was not that he was dismissive, it was just that he was less available.

Less present.

Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe he was just stressed because of work. Maybe.

It was just that she felt alone. She was alone.

She was alone most of the time now, as he spent more time at work; late nights spent on some teenage drama – he would not give her more details. And when he would come home, she would be asleep.

It had been gradual; one or two nights a week at first, and then, before she knew it, lonely time at the dinner table had become a common occurrence. And so, she would spent days without seeing him. And she missed him. Terribly.

Agonizingly.

But it was more than that. Worse than that. Something was missing. Something nameless. Something she longed to recapture but feared was lost forever. And she was left wondering if things would ever be the same again.

Her eyes welled up with tears and she had to stifle the sob that was threatening to escape her lips. A few rebel tears that she could not stop fell down on the pillow.

It was all her fault.

How stupid. How foolish.

She had traded almost two decades of the most beautiful friendship for a mindless night of sex. A night that she did not even remember. The irony.

She hoped it had been worth it.

But then again, she was not alone in this and he shared the blame too. How could they think that they could get away with this?

Now he thought he loved her.

Oh, Caroline.

Could she really deny the sincerity of his words, his gaze, and his touch? Could she go on pretending that she was only bothered by the fact that he was hiding from her, when in fact it felt like she was hiding from him? And could she deny that she felt it too, the connection that went past friendship? That felt more and more like –

But she did not want to ponder about what that meant. Because she knew – she just knew – that if she went there, she would lose a lot more than her heart.

She brushed her tears away and debated whether or not leaving the safety and comfort of his bed. Finally, she pulled back the covers and her bare feet hit the carpeted floor.

Was he home?

She went downstairs but was only greeted by an empty space and she felt cold there. She decided to go back to her room, it would be dawn soon. Only, she found herself in front of the other room. She stood there for a few seconds, hand on the doorknob and forehead pressed on the panel door. She thought of him on the other side and felt it again. The torturing feeling of longing. She began to turn the doorknob and stopped.

What was she doing?

She let out a sigh and dropped her hand. She had to give it time. Yes, give it time.

Give it time, Caroline.

~o~

When she came down a few hours later, fresh from the shower, she found him on the phone walking around the kitchen, dressed for work; and her lips curved into a smile.

He had made coffee too, she noted appreciatively. She took two mugs and reached for the bread. She listened to his conversation distractedly as she put two slices of bread in the toaster.

''This girl is delusional. The child is not his, there is no way he's going to pay for child support. Well, let her try. I would like to see that.'' She took two glasses and went to the fridge to get the orange juice.

He barked something, and she smiled again. He was pissed. Nothing new. She set everything on the table and waited patiently for him to finish, but he was not looking at her. Had not even acknowledged her presence.

Hello!

But then again he had a lot of things on his mind, and she respected that he was so invested in his work. So she did not let that bother her. She understood.

Really, she did!

''What is her opinion? Are you sure?'' He stopped next to her and his shoulder brushed against hers. He moved again, facing her, and she noticed the small lines around his eyes. He was tired and it was kind of her fault. This was probably why she could not resist running her hand trough his messy hair, like she had done a million times before. Only this time, he did not let her, only grabbed her wrist. ''Stop,'' he mouthed, with a frown. ''No. You tell her that this is out of question,'' he said tensely. ''I simply don't care.'' She huffed and snatched her hand back. Her good mood was fading very quickly.

Moody, mean, egoistical, rude...

''Yes,'' he nodded. ''I'll call you later. Alright.'' He disconnected the call and looked at her. ''Good morning, Caroline. Did you sleep well?'' he asked her, smirking and tilting his head.

And just like that, the painful weight she had woken up to lifted off her chest, and she wondered how she could ever doubt him. Doubt their bond.

''Like a baby. Thank you for asking,'' she answered, handing him a steaming mug. She looked at him as he drank his coffee, eyes glued to some article in the morning paper. Her eyes travelled on his face, beginning with his eyes, moving on to his nose, his stubbly cheeks, lingering on his lips, going back to his eyes. Saw how worn out he looked. Felt tenderness tinged with guilt. Possessiveness. Want. She had to close her eyes for a second at the sudden flutter of a thousand invisible wings.

And then – an endless fall.

''Caroline?'' he said questioningly, and she opened her eyes.

''I'm sorry,'' she said, behind her mug of coffee. ''I didn't think I would fall asleep like that. Next time, wake me up.'' He did not say anything, he just kept looking at her intently. It was the first time in weeks and she suddenly felt exposed to his gaze. Only it did not bother her, it made her feel alive.

Alive and strong. And fearless.

His eyes turned soft, and the fiery need gave way to a soothing caress. ''You're not a child anymore, Caroline,'' he said. It was not what she had expected him to say and her heart constricted painfully at what his words implied. But he was right, and she nodded. ''I know. I'm sorry. I thought you wouldn't mind,'' she replied.

He never had before.

''It's alright,'' he said absentmindedly, eyes still fixed on her. She wished she could spend more time under his gaze – she had missed it for so long –, but the beeping sound coming from her phone let her know that she was needed elsewhere. She checked her watch. ''I have to go.''

She quickly poured her unfinished coffee in the sink and grabbed her purse on the counter. ''I'm seeing my dad tonight. We could go somewhere after. Have dinner maybe,'' she suggested, hopeful. She fished for her keys inside her purse but did not find them.

''I'm afraid I can't,'' he said, putting away what was left of their breakfast. ''I've got something planned.'' He then followed her in the living room, laptop in hand, and sat at the table.

''Oh. OK. Say 'hi' to Stefan for me.'' She looked on the coffee table for her keys, only saw piles of papers.

''I won't be seeing Stefan,'' he replied.

''Oh. So this is work related,'' she said, looking under the couch cushions. Then went back to the coffee table to check under it.

Bingo!

She leaned to grab them and huffed. Damn pants! Finally, her hand closed around her keys. Yes!

''You make it sound like I don't have friends.'' She raised her head, blonde hair falling over her face like a curtain, and looked at him. ''Despite what you believe, I do have a social life,'' he said.

The truth was he did not have friends. Apart from her and Stefan, and maybe Marcel. But he had connections. And one-night stands. That, he had. But she was not going to go there.

Seriously, no.

''Why? You have a date?'' she teased, putting her hair behind her ears.

''Something like that,'' he simply said, without looking up from his laptop, his face a picture of pure concentration. Wait – What?

''Oh.''

Oh. She swallowed thickly because – oh.

''Oh? Is that so hard to believe?'' he said with raised eyebrows.

''No! Of course not,'' she said hurriedly. ''Of course not,'' she repeated, clearing her throat.

She tried to sound nonchalant. ''So, you've met someone?''

''No,'' he said, engrossed by whatever he was doing.

''Oh.'' This was unexpected and surprising and –

overwhelming.

''Now, I've known you to be more eloquent, Caroline.'' He looked at her with a questioning look.

''Do I know her?'' A painful crushing weight lodged between her throat and her stomach and left her gasping for air.

''You know her quite well.'' She did? ''I'm having dinner with Bekah. She's visiting Stefan. She called me yesterday.''

Bekah. Rebekah.

His sister.

''Oh.''

''Are you okay, Caroline?'' he asked, sounding concerned. ''Is something troubling you?''

''No, I'm okay. It's just... I couldn't find my keys. I'm... I'm going to be late,'' she said without looking at him. She was too afraid of what he would see in her eyes.

She closed the door behind her and began to walk in the wet, cold morning. She hated those mornings, hated their dullness. But as she walked, she thought. Thought about the feeling of comfort and peace, and contentment that had fallen upon her when he told her he was going to see Rebekah. Something that had felt like – relief. And it had made her realize something. Acknowledge something. Because, in all honesty, you can only fool yourself for so long. Hide for so long.

She wanted Nik to be hers.

No – he was hers.

She closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath. She opened them, finally. Yes.

I feel it.

I feel it, too.

Special note:

Some have expressed concern regarding Hayley. I don't want to taint this story, I want it to be sweet and angsty. So rest assured that there will be no Hayley/ Klaus, or Hayley/ Klaus/ Caroline – because, ew!

But it was never my intention to make her the bad guy either (even though I absolutely abhor this character). Her only use (because, really, she's useless as a character) is to make Klaus rethink his career path, and some choices he made.

She won't interact with him and there's very little chance that she'll even appear in the story.

Cassie, I've found the picture of Candice using Google Images but I can't seem to find it. Maybe I could email it to you?