Previously on Almost Is Never Enough

In search of a mysterious grimoire, Katherine, Kol and Caroline travelled to Paris to uncover the next clue. They headed all the way into the catacombs and encountered souls of a time long past. Upon their return, Elodie, Care's vampire roommate had been bitten by a werewolf. Caroline had called the hybrid and he'd showed up, just in time to save her friend. Then he decided to stay, she fought him on it, then she complained about Klaus to Katherine. Then they uncovered the next clue. Mycenae.

Even after three coffees, two bloodbags and then two more coffees, Caroline still didn't know how she managed to not only get through the lectures but make decent notes as well. It had seemed a miracle she survived that Tuesday. After her lectures she made her way to her room and started to change into her sleepwear. She had just pulled off her top when she heard someone clear their throat from behind her. She looked around and saw Klaus sitting on her bed. "What are you doing here?" Caroline shrieked, grabbing her top to cover herself. Klaus smirked at it. "It's not like I haven't seen it before, love." He had a point and she was too tired to argue. "What do you want?" She asked, getting straight to the point. "I was hoping we could talk." Klaus responded.

"You know, most people tend to knock instead of letting themselves in." Caroline said, glaring at Klaus. She may be tired, but she wasn't going to let him get away with simply breaking and entering. "Well, I figured that after last night you may not want to let me in." Klaus looked at Caroline more carefully. She seemed tired. He got out of the bed and decided to let her get some rest. "How about a coffee tomorrow?" Caroline was taken aback by Klaus' question. She bit her lip and wondered whether it would be a good idea. She wasn't going to be able to avoid Klaus forever, though with her upcoming trip to Greece and her workload she might get away with it. But then again, this was Klaus Mikaelson, if he wanted to see her, he would find a way.

"Fine. My class ends at eleven. I'll text you." Klaus was surprised by her quick agreement. He had expected her to put up more of a challenge. He smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, love." He said before walking out of the door. Caroline watched him leave, not fully processing that she had agreed to have coffee with him, as in a semi-date. She shook her head and changed into her pyjama and got into bed. Before she could start overthinking this, sleep overtook her.

*** almost is never enough ***

Elijah watched as Klaus entered his apartment. "How did it go?" He asked as he looked up from one of the papers he'd been reading through. "I'm having coffee with her tomorrow. She did seem tired, though." Nik remarked. "She only got back from Paris on Monday and then there was the werewolf bite situation with Elodie." Klaus looked at his brother in wonder. It was clear that he had grown closer with Caroline. "Paris?" "Yeah, she and Elena went on a girl trip. They went shopping and had a spa day." Elijah told his brother. Katherine had told him all about their trip, though he had a feeling that there was something she wasn't telling him. "Interesting. You seem close to Caroline." "She's an amazing young woman, as I'm sure you're well aware of. She smart, determined and kind." He smiled at his brother's praise of the blonde vampire.

Kol watched his brothers talk. It was nice to see them like this, getting along. He knew that Klaus being here was confusing for Caroline, but he also knew that something would come out of it. He understood that Caroline wasn't ready to fully let herself be with Klaus, but the coming month would prove interesting for their relationship. Kol left his brothers and went to check up on his favourite former witch.

She was lying in bed, reading a book. Bonnie looked up when she noticed Kol standing in her room. "Hi." She said. "Thought I see how you're doing." "I'm okay. How are things going at Harvard?" She hadn't had a chance to call Caroline yet, she was busy checking some things. "You're missing all the fun, I'm telling you. Niklaus has arrived." Bonnie straightened. "What? Why?" "Caroline called him." Bonnie knew that there was something going on between Klaus and her best friend, she knew about the sex in the woods, but she hadn't expected Caroline to ask him to come. "It's not like that. There were werewolves, Elodie got bitten and Caroline was the only one who could ever persuade my brother into coming down and heal her. They had a bit of a spat, though that's all been resolved." Kol explained.

"I have a feeling that no one knows how to get on Caroline's nerves as much as Klaus can." "You don't say. He drove her to alcohol. She ranted a lot, pulled an all-nighter of drinking with Kat before heading to class, half sobered up. They're having coffee tomorrow." Bonnie laughed at the idea, wondering whether Caroline could ever be with Klaus. She knew that he'd done a lot of terrible things, but she also knew Caroline. The blonde always saw the best in people, she refused to give up on them and if she saw that there was something that could still be salvaged within Klaus, Bonnie trusted her judgement. Besides, she was friends with Katherine Pierce and Kol Mikaelson, she wasn't exactly in a position to judge.

"You're not bothered by it?" Kol wondered when Bonnie didn't condemn her friend. "I trust Caroline to do what she believes is right. She's not a naïve little girl. She knows what Klaus is capable of, she knows that he has done terrible things. But she sees something that is still redeemable. It's her choice." "And here I thought you were going to be a judgemental bitch about it." Kol stated bluntly. "I'm not Klaus' biggest fan, but I'm not going to judge Caroline for who she sleeps with or who she dates. I will however advise her to be cautious. I love Caroline and I want her to be happy." Bonnie said with a smile.

*** almost is never enough ***

Caroline woke up cursing her alarm clock, but got up anyway. She stood in front of her closet, wondering what to wear. It suddenly dawned upon her that she had a coffee date with Klaus, and suddenly she had no idea what to put on. Caroline scolded herself for it, she shouldn't worry about what she would be wearing. It was only Klaus. After going through her clothes twice, she started to panic just a little bit. Why was she so nervous about this? Why did she feel the need to look good in front of Klaus. "This is going nowhere." She sighed. "Need some help?" A voice came from behind her. She turned around and saw Kol sitting on her bed.

"I don't know what to wear." Caroline said in frustration. "Nervous for a date with my brother?" "No!" She exclaimed. "Whatever you say, Captain Swan." Kol shot her a knowing look. "Well, are you going to help or not?" Kol got up from the bed and went to stand next to her. "You don't want to look like you're trying to look good. You need to look casual, but effortless." Caroline stared at Kol and started giggling. "I can't believe you just said that." "Neither do I. I've been spending too much time with Katherine." She browsed to her clothes one more time, occasionally pulling something out and looking to Kol for feedback. In the end they'd decided on a simple black and white striped dress. She put on some leggings and black ankle boots.

"You look great." Kol said once Caroline emerged from the bathroom. She felt good and ready to face the day. "You look nice." Elodie noted. "Thanks." "So, what's with you and this Klaus guy?" Marissa inquired. "It's complicated." Caroline wasn't going to deny that there was something, but that was as far as she was willing to admit. And it was the truth. Things between her and Klaus were complicated. They weren't friends, even though that was what they had once agreed on. "Complicated? That's all you're giving us? The guy is ridiculously hot, he's got an accent and he saved my life." Elodie stated. "A lot of things happened back home and he's got blood on his hands. He's not like us." "He's killed people?" Marissa inquired. "He's a vampire and he's been around for a long time." Caroline simply said before heading out the door and making her way to class.

*** almost is never enough ***

She'd barely hit sent or Klaus was already standing in front of her. "Seriously?" Caroline said in surprise. "You shouldn't have to wait for anyone, love." Klaus said. Caroline shook her head in disbelief. This is what made it all so complicated. She took a moment to take in his appearance. He was wearing a Henley and jeans and he looked handsome. Then again, he always looked good. Klaus smiled at her. "You look lovely." He noted. She gave him a small smile. "Let's get that coffee, shall we?" She said, steering him towards the coffee shop. "How are you enjoying Harvard?" Klaus asked. "It's been great and challenging." "What are you studying exactly?" He asked, though he knew very well what it was. Caroline gave him a sceptical look, she knew. "You got me, love. I must say, I was surprised by your choice." He held up his hands in surrender and gave her a playful smile.

"That's the general reaction I get." They had arrived at the coffee shop and ordered their coffees before sitting down. "I did not mean to offend you, love. I believe that you are fully capable of studying whatever you want. I merely meant that you never expressed an interest in that subject, then again, we never really talked about college and course choices." Klaus explained. Caroline gave him a small smile. "My friends were too busy with plotting to kill you or working together to find some cure for vampirism." She joked. "I did ask you about your hopes and dreams, but you never took a chance." Caroline remembered that night. She'd gone to the Grill but had seen him there with Kol and had immediately left. He had run out after her, almost getting hit by a car. She laughed at the memory. "We weren't friends. I merely served as a blonde distraction."

"You won't ever hear me complain about the way things went." Klaus was happy with the way this was going. She hadn't accused him once, nor had they picked a fight. They were simply talking. He felt better than he had in a while and it was because of her. "So, what are your plans?" Klaus asked, wondering what she hoped to accomplish. The choice of words wasn't lost on Caroline. What were her plans? Things had changed since their last encounter in the woods. "Honestly, I don't know anymore. This just peaked my interest. I want to get my degree, which is kind of the point of going to college." But she didn't know what to do after that. Eternity scared her, she had all this time on her hands and she had no idea how to fill it. Then again, she was still working on finding that grimoire. "You're well underway to achieve that." Klaus encouraged her.

"I am, but my extracurricular activities are demanding more attention than the previous years." If clue hunting could count as such. She wasn't Nancy Drew. "Such as impromptu trips to Paris?" Klaus suggested. "Someone has been gossiping." Caroline said with a smile. "Did you have fun?" Fun wouldn't exactly be the word to describe their trip through the cities underground network of tunnels. The day after had been relaxing and enjoyable. It had been what they'd needed after the encounter with the talking corpses in the Catacombs. "It was a girl's weekend. We went to a spa and did some shopping." Caroline left out their nightly activities. "Because that's every girl's dream, hopping on a plane to Paris and just have a nice spa day." Klaus mocked. She gave him a small punch on his shoulder.

Caroline was surprised by the easiness of conversing with Klaus. "So, how's New Orleans?" "The city's good. The community will be happy to have the Originals off their back for a while." Caroline looked up at Klaus in question. "Where's Rebekah?" "She's taking some time off from her family duties." She hadn't expected Klaus to let Rebekah run off on her own. Yet, Elijah was also not by his side. Maybe Klaus had changed ever so slightly. "That's nice, I guess." She didn't exactly get along with Rebekah, so she didn't really know what else to say about that. "It's much quieter without her bothering me every damn day." Klaus said with a cheeky grin. "You must be getting bored then." Caroline offered. "What makes you think that, love?" "You're here." She answered. "You called me here, remember? Your friend was dying and needed my blood." Klaus pointed out. "But you stayed." "To hunt werewolves." "Hence the reason why you're staying. Maybe New Orleans isn't as exciting as Mystic Falls."

Nik let out a chuckle at the blonde's words. "Trust me, sweetheart, there's plenty of excitement in New Orleans. Aren't you getting bored of not having to clean up after the doppelganger?" Caroline leaned back and seemed to think his words over. After a moment of consideration, she opened her mouth to answer his question. "I'm good." "Are you sure?" Klaus sensed that there was something the young vampire wasn't telling him. He wasn't going to force it out of her though, he knew that she could be as stubborn as him. They were the same after all.

Caroline knew Klaus was watching her and that he had a feeling that she wasn't being completely honest with him. "Yeah. Impromptu trips with friends do help to keep the boredom at bay. This weekend it was Paris, next weekend it's going to be Greece." She casually slipped the upcoming trip into the conversation, as if it was no big deal. Klaus' eyes widened in surprise. "You're a very busy woman, Caroline. And here I thought you were just living the simple live, studying and enjoying your time here." "There is an entire world out there, you know." Caroline gave him a knowing look. She was well aware that she was charting into dangerous waters. The boundaries she had laid out for them were starting to blur. She couldn't help herself. There was something about Klaus that drew her in, that made her forget all the terrible things he'd done. She hated to admit it to herself, but she liked to spend time with him, to talk to him. He didn't treat her like an insolent young woman, but he treated her like an equal. He didn't look down on her for studying, he took the effort the get to know her, to talk to her about her plans.

"I have experienced that, love. I'm happy that you're living your life to the fullest." Klaus said, trying to keep the frustration and jealousy from his voice. He had wanted to be the one to show her the world. He wanted to give her the world, because she deserved that and more. But, he knew that he couldn't push her. Having this conversation was already a big step. And he didn't want to ruin what they were carefully building right here. They weren't friends, he was well aware of that fact. They were something more than friends and hopefully, one day, they would be lovers. But not yet. Right now, he was content to just be in her company, to get to know her better.

"Oi Caroline, if you're done making heart eyes at my brother, you might want to get your ass over to Katherine's. We need to talk. It's important." Kol sounded serious. She nodded slightly before turning to look at Klaus. "Uhm, I just remembered that I have this assignment which is due like tomorrow and I haven't finished it yet. Thank you for the coffee, but I really have to go." Caroline said getting up and practically whooshed out before Klaus could respond.

Klaus watched as Caroline left. He didn't believe for one moment that she'd forgotten about an assignment. This was Caroline Forbes, she was an expert in planning. He wondered what had made her leave so abruptly. There hadn't been a text, so he wondered how she just suddenly got up and left. Klaus doubted he'd get an answer if he'd ask her. Maybe it had something to do with her trips to Paris and Greece. Klaus could only wonder.

*** almost is never enough ***

Her plan was coming around nicely. They were doing all the work for her, she just had to keep the game going. Soon, she'd be back. Soon, the world would be hers.

I'm so terrible sorry for leaving you hanging. I'm a shitty person, I know, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long. I've just been really stressed out about moving to another country for four months and then the moving itself. It has kept me pretty occupied. But I've finally settled in and got some time to write this.

I want to thank all the reviewers, followers, favouriters and readers for their patience. Thank you for sticking with me.

The chapter isn't that long, but I just really wanted to post something. Also, it's unedited so if there are mistakes, I'm sorry. I just didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

And a special shoutout to the guest AlwaysK_C for your truly lovely review. And of course for all the other people who take the time to write something down. I love you all for doing so, it always brightens up my day. Thank you thank you thank you. I'm so grateful to you all. You're all awesome and kind human beings.

I hope you like this update. And as always, I'm love to know what you think.

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PS: I got over a hundred followers, I'm overwhelmd by the people that read this story. THANK YOU!

Lovies,

Zoë