Okay, wow! You guys are so awesome. Thank you for the amazing reviews and all the follows.

Thanks to all my Beta Beauties! You guys are seriously the best.

Also, I have plans for a couple more pairings in this little fic, if it isn't obvious. My main focus is Klaroline though, while the others are added entertainment. So don't worry too much about who's going to hook up with who. All will be revealed...teehee.

Let's get right to it...and enjoy!

"Seriously!?" Katherine storms into the shop. "Why would you do that to me?"

"Do what?" Caroline questions.

"You just left me with all those...geeks!" She throws her hands over her head. "All they did was stare at me the whole time. It was terrifying." Katherine gives a dramatic shiver.

Caroline glances at Klaus and mouths "I'm sorry."

"Trust me, love, they're more scared of her than she is of them," he says aloud.

"Ha! Doubtful!" Katherine shouts and continues to ramble. Caroline stops listening, however, too distracted by the fact that Klaus just called her 'love'. British accents are her kryptonite.

What? She knows some superhero references.

"And what is the deal with Elijah?" Katherine continues, her voice getting higher indicating how frazzled she truly is.

"What do you mean?" Klaus asks, although a number of Elijah's quirks come flooding to his mind.

"Don't get me wrong, your brother can wear a suit, I mean, we're talking borderline sexy," she starts. "That is until he opens his mouth."

Elijah has never been the easiest person to get along with. It takes time and patience to fully understand how his brother's 'Beautiful Mind' works. He's always been the analytical one; never really understanding the basic concepts of human interaction. Where his younger brother doesn't know when to stop talking, his older brother ends conversations quickly with his truthful outlook on life.

"Elijah isn't really a people person."

"Ya don't say," Katherine throws her hands on her hips and tilts her head at him.

Caroline isn't sure she wants to push Kat for any further explanation of what transpired between the two of them, but it's rare to see her friend so flustered. It's usually others that are put off by her Petrova honesty, not the other way around. Not to mention she usually gets her way, and if she had her sights set on Elijah, even if it was just for a little attention, and he didn't give it to her...well...she may have just met her match.

"You mean to tell me that you met a man that didn't fall for your charm?"

"Please," Kat responds, as if that's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "First off, I'm not even sure he's human, and secondly, I would need to care what some comic book reading, suit wearing, dillhole thinks about me."

Dillhole. That's a new one, Klaus laughs to himself. "What did he say to you?"

"Does it matter?" she screeches. "I've never been more offended in my life!"

"It usually helps to bring the matter back to him and explain his actions, or else it's just a vicious cycle," he twirls his finger in a circular motion.

"Well, why don't you ask him," she walks to the counter to retrieve her purse. "I'll see you tomorrow, Care, I'm gonna head home and wash the scent of nerd off of me."

Kat stalks off, her mess of brown curls bouncing with the heat of her step. She stops and whips her head around before exiting. "And for the record! I do not have a formidable future in promiscuity!"

The door slams leaving a shocked but mostly amused Caroline. Her hands go to her mouth in prayerful contemplation before peering at Klaus, whose look of amusement mirrors her own. They suddenly burst out laughing.

"I don't have any idea what just happened, but I gotta say I kinda love your brother."

"He definitely has a unique way with women."

"He doesn't seem to have your charisma, that's for sure," she says.

Klaus looks over at her and smiles, "You think I have charisma?" he asks her.

"You're not horrible company," she says softly and looks at the ground before fluttering her eyelashes back up at him.

Uh oh. What now?

KISS HER! Tony screams at him.

As much as he'd like to heed the advice of the beloved Iron Man, Klaus' inability to function in the presence of this woman takes hold. He's beginning to overanalyze and that typically means sweaty palms and word vomit. He clears his throat and says the most sensible thing that comes to mind, "I'm going to take this back to my store. Is that okay? I'll bring it by in the morning?"

What is this guy's deal? She couldn't be more obvious with her flirtations.

Caroline nods and smiles at him, maybe he's not as into her as she thought. Or maybe he has a girlfriend, or he's...gay? No, he couldn't possibly be gay. Her gaydar has been spot on since the summer of '09 when she dated Damon Salvatore and thought his subscription to Better Homes and Gardens was just to make him a better boyfriend to her. Turns out it made him a better boyfriend for their 12th grade history teacher, Alaric Saltzman.

Klaus turns to leave, knocking into her front display of panties on the way out causing a few to fall to the floor. "Sorry...sorry," he says and reaches down to pick them up.

"Klaus?"

"Hm?" He's frozen in place, a pair of panties grasped in his hands.

"You forgot the picture." She picks it up to hand it to him.

"Oh...right." He walks back over to her before realizing he still has the silky fabric in his hands. He looks down at the intimate item and races back and drops it on the table.

Caroline smirks and presses her lips together to hold back a laugh, as she watches him smooth out the delicate items, with forceful diligence. He is completely out of his element and it's both hilarious and enduring.

"It's fine, Klaus, I'll fix them."

He runs his hands through his hair and laughs nervously before stepping back to her and reaching out for the picture. Their hands meet briefly, causing her hand to tingle at his touch. He looks down at her, his eyes scanning her face once more and trailing down to her mouth.

"Your store is really nice," he says quietly.

"Thanks," she whispers and shows his mouth the same attention with her gaze.

He leans in and for the briefest moment she thinks he's going to kiss her but instead he speaks, "I enjoy your company as well, Caroline."

He turns around and stumbles out of her store, leaving her knees a little weak and the butterflies returning.

No, Klaus is most definitely not gay.

He is definitely something different than what she's been interested in before, but she imagines that's why she likes him. He's sweet, caring and genuine. She could use a little more of that in her life.

She moves over to the front table, she could wait to straighten it until morning, but her OCD just won't let that happen. She picks up the disheveled panties and begins to align them just so. She giggles at the picture of him attempting to arrange them for her. His rough hands all over them, trying to help but only making it worse. She doesn't even try to stop herself from thinking of his hands on her in the same way.

Would the quiet, shy guy next door, be shy and quiet in the bedroom?

Her cheeks grow warm with the thought and the butterflies begin to move south. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, getting lost in her imagination.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Caroline is startled at the intrusive squeal outside her store. She sees Kol staring inside, his hands in his hair and a look of pure delight spread across his face.

"BEST NEIGHBORS EVER!"

\-[0]-[0]-/

"That second x-chromosome contains nothing but nonsense and twaddle."

"Oh my God, Elijah." Klaus runs a hand over his face. "You can't just say those types of things to women."

"And why not?" Elijah sets down the book he is reading. "Clearly she was expecting some sort of reciprocation to her flirtatious behavior."

"And you thought calling her a whore would be the best way to do that?"

"I did nothing of the sorts," he scoffs, "I merely complimented her on her fortitude of seduction."

"Yeah, and you completely pissed her off."

"I assessed as much when she slapped me." Elijah raises his hand to his face, rubbing the spot Katherine's hand met his cheek. He smiles at the memory. She is definitely unlike any woman he's come across before.

"Does her lack of manners and insults not remind you a fair bit of Lady Deathstrike?"

Klaus closes his eyes and shakes his head.

Clueless Elijah.

\-[0]-[0]-/

Last night, Caroline barely got a wink of sleep. Her mind was too distracted by her opening. Not to mention Klaus, and his geeky charm and...rough hands. With the combination of lists she was making in her head and the attention she was giving herself (if you know what she means) due to the "panty arranger", she failed to reach REM.

No matter, that's what 5-Hour energy shots and Iced Grande Triple Americanos are for.

Her store is set to open in an hour, and Caroline is headed back from her third Starbucks run. She skips across the street and stops abruptly when she sees a black Harley Davidson parked outside her shop. "Ooooh, what a gorgeous bike," she says appreciatively, and then looks around for who the owner could be. She imagines it's some sexy leather jacket wearing, tattooed muscle man, looking for a pristine and clean cut girl just her size to strap on a helmet and go for a ride.

She's got a thing for bad boys...what girl doesn't?

Instead of the biker she notices Klaus exiting his shop. She's quickly reminded that she has a thing for sexy geeks as well, as he greets her with flashing dimples and a quick adjustment to his glasses.

So cute.

"Hey," he waves.

"Hey!" she practically screams at him. Blame it on the caffeine high. "Is that my picture?"

"Yeah, do you need some help hanging it?"

"Oh no, I got it! I've been here since 5am, I couldn't sleep. So I just came to the shop and did a few more things...and one of those things was to anchor nails and photos. Oh...and I rearranged the bustiers so now they look like a rainbow. And the stockings are in a new place. Oh and I moved some of the accessories so they are hanging from the birdcages..." She's rambling again, but she just can't seem to stop. "Do you want to come in and see? It looks really great! Kat's not here yet, so you don't have to worry about seeing her..."

"Caroline," he laughs. "I have a lot going on next door, but I'm positive your shop looks great!" He hands her the picture and places a hesitant hand on her shoulder. "You're going to do great today!" he tells her.

"Thanks, I hope so," she says a bit calmer.

"If you want to stop by later, we're having a signing today," he offers.

"A signing?"

"Yeah, a local comic book author is coming by to sign copies of his new edition tonight. We usually make a big deal, ya know, streamers, drinks, finger foods, that sorta thing."

"Okay, yeah, I'll try and stop by."

"Great." Klaus walks back to his shop and waves before stepping inside.

Caroline's stare lingers a while at the door he just went through. Rough hands and panties occupying her brain once again.

"That geek sure knows how to get your panties in a twist."

"What?" Caroline spins around to find Kat smirking at her and wiggling her eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about," she tells her.

"Mmhmm," Kat chuckles. "Don't think I didn't notice the eye-sex the two of you were having last night."

"Kat!"

"Caroline!" she mimics back.

"Shut-up!" She rolls her eyes and opens the door to her shop.

"I don't know why you didn't just grab him by those thick black glasses and do him right there on the counter."

"Kat!"

"Oh Klausy," she feigns arousal. "Show me how nerdy you can be!"

"Oh my God, Kat, STOP!"

"Yes, yes, YES!" she continues and follows Caroline inside. "Give it to me like the Superman you really are!"

"KATHERINE!"

\-[0]-[0]-/

It is near closing time and Caroline couldn't have been more pleased with the success of her opening day. The place was full of patrons all afternoon and into the evening. She and Katherine barely had a moment to breathe, as they helped women spruce up their underwear drawers with the luxuries of France.

The last customer has left and Kat goes to the door to flip the sign to closed. "If this is any indication of what it's going to be like in here, we may need to consider bringing on another girl," she says.

"It was crazy, right? I never dreamed we would be this busy!"

"What's going on next door?" Kat asks as she peers out onto the street to see a line of awkward and poorly dressed boys lined up outside the comic book shop.

"Oh, they're having a signing, I guess, some big wig author."

Caroline closes the till after finally cashing out. It was a very good opening day.

"Are you going to check it out?"

"Why would I?" Caroline shrugs trying to pretend like she hasn't been waiting all day to go over and see Klaus one more time.

"I'm too tired to be snarky with you so I'm just going to tell you that you should because you like him."

Caroline looks at Kat and sees that, for once, she's being honest and sincere. "Do you want to come with?"

Kat takes the deposit envelope from Caroline's hands, "Nah, I'm just going to run this to the bank for us and then head home. A hot bath and a glass of pinot are waiting for me."

"Oh, okay, well maybe I should do the same," she shrugs.

"No, you should go next door and see Clark Kent," she winks at her.

Caroline takes a second to ponder Katherine's suggestion and then smiles over at her, not trying to deny her feelings any longer. "Yeah, I really should," she tells her friend.

"Excellent! Call me later?" Kat asks and grabs her purse from behind the counter.

Caroline nods and Kat heads for the door. "Oh Klausy," she says one more time and exits the shop.

\-[0]-[0]-/

Caroline enters the boys' shop and becomes familiar with what Katherine was speaking of last night. Every head has turned to look at her and she isn't quite sure which direction to head in. She could walk past the guy in sweatpants with the tucked in t-shirt, or the guy in the corduroy pants with the button up short sleeved shirt. Both were eying her with their mouths dropped open, causing her to cover up her fully clothed chest.

"Caroline, what a pleasant surprise." Kol shuffles through the masses to greet her at the door. Well, Kol is definitely the lesser of two...three evils. "Can I offer you a refreshment," he asks and points toward the display of snack food and sodas.

"Oh, I'm not going to stay long, I was just stopping by to see how your event is going. Is Klaus around?" Her eyes dart around the crowd to try and find him.

"You know...I'm far better company than my brother," he leans in and purrs. When she continues to search the crowd he gives up and sighs, "he's right over there." He points to the corner where a mass of heads are surrounding a table.

"Thanks," she offers and Kol watches her hips as they sway past him.

Good God in heaven she's a hot piece of-

"Kol," Elijah cuts into his thoughts.

"What?"

"We need to refill the refreshments."

"So do it yourself," he sneers at his brother and continues to watch Caroline's behind.

"Don't be ridiculous Kol, this is Hugo Boss," he gestures at his suit and tie.

\-[0]-[0]-/

Klaus sees Caroline approaching him and can't hide the huge grin that spreads across his face. He didn't think she would come, but here she is, looking as beautiful as she did this morning. She waves at him and he waves back.

"Quite a crowd," she says.

"Yeah, it's pretty busy." He looks around to admire the bounty of patrons in his shop. It's been a long time since they've had this sort of turn out. "Hey, how was your first day?"

"Really great, Kat and I didn't have a moment to rest," she beams.

"Where is Catwoman?" he asks her and peers behind her shoulder to see if she is trailing behind.

"Catwoman?" she snickers.

Oh shit, good going, Klaus, he berates himself.

"Um...yeah, just a little comparison my brothers and I have made." He tries to shrug it off, hoping he hasn't offended her.

She couldn't deny that the comparison is spot on. "You mean her bitchy attitude and sharp claws? I can see that," she offers, setting his mind at ease when her comment is followed by a giggle.

There's a momentary pause before Klaus changes the subject. "Hey, you want to meet the man of the hour before he leaves? He's about to take off."

"Sure," she nods.

Let's see this "special" comic book author.

When they slip between the crowd and towards the table in the back she imagines who she's going to meet. Even though Klaus has completely shattered her perspective of what kind of guys like comic books, she can't help but picture the mystery guest as some balding, middle aged man with yucky facial hair and a poorly executed wardrobe selection. So you can imagine her surprise when he turns out to be none of the above.

A young guy, with a full head of hair, clean shaven and a winning smile beams up at her.

"Caroline, meet Tyler Lockwood," Klaus introduces them.

Tyler immediately stands to his feet and extends his hand to greet her. "Hey, it's nice to meet you."

It's then that she notices the black leather jacket and Harley t-shirt he's wearing underneath.

"Is that...is that your bike outside?" she asks, thinking back on the shiny motorcycle she saw outside her shop earlier.

"Yeah, it is."

"It's really beautiful."

Not to mention the guy who rides it.

She's suddenly glad that Katherine didn't come with her or this guy would've been accosted indefinitely.

"Thanks," Tyler smiles and she smiles right back, getting slightly befuddled by his chocolate eyes and pouty mouth.

What is happening right now, Klaus thinks to himself as he watches the two interact.

"I was just about to take off, you wanna go for a ride and maybe grab a bite to eat?" Tyler asks.

Just like that. He asks her out...just like that.

She isn't sure on how to respond. She thought her and Klaus may have something going on but by the look of indifference on his face she isn't quite sure. The idea of a bike ride and dinner with the man in front of her isn't unappealing. Actually he seems like a decent enough guy and he's definitely got that bad boy charm that she's always been crazy about. Without another thought, she looks back at Tyler and says, "Sure. Let me just go grab my purse and jacket."

She turns to Klaus and smiles, "We'll see you later?"

"Yeah, definitely," he smiles casually. "Have fun!"

Have fun? Does he really not care that she's about to go out with this guy?

"Okay, see ya."

He waves as she walks away and brings his attention back to Tyler who is standing there with a wide grin as he watches Caroline leave.

"Boy, she'll do, huh?" he leers.

Klaus doesn't know him well enough to grasp his full intention with Caroline, but from the look on his face and the sound of his cocky demeanor his hair stands on end and he feels a wash of protectiveness come over him.

"She's a really nice girl," he tells him, hoping he senses the warning in his voice.

"So, you and her aren't-" Tyler questions Klaus and Caroline's relationship.

Yes! She's mine! Go away you talented, good-looking asshat!

"Um, well, no...we're just neighbors," he says passively, although his brain is on fire with aggression.

"I don't know how you work next door to that and don't do something about it." He doesn't give Klaus the opportunity to respond before heading for the door. "We'll be in touch, Klaus. Thanks for inviting me to your shop, it was definitely worth it." He lifts his eyebrows, the insinuation of meeting Caroline not lost on him.

"Yeah, no problem."

He peers after him, a gut wrenching jealousy beginning to spread over his body. Why didn't he speak up? Why did he just let her leave with him? Why did she leave with him? He thought they had something going on between them.

Elijah walks up beside him and looks in the same direction Klaus is gazing. "I'm confused," he tells Klaus.

"Oh, yeah, about what?" he asks but doesn't look at him.

"Well, from the way you've been acting since the blonde girl moved in, I thought you had feelings for each other."

Klaus just shrugs. "I kinda thought so too," he speaks honestly to his brother.

"Then why did you let her go with him?" he asks genuinely, not understanding the dynamic of what just took place.

Klaus isn't sure why he did either and so he justifies his actions with a response in a way his brother can comprehend, "Because, sometimes," he sighs, "sometimes the hero has to just let the girl go."

"So if you're the hero, does that mean our friend Tyler is the villain in this dynamic?"

"No- he's just the guy that- well he's not a vill-..." he sees the look of confusion on Elijah's face. "Yes. He's the villain, Elijah," he says making it simple.

"So, he's like the Venom to your Spiderman," Elijah states.

"Sure."

"The Lex Luthor to your Superman," he continues.

Klaus nods.

"The Sabertooth to your Wolverine, the Joker to your Batman, the Magneto to your Professor X-"

"I got it Elijah!"

Okay, before you get all, "Klaus is soooo OOC, how could he just let Tyler move in on Caroline like that?" Haha. Try to remember that, as much as he owns his Alpha role with his family and the shop...he's still a bit confused and overwhelmed with Caroline. He's pissed at Tyler and you'll see his Hybrid aggression come into play a little later. Don't you worry. Tyler is just a little hiccup on the path to their Beauty/Geek development.

Also, this is loosely based off of episode 2x11 of The Big Bang Theory. Watch it and you'll have a little peace of mind as to where this is headed. =)

Review and let me know your thoughts! Hope you enjoyed it.