It's a bird, it's a plane...it's an update to Beauty and the Geek!
Okay, so I'm taking a chance posting this on a Thursday. Eek! I thought you all could use a fluff and fun before tonight's episode. It's going to be so great! I'm soooo excited! Yay!
Anyhoo, thank you to livingdeadblondegirl, a-little-blonde-distraction and klarolineepiclove for being fabulous BETAs.
This chapter is a prelude to the glorious chapter I have planned next.
Enjoy!
"Klaus, so help me God, if we have to do this dungeon again I'm going to kill you!"
"Klaus, no, what are you doing?"
"Shut up," Klaus screams into the headset.
"No."
"No!"
"NOOOO!" he hears a collective scream in his ears.
"I know I'm high, but...what the hell just happened?" Jeremy asks.
"I'm sorry," Klaus grumbles, "my taunt was on cooldown."
"Rookie move, brother," Kol grumbles.
"Get your head in the game, man!"
He wishes that he could, but after the signing his mind has been completely filled with thoughts of Tyler and Caroline. The two of them cruising the streets on his stupid motorcycle, her long legs tucked tightly behind his and her arms wrapped around his waist, instead of them being wrapped around him. The two of them dining together, laughing at his jokes and sharing her brilliant smile with someone other than him.
He knows he has no claim on Caroline. She's free to date whoever she wants. It's not like their interaction went beyond more than a few smiles and some kind words, but it was still enough for him to feel like their connection was worth more than a night out with Tyler "Fucking" Lockwood.
Why didn't he say something?
It is the question that has been haunting him all evening.
"Are we going to try this again or can I get completely blazed and move over to my couch?" Jeremy's laidback voice echoes in his ears. "I'd like to continue my Sex and the City marathon."
There's a silence that falls over the intercom. "Jer...um..." Bonnie tries but has no clue how to respond.
"What?" Jeremy asks with no inflection whatsoever.
"Sex and the City? Really, Jer?" her voice reflecting the faces of the entire guild.
"Have you ever watched those bitches high, Bon? Fucking classic."
"You're an idiot," she laughs.
"Huh-huh-huh," he chuckles, "yeah."
"Well, are we going to try this again, or not?"
"Only if Klaus gets his head out of his ass!" Kol hollers. "Seriously dude, what is your problem?"
"Guess, I'm just off tonight," he tells him, "Maybe we should just try again tomorrow, I'm pretty tired," he lies. He doubts he'll get any sleep tonight.
"Klaus," Elijah finally chimes in. "Might I offer a thought about your lack of concentration?"
Klaus sighs heavily. Elijah...always with the commentary. "Please, Elijah, do tell."
"Is it possible that you are afraid that Tyler Lockwood is going to have sexual intercourse with Caroline tonight?"
A gurgling noise follows a heaving cough which leads to an uproar of laughter.
"Dude," Jeremy wheezes and begins to cough. "Warn a guy before he's about to take a hit."
\-[0]-[0]-/
"So how did it go last night? Did you take nerd boy up, up and away?" Katherine eyes Caroline suggestively.
"No," she says matter a factly then shakes her head and smiles. "Actually, there was an interesting turn of events."
"Really? More interesting than devirginizing the Boy Wonder?"
"Seriously?" She walks over to the front door and unlocks it. The day has just started and already Katherine is on her A game. "First of all, I highly doubt the 'Boy Wonder' is a virgin," she hopes. "And secondly, I actually ended up going out with someone else."
"What?" Kat nearly spits out her Evian water. "Who?"
"Just this guy that was at the comic shop last night."
"You mean more than one of those winners over there has caught your attention?" Kat shakes her head, "You're like a nerd magnet."
Caroline begins to straighten up some of the tables, while Katherine rearranges the accessories, adding more to the birdcages.
"Actually, he's kinda..." she begins.
What was he?
Tyler fits the formula of what society says a girl should want to date. Charming, successful, and Lord knows good-looking. He says the right things and laughs at her jokes; always skirting around being genuine and saying things he's been taught to say to girls since adolescence.
Caroline has dated a number of these types of playboys and she's got them dialed in. Always flashing a brilliant smile, and feigning innocence with longing looks. Not to mention the way they always want to talk about her, but somehow can always bring the conversation back around to them, with added anecdotes to remind her of how great he is.
It's not that she didn't have a good time. She did. He's easy to talk to and he took her to a very nice restaurant. Their drive through the hills was amazing; every star was out to greet them and the warm air was perfect riding weather. Yes, Tyler was a perfect gentleman last night but as much as she tried to enjoy herself with him, her mind always seemed to drift to a certain comic book store owner.
His ability to make her laugh and weak in the knees all at the same time. How he says her name in that accent of his, with just a hint of a lilt at the end of it. His entire countenance is different from Tyler's. He's genuine through and through; from his smile to his interest in her.
So why in the world didn't he say something when Tyler asked her out?
This is the question that has been haunting her all night and well into the morning.
"He's kinda..." Katherine urges Caroline to continue, but her mind is now filled with thoughts of Klaus and she can't remember what she was going to say about Tyler.
"I don't know. We're going out again tonight...so...we'll see," she shrugs and continues to fold the nighties in front of her.
Katherine doesn't get the opportunity to question her further. The conversation ends with the chime of the doorbell, as a tall, slender blonde walks in to look around. She stops at the table of panties, picking one up and looking at the label. She nods as if she's impressed with the selection and moves further into the store.
She continues to the back, finding the bustiers, inspecting each one and dragging her fingers along the fabric.
"Can I help you find something?" Katherine asks.
"Just browsing," she says in a posh accent not turning her attention away from the rack. Katherine looks over at Caroline and rolls her eyes back and bobs her head back and forth, as if she's mimicking the girl's "too cool for school" attitude.
Caroline berates her with a glare, reminding her to retract the claws and be nice to the customers.
"Well, let me know if you don't see your size, or if you'd like to try anything on," Katherine plays sweet.
"Mmhmm," she mumbles and continues with her browsing, not even turning around to look at Katherine.
Katherine throws her hands up and shrugs. "I'm gonna go grab a coffee, you want?" she asks Caroline.
"No thanks, I'm still coming off my caffeine high from yesterday." It took a brisk ride on a motorcycle and a belly full of food to finally get her sleepy enough for bed.
Tyler was disappointed when she decided to go home instead of staying out longer with him, but a girl needs her beauty sleep. This is part of the reason she agreed to a second date.
"Okay, I'll be right back." Kat grabs her wallet behind the counter and heads across the street.
"Excuse me?" Caroline hears the posh girl say behind her.
She turns around and greets the guest. "Hi," she offers, "did you have a question?"
"Actually, yes, are you the owner of this shop?"
"Yeah, I am," she beams at the girl.
"It's quite lovely, and very authentic, might I add."
"Thanks."
"I lived in Paris for a little while, and it's hard to find a place in this town that actually carries these labels." She holds up the Valege bustier and matching garter.
"Well I'm glad you found us!"
"Yes, my brother was going on and on about a new lingerie shop in town," she starts, "so I thought I would see what had him practically salivating every time he mentioned it." She rolls her eyes at the memory, "Boys."
"Um, yeah..." Caroline agrees. "So, would you like to purchase those?" she asks pointing to the items in her hand.
"That would be wonderful." She hands them over to Caroline to ring up. "I have no idea where or who I would even wear it for, but I always find having sexy undergarments just gives you that extra bit of confidence you may need throughout the day. Don't you agree?"
Caroline nods and begins to ring the girl up. They continue with their casual conversation as Caroline wraps her lingerie in tissue paper and puts it in one of their custom boxes before slipping a ribbon over it. She likes to treat it as a gift, whether it's for someone else or just the person purchasing it. This shows her patrons that she has an attention to detail, and hopefully helps them remember her again in the future.
They chat a bit further about Paris and how great it is, when they hear a deafening screech outside the front entrance.
"Kol! You slimy little bastard, get the hell away from the window." Kat is visibly angry as she stands facing down the street toward the comic book store (no doubt where Kol has disappeared into). Her fists and jaw are clenched and Kat's inner demon is on the verge of boiling forward.
"Oh dear," the blonde says, "speaking of my salivating brother."
Caroline whips her head around to the girl. "I'm sorry, are you saying...that Kol...is your brother?" she says with far too much shock in her voice.
"Yes, though we're pretty sure he's adopted," she says, sounding just like her other brother for a moment.
"You mean, you're his sister?" she says again about Kol but really she's thinking of Klaus.
She nods and offers her hand. "Rebekah Mikaelson."
"Caroline," she says in return.
The bell chimes and Kat comes barging in. "I swear to God, Care, if that skeezoid comes over here one more time-" she stops when she sees that the blonde from earlier is still in the shop.
"Katherine, this is Rebekah...Kol's sister," she emphasises, hoping Kat gets it.
"You mean to tell me that you're the sister of those neanderthals?"
She doesn't get it.
"But..." She looks Rebekah over quickly and concludes, "you're so normal!" she blurts out. Although she thought Elijah was normal too at first.
"Sorry," Caroline says sympathetically to Rebekah and shoots a warning look at her friend. "I think what she means is, we didn't know they had a sister."
"It's alright," Rebekah chuckles. "My brothers are a bit...eccentric, to say the least."
"The very least," Kat crosses the room and sets her coffee and purse down behind the counter.
"I'll have a chat with Kol, if you'd like," Rebekah offers.
"Oh no, don't-"
"Yes!" Kat interjects. "Tell him if he comes over here again that I'm going to tear out his liver!"
Caroline just sighs, giving up on teaching Katherine any manners. She's a good friend to have though. Always the one to speak up against injustices when Caroline finds herself too meek to do so. "You really don't have to do that," she says to Rebekah.
"Oh, it's no trouble. I'm always looking for a reason to give my brother a good verbal lashing." She picks up her package and heads for the door but turns around to speak before she leaves. "Although, you do realize that you opened your shop up next to a comic book store, right?"
The two of them look at each other warily before looking back at Rebekah.
"Yes, well...it's a lovely shop, Caroline. I'm sure you're going to do quite well." She smiles at the girls one last time before leaving.
\-[0]-[0]-/
Rebekah finds Klaus tucked away in his office, scribbling away in his notebook. "Hey, Elijah and I are going to head out and grab some dinner, you wanna come?"
Klaus shakes his head. "Nah, I think I'll stick around for awhile tonight...draw a little," he says with a shrug.
"Suit yourself."
"Hey, Klaus?" A petite girl in overalls and a pair of red glasses, stumbles up behind Rebekah. "Oh...hey, Rebekah. I didn't even see you come into the shop."
"I'm just here to pick up Elijah. How are you?" she asks sincerely.
"I'm good," she smiles up at her. "Just came back to tell the boss," she looks at Klaus, "that I'd like to head out now, if that's okay?"
"Oh yes, let her go," Rebekah looks at Bonnie. "Do you want to go have dinner with Elijah and I, Kol's meeting us there too?"
Klaus watches Bonnie shift in place, a familiar tell that she has when she gets nervous. He thinks it may have something to do with Kol and a crush she has developed for him. Why on earth she would like Kol, is completely beyond him.
"Sure, you can head out," he nods at the girls.
"Yay," Rebekah cheers.
The two girls couldn't be more different in their interests and appearance, but they've always found a kinship over being the only two females in this crazy world the Mikaelson boys live in. Where Rebekah dresses to the nines, much like Elijah, and always looks as though she stepped off of a magazine cover, Bonnie was the friendly Wiccan next door, who wore mostly earth tones and had a strong bond with Mother Earth, oh...and World of Warcraft. Best little Mage this side of Azeroth.
"Yay," Bonnie joins in with Rebekah. "Oh, you should know that the only person still out there is Elijah...and...um...he's helping a customer," she remembers and says cautiously.
She doesn't have to say anything further. They made a pact to never leave their eldest brother alone in the shop. He definitely knows his shit when it comes to comic books, but he also has no problem being overly informative when they ask his opinion.
"Right," Klaus nods and the three file back out to the store.
"What about this one for my grandson?" they hear an older woman say. She's holding up a comic book; clearly in need of direction on what to buy.
"Oh, wonderful choice," Elijah says.
"Great."
"Provided he's already read Infinite Crisis and 52, and is familiar with the re-establishment with the DC multiverse."
"What's a multiverse?"
Elijah just shakes his head and walks away, "Let's go, Rebekah," he hollers at his sister, leaving the poor woman with a helpless expression and a dropped jaw.
Obviously Elijah has no time for her silliness.
"I got it," Bonnie says and starts toward the confused woman.
"No, Bon, that's okay, I got it," he tells the Wiccan. "You can head out."
She nods at Klaus and races to catch up with Rebekah and Elijah. "Hey, wait up guys!"
"Nothing too spicy," he hears Elijah tell Rebekah.
"Okay," she responds.
"And nothing too messy," he continues.
"Anything else?" she asks annoyed.
"No chain restaurants. They bother me."
"Jesus Elijah," she huffs and all three exit the shop.
Klaus helps the woman pick out a simple story. One that has no further explanation besides the pictures between the covers. She seems satisfied and Klaus walks around the counter after she makes her purchase. "Have a nice day," he tells her and holds the front door open for her as she exits.
Once she's left, he glances at the clock and decides it's been a long enough day, and with no other customers in sight he turns the sign to 'Closed'. Before he closes the door, however, he spots Caroline across the street.
Her hair is in loose curls around her shoulder with one side pinned up. She has on a white dress with a blue jacket and tall boots, accenting her long legs which are tucked behind Tyler's as they sit on his stupid motorcycle together.
Another date? You have got to be kidding me!
His chest feels tight and an overwhelming envy begins to swell. To make matters worse, he swears he can smell a whisper of vanilla lingering in the air around him. Taunting him. Reminding him that it's not him that gets to smell her up close, but the deviant on the stupid motorcycle with her.
You know when you see someone you think you know and so you wave at them? Then you realize that it's not who you thought it was and you feel like an idiot afterward? Take that feeling and multiply it by a thousand and you'll know how Klaus feels in this moment.
He thinks he sees her glance his direction, so he raises his hand and waves at her but she doesn't return the gesture. She just loops her arms around Tyler's waist and the two of them ride away on his stupid motorcycle. He is left feeling sheepish and ridiculous when he realizes his hand is still in the air. Waving at nobody...just hanging out...waiting for an invisible high five.
He drops his hand and his head and moves inside. Locking the front door and going back to his office. He is now fully intent on spending the rest of the evening relaxing and trying, most likely hopelessly, to get Caroline and her tall boots out of his mind.
He sits down at his desk, switches on the local rock station and begins to work on the drawing that he had been working on earlier, and like many times before, Klaus becomes enthralled in the picture that he is bringing to life.
Soft curls, bright eyes and a warm smile begin to take shape on the page.
Don't be too disappointed. Remember that all things point to Klaroline in this fic. Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to find me at jomosfamilyjewels on Tumblr.
And if you have a second, send me a review! They really are the fuel behind such quick updates.