*Sneaks onto FF* Hi...hi guys! *waves* I know the amount of time between chapters has been completely unacceptable, and I really am sorry that I made you guys wait so long. But...but...but...this chapter was hard to write, okay? But...it had to be done. So, I'll let you get right to it. =)

*Here's a tissue!

Thank you livingdeadblondequeen, approvesomuch and klarolineepiclove for reading and helping with this chapter.

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Kat wakes to the sound of snoring, and not just a light breathing through your mouth kind of snoring but the kind that shakes the walls and makes you feel as though you're under attack. She turns her head to see a peaceful Elijah laying next to her. His mouth is open and there's a dabble of drool at the corner of it. He's peacefully comatose from his pot cookie overload. His shirt is wrinkled and his tie hangs loosely and his bare legs dangle halfway off Klaus' small bed in his office.

She nudges him in the ribs to wake him up, no longer able to handle the oncoming hurricane of snorts and whistles. "Elijah?"

"What...hmm?" he responds in a sleepy haze.

"You're snoring."

"Oh. My apologies," he says, always the gentleman, and rolls to his side to face her. He rubs his eyes and covers his mouth to yawn. "What time is it?"

"I have no idea," she says and it's true, she lost all track of time after the second cookie.

"Katerina?" he whispers and she tilts her head and smiles at the fact he's still calling her by her given name.

"Yes, Elijah?"

He runs a lazy hand down her arm and torso, stopping at her waist and grabbing hold of the fabric he finds down there. "Why are you wearing my pants?"

Kat glances down and chuckles, the night before coming back to mind. "Remember? We thought it would be fun to put your suit on me to see if I would look like a midget."

"Oh right...a hobbit. I believe it was a hobbit that I was envisioning."

"Whatever, all I know is you said my feet weren't big enough." She kicks her feet up behind her and looks back at them before crossing her ankles. "Then you removed the jacket, kissed me so well I thought my insides were going to boil and then proceeded to pass out. You're gonna have to make that up to me later," she finishes and points a playful finger at him.

He sits up and runs his hand down her pant clad leg, reaching for her foot. She obliges and kicks it up again behind her for him to grab hold. "Yes, very petite feet. I like that."

Kat giggles as he tickles lightly on the arch of her foot. "Ah stop," she tells him and kicks her foot away.

Elijah falls back into the mattress next to her and kisses her lightly on the forehead. "Should we join the land of the living or take advantage of the fact we don't know what time it is? We can just curl up and sleep for a while longer or I'd be happy to make that kiss up to you, if you'd like?" he adds nonchalantly.

"Look at you being Mr. Irresponsible," she says with feigned shock and awe.

"I'm allowed to indulge in sleepy mornings. In fact, I prefer them when it means curling up next to you for a while longer."

"Sleep now. Smooches later," she says with a half yawn and half smile.

She turns around so Elijah becomes the large spoon and she the tiny teaspoon and scooches closer into him. He wraps his arm around her waist and nuzzles his face into her chestnut locks breathing her in as they drift back to pleasant sleep.

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With a long night behind her and an even longer day ahead, Caroline takes a deep breath and sits on the stool behind the comic shop's front counter. She rests her elbows on the counter and her eyes begin to roam around the room. Not a bad clean up considering the absolute mess it was just a few short hours ago. Although everyone seems to be in agreement on how it happened and that there wasn't much anyone could do about it, it still frustrates her to know that all of this damage was taking place while her and Klaus were canoodling right next door.

She's not sure what kind of set back this will put on the Mikaelsons but she's positive that they'll make it work and she'll be here to help. Whatever they need.

Although the night was a catastrophe, to say the least, she can't help the way her heart swells when she thinks about the other small occurrence of the night. It was unexpected but the kind of reassurance that she needed.

Klaus, intentionally or not, said that he loved her.

A smile sweeps across her face and she bites her bottom lip. To the outside observer she looks a little crazy. A grin from ear to ear, dark circles under her eyes and her hair a tousled mess, but Caroline's wistful look is an outward expression of how she's feeling inside. Extremely tired, but over the moon with what lies ahead for her and Klaus. She already knows she loves him, and suddenly with his confession, she feels it would be fitting to let him know his words were not wasted and that she feels the same.

Her heart begins to beat a bit faster as she waits for his return. She knows their relationship has been a whirlwind from the beginning but nothing has ever felt more real or right in her entire life. It truly feels like everything that's happened has brought her to this place and to Klaus, where she knows that she belongs.

The chime of the front bell wakes her out of her stupor and she sees Klaus enter the shop, two coffee cups in his hand. She jumps off the stool and walks briskly to him. It's now or never, Forbes, she tells herself and prepares herself to dive right into her own confession of love to him.

She leans in close to try and hug him and kiss him on the cheek when he holds her coffee out in front of him, causing her to stop abruptly. She grabs hold and says, "Thanks," when she notices the disconcerting look on Klaus' face.

"What's up?" she asks.

He doesn't say anything but walks briskly past her. "Nothing," he says and places his coffee on the counter and pulls out his list of stolen items that she helped him make. He skims the paper and Caroline has a sneaking hunch that he isn't reading, he's avoiding.

"Well, obviously something is up." Caroline crosses the store and stands in front of him on the other side of the counter. She holds her gaze and waits for him to look up at her. When she's waited long enough, which is about three seconds give or take, she speaks up again. "Hello? Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

This is unusual behavior for him. There hasn't been a moment since they've been together that he has acted so cold. What could've happened between leaving her to get coffee and now? Caroline's overactive imagination and insecure nature begins to take toll as she ponders what she could've said or done to make him act this way.

"Klaus, what's wrong?"

"I said nothing, Caroline," he snaps at her and Caroline shrinks back at his tone. "I've got a lot of work to do and I think it's best that you let me get to it."

This side of Klaus may be unusual to her, but the fire that is brewing inside of Caroline is something he has never witnessed from her either. In a fit she grabs the list in front of him and tosses it to the side.

"Seriously?! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Klaus looks over at the paper, crumpled on the floor at Caroline's feet before finally making eye contact with her. She isn't sure, but she thinks she sees a glimmer of sadness in his eyes and her heart falls to her stomach. Whatever is going on inside that head of his has her own mind going just as haywire.

"What's wrong with me?" he says quietly and pulls a crumpled and rolled up newspaper out of the back of his jeans. "This," he points at it as it lands on the counter with a smack. "This is what's the matter." He flattens the paper out for her to see.

Caroline gasps when she sees the article. Larger than life pictures splashed on the page. Ones of a relationship that ended long ago. She notices the one in the middle of the page of her and Matt in her car, just the other night, and her leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Of course the way they spin it, it looks as though she's leaning in for more than just a quick peck. But what can you expect from a piece of shit tabloid that has the audacity to print a story two days later without checking their facts first?

Her eyes flick between the paper and Klaus, too stunned to speak and her mouth gapes open. "Klaus...it's not...it's not what it-"

"It's not what it looks like?" he finishes for her. "Then what does it look like Caroline? Cause from where I'm sitting it looks like you and this Matthew Donovan are-"

"It's nothing!" It's her turn to cut him off. "Klaus, those pictures are really old."

"And what about this one?" His voice is rising and the once shy and quiet man she's been seeing is starting to fade away. In place of him is a very jealous and out of line guy that is starting to remind her of every dimwitted, neanderthal that she's dated in the past.

"What about that one?"

"This one was taken just the other day. I know because I recognize the outfit you were wearing."

In any other circumstance Caroline would find it endearing that Klaus notices her apparel, but there's no room for that now. Her voice begins to hitch and waver, not sure of how to explain the events that took place with Matt. It never occurred to her that she would need to explain herself to him, since everything that took place was completely innocent.

"I can explain, Klaus," she begins trying to lower her own voice to a more calming and soothing tone. "Matt...well, Matt's sort of a big deal and he has a lot of paparazzi that follow him around. So when we left the bar that night I hid him in my apartment and I was just dropping him off the next morning and-"

"HE SPENT THE NIGHT IN YOUR APARTMENT?"

Uh-oh.

"No...well yes...but," Caroline is stammering over her words and she knows she's making it worse. There is nothing left of the patient, sweet man in front of her, all that's there is fury and her stomach begins to twist. "Nothing happened…"

"So let me get this straight. You met up with Matt," he says his name with an ample amount of disgust, "then you take him home with you to 'stay the night', and you expect me to believe that nothing happened?"

"Yes. I do." she tells him matter of factly and her fists ball at her side as she feels the heat of the argument begin to creep up her neck. "That's exactly what you should believe, because it's the truth."

There's a moment where no one speaks. They stare at each other, one angered by betrayal and the other by injustice. Where does he get off thinking that he can just accuse her of something and not even give her a moment to explain?

She gives him another moment to come to his senses. She started the argument wanting to explain herself and now her pride is getting the better of her. If he's not willing to listen, then she's not willing to explain. To think, only moments ago, she was ready to profess her love for him. She was preparing to bare her soul to the one person she was beginning to think would be different. A lifetime of dating jerks, then she finally finds a guy that is sweet and decent, only to have him turn out like all the others. She puts her coffee down on the counter and straightens her back, trying to hold back the overwhelming need to begin blubbering all over herself.

"I think I'll be going now," she tells him.

"That's probably for the best."

His stare is like steel and she starts to feel herself break inside. Her lip quivers and his scowl remains when she shuffles away from him and races out the door.

Klaus watches as the blonde beauty steps outside and out of his sight. He runs his hands under his glasses and rubs his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief of what just transpired. He has to withhold from chasing after her, it won't help the situation. He's too angry and too hurt to think straight right now. All he knows is that what he thought he had with Caroline was all a facade. It turns out he isn't the guy that gets the girl after all.

He grabs his coffee and shuffles to the door of his office. He turns the handle and swings the door open, causing a pair of bodies to come crashing down at his feet.

Elijah and Katherine struggle to stand up. Elijah weighing on top of her and trying to compose himself. She elbows him in the ribs. "Get off, Elijah." The two roll around, one collapsing onto the other as they struggle to get to their feet. Klaus would laugh at how ridiculous they look if he wasn't so heated from his argument with Caroline. Once the two are able to stand, Kat brushes herself off and Elijah smiles awkwardly at his brother.

"Were you guys eavesdropping?"

"No, no, we were just-"

"Yes." Elijah nods.

Kat drops her shoulders and rolls her eyes. "Okay," she admits. "We may have heard a little bit of what happened."

"But Katerina, we heard all of it," he reminds her and smiles, not grasping the concept of what eavesdropping actually means. "We've been standing at the door the entire time."

Klaus shakes his head and brushes past them, elbowing his way through the threshold and slamming the door with him.

Kat swings an arm out to the side, smacking Elijah forcefully in the stomach, causing him to double over. "Ow," he says and rubs his now sore abdomen. "That was slightly uncalled for."

"You're an idiot," she tells him, throwing her hands up and stomping toward the door. "YOU'RE BOTH IDIOTS!" She screams it loud enough for Klaus to hear as well, and marches away to go find her friend and console her, leaving Elijah alone and once again confused.

He stands in the shop with nothing but his boxers, and dress shirt, his tie hanging loosely around his neck. He's uncertain as to how an argument between Klaus and Caroline has resulted in him being yelled at as well.

He takes hold of his tie by the knot and shimmies it back into place, mustering as much dignity as he can before pivoting on his bare feet and retreating back into the office. All he knows is he was having a nice morning until the shouting began, and then Katerina got mad, and abruptly left, wearing his pants.

Oh nooooooo! I told you it was hard to write! We want to see naked Klaroline not crying and yelling Klaroline. *sighs* But...it can only go up from here, right?

Let me know what you thought. Your reviews will spur me forward and onto bigger and better things for our beloved Geek and Beauty.

Thanks for reading! You can find me on Tumblr too. I used to be jomosfamilyjewels and I will be again after the holidays, but for the month of November you can find me at jomosgobblegobbles. =) Until next time!