25 Days of Klaroline: Day 22 – Klaroline + 1920s

Gangster Klaus Mikaelson always got what he wanted but singer Caroline Forbes has always been out of his reach, only making him want her more.

Some Like It Hot

Club 226, Chicago, Illinois: May 5 1926, 10:47pm

"Now, she looks like a tasty treat."

"What did I tell you about talking about her?" Klaus growled, taking a sip from his whiskey and glancing towards the stage at the stunning blonde.

"You said you'd rip out my tongue, or something along those lines," Kol sighed. "I figured she was beautiful enough to chance it."

"If only we weren't related, I actually would," he muttered. "She's off limits little brother; you'd be wise to remember that."

"She's not even interested Niklaus," he joked. "I think it's time for a reality check."

"Oh I need a reality check?" He scoffed. "You'd be mincemeat right now if I wasn't protecting your sorry ass from Marcel Gerard."

"He's all talk," he spluttered.

"Trust me, he's not," Klaus drawled. "You'd be best to keep your eye closely on the enemy…"

"And off the blonde of your dreams, you mean?" He asked. "I'm not even interested in her; I just like giving you a hard time."

"When are you going to finally grow up little brother?"

"Growing-up is overrated," he chuckled. "Look, I just think you need to realise it's not going to happen Niklaus."

"I could get any girl I wanted."

"Except the elusive Caroline Forbes," he shot back. "I know you've bedded almost every girl in Chicago, but I think you'd be best to give-up and focus your attention elsewhere."

"She just doesn't know me," he growled, against his better judgment. Most girls would fall at his feet but Caroline Forbes was something else. She refused to engage with him, even though he'd tried relentlessly to attract her attention all week.

"Maybe she's scared of you; I mean you do have this threatening, villainous reputation to protect, after all."

It was Sunday when he first laid eyes on her. He was seated at his favourite table at the 226 Club, one of the most exclusive speakeasies in Chicago. Elijah and he were talking about the latest drama Kol had caused, when he heard an angelic voice wafting through the room. A voice that was as unfamiliar, as much as it was beautiful.

His eyes flickered towards the stage and Klaus felt his breath hitch in his throat. Not only did she have the voice of an angel, she was a stunning vision in white. He found himself mesmerized, unable to look away if he tried.

Her long blonde waves cascaded over her creamy shoulders; her skin was like porcelain and her blue eyes wide and expressive as she serenaded the crowd with her dulcet tones. Klaus knew then and there he had to get to know this angel, but so far that was proving difficult.

Most girls would fall at his feet, given his power and influence, but Caroline was unmoved. She wouldn't let him buy her a drink, let alone converse with him, well except to say no. Klaus was so used to getting his way he didn't know how to react.

"Oh looks like your crush is coming this way," Kol teased.

Her set had finished and she was sashaying towards him, the beads on her silver dress swaying from side to side, only enticing him more. Klaus gulped trying to regain his composure. She always had that effect on him; it certainly didn't do anything for his bad boy reputation.

"Ladies, would you like a drink?" Kol asked curiously as they approached. He noticed her eyes narrow, as her friend rolled her eyes jokingly. Kol regarded her closely and Klaus noticed a spark of interest between them.

"Only if you don't give me any more cheesy pick-up lines Kol," she replied knowingly. "There's only so much my stomach can take." Klaus actually liked this girl for giving his brother such a hard time. Maybe she'd be the one to keep him in line.

"Oh come on Bonnie you know you secretly love them," he chuckled, as he led her towards the bar. "But I'll endeavor to be on my best behavior, I promise."

"So, would you fancy a drink?" Klaus asked hopefully, trying not to get lost in those blue orbs.

"I thought we'd already discussed this, multiple times in fact?"

"Yes, and you said you weren't thirsty but that was last night. I thought you might be parched by now, love."

"I'm still not thirsty," she shot back. "And I thought I told you not to call me love."

"Have I done something wrong?" He asked curiously, desperate to know why she was so immune to his charms.

"No, I just like to steer clear of trouble."

"Are you calling me trouble?"

"You're very perceptive, that's exactly what I'm doing. Now if you'll excuse me…" Before she could walk away from him, yet again, the sound of bullets rang out.

His protective instinct kicked in, and Klaus immediately grabbed Caroline, pushing her under the table.

"What are you doing?" She cried, looking up at him from underneath the table, which was obscured by a white table cloth.

"Trying to stop you from getting shot," he murmured, bent down at her side. "Now stay here, and don't move."

"Where are you going?" She asked, reaching up to splay her hands across his broad chest. Even amongst the chaos, Klaus could still feel himself stir from the intimacy. Pity it took an incident like this for her to notice him.

"Where do you think?"

"Are you crazy?" She blurted out, her hands still hugging his chest.

"This is my life," he replied simply, before standing. "Please promise me you'll stay here and be careful."

"Maybe I need to be the one telling you to be careful," she whispered, and he could barely hear her over the panic the room had descended into.

"Always, love," he sent her a brief smile and walked away purposefully. This brazen attack had Marcel written all over it, and he wasn't going to get away with it. The room had largely cleared, most people racing out into the cool Chicago night air. He could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

"Well, well," Marcel chuckled as he approached the bar. He was standing menacingly close to Kol and a visibly scared Bonnie, his gun trained on them. "I should have known you'd be here to protect your good for nothing brother."

"I don't need protecting," Kol argued. Klaus just shook his head thinking that his brother must have a death wish.

"I'm trying to work out if you're really brave, or just really stupid," he laughed. "I could kill you in an instant Mikaelson."

"You and I both know that wouldn't be wise," Klaus interjected. His gun was nestled in the holster underneath his jacket, but Klaus knew he couldn't risk Kol's life by drawing it on Marcel as his men loitered dangerously close. "I thought we'd declared a truce, for now."

"Well that was until your brother took a shine to my girl."

"His girl?" Klaus asked, trying to contain his anger. When it came to women Kol was completely hopeless.

"Camille is off limits," Marcel, growled, waving his gun at Kol. Bonnie whimpered, nestling her head further into his chest in fright.

"I didn't touch her," Kol scowled, holding Bonnie tighter. "But even if I did, this is between you and me, just let her go." Klaus raised his eyebrows curiously; he didn't know his brother could be so selfless.

"Fine," he relented after a few moments of silence. "You better run far away honey." Bonnie looked up at Kol through tear stained cheeks, still holding onto him for dear life.

"Go Bonnie," he pleaded, running his hand through her hair. "Please?" She eventually relented, running through the bar and out of sight. The room was completely clear except for the two brothers, Marcel and a few of his men. Klaus briefly looked over at his table, hoping that she wouldn't do anything stupid and stay out of sight.

"It sounds like you're mistaken about your girl," Klaus said. "Let's just put this down as a misunderstanding, Marcel."

"I'm not mistaken," he seethed. "We agreed to a temporary truce on the proviso your brother would behave."

"And I have," he scoffed. "This is a set-up Niklaus, any opportunity to break his word." Klaus watched the interaction with interest. His brother could be an idiot but for some reason he believed him. It was time to move this conversation along.

"So what, you're just going to kill him?"

"Don't give him any more ideas," Kol muttered.

"Well it would certainly be one less problem to deal with," Klaus replied, nonchalantly as Marcel looked on curiously.

"Gee thanks," Kol groaned. "Nice to see you have my back when things get a little tough big brother."

"You know what, go ahead and shoot him. I could deal with fewer dramas in my life," Klaus bluffed, hoping this tactic would work. If anyone could distract Marcel, it was the two of them squabbling like siblings.

"And to think you were my favourite brother once," Kol scoffed.

"Why don't I believe you," Klaus shot back. "You know if you're going to be reckless and immature then you get what you deserve, go on Marcel do it, pull the trigger." He looked between them, his gun making its way back and forth.

"I may be slightly immature but I'm not reckless," Kol argued. "Anyway what makes you such a saint? Just because mother favoured you when we were younger doesn't mean you're perfect."

"I can't believe you are still bitter about that, get over it Kol."

"Enough!" Marcel yelled his increasing aggravation obvious. "I'm surprised your mother liked either of you with all this incessant bickering."

"The cops are close boss," one of his men interrupted. "If you're going to kill him you might want to do it sooner, rather than later."

"You know what I think about time limits," he hissed. "Consider yourself lucky this time Mikaelson." Marcel raced towards the stairs, his men in tow. They both watched him go before looking at each other and breaking into laughter.

"I never knew he was that stupid."

"Yeah, no one ever falls for our squabbling brother act," Klaus chuckled.

"Probably because it's not really an act."

"Yeah it's just a shame, he didn't shoot you. I really could do with one less headache Kol," Klaus teased.

"Well you'll be surprised to know that this time I was completely innocent," he gloated. "There's only one woman on my mind and she ran that way." Kol gestured towards the stairs.

"You really like this one?"

"I do," he replied shrugging his shoulders. "Hopefully she's still talking to me after all those false accusations."

"Only one way to find out," Klaus suggested. "Night little brother, and for the love of god, please stay out of trouble."

"I can't promise that," he quipped. "I'll lend a helping hand and divert the police on my way out. You know, it's the least I could do."

Klaus looked over towards his table realising she'd been hiding there the whole time. He lifted up the table cloth curiously to see her cowering underneath. She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. "Is it over?"

"For now," Klaus replied, shrugging his shoulders and holding out his hand. She took it albeit reluctantly. She was slightly shaky on her feet and Klaus held out his arms to steady her. Her perfume was intoxicating and if he was being honest Klaus felt a little dizzy as well. She fit better than he imagined in his arms and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to let her go. "How about that drink?"

"You really want that drink, don't you?"

"Well, this is prohibition after all, desperate times and all."

"I can't believe you want a drink after everything that just happened?"

"This is just a normal Thursday night," he replied shrugging his shoulders. "If you want some real excitement wait for Saturday."

"Normal?"

"By your reaction I'm guessing you're not from around these parts."

"You'd guess right," she mumbled. "Pella, Iowa doesn't usually attract this kind of criminal activity."

"A country girl, I really should have known."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.

"Trust me love, it's a good thing," he murmured, leaning up and tracing his thumb slowly under her eye to remove the mascara smudge. He could tell she was holding her breath, and Klaus wondered if she was warming to him, even if it was gradual.

"Why's that?"

"People around here tend to let me get away with a lot," he admitted. "I like that you don't put up with my…"

"Inflated ego," she interrupted, making him break into a smile. "I'm surprised we can both fit in the same room, to be honest."

"Ouch," he joked. "You sure know how to bring a guy down a few pegs."

"One of my many talents," she grinned. Klaus shook his head, trying to dislodge the untoward thoughts about what some of those other talents might be.

"So how about it, love?" He asked, at the risk of sounding even more desperate.

"The name is Caroline," she mumbled, her eyes firmly trained on his. "And yes, I would like that drink."

"Really?"

"If you ask me one more time, I'll change my mind."

"Noted," he said, sending her a wolfish grin. "So, why the sudden turnaround? I know, it's because I saved your life right?" He teased, knowing it would provoke a feisty reaction.

"Oh p-uh-lease, enough with the ego," she drawled. "From what I can tell you were the one who endangered it. I don't think Marcel was after little, old me."

"You heard everything?"

"Well it was hard not to, plus there wasn't much else I could do in that cramped space but eavesdrop," she complained.

"So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, why did you reconsider my offer?" He asked anxious to understand her motives. Klaus was never this insecure and he wondered what she was doing to him.

"I figure any guy that can resolve an escalating situation, purely with words, deserves at least one drink," she offered. "Just don't bring Kol, there's only so much brotherly bickering I can take in one night."

"You and me both."

"Now, let's get out of here before someone else decides to shoot you."

"Welcome to my world Caroline," he smiled placing his arm around the small of her back and pulling her closer, thinking this could be the start of a beautiful friendship.