HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)) And a wonderful New Year to all of you !

Thank you for the reviews and the comments, they are so very helpful.

Thanks to Angelikah, whose remark I will take very seriously and I promise I'll try to make dialog clearer. Tell me what you think :)

In answer to my first guest review on this chapter, asking if we will get Klaus' point of view, we will not, at least not for now. I will, however, be posting a chapter about him, written in his perspective. There are a few things I want to go through before I do, though.

And for my second guest review, there is one not-so-subtle action coming at the end of this chapter, bear with me until then :)

Some more Forwood in this chapter, and a wee bit more Stebekah because in my mind they're so damn cute. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you seemed to enjoy the others. Don't forget to let me know how it went for you :))

They had ended up filling the awkward silence with more work, as they tended to do when it was just the both of them, and either one had just said something incredibly personal or revealing. They stayed at his table, looking over all the things she had done in his absence, since Caroline wasn't sure she hadn't done them all properly. Thankfully, he had found nothing horrible, and she breathed in relief. He stared at her for a second, and Caroline, trying very hard not to steer from his eyes, grabbed the table to keep herself grounded. After a while, he stood, retrieved something from his desk, and put a blue folder in front of her.

"Open it." he told her, going over to stand by the windows. She stared at his back, then obeyed, finding a letter inside. She went over it as quick as she could while Klaus poured himself a drink. Caroline cleared her throat. "What do you want me to do with this ?"

"I want you to respond, and set up a meeting. Soon."

"Okay. I'll take a look at your schedule and -" Klaus interrupted her, smiling. "Not with me, Caroline. With you." She looked up at him, saw that he had turned and was facing her. "What ?" She frowned.

"I want you to meet him. He's a potential client who could bring in a lot of money. Try and see him on Friday, if you can." Caroline blinked, and repeated : "What ?" Klaus closed his eyes, profoundly amused. "Just meet with him. See how it goes."

"Are you setting me up with a client ?" He chuckled in front of her disbelief. "Is that a problem, love ?" She threw him another napkin, which he caught effortlessly. "Don't call me love !" she exclaimed.

"Sorry. Nasty habit."

"Well, keep your habit out of my face."

He frowned, still smiling. "You're not making sense." She scoffed. "Well, if you stopped dropping bombs on me, maybe I would make more sense." He rolled his eyes, and Caroline went back to the letter. "I don't remember seeing it on my desk." she whispered. "It came directly to me." She looked up to see that Klaus had come closer and was standing next to her. She stood too, taking a step back, trying to keep her distance, trying to keep her mind clear. "Do you know this guy ?" she asked him. She saw hurt in his eyes for a second, before he hid it behind a face of polite interest. "Vaguely.", he told her. "We met once, here in New York. But it was years ago." Caroline eyed him cautiously, quietly, before she blurted : "Okay. I'll meet him." She saw a smile spreading on Klaus' lips, making her heart flutter once again. She loved that he kept on trusting her with things he shouldn't be trusting her with. She felt like they had worked with each other for years, maybe decades, and that she was more than his assistant, more than just the pretty blonde girl who answers the phone. She loved being that person, she wished one day to be this person. But, she realized suddenly, she could never be this person if she didn't get rid of that stupid crush. Her small smile faded, and she looked down. Klaus frowned, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Caroline, are you alright ?" She blinked, slowly, and took a step back. "I should go." she muttered, grabbing her purse, and left in a hurry.

She came home flustered and frustrated, trying to hold back tears, biting her lip. She darted past her friends cuddling on the couch, watching TV, and hid in her room. She ignored the soft knocks on her door, and Stefan's voice calling her. She unfastened her dress, took off her shoes. She didn't even bother to take off her make up, and simply jumped into the most horrible, most corny pajama she had. She grabbed her old iPod, and turned the volume all the way up. Her old headset ensnared her head, blasting the Smith's 'Asleep' in her ears. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, tried to think of nothing, tried to focus on the song. For the next few minutes, she'd be free. And, if she was lucky, and the shuffle god merciful, "Sound of Silence" would be next. She sat between her bed and the wall, on the bare floor, trying to ignore the shivers traveling down her spine and the goosebumps on her arms. She seized her blanket and let it fall on her shoulders, hiding inside, trying to ignore the buzzing of her phone which had fallen next to her when she had slid the covers off the bed. She let herself be rocked to the music's rhythm, breathing long and hard, trying to calm herself. She was fretting over nothing. She couldn't even understand why she was in such a state. She lowered the volume as she collected her thoughts. She stared at the wall in front of her, and thought, hard, about her feeling towards her boss. She had missed him when he left, she had been restless and hollow, and now that he was back … No, she admonished herself, you were feeling overworked. Under too much pressure. Nothing else. She had only been pleased that he was back. And she knew how to breathe, and how to stand, and how to be without him, which, if she compared it to her previous experiences with love – first the quarterback, her first love, and with whom she had been obsessive and quasi-stalking, and then Damon, who made her feel like she was walking on hot coals all the time, rejoicing and thriving in the heat, but with near constant pain throbbing in her soul– was something. She was not in love, she decided, and tomorrow, tomorrow she'd keep him at a distance. No more flirting. No more complicity. Not for a while, at least. Not while she needed to get over herself.

She took a minute to clear her mind before shaking it off, then took off her headset. She grabbed her phone, inspecting it. She had missed two texts from Tyler, and one phone call. Klaus. She shivered when she read the caller ID, but, staying strong, she pushed the notification aside to read her messages. The first one read "Bekah called, says u're down. want me 2 cheer u up ?", and the second was sent ten minutes later. "Nevermind, i'm coming over". Caroline smiled sheepishly, shook her head. She couldn't quite form an opinion on him yet. Was it nice of him to impose himself on her, even to try and cheer her up ? Or was it him being sweet and caring ? Would Klaus be – No ! She cursed under her breath. She should not think of him. Tyler would be good, Tyler would be mild. Tyler could teach her moderation, in both life and love. She frowned. Did she really sound that corny ? She started giggling to herself when she heard the knock. She tried to calm down before answering, but on the side of the door, she heard Stefan calling her. "Rebekah and I are leaving, but Tyler's here." She ran to the door and opened it, frantic. "It's after eleven.", she stated, quite seriously, frowning.

She saw Stefan's brow lift high on his forehead as he looked at her clothes, and she heard Tyler try to hide his laughter in a fake cough. She watched as Rebekah joined the party and starting mocking her. "Nice pj's, Forbes." Shit. She forgot about those. "Hey, they happen to be very comfy. And I look damn good in anything." Rebekah smiled, and took Stefan's arm. "Preach, baby, preach." Stefan ruffled Caroline's hair, and, making his way to the door, put his hand on Tyler's shoulder. "All yours." he joked, loud enough for Caroline to hear. She seized the first thing she could – a small cushion, lying around on her dresser – and threw it at her best friend who ducked and winked at her. Tyler took a step closer to her. "So he's the guy I've heard so much about." Caroline rolled her eyes. "'You and Bekah have known him for like, two minutes." She wasn't trying to be rude, but the words rolled out of her quickly and naturally. She knew she could be a bitch, but she didn't want to be one to him. He didn't deserve it, not on top of her being such a hypocrite. "And yet he's all she talks about." Tyler answered, gesturing towards the door with his head. "And you're worse.", he added, showing his lopsided grin.

"Shut up." Caroline hit his stomach softly, pouting. She went back to her spot by the bed, and he followed her in silence, closing the door behind him. "So," he started, coming to sit next to her. "let's get down to business." Caroline got back under her covers, extended one end to him. They sat, side by side, not touching, before he changed his mind and decided to sit opposite her. He stared into her eyes and asked : "What's with the ugly pj's ?" She stuck out her tongue. "They're not ugly, they're comfy."

"Sure." he mocked, and she kicked him in the calf playfully. "Don't hate on the pj's."

"I'm not hating," he declared. "they're just awful. But you're right, though." "I am ?" "Yeah. You look damn good." He whistled, trying – and succeeding – to make her laugh.

After that, they sat quietly, looking at each other, not knowing quite where they stood – or sat. The only thing that she thought of to ask him was lame, but she decided that it was better than silence. "Hey, Tyler, what's your last name ?" He frowned a little, quizzical. "Lockwood.", he answered, unsure of why she asked. Caroline jumped. "Lockwood ? As in Mason Lockwood ?" He sighed. "Yeah. That's my uncle."

"Oh my God. I have to meet with him this week !" she exclaimed, and he leaned in, staring. "Why ?"

"I don't know", she said, leaning closer too. "He sent a letter, like a real, formal letter, to my employer asking to meet with him. He didn't say why exactly, just that he needed advice." "Uh." was the only sound that left Tyler's mouth. He didn't seem to know how to react to that. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." she declared, quickly, and he looked up at her. "No, no. It's fine. I just didn't expect that."

"What did you expect, then ?" Caroline inquired, and his smile came back. "Fangirling." Caroline scoffed. "I am not a fangirl, Tyler Lockwood. I don't even know who he is, or what he does. Or even what he looks like." Tyler grinned. "He's not as hot as me, so you're safe." She rolled her eyes. "I am not meeting with him for his looks.", she told him.

"So you're a brains over brawn kind of girl." "Oh, I like the brawn, too." He grinned like an idiot at this, but she tried not to see it. "So what's he like ? Your uncle ?" "He's pushy." Tyler grabbed her ankle softly, and traced circles on her skin. Trying to ignore the warmth, she waited for more. "Pushy ?"

"Yeah. He's trying to get me in College, and he's relentless."

"You didn't go to college ?", she asked, incredulous. "Nope." he stated, fingers slowly moving up and down. "Didn't see the point." he added, and Caroline scooted closer, nudged him in the stomach. "You have to go to college, Tyler."

"You sound just like him." He had let go of her ankle when she moved, and seized her hand when she had teased him, and smiled when she told him : "I'm serious. You can't stay the sexy bartender forever."

"Why not ?"

"Because you won't be so sexy at fifty." she teased.

"Yeah, but by then I'll be the boss. I won't need to be so sexy."

"Well, then, if you go study business, you'll be the boss that much sooner. Or you could own your own – whatever it is that you want to be the boss of."

"You're not going to back off, are you ?"

"Nope." she stated, a smile slowly spreading on her lips. She saw him lean closer, and anticipated the kiss. She tensed, slightly, but leaned in as well, and slid a hand on his neck. It was a slow, lazy kiss, during which she tried, very hard, to make her heart flutter or skip a beat or something, but, even if he was lovely, and warm, and so nice against her skin, there were no fireworks. You don't need those, she shouted at herself, you need stability. Moderation. You need Tyler, and Tyler sure as hell wants you. So she let herself go, and when she felt his fingers ventured under her top, she smiled and let it happen.

When she woke up the next morning, she wondered why she was so warm. In the dark of the night, when she dreamed of office romances and a certain guy, she had forgotten he was there, holding her as she slept, one arm over her. She looked at him for a while, remembering how he had made her feel real, and whole, and so, so sweet. She had loved that feeling, and she knew she could very well get addicted to it if she wasn't careful. She wasn't sure she wanted to be careful, though. Her alarm blared at that moment, making her jump, lose her train of thoughts, and making him groan. He hid his face under the covers, and she laughed and reached for her phone. She shut it down quickly, and sat up to stretch. She felt sore, but so nice. Yes, last night's memory could be something to cherish, today. Now that she had double the motive, it would be that much easier to forget about the whole flirting and crush situation. She got under the covers to try and kiss Tyler's nose before getting up and running to the shower. When she came back and saw that he had gone back to sleep, she went to stand on her bed, shaking her wet hair above him, and laughed when he moaned and grunted and muttered under his breath. She laughed even more when he grabbed her and pinned her under him. "Morning." he croaked. "Hi.", she whispered back, smile fading when she felt his breath on her face. She tried very hard not to tense up, realizing she might have made a mistake, letting him sleep here, in her bed. In her home. But he kissed her collarbone and then started pushing her out of the bed. "Now, go. I want to sleep." She rolled her eyes and threw her towel on his face. "Well, you can't cause I have to lock up after I left." She got dressed slowly, underwear, then top, then skirt, listening to him chuckle. "But then you'd be sure I would be here when you came home." She shot him a look. "Get up, lazy pants." But she saw him in the mirror, lying in the bed, staring at her every move. She shook her head, smiling, and went on with her routine. When she came back from the bathroom, though, she found him dressed and ready to go. He kissed her forehead, holding her close. "Knock them dead, Forbes." He winked, and was on his way. She watched him go, breathed out slowly, and went back to her hair.

Did she said it would be easy to forget about Klaus ? Well, she was wrong. Very, very wrong. As soon as he came in and said hello, she felt her insides melt and she had to pinch herself in order not to swoon. She tried to be cheerful in her greetings and in the first exchange of messages and mail, which was easy since she was feeling pretty good, but it was much harder not be flirty or overly friendly. She composed herself during the entirety of her stay in his office, and she could see that he eyed her suspiciously when he thought she couldn't see him. And, just before she left, when he asked if she had set up a meeting with Mason Lockwood yet -"Not yet, but I was going to."-, she saw an opportunity to keep him far away from her. "Hey, did you know that Mason is actually Tyler's uncle ? Such a small world, it's unbelievable."

"Tyler ?" He looked puzzled, trying to remember where he was, or if she ever mentioned him.

"My boyfriend.", she stated, matter-of-factly. She felt shitty for doing this to him, but she knew that if she didn't, she'd never be able to stay away for much longer. She saw him swallow, deliberately, and said : "I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend." "Well, things change when that boy sees you in pj's he should have never seen you in, and says you look pretty even when you don't." She smiled to herself. She had liked that he hadn't freaked out, that he was composed. She realized it would never make for much passion in their relationship, but she assured herself she could live without passion.

When it became apparent that Klaus would not answer her – even if she had noticed a change in his breathing pattern – she nodded to herself and went back to her desk. She let out a sigh, surprisingly disappointed. She grabbed the phone and dialed Mason's number. She cleared her throat, sat straighter, and prepared herself to be as professional as she could. "Hello ?" The rich, fruity voice on the other end of the line made her smile. "Hi, I'm looking for Mason Lockwood ? This is Caroline Forbes, from Mikaelson&Mikaelson."

"Oh. Hi. Are you Klaus Mikaelson's assistant ?"

Fuck you, she wanted to say, annoyed. Instead, she replied, in the loveliest tone she could muster : "Are you Mason Lockwood's Mason Lockwood ?". When she heard him laugh, she decided that it was him. "You reached us and asked for a meeting, which is why I'm calling today. When would you be able to come by the firm ?" "So you are his assistant ?", he insisted, ignoring her question, and Caroline instinctively knew he was doing it to get a rise out of her. She breathed out, slowly, closing her eyes. "Do you want to meet, or not ?" He chuckled. "Oh, come on, Caroline Forbes. Of course I do."

"In that case, could you give me a list of possibilities as to when ?" "Tomorrow, 8 pm. Let's meet at Upland. Don't let him be late." He hung up before she could get another word out. She grumbled as she put the receiver down, and checked out the place he told her about. If she had had time, she would have told him he would be meeting her – lucky for her – but she'd have to surprise him. She had half a min to call him back and yell at him, and then hung up on him, but if she wanted to sign him on as a client to the firm, it would probably not be a good idea. She rolled her eyes and decided to put it away from her thoughts. It would tomorrow's problem. She had enough of those for today.

So she went on, undisturbed, taking care of whatever problem was put in front of her. What little exchange she had with Klaus was short, sharp and a little bit hurtful. He didn't tell her when he left for lunch, and he did his best to ignore her when he came back. She frowned when she watched him pass, and even more when she noticed the cup of coffee in his hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but he closed the door of his office, leaving her speechless. What the hell is his problem, she wondered, deliberately ignoring the little voice in her head telling her it was her fault. All she had to do was to get through the day, and to leave him to sulk in his office for as long as he needed. He would be better tomorrow. They all would be better tomorrow. She ignored the grumble in her stomach, and sat still, burying her head in the sand and her mind in her work.

When she left, that evening, he barely nodded to say goodnight. She thought she would be okay with it, but instead, when she felt a bubble of rage forming in her stomach, she put down her bag, closed the door of his office shut behind her and declared : "It's 7.50 pm. My day finished at 6 pm. You're no longer my boss, and you won't be before 7 o'clock tomorrow morning." She saw him rub his closed eyes, and heard how strained his voice was. "Caroline, it's been a long day. Please go."

"Well, it's been a long day for me, too, Klaus." she bellowed, as he stood up and filled his glass with water. "Now, tell me, what's your problem ?" She saw his nostrils flare, and he glared at her. "Leave." he insisted. "No.", she stated, and crossed her arms. He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of talking to her, and decided against it. "Fine, suit yourself.", he mumbled. He went back to his desk, and left her standing there. Infuriating asshole. And yet, she stood still, decided not to leave him with the last word. "You won't I won't leave, right ?"

"Fine.", he grunted.

"So you might as well talk, because I have all night.", she went on. He grunted, then glared at her again. "Caroline -", he warned, but she held up one hand and interrupted him. "Don't tell me to leave, because I won't." He grumbled and muttered : "Don't you have a boyfriend to pester now ?" She scoffed. "Is that what this is about, Klaus ? You're jealous ?" He shot her another dirty look, but stayed silent. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his reply, then groaned in frustration and threw her arms in the air. "Just answer me and be done with it."

"I don't have time for games, Caroline." His voice was low and threatening, but something inside Caroline pushed her to go on when all of her other instincts shouted for her not to. She didn't know how he was when he was angry, and she still wasn't sure it would be a good idea to find out. "This isn't a game. Tell me." Once again, he fell silent, staring at her, his body turned to her. After a minute or so, Caroline flipped out. "Fine. You want to be a child and sulk in a corner and not tell me what's wrong ? Fine. But don't expect me to fix it." She turned to grab her purse, but before she had time to move much, he had stood, crossed the room in two long strides, and had cupped her face with his hands, and had smashed his lips on her mouth. It took her completely by surprise, and she had to cling to his arms not to fall on her ass. She felt her heart stop and her mind shut down, and for a second, there was nothing she could do but feel. His warmth, his closeness, his touch. His kiss. It was terrifying how much she liked this simple action, only because he was the one she did it with. And, when he broke it, she moaned softly, falling into him. "You shouldn't do that.", she whispered, breathless. He looked at her intently, then whispered back : "I know." Why they both whispered when there was nobody around, she wasn't sure. Maybe because it felt intimate. Maybe because she was tired to shout. "No," she started again, "Klaus. You really shouldn't." "I kn-" She reached for his shirt and grabbed him close, kissing him again. She didn't care one bit if someone saw them, she didn't. She only wanted to feel him again, feel him on her, smell his cologne, or his aftershave, or whatever he wore that smelled so delicious, and she wanted to have his hands on her. They shared a violent, passionate kiss that crushed her lips and soothed her soul. She couldn't hear anything else but her heart beating so hard she knew it would jump out of her soon. And when she felt his hand around her waist, pinning her to him, she was actually sure that she was going to die of a heart attack, and she had to lean on him for support. She'd willingly have done everything he could have asked, just so he'd keep kissing her the way he did. But he was there, and she could touch him like she had wanted to since the day she had met him, and she wouldn't – couldn't – stop for the world. It was dangerous, and inappropriate, and crazy. And it was so right. And when he grabbed her hips and lifted her up on the table, she felt herself clinging to him. She opened her legs to accommodate him, and she was immediately rewarded when he put his hand on her bare thigh, just above her knee, sending chills to her every muscle, electricity jolting. She was left an incoherent mess, incapable to think, only able to act. Her fingers slid on his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could have him, arching her back as his other hand slowly discovered her waist. It was heaven and hell combined, to have him here in her arms and knowing it could never go any further than that. And even though this was enough for her at the moment, she couldn't be sure that would always be enough. She imprisoned him between her thighs, his fingers dug into her skin, wanting to keep him here for a little while longer.

And of course, of course, something came up and disturbed them. Klaus' cell phone, in his pants pocket, started to ring against her leg. Her first instinct was to grab it and throw it away, but instead, she felt laugh starting to rise in her throat, push against her lips, against his. She let it spring free, accompanying his corny ring tone, and he groaned in response to the both of them. It only made Caroline laugh that much harder, still hanging on his neck, laughing on his lips. She felt him shiver and reach for his phone. He leaned back to check it, and she took advantage of his distraction to leave his touch, gliding back on the table. She sat there, looking at him, not knowing whether she should run away or stay right here. She smiled, because she couldn't help but; and when he focused back on her, he found her hugging her knees, denying him access, but with the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face. "What ?", he breathed, "Why are you laughing ?" "Because of course your phone starts to ring now. You should get it, by the way."

"And have you run out on me ? No chance."

She didn't answer, how could she ? She should run, she should. She certainly didn't want to, though. She only smiled on, like a kid caught misbehaving and who knew an angelic smile was all he needed to get away with everything. He put down his palms on the table, leaning towards her. "Are you freaking out ? Is that why you're smiling like that ?" he asked, unsure of himself. She shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. "You kissed me."

"Yes, I did." She bit her lip, ecstatic, and repeated : "You kissed me."

"Yes, Caroline. I kissed you. And if it were up to me, it would the only thing I'd be doing for a long, long while."

"Klaus Mikaelson" she whispered, "are you offering me make-out sessions ?"