Judging by the mixed reviews, and a beautiful "fuck off" by a guest, some of you didn't like the latest development. Sorry ! But what love story would be magical if there was no obstacles to overcome ? But don't worry, Camille isn't here to stay. She won't be a pain in our asses. I just wanted to show that not all is always as it seemed :)

Also, spoiler alert : there will be no sporking. I do love your attitude, though, guest of Jan. 6 !

But I couldn't make you wait too long, so here we are : chapter 7. I hope you like this one better :)

Thanks for all the reviews and the follows and the favourites, you guys are the best.

When Caroline came home a few hours later, Stefan looked, bewildered, at the puffy red eyes and the mascara-teared stains on her cheeks, and immediately held her tight. She stayed in his arms, unmoving, but more because she didn't have the energy to move rather than anything else. She had cried, she had shouted, she was over it. She simply felt numb, now. And stupid. She felt really, really stupid. She couldn't believe how hard she had fallen for a man she didn't know, even a little bit; and tonight had just been a reminder that, when you play with fire, you get burned.

When, at last, he let her go, Stefan made her hot, sweet tea and bacon – Caroline Forbes' favorite comfort food – while she showered away all the traces of tonight. She emerged looking tired, yes, but lively and calm. Stefan sighed. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

"Don't be. You gave me good advice." She shrugged, her wet hair dripping on her shoulders. Stefan eyed her cautiously.

"What happened ?"

Caroline sat next to him, and started nibbling on the bacon. She stayed silent for a while, trying to pick her words carefully : she didn't want to sound bitter or scorned.

"He's got a girl. From London." she finally declared, and she saw Stefan close his eyes. "Fuck." Caroline nodded, and gulped down another piece of bacon. "It's fine."

"Caroline-" He came to sit next to her, putting one hand on her leg. He seemed genuinely sad for her. She shook her head.

"No, it is. It really is. Tonight was just a lapse in judgment. Tonight has no consequence, you know. We only kissed, like, twice. It's fine."

"Caroline, you don't have to pretend with me. I know how hard it is for you."

She turned to look at him, exhausted, and smiled up to reassure him, to show him she wasn't about to let it get to her head and screw her up. "Stefan, stop it. I fell for him, and instead of trying to know him better, I tried to get in his pants. Serves me right."

He chuckled. "Okay."

"What I want to do, though, is sleep, and then wake up, get ready, and go to work."

"You could take a day off. I'm sure he wouldn't dare to tell you anything."

"I don't want a day off. I love my job. He doesn't get to see me lose it."

She kissed his forehead and left him at the breakfast bar, going to her room. "He's not a bad guy, you know." She said, softly, as she put her hand on her doorknob. "He just forgot to be honest."

"Why are you giving him excuses ?"

"Because I don't want to have a bad opinion of him. I have to work with him. I can't afford to let what happened drip into my professional life."

She heard a sigh as she opened, then closed the door behind her, softly, and closed her eyes, forced herself to breathe. You're going to be okay. You are Caroline Fucking Forbes, and you are going to be okay. That could be her new mantra. She certainly did repeat it to herself over and over. But then again, she wasn't about to go down as anything but a fighter.

The next morning, when she finally opened her eyes, Caroline found that she had overslept a little. Or, rather, that she had snoozed through her alarm until it was irresponsible for her to snooze it one more time. And yet she ended up doing it anyway. She got up, ate what was left of yesterday's bacon, and braced herself for today.

Of course, she dressed with the same care as she did every single day, did her hair and make up with the same attention as she normally did, and tried – and failed – to ignore her heart racing in her chest. She would not give him the satisfaction, she couldn't. She had to power through, forget about humiliation and shame, and only think about tonight. Tonight was her chance to distance herself from Klaus, tonight was her chance to shine and start again as a lawyer. She only had to look like she knew what she was doing, and she would be fine. She made a mental note to check him out on Google before she met him, though. She couldn't afford to get caught with her pants down. Not today. Today, she had to show Klaus that she was over it – even if it felt like she was very much not over it – and that was still an asset for the firm. She would not lose her job for this. She breathed in sharply, took her purse, and started on her way to work.

It was a relief, actually, to ride the subway that morning. Routine was good. Routine gave her a sense of knowing where she was going. Subway, Starbucks, office. Her usual journey.

When she got to his office, she found him pacing the floor. He looked worried, and tired, too. She wondered whether Camille was still in his apartment, if they had talked and gotten back together, if she had found the right words to make him forget about Caroline. Her heart gave her the now familiar pang! as she walked towards him, but her brain was unable to see past the girl from last night. She rolled her shoulders back, stood a little straighter, smoothed her outfit, silently braced herself for what was about to come, and got into his office.

"Are you trying to drill a hole in the floor ?" she asked, casually, as she put his coffee down n his desk. She made a point not to act or seem awkward around him. He, on the other hand, did not try to hide his feelings, as he flew to her once he saw that it was her.

"Caroline !"

She had to take a step backwards not to end up in his embrace, and had to take a second to compose herself when she saw his face fall and compose itself one second later. "Were you expecting anyone else ?", she inquired, rather forcibly.

Klaus tried to keep his cool, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, here I am."

He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, and Caroline blushed in response, trying desperately not to meet his eyes. "Yes, here you are." He paused, unsure of what to say next. "Listen-", he started, but Caroline interrupted him abruptly. "Don't."

"No, I have to explain."

"Don't.", she repeated. "I just want to go to work."

"Caroline. Please." he pleaded, still looking right at her, and her looking anywhere but at him. Her preferred spot at the moment was his throat, with his Adam's apple moving up and down.

"Fine.", she conceded.

"I was engaged with Camille. And I was with her for seven years."

Caroline felt her heart hiccup at the mention of her name and felt sick to her stomach, but Klaus didn't seem to want to stop.

"But I didn't- I thought that I loved her. At first. I mean, she was sweet, and kind, and funny, and considerate. I've known her since I was a toddler, and she was my friend. I thought she could never do anything wrong, that she was the best of people. And when my parents said that she and I belonged together, I believed it. I thought that she would balance me out, that she would make me a better person. And when my parents told me that I should ask her to marry me, I didn't question their judgment. They knew me, and they must have known that she would love me no matter what I did. What they didn't know is, even though I tried, so hard, for years, to love her like she loved me, it never clicked. But I did it for them. There isn't much I wouldn't do for my family, and it seemed like a small price to pay in return for everything they had done for me."

When Klaus stopped talking, Caroline's heart was muted by her anger and indignation for Camille. "Oh, my God.", she exclaimed, "Is that supposed to make me feel better about you ? This is horrifying. You've strung her along for seven years ?"

"No. I felt something for her in the beginning of our relationship. And I still like her, she's my friend."

"She's not your friend, Klaus ! That girl was in love with you – is in love with you. You can't dismiss her like that." Caroline's hands formed fists as she tried to contain her emotions, tried not to start yelling at her boss in his own office. Opposite her, though, Klaus looked like he wanted nothing but for her to show how she felt.

"My point is, Caroline, I broke up with her. It's earned me nothing but resentment and anger from her, her parents, my parents, but I did it. I did it because I wanted to be able to kiss you. To hold you. To – to be with you."

Caroline scoffed, and her voice rose dangerously. "Oh, is this the part where I say thank you ? Do you even hear yourself ? I can't believe that I fell for you." She turned around, closing her eyes, covering her forehead with one hand.

"You fell for me ?" His voice was small, full of surprise, but Caroline only snickered.

"Yes. Hard. And I landed on my ass."

"I fell for you, too. Which is why I had to break up with Camille. Which is why I left for London so quickly. I didn't want anything to happen between us while I was with her."

Caroline was bewildered. "Again, am I supposed to say thank you ?"

"No. Just, stop. Look at me and tell me that we can fix this."

"Yes, we can." She turned her head and looked at him – well, his chest, to be precise-. "You can help me. Do you have any advice for my meeting with Mason Lockwood tonight ?"

"Caroline, I didn't mean-"

"Just answer the damn question."

"Caroline, look at me."

Caroline closed her eyes, pursed her lips, trying to breathe normally. "Fine", she told him, re-opening her eyes, "if you don't want to help, I'll manage on my own." She had to pass by him to get back to her desk, and he took advantage of that fact. He put his hand on her stomach, and Caroline couldn't help but gasp. The sudden touch sent shudders to her spine, to her stomach. "Please, look at me." Klaus whispered, and he was so close that Caroline felt his breath on her ear. In a moment of pure folly, she put her hand on his, reveling how soft, how strong he felt against her.

"I can't look at you,", she whispered back. "because if I do, then I will forget everything you did and said. If I do, I know I will end up believing you or – or – kissing you, or something far worse. So, no. I can't look at you right now."

She pushed him aside as softly as she could, and went back to her desk, leaving Klaus standing in his office, oblivious to everything else but her.

Caroline did her best not to be distracted by Klaus, even though all she wanted to do was to go back in his office and tell him what she was really thinking. What she was really feeling. Tell him that she wanted to kick his ass from here to Sunday, then kiss him, hard, and tell him to choose carefully, because she wouldn't wait for him forever. Was she waiting, though ? Or was she as lost as him ? She did not like to be left in the dark, not knowing what was going on or where she was going, but first, she needed to calm down. She needed to know how she truly, really felt for him. If she could let him go, if indeed she was holding him at all.

Stefan seemed to know she needed support, and texted her every few hours to let her know he was right there, on the other side of the phone. She loved him for it, and couldn't wait to be back to him tonight. But first, she had to get through today, as if nothing of importance happened. As if she was okay. She made calls, saw people, honored her previous engagements, filled and filed paperwork, studied Mason Lockwood's business, its history, its value, its future, and then his person, to be sure she had all the cards in hand. She got busy, and actually did more work than she had in a week. Probably because she wasn't distracted, most likely because she needed to be distracted. She was as civil as she could to Klaus, though, bringing him clients and messages and updates and coffee, but she couldn't quite look at him in the eye yet. She already felt her anger diminish just by being in the same room as him, and she had to force her brain into remembering Camille, and the look on her face when she saw her fiance kissing Caroline. It was all too easy to forget and go back to fascination. She had to be careful, didn't she ?

So, when six o'clock came around, she was relieved she could leave early. She tidied up her desk, took her purse, and headed towards Klaus' office to tell him she was leaving for the meeting. He looked at her, but she still couldn't. She simply looked at his tie, wishing herself to be strong and not give anything away.

"Are you going to be okay ? I can go, if you're not up to it."

She knew that Klaus only wanted to help, but she scoffed, piqued to her pride. "And take away my silver lining ? Absolutely not."

"Your silver lining ?" He frowned.

"Yes. The one good thing that will come out of today."

She had turned around, showing him her back, and stopped dead in her tracks as she heard him sweetly say : "I still want to talk, Caroline." She stood there, silent, unable to find words until they came out of her like water. "I know. And I want to talk, too. Just give me some time."

After she had come home, Caroline spent the rest of her remaining hour stressing out about her meeting. She wasn't sure of what was expected of her, and it threw her off her game. Was she supposed to dazzle him ? Make him feel superior ? Challenge him ? Was she supposed to dress nice, or casual ? She really wished she could call Klaus for help, but she was already too anxious, there was no need to add more fuel to the fire. In the end, she chose a black, chic, lacy dress that hugged her knees and showed off her figure without revealing anything or being distasteful. She kept her hair down, falling in her usual waves, and only refresh her make-up. She didn't want to be over the top.

She found herself at the restaurant a few minutes early – she had ridden in a cab again, loving the fact that she could afford to now, and also because she was too lazy to look up what subway would get her there – but it was already packed with what seemed like hipster-type twenty-somethings. And she soon found out that she was overdressed for the occasion, which didn't help her nerves. But it seemed nice, too. A bit too New-York to her taste, but at least they could chat properly without having to yell or fearing they could be heard. That was definitely a plus. On the other side, the tables seemed really small, and almost intimate. Maybe she had been right to show none of her bodily assets. Maybe he just wouldn't have been interested. Damn. I should have let Klaus do this. It would have been fun. The waiters all seemed occupied, so she scanned the restaurant for Mason Lockwood herself. Thank god she had remembered to look him up on the internet before she came. She found him at a table in the back, talking on the phone, a huge grin plastered on his face. She breathed out, slowly, and strut towards him.

In the corner of his eye, Mason saw her walk to him, and turned to watch her. His mouth fell into a perfect 'o', and he stared at her. Maybe I am his type after all, Caroline thought to herself as she smiled at him.

"Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes, from Mikaelson&Mikaelson. We spoke on the phone yesterday."

"I'll be damned." He had a rich, fruity voice that made her feel warm. "You are Caroline Forbes ?"

"Yes, and the person you're on the phone with must be wondering why you've stopped talking to them."

After a hushed "I'll call you back", Mason gave her his undivided attention, and motioned for her to sit opposite him. He studied her for a second or two before asking her how old she was.

"What has that got to do with anything ?" Caroline screwed up her eyes a little at the question.

"I want to know if the scenarios in my head in which I try and woo you off your feet are inappropriate or not."

She chuckled, trying not to show that she would rather be dating the salt and pepper shakers than him."It doesn't matter whether I'm twenty or eighty, Mr Lockwood. We're not here to flirt."

"That's a damn shame if you ask me." He had this easy, out going smile on his face, but Caroline didn't feel its warmth.

"What I do mean to ask you, though, is why are you asking for our services ? You already have a lawyer."

He waved her question off, and instead asked for two glasses of bourbon on the rocks. He only talked to her again after he had gotten his first sip.

"So. You are Tyler's girl." he declared, taking her completely by surprise. She laughed a little, crossing her legs.

"I am a lawyer, and I'm not here to talk about Tyler." She drank her bourbon in one sip, giving herself some courage not to be rude.

"But you are."

"You're not going to stop, are you ?"

"Nope."

"Well, then. In that case, I brought the paperwork,you can just sign it, and-"

"Hang on. I need to know if you are good, first."

"Oh, I am. Just ask your nephew."

Mason Lockwood stared at her for a second, then bellowed with laughter, throwing his head backwards. He looked so lively that even Caroline was in a good mood, and decided to tease him a little more. After all, he seemed like the kind of man that would enjoy it, and who also liked being challenged. He seemed like a relaxed, carefree man with – if what she had read and heard was true – a sharp sense of business and decision. She could appeal to all those things. She could get him to choose her. She smiled, and raised an eyebrow.

"And, for the record, I am not 'Klaus' assistant', or 'Tyler's girl'. My name is Caroline. I am a person. Surely you've heard of those."

"Oh, I had. But I had never heard a lawyer talking to me like that. It's really refreshing."

"You should see how she talks to her boss."

Caroline froze. The voice, coming from behind her, left her shaking with anger as Mason stood and extended him his hand. "Mikaelson !" he boomed. "I was worried you had left me alone with this little devil. She looks like she could eat me alive."

"And spit you back out, too. She's a tough young prodigy.", he said, as he sat down, glancing at her with nothing but sweetness in his eyes. She grit her teeth and forced herself to smile as she responded.

"And she's going to smack you both if you keep talking like she isn't there."

Mason showed her all his teeth as he smiled up at her, sitting down after ordering another glass for Klaus, who was too busy staring at Caroline to notice anything else. She, herself, could not look at him. Not right now. She was way too mad for that. But she hid it, trying to anchor herself in the here and now.

"Where did he find you ? Because I want one of you, too."

"Well, that's easy. You want a lawyer, I am a lawyer, boom. You have me."

"That is the best argument I've heard yet. Let's order."

Caroline hid behind her menu, trying to avoid glancing up at Klaus, who was sitting uncomfortably close to her. So close, in fact, that she could feel his warmth, smell his cologne, and, if she moved her leg, she could touch his easily. As she realized all of this, she felt her heart start to beat a little stronger, a little faster. Concentrate ! she admonished herself. She had to focus all her attention to the man in front of her, not the one besides. Thankfully for her, Mason was something of a chatterbox, and, since Caroline loved to talk, the two of them found themselves chatting through most of dinner. When dessert arrived – Caroline had been so close to ordering two due to her wrecked nerves and never-ending gluttony – Klaus stirred the conversation back to the firm. It had been wonderfully done, and so subtly than even Caroline had been tricked. She couldn't help but glance at him, and even gawk at him as discreetly as she could. He looked so passionate when he talked about the firm that she forgot she was mad at him for a few minutes. She felt her heart swell up with pride before she could catch herself and shake it off. She still had to sell her skills to Lockwood, and she still had to dazzle him. She took advantage of a gap in the discussion to do so, smiling and gesturing to make her point, and even opened herself up to Klaus to try and get him on her side. It seemed to work, too, since Klaus built her up and wouldn't stop complimenting her work. She walked out of the restaurant having secured another meeting, but this time, Mason Lockwood was going to come to the office, and they would talk seriously about working together. All in all, it had been a good night, even in the midst of all the crappy things surrounding it. She was calling a taxi when she felt Klaus next to her, leaning against a telephone pole.

"Well, now that you are a proper lawyer, you're going to need an office."

"What's wrong with my desk ?"

"Nothing. You just can't receive anyone, and you're about to need to."

Caroline smiled to herself. "Yeah. That's kind of awesome."

"You deserve it."

She faced him, frowned. "Then why are you here ? You didn't think I could do it ?"

"Caroline -"

"Stop Caroline-ing me ! Just answer the question, for fuck's sake."

"I came because I knew this would be the only way of getting you to interact with me instead of at me."

"Oh, wow. You really are desperate."

"Please, talk to me."

"Okay, enough. You want me to say something ? Fine, here it is. You're not going to come to the firm tomorrow. You're ill, and you want to work from home. If you want me to think about all of this, us, what happened yesterday, I need time. I need space. I can't think straight when you're around me."

"I don't want you to think straight. I want you to think me."

Caroline froze for a second, then laughed out loud. "That was really bad."

"This is what it's come to." He smiled, and took a step closer. Caroline felt so nice after the dinner that she let him, but shot him a warning look. "Klaus -" she started, but was interrupted.

"Caroline !" She heard Bekah's call before she saw her. "Stefan told me where you were, and-"

She saw Rebekah's face fall when Klaus turned around and called her. "Rebekah ?" he frowned, and she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Nik." Caroline's heart stopped dead in its tracks. It took her a second before she realized what was happening. "Wait." she exclaimed, "You two know each other ?"

"She's my little sister."

"Okay, wow. This is just not my week, surprises-wise." Caroline closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"What are you doing here, Rebekah ?" Klaus wondered out loud, and his sister's voice was filled with distrust when she answered.

"I came to help my friend with her heartbreak."

"Hey !" Caroline barked. "First of all, my heart is not broken. Let me just put that out there. And two, you're family ? Did you know he was engaged ?"

Rebekah opened and closed her mouth before she could speak. Caroline felt like someone had just punch her in the stomach, and she took one step backwards. "Oh, my God. You knew." Caroline looked at Rebekah as if she was a stranger. "You knew about Camille and you didn't tell me ?" She had taken a few more steps back, and she looked from Rebekah to Klaus, not knowing what to do next.

"Caroline, I didn't think that I -" Bekah pleaded, but Caroline couldn't let her finish.

"You knew that I liked him. I told you I – I told you everything. And you didn't even mention it !"

"I didn't think that you would act on it ! I thought that you wouldn't because of your job."

"Oh my God." Caroline run her hand through her hair, shocked at the revelation. "And what's your excuse for not telling me about the fact that Klaus is your brother ?"

"I told you, we're not close. I didn't want you to treat me differently if you knew I was a Mikaelson."

"You have excuses for everything, don't you ? Oh, my God. I can't believe this. I can't believe the two of you."

She turned around and started to walk away from them, and, when they both called after her, she only shrugged and shouted : "Just stay away from me."

The whole journey back was a blur. Caroline had so many thoughts racing through her head that she felt dizzy. She was unable to rest, since she discovered another surprise waiting for her at home. Both Tyler and Stefan were waiting in the living room, and both smiled at her like she could break any second when she entered the room. "Seriously ?", she snapped.

Stefan handed her a cup of tea. "I called him. And Rebekah. I thought you might need back-up."

Caroline sneered. "Oh, I saw Rebekah."

"Where is she ? She said she'd meet you at the restaurant." Stefan still held the cup that Caroline didn't glance at, and frowned.

"She's still there, as far as I know. She's with her brother. My boss."

"What ?" they both cried.

"Hey, I had the same reaction !" Caroline shrugged.

"Klaus is her brother ?" Tyler exclaimed, bewildered too. Caroline, who was taking off her shoes, looked up, frowning.

"How do you know Klaus ?"

"Stefan filled me in on the details."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh. Great."

"I told you, I thought you might need help getting over him. Some friends to ease your heartbreak." Stefan put down the mug as Caroline boomed.

"Oh, please. I am not heartbroken ! This isn't heart break, okay ? It was shocking, and awful, but I've known the guy for two bloody minutes. This isn't love. This is infatuation. I'll be fine. I feel fine already ! So, both of you, stop hovering me."