Sorry, but life got in the way.
"Klaus. What a honor to be in your presence!", she exclaimed placing a manicured hand over her chest, her transparent green eyes slicing Klaus, as they always did.
He gave her a tight lipped smirk, as he always did, especially when he was uncomfortable. Or annoyed. Or tired. Or amused. Okay, let's just leave it at: as he always did.
"The honor is mine, as always" he bowed mockingly, earning a glare and a pout from the woman in front of him. "What are you doing here, Hayley? And at this ungodly hour nonetheless", he asked as he sat down on the sofa, his arms spread on the back.
He swore, if looks could kill, he would be dead. Hayley was glaring so hard, he was sure it was bound to leave some sort of sign on his face, or cause some kind of damage like in those Star Wars movies Kol forced him to watch. But that was illogical, right? Jedis did not exist, and even if they did, they were always men. Thank God for sexism.
"What I'm doing here is my job. And yours too, since you seem to have forgotten you actually have work to do. I know it may be shocking news for you, but the world doesn't stop just because you decided to go on vacation and forget technology. Just like I haven't disappeared or have started to fill in your place for you just because you decided to ignore my calls and texts", as she finished her scolding, she let a heavy folder of papers fall on the glass coffee table in front of him. He inspected it slowly and deliberately, and then gazed at her, still standing in front of him.
"You know, I could fire you for the way you speak to me", he said, cocking his head.
She nodded, "Yes. And I could sue you for so many reasons we would probably stay up the whole night just listing them", she put a hand on her bony, tight pencil skirt clad hip, "And then", she added, sitting down beside him on the white couch, "Where would you find an assistant as wonderful as me?".
He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it out loud, she was right. She could sue him for harassment or any other thing, and while he would come out of anything with a generous amount of money, it really wouldn't do any good to the company. But he knew she would never do such a thing, just like she knew he would never fire her. And not because of their past, or its consequences, but because they were a good team: she was one of the few people that was able to put up with his temper and attitude, and she was a really excellent assistant, organized and efficient, an invaluable asset.
"Probably on Craiglist", he bit back, starting to look through the papers. "What's the matter?".
And so, the second part of the night began.
Caroline was skipping down the stairs, headed for the dining room with a smile on her face. The sun was shining, the birds chirping and life just seemed great that day. Her thoughts about the perfect quietness of her life ended abruptly when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. The reason she haltered her course and went to check was that one of the voices was a female one.
"Really Klaus? You are in the Emirates and you got this shitty American coffee? Have you lost your mind all of a sudden?". The woman talking was a very gracious young lady, with flowing brunette hair and pouty lips, who was sitting at the table evidently disheveled and tired, holding a mug of coffee as if her life depended on it.
Klaus was behind her, his back to where Caroline was standing (more like hiding), making some tea. She could see every muscle of his back move underneath the light texture of his grey Henley. "If you're not happy about the libations my dear, feel free to go find something that suits your tastes elsewhere".
She rolled her eyes and smiled fakely "I will survive".
He turned and gave her a dimpled smile, "Too bad", he said and his eyes feel on Caroline, his lips parting in a genuine smile. "Good morning Caroline".
She walked in the kitchen, flushing a bit in front of the tired yet classy girl sitting in front of her, and she waved. The girl stood up from her stool and walked around the table up to Caroline, "I'm Hayley", she extended her hand and Caroline took it, noticing the firm grip of the woman "Klaus's assistant".
"Secretary" he corrected, knowing that Hayley found the term diminishing for some reason. She hated it, so he used it as often as he could. She glared at him.
Caroline watched the exchange and smiled, equally amused and awkward, "Caroline" she introduced herself and started to reach for the cupboard.
"So, how do you know Klaus?" Hayley asked, watching Caroline pour some cereals in a cup and adding yogurt to it.
Caroline's head shot up, her big round eyes watching the other girl and adverting them fastly to Klaus, at loss to what to say. She never had to introduce herself before, so the problem hadn't presented itself yet. Sure, she had thought about it, but she had never been forced to face it directly. Until now.
Hayley was still waiting for an answer to her innocent and logical question, and sensing some tension she added " I'm asking just because I've never seen nor heard your name and since I'm Klaus's assistant I usually know… but I can guess this is personal and don't want to stick my nose in anybody's business" she held her up high in a surrender-like gesture. Caroline relaxed a bit, but she kept her eyes steadily on Klaus. His face was unreadable, as always. He turned around and warmed some water for Caroline's breakfast tea.
The kitchen was silent, and Caroline couldn't stand it. It made her feel so uncomfortable, and she felt the need to fill it.
"So, how come you're here Hayley?", she asked the girl.
"Oh, just some business Klaus needed to take care of but was too busy to. So I figured that if Mohammed will not go to the mountain…". She trailed of and smirked, raising her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, as if Caroline knew what she was talking about. But she didn't. If Mohammed will not go…then what? She smiled, pretending to know what Hayley was talking about, but feeling lost.
The girl smashed her hands on the table and got up "Okay, I'm going to take a shower and catch up with some sleep. I'm jet-lagged. After my beauty rest, we'll go over everything Klaus", and she went upstairs.
"A bit bossy for an assistant" Caroline commented, watching her round the corner that lead to the stairs.
"Extremely. I should fire her", Klaus said, sitting down next to her.
"Where are Kol and Elijah?", she asked, weirded out by their absence.
"They've gone on a 'shopping spree' as Kol put it. They needed to but clothes and some present for Bekah. I think he was just craving for interactions with humans he's not related to", he asserted showing those dimples.
She giggled "That seems fair. Why haven't you gone with them?".
He huffed "I had an hurdle to take care of", he nodded his head toward where Hayley had disappeared moment before.
"Oh yeah, work… well, she seems nice", she said, at loss of anything else to say.
Klaus raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
She widened her eyes, "Come on Klaus. She seems a great assistant. And she's got spunk. She seems tough. I like her" she said, sipping her vanilla tea.
"If by 'spunk' and 'tough' you mean 'annoyingly sarcastic' and 'rude', then yes, we agree".
She threw her head back and laughed, "You are always so overdramatic Klaus", she looked at him, still smiling, "But I admit I like it".
"You do?", he smiled, inching closer to her.
She put her elbows on the table, inching closer too, "Yep. It's incredibly entertaining. You make every situation lighter".
His eyebrows shot up as his eyes rounded disbelievingly, "Lighter? Now that's not an adjective people usually use to describe me, love".
Love. Oh god why does she love it so much when he says that? "That's just because they can't see it. I find your overdramatic behavior and your negativity quite hilarious actually, so I can see the fun in it. But", she finished her tea, "maybe that's just because your dark behavior is never directed at me". She smirked.
He nodded, "Maybe".
Tak, tak, tak.
Klaus was reading on the sofa in the living room since it was too hot and humid to be outside, when she heard the clinking of heels approaching. Caroline didn't wear heels, so the only other options was…
"Hayley", he greeted the girl entering the room, not bothering to look up from the book.
"We need to talk seriously Klaus", she stated stopping in front of him, arms crossed.
"About what?", he still refused to look at her.
"You are aware that you'll eventually need to come back to work, right? I know that you've been stressed and you needed-", "Deserved" he interrupted her. She clenched her jaw and sighed, "Deserved a vacation. Can't blame you, really. But Klaus," her voice softened and she sat on the glass table in front of him, "You need to come back. The company needs you. Vacation's over." She stated, and when he met her eyes, they weren't sarcastic or bossy, but clear and honest as they always were.
He sighed. She was right, he knew it. And he loved his job, but after devoting his every day and hour to it for three years, no days off, the idea of going back to it was claustrophobic. He placed his head on the back of the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. He knew he looked like a boy who didn't want to go to school, but it was exactly how he felt.
"Does Caroline have anything to do with it?", she asked bluntly.
He looked at her, surprised by the question. For all her sass and attitude, Hayley wasn't one to pry in his private matters. She never asked questions, never prodded for information, and vice versa she was a very private person. And that was something Klaus liked about her, and believed helped them in the job. Not knowing much about her prevented him from judging her, while not knowing about her life outside of work allowed him to view her less like a person and more like a worker, a tool.
"Does Caroline has anything to do with what?" came the voice of his little brother, who was walking through the living room, Elijah in tow and two men following with tons of bags. The mere sight was unsettling to Klaus.
Elijah nodded and greeted Hayley "Good afternoon Hayley".
She smiled at him "Hi Elijah", she craned her neck to look at the other Mikaelson, "Hi Kol". He waved his hand at her while shifting through his recent purchases.
"What were you talking about?" Elijah asked, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.
Klaus' brows furrowed "Are those jeans?".
The older brother flushed and looked down at his clothes, "I believe so Niklaus. They are a bit unconventional for me, but I do admit they are quite comfortable".
Hayley proceeded to answer his question, "I was telling Klaus that he has a job he needs to go back to. And I was wondering if the thing that's preventing him to do so is Caroline".
Elijah nodded pensive, and Kol stopped his ministrations to join the conversation, "What will we do about Caroline?" he wondered.
"Hayley, could please leave us alone for a moment?" Elijah asked. The girl got up and went to the luscious garden, closing the glass door behind her.
The three men looked at each other.
"So what, are we taking her with us back home?" Kol asked.
"Well, it is the only logical solution", Elijah stated.
"Like a puppy? Oh, I've always wanted a puppy", Kol smiled excited.
"Don't you think we should talk to her and let her decide for herself?", Klaus was irritated by their behavior and it was clear in his harsh voice, "At least have her control over something", he grunted while he stalked toward the stairs.
"Nik, where are you going?",Kol called after him.
"I'm going to ask her", he replied.
Kol and Elijah looked at each other. Then they sighed.
Caroline was writing on a notebook when someone knocked on her door. She put the notebook under her pillow and went to open the door, pleased to see Klaus standing in front of her, greeting him with a warm smile.
"Can I come in, love?" he asked seriously.
She furrowed her brows, taken aback by his stiffness, "Yeah sure", she opened the door further.
He stood in the middle of the room, towering next to her bed, his dark clothes a sharp contrast to the brightness of the room.
"I need to talk to you, Caroline" he started with his back to her.
She neared him, tense and scared, "Is something wrong Klaus?" she asked.
"No, no, nothing's wrong" he turned around to smile at her, but it didn't reach his eyes, "I just wanted to tell you that I, and eventually Elijah and Kol as well, need to go back home. We need to take care of our business."
She felt a suffocating pressure on her chest. It pressed and pressed, and she found it hard to breathe, but tried her best not to show it. "That's great", had she managed to put some joy in her voice? She hoped she did.
"Not really", he said, "Caroline, I wanted to ask you, if you…" he trailed off, looking at her for a brief instant and then averting his eyes. He swallowed and resumed his talk, "Whatever you want to do, is fine. No obligations. If you want to stay here you'll have free access to this house and we'll cover for anything until there'll no longer be need."
"or…?" she prompted him to continue.
He looked at her straight in the eyes, compelling her to stay right where she was, as if he was Medusa and had just turned her into a rock, punishment for daring to look at his beauty. "Or you could come with us, if you want. No obligations, no anything" his eyes wandered around the room, "You won't be forced to stay with us, but we will provide anything you need. I understand if the idea doesn't sound appetizing to-"
"It sounds great" she interrupted him, able to breathe again. He looked at her again, his eyes slightly widened. She smiled blindingly, "It sounds great".
There was a pounding at the door, "So, what will it be Nik?" Kol asked.
Klaus grunted and clenched his fist, "I'm going to kill him". Caroline giggled, amused by their relationship.
"Nik?", he pounded some more.
"She's coming with us", he answered.
"Yoohoo!" Kol exclaimed from the other side of the door." You know what this means, right?"
Klaus groaned "Oh no!". Caroline looked at him confused, but as soon as Kol talked, understanding dawned on her.
"Shopping spree!" Kol shouted.