"I think I'm in love but it makes me kind of nervous to say so," - Think I'm in Love, Beck

8

Picking Narcissus

He'd obligingly taken her up and down Canal street first where she wanted to shop for the impending Mardi Gras parade the next day. She'd tried to buy beads but he insisted that she wouldn't need to buy them, everyone walked home overloaded with them by the end of the raucous parade. Instead she'd picked up a purple feather boa. He'd also made her hold off on buying a mask when she initially suggested a cheap, flimsy thing that didn't even cost five dollars. He could get her something much nicer than that.

It occurred to him that he hadn't actually taken the time to celebrate Mardi Gras in several years, he couldn't even remember how long it had been. He'd enjoyed it back in his most sinister days. But his recently life in New Orleans had been filled by so much genuine strife that he hadn't enjoyed his city for a while. Caroline was bubbling with excitement and he was somewhat swept up in her enthusiasm

Swept up in her, more like it. He had a feeling that with her humanity still off, she was really like a ticking time bomb and would inevitably cause him difficulties of some sort. But right now, with the world's most elaborate, decadent, and exoctic deversion less than 24 hours away, her only focus was clearly pleasure.

"Oh you're right, these really are much nicer," Caroline said as he took her into a store in the Quarter that sold masks — all types, from classic masquerade to towering feathered creations that were almost headdresses. Many were displayed on walls around the store but most were featured under glass displays, like jewelry.

"Have whatever you like," he told her, pressing a kiss to her temple and squeezing her to him with an arm. If he was going to follow her around like this, she could damn well let him delusion himself into thinking this was a normal, everyday occurrence for the two of them.

She pointed to a pink mask and an attendant pulled it out for her. She held it up to her eyes. It had intricate beads dangling as fringe from the bottom of the mask, partially obscuring her mouth.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"I think it would make it difficult to kiss you," he said.

She rolled her eyes, taking off the mask and handing it back, "Easy there, stud," she said, eyeing him warily. He just smirked back at her.

The attendant smiled at them, clearly finding them a normal, cute couple, "I have a few I think might suit you perfectly, she told Caroline, leading her to another display.

She tried on several more, including an intricate black lace mask and one covered in every square inch by pearls. He'd almost expected her to pick that one because of the price alone but she kept looking.

Finally she'd settled on a delicate creation made out of golden wire so fine it almost looked like spun thread. It twisted into the shape of a mask around her eyes like intricate filigree. He'd thought it an excellent choice.

After that, he'd finally convinced her to settle down enough to grab a bite to eat, pulling them into the nearest local establishment he knew she'd like.

"Well, I've got to hand it to you Klaus," Caroline said, sipping the wine that had just been delivered to their table, "You sure know how to wine and dine a girl. I mean, this has been one hell of a date."

"A date?" he asked her, wanting to hear her confirm it again. "Is that what we're on right now?"

"If it looks like a date and it sounds like a date," she said, trailing off to contemplate for a moment. "Guess it must be a date."

"In that case, love, I am happy to say that the evening is not over yet," he told her.

"Oh? What are we doing next?" she asked.

An appetizer of oysters on the half shell were placed in front of them.

"You'll see," he replied, mysteriously.

Because Klaus had made a point of knowing whatever he could about Caroline, he knew that she was a drama major in college. He took her to the Saenger Theatre after dinner which was currently hosting a production of The Phantom of the Opera. He found it perfectly fitting for their evening.

"Alright," she conceded with a smile after he compelled center seats for the two of them from the box office staff, "I won't lie. You're racking up some serious bonus points."

He just smiled and didn't tell her that, honestly, he didn't think of it that way. He just wanted to give her everything she wanted.

And he'd felt a surge of success swell within him when they had been watching the production. Caroline loved it and was clearly familiar with the musical. She mouthed along to every line, in every song. She would make the perfect Christine if she ever pursued the role.

She'd kissed him when they'd exited the theatre. Kissed him again on the walk home, several times. And now they were outside his front door, making out like two teenagers and having too much fun to open the door. But, finally, she pulled away from him and bit her lip.

"So, I'd say you have a 100% chance of getting lucky tonight," she said, smiling.

Klaus groaned, wanting to say yes to her very deeply. But it had been such a perfect evening and sleeping with Caroline far too often had the nasty repercussion of reopening his eyes to the reality of their situation. He wanted to preserve this evening, to leave on the rose-colored glasses a bit longer.

"Tomorrow is a big day," Klaus said, holding her at arm's length. "You should get your rest."

He abruptly walked past her and into the house, leaving her in front of the door wondering what the hell had just happened.

Caroline usually slept in, but that morning she was up at 8 am, storming into his room with a clattering breakfast cart.

"Love?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes when she wrenched his curtain open, flooding the room with light. "As much as I appreciate breakfast in bed, is it really necessary to start this early?"

"This isn't breakfast in bed, you slacker," she chided, gesturing to the cart where he first noticed a big pitcher of bloody mary's. "This is pre-gaming!"

"Can I at least have some coffee first?" he asked.

She walked smartly over to the cart where a steaming kettle of coffee was waiting. She poured a cup for him and handed it over.

"Thank you," he said and prepared to take a sip.

"Wait, not yet!" she trilled and removed a flask from the cart. She unscrewed it and poured a shot of whiskey into his coffee. "There ya go!"

She turned to pour herself a bloody mary and then lifted a covered tray where she had warm croissants waiting. She tossed one to him.

"But, yeah, eat up too. Gotta plan this day right. Don't wantcha' wussing out on me too early," she teased.

"Yes, because that is certainly what I'm known for," he laughed back at her. "When people say Klaus Mikaelson it's usually followed by — boy, now there's a man who can't hold his liquor worth a damn."

She'd actually burst out laughing, hard, when he'd said that, ungracefully choking on her drink.

"I always knew you were a secret lush. Alright," she said. "Get dressed, we gotta get there early and get a good spot!"

When she found him again, she was dressed fit to kill. Well, for Mardi Gras, anyway. Any other day her outfit of an outlandish pink tutu skirt paired with her purple boa and a tight fitting black tank top would have been utterly garish. Still, Caroline had a way of pulling anything off. The golden mask he'd bought her the previous night was resting atop her face, elegantly tied behind her hair with a black velvet ribbon, sticking out in stark contrast to her golden locks.

Klaus, naturally had forgone dressing up and was wearing a navy t-shirt and jeans and sunglasses instead of a mask. Caroline didn't seem to care though and was anxiously hurrying him out the door. She'd poured them both bloody mary's in plastic cups to go, wanting to take advantage of the city's lenient public liquor laws, especially today.

The city was brimming with excitement and public indecency. Intoxicated men and women were everywhere, young and old alike, many of them urinating. But the whole affair had an upbeat feel to it and there were even children present on some of the less messy blocks; NOLA's famous hospitality was at it's maximum capacity today and people were already throwing beads to one another, strangers or not, on the street.

Soon enough they were assaulted by the ever increasing sound of people and then music. They could see the parade now, pushing their way up to the front. He could see she was practically vibrating in excitement. Ahead of them a brass band was dancing through the streets, blasting out incredible music. Following behind them was an enormous float, decked out with huge sparkling and spinning jester heads, as big as the performers dancing and throwing out beads on the float. It had been a particularly warm February and the crowds were dressed to match. Next to them, viewers were laughing as they sprayed each other with water guns.

She didn't need prompting. As soon as they'd made it to the front of the sidewalk to see the parade and a float passed them, this one made up to look like a giant snapping alligator, Caroline lifted her shirt, theatrically. Oddly, his first thought was a simple: Oh, Caroline has chosen not to wear a bra today. Immediately, a dozen or more strands of colorful beads were hurled her way. She caught a red one in her outstretched hand, exclaiming victoriously.

"Caroline!" Klaus chided, his eyes flashing with dark possessiveness.

"Oh no, you are not going to ruin this experience for me!" she insisted, slipping the red strand around her neck and holding it up to inspect it happily, "Everyone knows you have to earn your beads!"

She kept at it, too, apparently hell bent on doing the experience just right. To be fair, almost every woman on the street was participating — tradition was tradition. Not to mention, the rules that typically governed the world were all gloriously suspended for one day on Mardi Gras. It was a free-for-all, as long as you kept yourself in check and didn't do anything to sour the mood of the day for anyone else. It was an unspoken understanding between the people of New Orleans that everyone was expected to be chill on Fat Tuesday. And, in truth, despite the paranoia and jealousy that were eating at him every time he spied some other man getting his eyeful, he couldn't begrudge her this pleasure. He could see, she was falling in love with his city and it was embracing her in return.

Bothering him more was how distracted the momentary flashes of her exposed chest were making him. He was fighting every urge to pull her away from the parade and take her into an alleyway where he could enact every delicious torment he could think of on her perfect breasts until she was begging for him to have her, then and there. Unfortunately, he didn't suspect that Caroline would be wanting to leave anytime soon, not even for that. But, soon enough, Caroline was becoming so overloaded with strands of shining beads that she wasn't able to lift her shirt up any more, either way. Laughing as she caught another gold strand whizzing through the air, she started taking off dozens of strands at a time and began draping them all over him.

"It's raining color!" she yelled, gesturing to the air which was, indeed, awash in the frenzy of colorful beads being tossed everywhere from watchers on roofs, restaurant balconies, and the parade. He thought of everywhere else in the world he could take her to, to make her this excited again: Carnival in Rio, the Holi festival in India, the Lantern Festival in Thailand… Of course, she'd enjoy it so much more with her humanity on, but he wouldn't think on that now.

He couldn't help himself then — he grabbed her and kissed her, holding her to him by the back of her head. She responded instantly, slipping her tongue into his mouth first, making him moan right there on the street. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him down into her harshly. Their teeth clashed for a moment from the intensity of their kiss and he could have sworn he felt her fangs.

"Get it, baby!" a voice shouted. They broke apart from their kiss to see an older man behind them watching. "Don't mind me, ya'll enjoy the parade, uh-huh?"

They both burst out laughing at that and Klaus grabbed her hand, forcing their way through the crowds to pull her back into a crowded bar not far from their spot on the street.

"Drinks?" he called back to her as they continued pushing through the crowd.

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

They'd only stuck inside long enough to somehow get roped into two rounds of shots with a group of college humans that they'd never met before in their life. Caroline made quick but fleeting friends with a red-headed girl her age, accepting her offer of a pickle-back shot and then forcing Klaus to take the same.

He couldn't deny her anything. She'd been intent on getting him drunk since that morning and, unsurprisingly, she was succeeding.

As the group at the bar began to disperse, she was breathlessly pulling him out to the street again by his hand. She was dancing to the jazz blaring from the parade, sashaying her way back to the front of the viewing. A passing parade float shot confetti out of a cannon and they were suddenly awash in a rain of glittering gold, purple, and green confetti.

On the parade, a man dressed in a feathered costume noticed Caroline and beckoned to her to join him on the float.

"Oh my God! No fucking way!" he heard Caroline scream and she was bounding over to the float, Klaus's hand still in hers as she dragged him with her. They both jumped up and were quickly shuttled to the upper deck of the float. Another performer began thrusting handfuls of beads into their hands and Caroline was quick to work, tossing out beads like a seasoned parade worker.

Alongside her he was tossing out souvenirs carelessly, his eyes transfixed on her. She was pure light, dancing and waving to the crowds below her, smiling as she reached to the floor of the float to pick up more handfuls of beads to throw.

He was vaguely aware of eyes on him at certain points in the parade, recognized by vampires or wolves viewing the parade. It was probably the last thing anyone had ever expected to see the Original Hybrid doing — not to mention he stuck out like a sore thumb in his neutral outfit, amongst all the feathers, colors, and bling — but, right now next to Caroline, he really could have cared less.

They'd ridden with the parade to the very end, where they hoped off the float, both all smiles and more than a little drunk.

"I've got to take some of these off," Caroline lamented as they stumbled back towards the festivities further into the city. "They way like ten pounds!" She was depositing them in the street as they walked, looking hesitant to let each one go, as if they were the most important prizes.

"Well, come on then, give me some," he said, unlooping a huge portion from around her neck and appropriating them for his own.

She laughed at the site of him decked out in beads, "Hey! You didn't earn those," she chided.

"Watching you take out your tits over and over again in front of god knows how many other men?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. "I deserve a fucking medal for that, much less these beads."

"Let's go to Bourbon Street!" she suggested abruptly, completely ignoring his brief rant.

"Bourbon Street?" he asked, "It'll be packed."

"Let's just do it! I'm all in!" she slurred, marching ahead with purpose.

Klaus hadn't the foggiest idea what that meant. She was drunk off her ass but, he supposed, so was he. He followed behind her.

Oddly enough, it was in an unbelievably crowded bar on Bourbon Street that they'd run into Marcel who looked nothing less than shocked to see Klaus out — drunk and dancing with Caroline, no less.

"So you do still remember how to have a good time?" Marcel asked, making his way up to the dancing couple.

Klaus had been leading Caroline in an easy salsa, a strange pairing to the jazz band that was playing. He stopped when he saw Marcel, picking up a shot off of the tray of a passing waiter and downing it.

"Are you here to tell me to watch my back?" he asked his old friend, fairly tipsy at this point in the evening when they'd been drinking all day.

Marcel put his hands up defensively, "Hey man, you're the King of this city. What good's being King if you can't live it up a little?" he asked. What he'd honestly found more troubling, these past few months, was exactly how sucked into fatherhood his old friend had become. He'd made it clear his priorities were fully invested in Hope, so clear that Marcel had found it a blatant advertising of weakness.

Here, with the humanity-less Caroline by his side and the two of them compelling up a storm without a hint of remorse, Klaus seemed back on his game. In his prime and prepared to do whatever the fuck he pleased. New Orleans hadn't seen Klaus like that in far too long.

"Darling," he called to Caroline, placing a hand on her shoulder to slow her dancing as his attention abruptly shifted away from Marcel, "Are you hungry? I'm feeling peckish."

"I could eat!" she replied breezily, smiling as a waitress returned to their table to hand her a beer in a plastic cup which she took to go.

"Cheers, Marcel," Klaus said, departing with Caroline without another word.

Marcel shook his head, an amused smile on his face. Across the bar he saw two members of Hayley's pack watching the proceedings. Well, Caroline might have gotten Klaus out of his rut but people were certainly taking notice of her presence. He didn't know if that was a bad thing or not, yet. She certainly seemed like she could take care of herself but Klaus had a habit of making nasty enemies.

Complacent to the easy-going attitude of the day's events, Klaus had to keep a strict eye on Caroline to make sure she didn't kill the human she'd picked up for herself. She didn't but, not for lack of trying. In Caroline's mind, a nice, tasty kill would have been the ultimate icing on the cake for that day's events. For Klaus, it served as a painful reminder that Caroline still wasn't herself.

"I saw you up on that float," Caroline said, laughing as they walked through his door, "You've got some moves. You know how to work a crowd. Not gonna lie, pretty smooth."

"What about you?" he replied, laughing easily with her, "You're the one who got us invited up there in the first place."

"I know! I couldn't believe it!" she was removing clusters of beads from around her neck and finally untying her mask. Seeing her face again fully for the first time that evening he scooped her gently into his arms for a soft kiss.

A cough broke them apart. They turned and saw Elijah emerging from the study.

"While it sounds as if you've both had a most interesting day, I'm afraid we have to interrupt," Elijah said.

"We?" Klaus replied.

"We have visitors," he said, nodding.

Caroline and Klaus followed him. Rebekah was in the room, still in Eva's body, of course, and she was accompanied by a young blonde who looked very much like Rebekah in her normal body.

"Freya," Klaus said, coldly.

"Who're you?" Caroline asked behind him.

"I'm their sister," she responded, holding out her hand for Caroline to shake. Caroline frowned and ignored the girl's hand.

"Soap Opera Gasp!" Caroline exclaimed with a sarcastic fake gasp. "But, if you're their sister, why do you have an American accent?" she asked. "Or wait, is it American? I really can't tell, that thing's all over the place, say something else!"

Klaus choked out a laugh at that. Still steadfastly suspicious of his newly returned sister, he couldn't help but appreciate the frank observation.

"I have been held captive by my aunt Dahlia for centuries, I was not raised where my siblings were," she said, not at all sure how to react to Klaus's sharp-tongued and heavily intoxicated companion.

"Uh huh," Caroline deadpanned, "And what kind of accent did your aunt have, exactly?"

"Klaus," Rebekah interrupted, "She says Dahlia is looking for her for revenge. She needs our help."

"Why on Earth should I feel compelled to offer help to some witch I barely know?" he asked with a sneer. "Don't we have enough going on right now with you and Kol?" Not to mention Caroline.

"She's saved Rebekah's life, Klaus," Elijah said, "And we've heard her story. Dahlia could be a threat to us all."

"She would stop at nothing to get revenge for my escaping from her," Freya confirmed.

Moving so fast she surprised everyone, Caroline had promptly sped over to Freya and snapped the girl's neck before letting the body drop to the floor in a heap.

"Caroline!" Rebekah shrieked, running over to her sister's body.

"What? I mean, if what she said was true isn't that more of a reason to keep her the hell away from us?" Caroline asked. "Are we trying to invite someone's evil aunt into our lives?" Her use of the word "our" did not escape Klaus.

Klaus chuckled appreciatively, next to her. "Didn't she tell you, Elijah, that she was immortal?" he asked. "Well, let's think of this as a good time to test that claim."

He wrapped an arm around Caroline's waist, pulling her down onto the couch with him. He kissed her fiercely, feeling particularly agreeable after seeing her suspicious response to Freya, and not caring if his siblings saw.

"Well since we may have an hour to kill waiting for her to wake," Elijah said, gesturing to Freya who Rebekah was moving to another couch in the room, "Now seems as good a time as any to discuss Caroline's charade the other night at Marcel's party."

"Charade?" Klaus asked, looking between the two of them.

"I prefer the term stunt," Caroline intoned, boredly.

"Alright stunt then," Elijah spat. "You almost upset the balance of Hayley's marriage."

"Ah, the baby mama," Caroline acknowledged, "Bet she was being a total bore today."

"That's not something I would have expected to hear you complaining about, brother," Klaus considered.

"My concern lies with you," Elijah insisted. "If Caroline continues to antagonize Hayley, she could have a pack of wolves after her. Is that what you want?"

"Your intentions are selfless, as always, Elijah," Klaus replied, "But Hayley knows better than to stir up trouble with Caroline. I rule that pack, they do not rule me."

He stood, Caroline's hand in his, dragging her up with him. "Get her, out of my house," he said gesturing to Freya. "You can tell me if she wakes up, tomorrow."

Dragging her upstairs forcefully, Caroline was sure she was about to get laid. But he surprised her when he closed the door to his room and turned to her with clear pain in his eyes.

Something about her easy snapping of Freya's neck had stirred something in him. Sure, he had been contemplating the exact same move himself but the girl was still his family. Caroline was well aware how the Originals felt about their family — if they hurt each other, fine, but you couldn't dare mess with them if you were anyone else.

And it had been such a cold, ruthless move. After their breathless, energetic day soaking in the city, it was like a slap in the face reminding him that he didn't have Caroline because Caroline didn't have feelings. But he needed her to, he needed her to feel something for him. Their time together today had only made his feelings increase tenfold. And to see her so thoughtlessly slip back into the role of a remorseless killer was stirring both pain and lust within him, leaving him a conflicted mess as only she could.

"Turn it back on," he said. It was a low, desperate order.

"You know, you were way cooler back when you killed Tyler's mom," Caroline said, trying to lighten the mood as he paced around her.

It wasn't working. "If I remember correctly, you were quite upset about that at one point."

She scoffed, "Oh please, Lockwood is a total tool."

"You're realizing this now?" he asked. "You have impeccable timing. Turn it back on, Caroline," he demanded again.

"This isn't up for discussion," she said, holding up her hands. "Can't you just be satisfied I'm here?"

"Turn it back on!" He was kneeling now, faced pressed into the folds of her skirt with fists tightly clutching the material, pressing her close into him like a man possessed. Boy I've really done a number on this one, was all Caroline could think.

"Klaus get up!" she demanded. "This is ridiculous."

"Caroline, you had to have known that if you came here I'd have to have all of you," he said darkly.

"Klaus, I'm not kidding, I will leave if you don't stop," she whined. She'd had such a whirlwind day and he was just ruining it, kneeling here asking for her to care for him.

"Leave? Didn't you know that if you ever came to me willingly, that I would move heaven and earth and the goddam universe to make sure you never left my side again?" he cried out rhetorically. "Look at what you've done to me — you're a witch!"

Caroline turned away from him sharply, tempted to dash out of the room but he stopped her. He had noticed her, caught her eyes before she'd turned and he saw it. Just a flash. He'd triggered something in her, almost triggered emotion. Real this time, not like all the times before that she'd tricked him. This was different.

"Klaus, I'm only going to tell you to stop one more time," she seethed.

He abruptly stood, backing away from her with his hands up. That spark that he'd seen. That was all he needed. If he could see that once, he could find it again. And he didn't need her running away in the meantime.

"Fine," he said, pretending to acquiesce.

"I'm going to bed," she muttered, annoyed but also increasingly suspicious of all these mood swings.

She padded out of the room and down the hall to her own bed. As confused as she was by Klaus's changeable behavior, she was far more concerned by what she had just felt — a flash of her old self and sadness. She was gonna have to kill something first thing in the morning and then, she was going to very seriously consider her next move.

Klaus, back in his room, was feeling exhilarated over whatever he'd just seen in her eyes. But he was well aware that if she wasn't going to run the next few days, he was going to have to play his role well. He couldn't afford to stir up any suspicion within her at this stage of the game. He was too close to winning.

So we had a little plot advancement at the end there but, let's be honest, this chapter was almost entirely an excuse for a little Klaroline fluff that we all imagined after he left that phone message in season 4. But, more importantly, slight AU announcement - no Dahlia going after Hope. That's too much baby plot. It's not happening.

elisalolo6120 pointed out something important about chapter 7 by the way — witches are resistant to compulsion and the rest of the Mystic Falls vamps would probably have had vervain in their systems, rendering Klaus's compulsion useless. That is all correct and I've tried to think of a suitable way to write around this but I can't come up with anything that I think works well. So, I'm calling it a day, acknowledging it as a canon error and moving on. And right after Klaus had said "No apparent loopholes," dag!

Enormous thanks to everyone for reviewing. You guys seriously write such thoughtful reviews that give me so many ideas, things to keep in mind, and motivation. You're super awesome.