Did she die? Was she in heaven? It surely felt like it. She was warm and cozy, both which she hadn't felt in a long time. The one thing missing was her mom's voice speaking softly and a hand stroking her hair. Other than that, she felt pretty pleased. So much that her heart broke when she opened her eyes.
It was Klaus' apartment, and she was in the guest room. That only meant that her happiness was short lived. She had to get up and go back to her shitty life.
Caroline buried herself more under the covers as she tried to enjoy her last seconds inside that warm, safe cocoon.
Everything was so quiet, not a single sound, so different from every morning she woke up on a busy street of New York. It were moments like this that overwhelmed her. She bit her lower lip hard to stay quiet but eventually she let out a sob.
What happened to her? Why did her life turn so bad? What did she do to deserve it?
It took her a few minutes to recover and eventually she gathered enough strength to get out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom and washed her face, leaving no trace of her previous tears. She then brushed her hair and walked towards the living room.
Klaus was sitting on the couch, typing on his laptop furiously. He had a studio somewhere in the apartment –or flat, liked he used to call it- but he decided to wait there for when Caroline decided to get up.
"Good morning." Caroline said glancing at the big clock on the wall. It was 10:30.
"Morning love." Klaus mumbled while still typing. "How did you sleep?"
"Never better, actually." Caroline replied pleased. She turned around to go to the kitchen when she saw a lot of food served on the table. "What's all this? I thought you said you only had coffee…" That's when Klaus looked up from his laptop.
"There's a nice coffee shop across the street, I imagined you'd like something to go with that coffee."
Caroline smiled.
"Thank you." She went to the kitchen to get some coffee and then sat at the table. "Did you eat already?"
Klaus lifted his mug from the coffee table as a response and Caroline scoffed.
"Coffee alone isn't a good breakfast. Come eat with me." She said. Klaus looked up at her for a moment while considering it. Eventually he closed the laptop and walked to the table.
Once again Klaus watched her eat slowly. It was amazing how some a little bit of food and rest could change someone. She looked better than the night before, her hair looked better and she was less pale. She was still skin and bones, one dinner wasn't going to change that, but it was a start.
…He wanted to draw her…
Not in a thousand years Klaus would've imagined himself offering shelter to a homeless girl.
"I thought you would be working by now." Caroline commented before taking a bite of a muffin.
"I took the day off." He replied with a shrug. "I didn't think you would appreciate being left here alone."
Suddenly the door opened and they heard high heels clicking on the marble floor.
"Nik?"
"Bloody hell…" Klaus grumbled.
"Nik!" Rebekah appeared into the living room, her eyes instantly falling on Caroline. "Who is this?"
"Bekah." Klaus greeted. "What brings you here?"
Rebekah crossed her arms on her chest.
"Elijah told me you called in sick today, so I decided to come and check on my favorite brother." Rebekah replied. "I just didn't know that "sick" was code name for blonde bimbo."
"Rebekah!" Klaus raised his voice.
"That's rich coming from another blonde." Caroline commented. Both Mikaelson siblings turned to look at her in surprise.
"Who is she?!" Rebekah snapped.
"She's my guest Rebekah, and I would appreciate if you didn't make any assumptions."
Rebekah arched her perfect eyebrow and looked up at Caroline up and down.
"You're telling me this isn't what it looks like?" Surely he couldn't blame his sister, Caroline was wearing one of his shirts.
"I'm gonna go get my clothes from the laundry room and I'll be out of your hair in a minute." Caroline excused herself. Klaus frowned.
"You're leaving already?" He imagined she would wanna stick around, having nowhere else to go.
"I think I'm abusing of your kindness." Caroline replied.
Rebekah let out a fake laugh.
"Niklaus? Kind? Please…"
Klaus banged the table with his fist.
"For fuck's sake Rebekah, shut up!"
Caroline quickly made her way to the laundry room, not wanting to participate in that conversation anymore.
"What is wrong with you?" Rebekah yelled at her brother. Klaus got up and stood in front of her, towering in a threatening manner.
"What is wrong with YOU?!" Klaus hissed back. "Last night I got mugged at an alley and Caroline stopped it. I could've been shot if it wasn't for her!"
Rebekah opened her eyes widely.
"What? Oh my God Nik, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine. But Caroline lives on the street, letting her spend the night here was the least I could do."
He saw her sister looking down ashamed. She even pouted and Klaus thought she still looked like she did when she was five.
"I'm sorry."
Klaus sighed and turned to put the muffins and other things back into the paper bag.
"I guess I bought soup for nothing." Rebekah said while lifting the bag. Klaus smiled softly, he truly was her favorite brother.
"Thanks Bekah." He said softly.
"Alright, ready to go." Caroline said while walking back into the living room. She wore her clothes and had her backpack hanging from her shoulder.
"Are you sure you don't wanna stay any longer?" Klaus asked.
"I'm sure. I'm grateful you let me stay here, but this is your home, I can't overstay my welcome."
Klaus nodded his head and handled her the paper bag with food.
"Here, take it."
Caroline smiled and took the bag. She wasn't about to reject food.
"You can take this too." Rebekah said offering the other bag. Caroline tilted her head confused. "It's soup." Rebekah said softly. "A little something for… you know… saving Nik."
Caroline realized something –and it probably sounded too cliché- but this family was wealthy and very used to buying things to express their feelings. Now that she thought about it, she never hear Klaus say the words 'thank you', but he made it up for offering shelter from the cold night.
"Thanks." She took the soup and looked at Klaus. "And thank you for everything."
After watching her walk out the door, Klaus thought of something.
"Stay here." He told his sister before walking out to the little hall. He found Caroline waiting for the elevator. "Caroline wait." He pulled out his wallet and Caroline stopped him.
"You're not about to give me money, are you?" she said offended. "Because that would be too much."
Klaus thought he shouldn't be so surprised, Caroline didn't strike him like a damsel in distress, no matter how bad her current situation was. He quickly changed of strategy and took a business card from one of the pockets.
"If you ever need something, here's my phone number."
Caroline took the card and nodded.
"Alright. Thanks."
.
"Caroline!" Bonnie called out waving her hand in the air while she waited by the church.
"Hey Bonnie!" Caroline greeted as she walked to her.
"Where have you been? Tell me you found a place to stay last night, it was too cold to be outside!"
"Something like that. You?" Caroline asked awkwardly.
"I got a bed at the Siena House." Bonnie replied. "Wanna wait in line with me?"
"Sure." Caroline smiled while standing next to the girl. They were waiting in line to receive a box of things they could use to make Thanksgiving ornaments. The church would sell those and with the money they would feed the homeless during Thanksgiving day.
Caroline and Bonnie took part in many activities like this. They made toys for kids, painted schools and hospitals, fixed clothes that people donated, volunteered at the soup kitchen to help others and earn their own plate of food, things like that. It kept them busy and made them feel useful. Every now and then they would also collect trash and clean the space around the church, which earned them a room to spend the night.
The line started moving and eventually the girls got their box and around to do their crafts.
"You are going to love me." Stefan said while sitting with them.
"Is that so?" Caroline giggled.
"Yes, I got you an extra box of things." Stefan replied while placing it in the center of the group.
Stefan wasn't homeless like the girls, he was the son of a very important -and rich- lawyer and was really close to graduating as a doctor. He had a perfect life, but after his mom passed away he had a void inside him he just couldn't fill. He found comfort and happiness as he helped others, which lead him to meeting Bonnie and Caroline at a soup kitchen. Caroline could relate to his story, having lost her mom too.
Bonnie's story was different. Her mom didn't die, she just walked out of Bonnie's life. Her father was a drunk and couldn't take care of her so Bonnie moved with her grandma, but when Sheila died, Bonnie had nowhere to go. But she was strong willed and smart, and she survived on her own.
Caroline was incredibly grateful that she met these people. Without them she would be lost.
"Ugh, I give up! I can't do it." Bonnie said while pushing her craft away.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Caroline said to cheer her up.
"Easy for you to say, miss "perfect centerpiece"." Bonnie said. "How do you even do that?"
Caroline looked down to the centerpiece she made with just a few pine cones and leafs on a tray. It was very Martha-Stewart-like.
"I used to make these all the time for school events and all that." Caroline said with a shrug. Bonnie rolled her eyes.
"Remember the Easter eggs she made?" Stefan asked looking at Bonnie. "One basket of those sold at 50 dollars."
"We should have her do everything for Christmas." Bonnie teased.
"Guys..." Caroline groaned.
"Did you tell her the good news?" Stefan asked Bonnie.
Bonnie's face turned pale and she quickly shook her head.
"News? What news?" Caroline asked curiously.
Bonnie threw a deadly glare at Stefan's way and the man looked mortified.
"Tell me!" Caroline insisted and Bonnie sighed.
"Alright, okay. I just didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to upset you..." She took a breath. "I got a job was a waitress at a small Cafe. It's not a big deal but it's a start."
Caroline stared at her friend for a moment and then she let out a squeal that made Stefan's ears bleed.
"Oh my god Bonnie that's great!" She said while trowing her arms around her and hugging her tight. "Why did you think I would be upset?" Bonnie sighed.
"Because I tried getting you a job there but I couldn't."
Caroline's heart ached at that.
"Awe Bonnie, you're an angel. Don't worry about me okay? You just make sure to get your life back on track."
Bonnie smiled softly and nodded.
"Thanks Care."
Later that day Caroline made her way to the same alley from the night before and looked around. She knew her chances of finding the dog were slim, but she had to try. To her surprise, the dog was still laying inside the little shelter she made with cardboard boxes.
"Hey there." Caroline whispered before sitting down on the ground. She opened the can of soup Rebekah gave her and ate a little bit before letting the dog have the rest. "It's chicken soup. Dogs like chicken, right?" She asked. The dog got up slowly and made its way to the can on the floor. Caroline watched with wide eyes how in a matter of seconds the dog ate everything and even licked the can clean. "Oh boy, you're really hungry."
The dog walked to Caroline and sniffed her for a moment. She lifted her hands in the air to show it she wasn't a threat and after a minute or two, the dog searched for her hand. She knew it wanted to be patted so she caressed its head and watched it close its eyes and let out a happy whine.
"I'm Caroline." She said while scratching it behind the ears. "You need a name too. I think I'll name you Spots. Yeah, Spots is a good name."
Spots let out another happy sound and laid his head on her lap.
This went on for days and soon enough Spots was Caroline's best friend and companion. Every time she had a chance, she would bring him food and water, even if that meant sharing the little she had. But it was worth it because he made her feel safe and less lonely. With Bonnie working most of her time at the Cafe, Caroline spent a lot of time alone, and the streets of New York aren't exactly a safe place for a young girl.
Perhaps meeting Spots was a sign.
They say dogs are angels in disguise.
She should've known...
.
As they days passed by Klaus realized something felt different in his life. He couldn't help but wonder if Caroline was okay whenever he walked by the guest room and saw the empty bed. Was she cold? Was she sick? Was she hungry? He didn't know.
He tried to keep up his frivolous life style but it's not easy once he had a glimpse of what's beyond the walls of his penthouse. His siblings started to pick on this, specially after Rebekah told them about the traumatizing experience with the man pointing a gun at him and Caroline saving his ass.
He didn't want to think about it. He had money, he could do whatever he wanted, he was HAPPY -that's what he kept telling himself-. He had no reason to worry. He would continue making money, having Bourbon and cigars with his friends -work colleges, not really friends-, he would indulge Rebekah's whims and fuck Genevieve senseless.
Life was good.
.
"There you are!" a voice said as Caroline walked into the alley one night. "Remember me, sweetheart?" The man said while stepping out of the shadows.
It was him, the man from the other night who attacked Klaus.
And he had her cornered.