Caroline couldn't remember the last time she was this nervous. She re-read her memory cards and tapped her fingers nervously on the folder that contained her resume.

She spent the whole weekend getting ready for this interview. She read everything she could about investment service companies, she practiced answering questions with Klaus, and last but not least, was given a make over by Rebekah, who showed up that Sunday night with a suitcase. Apparently she had more clothes than she could wear so she was willing to lend some to Caroline.

That's how Caroline ended up looking like a model in a business magazine cover.

'God forbid you work at Mikaelson & Sons while buying your clothes at a thrift shop.' Rebekah's words echoed, remembering as she handed Caroline a pair of Gucci pants and Dolce and Gabbana shoes. Caroline felt ridiculous and out of place, but she knew how important it was to make a good impression in a job interview.

Klaus was a little bit more supportive. He didn't go easy on her while practicing for the interview, but Caroline appreciated that. He also made sure she understood every little detail she needed to know and that morning he walked her to Elijah's office, introduced her to his assistant Sophie, and wished her good luck. One thing that left her a little worried was the look on Klaus' face when he saw her that morning ready to go. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. For a moment there she thought he didn't like her outfit, but then she thought it was probably the shock of seeing her with make up and elegant clothes for the first time. She couldn't help but feel disappointed. Klaus went through all that trouble to get her a job 'no trouble at all', according to him, so she wanted to impress him, to make him feel proud of her. It'd been really long time since she cared so much about another person's opinion. She thought she'd left those days far behind during her time in High School.

Sadly, Elijah was stuck in a meeting so Caroline had to sit on a couch and wait, making the torture last longer. She watched as Sophie ran in and out of the office, opened some drawers and moved some folders around.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" The brunette asked. "A glass of water? Coffee?"

"Water would be great, thanks." Caroline replied.

In a matter of minutes she had a jar full of water and a glass sitting on the coffee table in front of her. She drank the glass of water in seconds, making Sophie just stare with her head tilted.

"You look nervous." She observed. Caroline nodded shyly.

"I am. I really wanna make a good first impression." She replied while waving the cards in her hands.

"Don't be. Elijah doesn't bite." Sophie said.

"Really?" Caroline bit her lower lip for a moment. "Do you mind telling me what he's like?"

Sophie shrugged.

"He's okay. I don't know him that well, I'm only Klaus' assistant. I'm just assisting Elijah until he hires a new one."

"What happened to the previous assistant?" Caroline asked curiously. She just wanted to be prepared so she wouldn't make the same mistakes.

"I don't know. We're not that close." Sophie replied. "All I know is that last week she was fired." Caroline frowned at that. "Oh but don't worry! I'm sure Elijah had a good reason. They don't just fire people randomly here. The oldest receptionist has been working here since a few years after Mikael started the company."

"So what do you think happened then?" Caroline asked.

"Maybe Katherine finally convinced Elijah to let Hayley go. Katherine is Elijah's wife, and everyone here knew Hayley had a crush on Elijah."

"Sounds like a lot of drama." Caroline commented.

"Yeah well, makes up for the lack of time I have to watch soap operas." Sophie joked. "Katherine is great but at the same time she's not the kind of person you wanna mess with."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Caroline assured her. She was there to work, not to flirt.

In that moment the door opened and Elijah walked in.

"I'm sorry for the delay, some costumers take more time than others. You must be Miss Forbes." He said extending his hand. Caroline got up and shook it.

"It's fine. And yes, I am."

"Follow me then." He said while walking her to a door behind the desk that lead to his actual office. Caroline looked over her shoulder and saw Sophie give her thumps up.

"Holy macaroni!" Caroline mumbled as she saw what Elijah's office looked like. It was huge! And elegant too! Elijah smiled and pulled out a chair for her to sit. A habit she knew Klaus had as well.

"So, Miss Forbes, did you bring a copy of your resume?" He asked while walking around the desk and sitting behind it.

"Of course." She replied while handing him the folder.

"Alright. Lets begin."

.-

They went from the basics to the list of things she did while she studied at the Mystic Falls High School, where she was the captain of the cheerleading squad, honor student, head of the dance committees, Mystic Falls beautification committee, head of the recycling program, "Go Green" campaign, and of course, Miss Mystic Falls.

Eventually they moved to the more specific questions about her responsibilities at the company and her previous jobs.

"I can't help but notice there's a two years gap in your resume." Elijah pointed out. "Have you been unemployed for that long?"

Caroline nodded and swallowed hard.

"Yes. My mom was diagnosed with cancer so I dropped everything to take care of her." She replied truthfully. "To me, family goes above all."

Something changed in Elijah's eyes and he nodded his head.

"I see." He put the folder down on his desk and leaned on his chair. "Speaking of family, I'm sure you're aware I'm Niklaus' brother." Caroline nodded, not sure where he was going with that. "Now don't get me wrong, I love my brother. But I know he's not exactly the easiest person to live with... He can be very charming and yet he still lacks some... social skills." He said slowly, as if he was evaluating each word he said before speaking them out loud. Caroline tilted her head in confusion.

"O...kay?"

"So you can imagine my surprise when I was told he had taken in a homeless girl from the street and offered her the opportunity to stay with him."

Caroline's shoulders fell.

"I was hoping you wouldn't know about that." She said softly.

"Niklaus and I have no secrets between us. And even if we did, I'm sure our sister wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut." Elijah explained. He then sat straight on the chair and leaned on the desk, which Caroline found a little bit intimidating—very intimidating, actually. "What's your relationship with my brother, Miss Forbes?"

Caroline frowned. She didn't like what he was implying.

"He's only helping me get back on my feet. That's all." She replied.

"Then help me understand why he would do that. It's not that I'm against my brother helping others, but it sounds so unlike him."

"I wish I knew. I don't think he knows himself." Caroline said. She kept hearing these things about Klaus, and obviously she witnessed them herself, but perhaps he was just looking for a way to redeem himself. Maybe he wasn't so bad...

Elijah seemed to relax and he leaned back on the chair, his head turned to aside. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts, his finger tapping his chin. Caroline felt uncomfortable, being someone who always hated awkward silences, but she waited patiently on her chair.

"When Niklaus asked me to hire you, I was very surprised." He said lowly after a moment. "He's never asked for something like that. I asked why you, why now as he's not the selfless kind. He never does anything without asking for something in return, yet he said you deserved it." Caroline couldn't help but smile softly. Klaus had been so nice to her, at least after getting to know her a little bit better. Elijah continued talking. "I agreed to hire you right away. That's why I must confess I was a little surprised when he called to say you wanted an interview. Given your situation I had thought you would jump at the first chance of getting a job. I think we all would."

"Accepting Klaus' offer to stay at his apartment wounded my pride badly enough. I want to earn things on my own. So when he said I could work here I knew I couldn't just take the job, I had to earn it. I wanted to deserve it, to fight for it and win it, fair and square, you know? Like any other person at any other job."

"You sound like a very independent woman." Elijah commented. "We could use some of that attitude around here."

.

When Klaus walked into his penthouse later that day, his nose was assaulted by the sweetest smell. Since he wasn't living alone anymore, he made sure his housekeeper kept the kitchen well stocked, and that lead to all his meals being cooked by Caroline. He was sure he would put up a few pounds now that he had someone around to make sure he ate properly.

Truthfully, he feared the moment he would see her again all day. Ever since he saw her that morning with that white blouse and black pencil skirt, he hadn't been able to get her out of his head. At first he blamed it on his sexual instincts, but something wasn't right. It wasn't like whenever he had plans with Genevieve. Instead of sitting on his chair pretending he didn't have a boner, he spent the day distracted, wondering how Caroline was doing in her interview.

"Caroline?" He called out.

"In the kitchen!"

He put his briefcase down and hung his coat before walking to the kitchen. There he found her holding a cooking book while Spots slept on the floor.

"How did the interview go?" He asked curiously and she put the book down on the counter.

"Your brother hired me!" She replied with a wide smile. "I start tomorrow!"

Klaus blinked a few times before smiling back.

"What wonderful news, sweetheart!"

"I know! And I couldn't have done it without you! So thank you!" She said with the warmest smile before rushing towards him.

Klaus was a little surprised when she suddenly hugged him. He wasn't used to it. But soon he realized it felt really nice. His arms moved around her waist slowly as he hugged her back. He'd also noticed how nice her hair smelled.

His arms tightened around her, pressing her a bit more against his chest.

Suddenly a little bell rang and Caroline stepped back.

"Brownies are done!" She cheered as she skipped to the oven.

The sudden loss of her body in his arms hit Klaus pretty hard. That was something new, something he didn't recognize at first. It was a good thing that Caroline had her back turned to him, so she wouldn't see how he stood like an idiot with his arms still open.

"You um..." He cleared his throat before stepping towards her. "You made brownies?" He asked.

"Mhmm." Caroline nodded. "A little something to say thank you for helping me out." She smiled widely and Klaus thought to himself how beautiful that smile would look on canvas. "But you can't eat them yet, they're too hot. They'll be tonight's dessert." She then took a deep breath and moaned at the smell with her eyes closed. "They'll go great with chocolate sauce!"

Klaus' mouth went dry at that.

This time a phone went off. One that Klaus didn't recognize.

"That must be Sophie to let me know the company phone is working. Can you believe that? I have a cellphone!" She giggled and skipped out of the kitchen to get the little device from her purse.

Meanwhile Klaus stood there, trying to figure out what just happened.

Spots lifted his head from the floor and looked at him.

It hit him them. He had feelings for Caroline.

"Oh no..." He groaned.