Caroline rushed into the penthouse, practically out of breath. She spent all day getting the party ready, telling the event agency how to decorate the room, checking everything went smoothly in the kitchen and helping the band to set the equipment. Mostly, she just bossed everyone around.

Now she had less than three hours to get ready, and she still hadn't picked a dress from Katherine's. Katherine said she would stop by instead, bring a dress and help Caroline get ready before going to the party together. Meanwhile Klaus would get ready at Elijah's and they would meet the girls at the party.

Caroline was a little disappointed that she wouldn't share a ride the ride to the party with Klaus, like he suggested when they agreed to be each other's dates. Ever since they kissed under the mistletoe, things had been a little bit different. There were more lingering stares and Klaus seemed to find many reasons to touch her, like placing his hand on the small of her back whenever they were close to each other or fixing her necklace or earrings. He even hugged her from behind one morning while she made breakfast. It felt very domestic, but they hadn't talked about it just yet. Caroline wanted to bring the subject up, she wanted them to discuss their relationship, but most importantly, she wanted them to be together.

There were a few things that made her push Klaus away...

She was scared.

She really didn't want to mess things up with him, she was also aware he had just ended his relationship with Genevieve, and to be honest, she was a little afraid he would break her heart. Everyone kept pointing out to her that breaking hearts was Klaus' thing. He was evil and selfish and after the horrible two years she had, she really needed something good in her life.

She was also afraid that she wouldn't be good enough for him. He came from a wealthy family, he ran a big company, he traveled around the world. He was everything she was not. She was a common girl from a small town and for the last year she lived on the street.

Her dad abandoned her, her last boyfriend cheated on her. What made her think Klaus wouldn't hurt her too?

She had no time for this. She couldn't just sit and sulk over her relationship –or lack of- with Klaus when she had a lot to do. So instead she pushed her feelings aside and rushed to her bedroom. To her surprise, when she got there she found a big brown box with a beautiful white bow and a card on her bed. The card was simple and it said "Save me a dance. Fondly –Klaus"

Caroline blinked and lifted the lid.

And there it was. The most beautiful dress she could ever imagine. It was blue and the upper body was framed by a very elegant embellishment of beads. It looked like something a princess would wear. It also looked quite expensive –hello?! It was an Alberto Makali, for God's sake!-

Caroline just stood there looking at the dress. Klaus knew she needed a dress and of course getting her one was a very thoughtful thing to do, but it left Caroline very confused.

Not all men would take their time to find a beautiful gown and give it to a simple girl just because she has ONE party to go to. He also knew she would borrow one of Katherine's dresses, yet he bought her one. Did he want her to have one on her own? Maybe have something to call her own? Or just something given by him? Either way, he was spoiling her. Caroline couldn't help but smile and pick up the dress. She held it against her chest while walking towards her mirror. It went perfect with her skin tone and her hair, not to mention it brought up her eyes.

Spots, who spent most of the day just laying around Caroline's room, made his presence noticed by walking to her.

"Do you like it?" She asked. The dog wiggled his tail happily. "I like it too. Do you think Klaus will like it? I'm guessing he picked it himself, but that's one thing, and me wearing it's another thing." Spots left out a whine-like sound and Caroline smiled softly. "I hope he likes it too…"

.

Later that day, Katherine picked Caroline up in a fancy limo and they headed to the party. It was still early and most guests had yet to come, but Caroline was in charge and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. On their way there, Katherine kept bringing up the dress and teased Caroline into telling her about her relationship with Klaus.

"You know, he asked me what size you are." Katherine said before sipping her glass of champagne. Caroline had never been in a limo before, especially one with a mini bar, but Katherine didn't waste any time to pop a bottle open and pour them a drink. "He even asked me not to give you a dress, so I knew he was up to something." She confessed.

"Seriously? Is that why you ignored my texts? I was going insane!" Caroline complained.

"I just didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"You could've told him it wasn't necessary. You said you'd lend me a dress."

Katherine nodded her head hesitantly and after a moment she sighed.

"This is the first time Klaus does something like this. That means something. I didn't want to ruin it." She repeated with a shrug and after a moment she sighed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but he's better. He's always been a jerk and a pain in my ass, I just put up with him because he's Elijah's brother, but he's good now… nicer, I guess. And I think it's because of you. You're good for him."

Caroline stared at Katherine for a moment as she remembered all her insecurities and one of the reasons why she wouldn't make a move. Was Klaus a better man now because of her? And why? What was so good about her that changed him? The rest of the ride was pretty quiet, Caroline found herself too nervous to speak.

.

"We expect next year to be even better." Klaus said proudly after telling the woman in front of him about the amazing year they had at the company and all the profits they made.

"Even better, uh? Aren't you ambitious?" The woman said before letting her hand graze his arm and look at him with flirty eyes. Klaus knew that look very well but something was off. He just wasn't interested enough to see where it would go.

Maybe because she wasn't…. Well, she wasn't Caroline.

Ever since they kissed at the Christmas party, Klaus hadn't been able to get her out of his head. He would think of her all day, licking his lips as he remembered the kiss. He remembered being overwhelmed by her sweet scent when their faces were so close to each other. He remembered the goose bumps he felt when she ran her hands through his hair. But most importantly, he remembered how sweet and warm her mouth felt against his. It tasted like chocolate and lip gloss and it was so… Caroline. There was no better way to describe it, words just weren't good enough.

And that night, when the clock strikes midnight, he would have another excuse to kiss her.

Coward wasn't a word people would use to describe him. He had the balls to ask her out, but something told him Caroline was trying to push him away. She barely looked at him after the kiss, she would always look away if she ever caught him staring and she was quiet. Really quiet. It was so unusual since she was such a talkative, bubbly girl. He understood she was under a lot of pressure the days before due the party, but it felt like it was more than that. She was uncomfortable, and Klaus didn't want her to feel that way. He had to be careful around her.

If only she didn't look so god damn beautiful! The second she stepped in with her hair pinned up and her blue gown –he was so proud for choosing that dress-, he completely forgot about the woman he was talking to. He walked away from her, not caring about being rude, and just made his way to Caroline.

She caught his eyes and Klaus saw her blush. Again, he knew he was making her uncomfortable, but he just couldn't help himself. He couldn't take his eyes away from her, she was a vision.

"Good evening, love." He said with a smile once he was close enough.

"I need a drink." Caroline said, her hands moving to rest on her stomach.

"Nervous about the party?" Klaus asked before standing by her side and leading her to the open bar. His hand found its usual spot on the small of her back.

"Yes." Caroline nodded before swallowing hard.

"Don't be, you did a wonderful job. Everyone likes it and Elijah is very impressed." Klaus said.

Caroline's head snapped and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Really?"

"Really." He assured her as they reached the bar. He knew she wanted to impress her boss. If only she knew she exceeded Elijah's expectations. The place looked wonderful, the guests were having a good time, either talking or dancing, and he had the company of the most beautiful woman in the room. Things couldn't be better. He handed her a glass of champagne and took one for himself. "Tonight will be wonderful."

Caroline smiled and knocked her glass softly against his.

"Cheers to that." She said with a wide smile before taking a sip.

.

Rebekah arrived soon after that, with her date, Stefan Salvatore. Who'd know they would be so great together? Caroline was proud of herself. The dinner went down smoothly and Caroline had the chance to meet some clients. Some of them were nice and funny, other were stuck up and arrogant, but they all were well traveled and interesting people, and Caroline could listen to their stories all night.

The one thing that she didn't enjoy was that people would ask her things that she couldn't or wouldn't answer. Like "Where did you go to school?" or "Have you ever been in Venice during summer?" Caroline would feel really out of place, like she didn't belong there. Luckily, Klaus would swoop in whenever he sensed she felt uncomfortable and changed the subject or gave an elusive answer. Caroline was grateful that he saved her the embarrassment, but sometimes she couldn't help wondering if he was ashamed of her.

To everyone's surprise, Elijah rushed to Caroline after dancing a couple of songs with Katherine, he kissed Caroline's cheek and pulled her to the dance floor. He was dressed elegantly as usual, but tonight he looked so much relaxed. Klaus watched as his brother spun her around and made her laugh. She looked so beautiful when she laughed. She looked beautiful all the time, to be honest.

"This year's party is better than last year's, don't you agree? And I think it has something to do with our little even planner." Klaus heard Rebekah said. "Elijha looks happy. The clients are happy, so he's happy." Rebekah added while standing next to Klaus looking out to the dance floor. Klaus smiled softly.

"She has that effect on people." He agreed.

"What about you?" She asked hesitantly. "Are you happier now that you're living together?"

Klaus looked at his sister with an arched brow.

"What makes you ask that?"

Rebekah shrugged.

"I just think you're a little bit different now. Everyone thinks the same. Elijah, Katherine, people at the office…"

Klaus just stood there in silence for a moment.

"Like I said, she has that effect on people." Klaus repeated.

"Yeah. She's a ball of sunshine." Rebekah said rolling her eyes. "Now, if you excuse me, I wanna dance with my date. I suggest you do the same, it looks like fun!" She excused herself before walking towards Stefan and taking his hand.

Klaus went back to watching Caroline and after a couple of minutes, he walked to her.

"Do you mind if I cut in?" He asked to Elijah once he approached the dancing couple. Elijah smiled and let go of Caroline's hands.

"Sure, I should go find Katerina anyway."

Klaus quickly swooped in and took Caroline in his arms, easily dancing to the beat.

"I need to apologize to you." He said and Caroline quickly frowned. "I should've told you earlier how stunning you are."

Caroline's face turned pink.

"Thank you. I believe it's your doing since you picked the dress."

"Oh believe me love, you could be wearing a potato sack and you would still be the most beautiful woman in the room."

Caroline let out a laugh and Klaus found himself smiling widely. He wanted to make her laugh like that all the time.

"Wow, aren't you cheesy tonight?"

"Must be the holidays." Klaus said with a shrug. Caroline looked down for a moment before looking at him shyly.

"Seriously, thank you for the dress. It's beautiful."

"Anything for you, love." He said, and Caroline knew he meant it.

.

Caroline could dance all night. After dancing a couple of songs with Klaus, Stefan stepped in. Klaus let her go reluctantly with the excuse that at least he would get to dance with his sister. Stefan complimented her on her looks and the wonderful job she did planning the party.

He also teased her about kissing Klaus at midnight. She laughed and slapped his arm, but if she was completely honest, she wouldn't mind at all.

She also spotted Kol trying to convince Bonnie to dance with him. She refused, saying she was there for work –the coffee house she worked for was in charge of desserts- but eventually Kol got what he wanted and danced one song with her. Caroline made a mental note to ask all the details the next day.

Before she knew it, Klaus had her in his arms again.

"11:30. Only one more half an hour until we begin a new year." He said.

Only 30 more minutes until I kiss you again. He added in his head.

"A new beginning." She said with a nod. "And hopefully next year will be even better."

"It will be." Klaus assured her. "I'll make sure of that."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and when he turned his head he found Mikael standing there.

"May I have the next dance? I haven't had the chance to meet the newest member of the company better." He said, pretending to be a complete gentleman. But Klaus knew better. His grip on Caroline's hand got tighter and Caroline knew he was tense.

"You may." She said quickly. Klaus turned to look at her with wide eyes. "It's okay. We'll dance again later." She told him softly. Klaus let her go and Mikael took his place.

Caroline gave Mikael her best smile and started dancing with him.

"So, mister Mikaelson, what would you like to know?"

"I'd like to know how you managed to convince Niklaus to let you move in with him. Did you sleep with him before that or did he let you move in at the promise of you opening your legs afterwards?"

Caroline looked at him astonished.

"Excuse me?!" She hissed.

"Well, clearly you're keeping his bed warm. Niklaus always had a thing for pretty little things." Mikael said huskily. Caroline tried to step away from him, but he just wrapped his arm around her waist tighter. "Why else would he let a homeless, poor girl into his home? You must be really good." He added with his lips close to her ear.

Caroline felt so disgusted, she wanted to slap him and yell at him, but the room was filled with guests. She tried pushing him away, and he finally took a step back, but he kept holding onto her arms.

"I don't blame you though. I'm sure that our life style is very tempting, especially when you're so poor you live in the dirt. So when you find a man stupid enough to fall for your charms, it's understandable that you'll try and make the best of it. But look around you, sweetheart. You'll never be like these people. No matter how expensive your jewelry is, or how many fancy dresses you have, you'll always be that poor, homeless girl." Mikael spat.

Caroline snatched her arms away from him and ran away.

.

It was close to midnight and Klaus couldn't find Caroline anywhere. He turned around one second to get a drink and the next Mikael stood on the dance floor alone. Now he felt like panicking. He looked everywhere but still couldn't find her, and whenever he saw a glimpse of blonde hair, he got his hopes up, just to be crushed a second later. He tried calling her but she wasn't picking up her phone.

"Where's Caroline?" He finally asked after stomping to Mikael's table.

"I don't know. She left in such a hurry. Perhaps she decided to go somewhere more… appropriate for her."

Klaus clenched his jaw.

"What did you say to her?" He growled.

"Nothing that wasn't true."

Klaus turned and rushed towards the door. Maybe she was in the kitchen, talking to the staff about the drinks, or the ice, or whatever! Or maybe she was with the band! He just didn't want to lose hope. When he couldn't find her anywhere, he ran to the door, just to stop when he caught a glimpse of a blue gown.

There she was, with her back at the door, standing completely alone on a balcony. She held her shawl tight around herself, shielding herself from the cold as she looked up at the stars.

Klaus stepped on the balcony taking his jacket off. She must've been too distracted to hear him, because when he put the jacket on her shoulders, she jumped a little.

Klaus stood by her side and then he saw it. She was crying.

"Mikael said something stupid, didn't he?" Klaus growled. "I'm gonna kill him." He added.

Caroline shook her head and wiped her tears away with her hand.

"He's right about something though." She started. "I don't belong here." Klaus looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… Look at me. Now look at them." She said tilting her head to the room where the guests were. "I'm nothing like them. They would turn their backs at me if they knew I used to live on the streets." She shook her head. "I try so hard to be good enough, but…" She sighed. "I'll never be like them."

Klaus stared at her for a moment before turning her to her side so she was facing him.

"You're right to think you're nothing like them, because it's true. And you know why? Because you're better." He started. "You're the most beautiful, selfless, joyful woman I ever met. You saved my life." He then said slowly. "You volunteered at a kitchen soup during Christmas Eve to feed the starving. You made me wanna paint again after I stopped so many years ago. You made me a better man. Before I met you, I was heartless and selfish, but now? I've shown kindness, forgiveness, pity... because of you, Caroline. It was all for you."

Caroline looked at him with wide eyes. She was speechless and her lips trembled. Klaus took a step closer and placed his hands on her arms.

"Those people in there have nothing on you. They either have money they received from a parent, but don't know how to make it on their own. Their wives cheat on them or they cheat on their wives. One guy in there hasn't seen his kids in months. Trust me when I tell you money and status doesn't make happiness."

"I just… I just want to be good enough." Caroline whispered while looking down.

"Good enough for what?" Klaus asked softly.

"Good enough for you." She confessed in a whisper. Her cheeks blushed, even though the rest of her skin looked white due the cold.

Klaus' heart dropped at her words. She thought she wasn't good enough for him? Really?

"Oh Caroline." He took one last step, so he was now pressed against her. "You are good enough for me. You're more than enough, more than I could ever ask for. I worry I'm the one who's not good enough for you. You're so good and I'm so damaged."

Caroline finally looked up at him.

"You are good enough for me." She said softly. Klaus looked at her for a moment, his hands traveling up to her cheeks. There, he wiped her tears away with his thumbs and cupped her face. "We can be damaged together, right?" Caroline then added.

Klaus smiled softly before leaning in. He kissed her hard and hungrily unlike the last time. If only she knew she wasn't damaged, not to him. She was perfect.

He felt her arms wrapping around his waist while she kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her even closer.

They heard something exploding in the distance and when they stepped back to see, they found fireworks lighting the sky.

"It's New Year." Caroline pointed.

"Happy New Year, sweetheart." Klaus said with a smile.

"Happy New Year Klaus." She replied before resting her head on his shoulder.

They stood there just looking at the pretty fireworks, Klaus' arms wrapped tightly around Caroline.

He got his New Year's kiss at midnight, but it was a lot better than he imagined.