Chapter Nine

Elena came down the stairs at about lunchtime, with her hair mussed and yesterday's eye make-up smudged under her eyes. She was dressed in shorts and a baggy t-shirt, and had her rucksack slung over her shoulder. As she entered the kitchen, she raised her eyebrows at Caroline.

Caroline was on her hands and knees by the French doors, hastily scrubbing footprints from the tiled floor. As she turned around to dunk the sponge back into a bowl of soapy water, she caught Elena's eye.

"You're stress-cleaning," Elena pointed out. It was something that Caroline did often when she was frustrated or strained. There was cleaning, and then there was Caroline's stress-cleaning, which involved washing away stains or marks that only she seemed able to see. At Elena's remark, Caroline rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the floor, removing the sponge from the bowl.

Elena sniggered to herself, and then made to walk past Caroline to get outside. However, just as she did so, she screamed in shock, causing Caroline to flinch and tip the bowl of water everywhere. "What?!" she gasped, trying to catch the water bowl – it was too late however, as it had already spilled and spread across the kitchen floor. She looked up at Elena, who had a hand over her heart, but was laughing breathlessly, looking through the French doors. Caroline followed her gaze, and then tried to suppress a groan. Klaus was standing on the other side of the glass, smirking lazily down at Caroline.

It was strange to see him out of work attire – he was wearing khaki mid-length shorts, and an open necked white shirt. He had a pair of dark sunglasses on, and was holding two black garment bags over his shoulder.

Caroline struggled to her feet, trying to hop over the puddle of water, and unlocked the door. Klaus stalked in, throwing his car keys and the two garment bags on the counter island, and proceeded to make himself a drink.

"…okay," Elena muttered. She turned to Caroline. "I'm going out for the day."

"Oh, really?" Caroline winked dramatically. "To meet Damon, I assume?"

Elena poked her. "Shut up. He's a nice guy."

"I do wish you had gone for Stefan, though. Poor guy always seems to just be trailing around after Lexi, it would do him good to get a girlfriend."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, why don't you go steady with him then, if you love him so much? Oh, yeah…" Elena gave Klaus's back a meaningful look, and Caroline shoved her playfully.

"Oh, get out then," she grumbled, but she was grinning. "Make sure you're at the Charity Gala at seven!" she shouted, as Elena hurried out, holding her hand up in passing. Caroline watched until Elena had walked all the way around the corner, and then turned around. Klaus was sitting at the counter island, a glass of orange juice in his hand. He had removed his sunglasses, and was watching Caroline intently.

"I see you received my mother's invitation," he commented, nodding at the golden envelope on the counter. Caroline stalked over to him, and folded it up neatly.

"I got it from Kol. He failed to mention it was a family event – and you failed to mention it to me at work."

"I told you on the phone, Caroline – I forgot," he took a long sip of his juice. "Anyway – I'm sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked you to stay here."

"Yeah, about that," Caroline looked at her fingernails. "I thought you said you were going to stay at one of your other places?" she felt awkward questioning Klaus, when this was his house, but she knew it would be much more awkward if they had to live together for the next week. As if he could read her mind, Klaus was smirking in her direction. She gave him a pointed glare before he could make a sarcastic remark.

"Well, Kol is staying in one establishment. Our parents live in one, Finn and Sage will be in one, then Rebekah and her little assistants will be in another. That only leaves here and Elijah's," Klaus gave a mock shudder. "Kol will most likely be cutting cocaine as we speak. Finn and Sage…never got on with Finn. There's no way I'm staying with my mother and father, or with Rebekah."

"Elijah?" Caroline offered.

"Too much of a buzzkill," Klaus responded. "Elijah forgets that there are such things as holidays, something which I intend to have while I'm out here."

"Oh, you're going to stay here the whole week?" Caroline said, before she could stop herself. He cocked an eyebrow, the smirk still playing on his lips.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Caroline?" Her cheeks flamed, but he didn't give her chance to reply. "I simply don't see the point in going back into the city to rattle around in my apartment for a week. Yes, I hate the Hamptons, but you're here, so there's some perks."

Caroline felt her stomach do a flip, as he bored into her with those icy blue eyes. "I'm going to go for a walk," she said quickly, standing up and grabbing her purse.

"Well, I'll come with you," Klaus replied, and Caroline rolled her eyes while his back was turned. Alone time was going to be hard to get, now that Klaus was around.

It took less than ten minutes to get onto the beach, and Caroline drunk in the beauty of it instantly. Whilst she lived in Mystic Falls, there had been no coast, only her family lakehouse a few miles out of the town. Visiting the seaside was never something that Caroline had done during her childhood, so this was truly a first. She took her sandals off as they reached the sand, and let her toes slide into the warm sand.

It was truly beautiful. Sure, she had seen the sea from the balcony back at Klaus' house, but it was different to be right in front of it, drinking in the watery, blue-green sight. She could see the sea for as far as the eye could stretch, and it was crazy to think that the island of Bermuda was some thousands of miles ahead of her. She sighed, happily.

"What are you thinking about, love?" Klaus asked, bringing her back to the present moment. She looked up, and realised that Klaus had been staring at her, the whole time.

"You should be looking at the view," she told him, but there was a smile tugging the corners of her lips.

Klaus stretched, and grinned. "I've seen a thousand coasts, and I've seen as many seas and oceans as I need to. But there's only one of you, Caroline."

Caroline looked at her feet, so that her hair hung over her face. She never really knew how to react when Klaus came out with these cheesy statements, but she couldn't deny it was…sweet of him. "I was thinking about Bermuda," she mumbled. "In answer to your question."

"Bermuda?" Klaus asked, sounding confused. Caroline nodded towards the sea.

"Bermuda, it's in that direction."

"Ah. Have you been to Bermuda?"

Caroline shook her head. "I never left Mystic Falls, until I came here."

"I think you would love it," Klaus suddenly sat down in the sand, and pulled Caroline down with him. "It's the jewel of the Atlantic; there are beaches of pink sand, and it's always hot in Bermuda. The sea is clear blue, and every hillside is green and bursting with colour." Caroline closed her eyes as Klaus spoke. His British accent was hypnotising; she could almost visualise the island. She was sure that if she opened her eyes, she would find herself lounging on the tropical beach, with the coral blue sea in front of her. "I could take you, if you wanted."

Caroline snapped her eyes open, and looked at him. He was staring out at the sea. She wanted to question why he was acting so sentimental with her, when he was normally making sarcastic comments and sneering at her. It was like a different Klaus had stepped out of the city and arrived in the Hamptons. She didn't question him, however. He was in too much of an unusual mood for Caroline to pass up on.

"Why did you not want to come to the Gala?" Caroline asked, remembering how reluctant Klaus had sounded on the phone.

"It's the only event that Mother insists everyone comes to. That means my father's presence is required there just as much as the rest of us. Let's just say, he and I haven't always seen eye to eye."

"Oh?" Caroline thought of her own father. He had divorced her mother when Caroline was young, due to coming out as gay and having had an affair with another man. However, he was always lovely to Caroline, and she had loved staying with him and Stephen (his new husband) during the weekends. Whilst she sometimes wished that he hadn't left her mother, she couldn't say she hated him. Judging by the way Klaus lowered his voice, there was more to his story than just not seeing eye to eye. He looked over at her.

"Do you really want to hear this?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Caroline replied, wondering why he would ask.

"I had a great early childhood with my father," he began. "He loved me just as much as he loved all my other siblings. But then my mother had a miscarriage, when I was about seven or eight. She was in such emotional turmoil that she confessed something to my father – well, to all of us," he took a breath. "She told us that Mikael wasn't my real father, as she had an affair and became pregnant with me. Mikael forgave her almost immediately, but he seemed to take out his frustration on me. I became a target for his anger and distress, and was constantly forced to take the brunt of his reactions. I spent my entire life being emotionally abused by my father, right up until I left home with Elijah. But even then, he still treats me like vermin whenever we are in the same room together – hence why I can't stand going to this damned Charity Gala."

Caroline was silent when he finished speaking. There was something so raw about what he had just told her – she almost couldn't believe that this was the same person as her snarky British boss. She felt pity for him welling in her stomach; all this time she had thought he was just an arrogant (if not extremely attractive) bastard, who sought solstice in other women on lonely nights – and it was becoming a lot clearer why he acted this way.

His admission only made Caroline feel a jolt closer to him, and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"You didn't have to tell me that, Klaus," she told him, in a soft voice.

"Yes, I did. I trust you, Caroline," he replied. "I've been looking for someone to talk to for a long time." His eyes were continuing to bore into hers, and Caroline felt undeniably attached to him. It was as though he had opened a door within himself, and he was beginning to reel her in slowly. Their faces were inching closer. It was all too much for Caroline; the sea; the sand; the smell of Klaus's musk. Her eyes finally closed, and she felt Klaus's warm mouth press gently against hers.

She allowed him to kiss her for a few minutes, relishing in the strange emotions she was feeling. This was different to the heated, possessive kiss that he had inflicted on her outside her apartment all those weeks ago. It was gentle, careful. Finally, the fog in her head unclouded, replacing it with the familiar confusion that she had felt before, and she turned her face away from him, and he didn't pursue it.

"I'm glad you're going to the Charity Gala," he said after a few silent moments. "It'll make it bearable; having my personal assistant there," the sneer had crept back into his voice, and Caroline smiled at her knees.

"It'll be a lot more bearable if you buy me a drink while we're there?" she hinted cheekily.

"I can do one better than that," Klaus replied. "Would you care to come with me; as my date?"

Caroline's face fell. "Oh…Klaus…"

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry…I already accepted someone else's offer," Caroline found herself chewing her bottom lip. "When I didn't realise you were going to be here. Before I even realised it was your mother's Gala—"

"—who is it?" Klaus cut over her, smoothly. The gentle tone in his voice had evaporated; replaced with a steel exterior.

"Kol," Caroline replied quickly, and suddenly she felt cold. Klaus' jaw tightened, and whatever attachment she had felt to him earlier was gone, the line holding them together snipped neatly in half.

"I see," he replied, stiffly. "Well, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time together," and with that last note, Klaus climbed to his feet and walked away, before Caroline could say anything. She groaned in frustration, and flung herself back into the sand. How could she have let this happen, again? They had only just pushed aside the awkwardness from before.

Caroline didn't head back to Klaus' house until the sky was starting to darken, and she was surprised that he hadn't had the locks changed in her absence.

She soon discovered that he wasn't home, and she was mildly glad. She had less than an hour to prepare for the Gala, before Kol arrived to pick her up. As she clambered up the stairs, she tried to think of the dresses she had brought with her – none of which were appropriate for a Gala. However, she didn't have long to worry about it, as when she arrived in her bedroom, one of the garment bags was lying on her bedspread.

There was a note pinned to the hanger, which Caroline pulled off and read. '

I brought this along with me, under the assumption you wouldn't be aware of Mother's dress code. I hope you have a wonderful evening. –Klaus.'

Caroline carefully unzipped the garment bag, and removed the cellophane wrapping that was beneath. When she had removed the dress and laid it out on her bed, she stepped back, placing a hand to her lips in shock.

It was the most beautiful dress that Caroline had ever seen, with the simplest elegance she could imagine. It was made entirely from a floaty, pale blue silk, floor length with a modest bodice, and satin blue sleeves over the shoulders. Attached to the bodice at the back, and connected to the skirt, was a long, cape-like expanse of the silky material, giving it a flowing, mythical type of look.

Caroline hugged the dress, hating herself for not being Klaus' date. He had spent an unfeasible amount of money on this dress, clearly.

And she would be wearing it alongside his little brother.