Chapter 10

While Caroline was waiting for Kol that evening, she had begun to wonder if she really wanted to go to the Gala. As she paced back and forth in the kitchen, wearing her sparkly new dress, she couldn't help but wish that she hadn't already agreed to go with Kol.

For a start, Kol was late. They were due to arrive at seven, and it was now half seven, and he had only just pulled up outside the house. He was in a different car than usual; a wide, black monstrosity, with the top down and music blaring out. When Caroline rushed outside, she noticed that he wasn't even dressed for the occasion. Instead of wearing a tuxedo like the invitation specified, Kol was dressed in the same shorts and polo shirt combination he had been wearing to her party the previous night. He was wearing sunglasses even though it was getting dark, but worst of all, there was someone sat next to him in the front seat.

A girl with cropped dark hair and coffee coloured skin was sitting beside him, leaning over the gearstick and whispering something in his ear. She was wearing a very short black dress, and Kol was resting his hand on her upper thigh, and sniggering at whatever it was she was saying.

Caroline was mortified. She knew she would look ridiculous with those two on either side of her, when she was wearing a ball gown. For a moment, she considered storming away from Kol and not going to the Gala at all, but then she remembered Klaus. He was probably in a terrible mood with her, but despite that, he was still expecting to see her there in the ball gown. And Caroline couldn't bear the thought of not trying to resolve things with him, especially after he had told her about his father.

It was too late to call a cab, and everyone else she knew would be at the Gala already. So she had no choice but to stiffen her back and climb awkwardly into the back of Kol's car.

It was a nightmare. She soon learned that Kol had already been drinking, and so had his friend. They barely paid Caroline any attention as he drove to his mother's home, not that it would have mattered anyway. Kol sped the car down the roads so fast that the wind roared in her ears, and on top of that, the music was deafening. Luckily they weren't in the car for too long, and they screeched to a halt within ten minutes.

The girl stalked elegantly out of the car, slamming the door shut before Caroline could climb out. She stalked towards the gate, muttering something about going for a smoke before they went inside. Kol offered Caroline a grin, and then made to walk inside.

"Kol, wait!" Caroline called, still sat in the back of the car. Kol automatically assumed she just needed a hand getting out, and nodded, walking back towards her. He pulled the car door open and held his hand out to her. Reluctantly, she grabbed it, and let him yank her out. "I want to talk to you," she muttered.

"Sure, what's up?" he replied, leaning back against the car and giving her a lazy smile.

"I thought I was supposed to be coming here as your date?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"You are," he replied.

"So what about long-legs over there?" hissed Caroline, nodding towards the girl in the short dress, who was stood by the doorway with a cigarette hanging from her mouth.

Kol cocked an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Caroline, are you jealous?" He leaned closer to her, his eyes flickering towards her lips.

Caroline didn't flinch. "You wish."

"So what is it?"

Caroline sighed. "Klaus came by earlier. He wanted me to come here with him, and I had to say no because I was coming here with you. And what a waste of time that was!"

Kol rolled his eyes. "Come on, babe."

Caroline scoffed, and shoved him out of the way. She stomped up the steps towards the double doors, wishing more than ever that she had taken Klaus up on his offer.

The Gala was glitzier than Caroline could have ever imagined. When she entered, the huge grand hallway had been swathed in purple and navy silk, and there were candles everywhere instead of electric lights, giving a soft, amber light across the whole entryway. Caroline was glad to discover that everyone else was wearing exquisite ball gowns and fancy hair, but she was the only person to enter alone.

Everywhere she looked was couples. Holding hands; whispering into each other's ears; laughing over private jokes. It was definitely a couple's event, and Caroline suddenly felt extremely stupid. She knew there were eyes on her; these high class people wondering why she had just stormed in alone.

A tall, auburn haired woman slid up beside Caroline, slipping a tall glass of champagne into her hand. She was wearing a dress made from dark green velvet with long sleeves – it was very plain, but somehow looked flawless. Caroline recognised her as the woman who had stood on the balcony with Rebekah, the first night that she had met Klaus. "I'm Esther," she introduced smoothly. Her pink lips stretched into a small smile, accentuating the wrinkles around her eyes. "Aren't you – Caroline?"

Caroline responded her smile and nodded. "Yes – nice to meet you."

"Rebekah has already gone in. I take it you are here with her?"

Caroline's eyebrows shot up her forehead. She didn't expect Esther to recognise her, and especially didn't expect her to have an interest in Rebekah's working life. "Oh – no, I'm not here with Rebekah."

Esther nodded. "Yes, Niklaus mentioned that Kol would be coming with a Caroline. So, where is my youngest son?"

This was getting more and more awkward by the minute. She gestured towards the doorway. "He's out there. He – er – brought someone else with him, too."

Esther rolled her eyes dramatically, and took a sip of her champagne. "That boy. Oh well, you can come inside with me. I was just on my way inside anyway."

Caroline nodded, and allowed Esther to lead her into the ball room.

It was a magnificent room. It was enormous, with candles adorning every well and the enormous, crystal chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling. There was a bar – an actual bar – across the back wall, and the left hand side had an exit to the gardens, where there was a great fountain, a stage and several hundred plastic chairs in front of it. One wall inside the ball room had a large buffet table, complete with a giant spread of nibbles, but no one seemed to be eating.

Caroline was glad that the candlelight made the whole place look dim, instead of a blaring light which usually meant that awkward eye contact was made. The candlelight meant that Caroline spent more time gazing at the shimmering dresses the ladies wore, instead of their judgemental faces.

The skirt of a particularly shimmering dress swept into Caroline's vision, and she looked up to see who the owner was. She was greeted by a familiar brown-eyed face, attached to the longest legs in the world. "Caroline!" her smooth, European accent greeted.

"Nadia," Caroline replied, a little stunned. "Wow, it's – er – great to see you."

Esther smiled at Nadia, and snuck away, leaving Caroline with her old workmate.

Nadia was dressed from head to toe in a shimmering, glittery black gown. It was sleeveless, exposing her sharp collarbones, and an exquisite diamond necklace sparkled around her throat. "How nice it is to see you," she exclaimed, leaning over and giving Caroline an awkward, one-armed hug. "You look…" she eyed Caroline up and down, "…adorable."

Caroline suddenly had a sense of déjà vu as she remembered the ball that they had both gone to, back when Caroline worked for Rebekah. She pursed her lips, and then looked towards the bar. "Right. Well, I'll see you around, Nadia," just as she was about to sidle out of Nadia's view, someone slid up beside her, holding two drinks.

It was Klaus.

He had been looking at Nadia, Caroline quickly realised. But it wasn't long before his eyes fell on Caroline. His eyes scanned her up and down, drinking in her appearance. "Caroline," he murmured.

Caroline felt heat rising in her cheeks. Her gaze fell to his feet, trying not to concentrate too much on how great he looked in that tux. "Klaus," she replied.

"Where is my brother?" he asked, his voice sounding stiff. When Caroline flicked her eyes back up to his face, she noticed that Nadia was eyeing him with an unusual look in her eye. She swiftly took one of the glasses out of his hand, and stalked towards a gaggle of women at the other side of the room.

"He's outside," Caroline replied quietly, "with his date."

Klaus raised an eyebrow. "But you're in here, Caroline."

Rolling her eyes, Caroline explained her evening so far to Klaus. When she finished, she was relieved to see that Klaus no longer looked so stern; there was a smirk upon his features. "You should have known that Kol would pull a stunt like that."

"What about you, anyway? You came with Nadia?" Caroline replied, trying to avert the attention.

"Well, the person I had hoped to arrive with was otherwise engaged," Klaus murmured with a smirk. "I needed a date quick, and my sister had someone who was without one. Who did you enter with, if Kol was too busy?"

"Your mother," responded Caroline, and then found herself sniggering. Klaus laughed too, and took a drink of his champagne. Caroline took a small mouthful of hers too, and then they were left in a moment of silence. "So, are we friends again?" she asked in a small voice, just as a sprinkle of soft piano music began to sound.

"Oh, I don't know," Klaus took Caroline's glass out of her hand and placed it on a nearby surface, along with his own. He reached out and placed his hand on Caroline's waist, and took her hand. "It depends how well you dance."

Caroline noticed that couples were beginning to head into the middle of the dance floor, and were dancing slowly. She rolled her eyes with a smile, as Klaus led her out into the centre of the room, and they began to rock slowly.

He pulled her body against his, and she rested her head on his shoulder and allowed him to lead her around the room. The soft, slow music wasn't jazzy enough for people to do a proper dance, but none of the couples around them seemed to mind. They were wrapped up completely in each other, clearly not noticing anyone else around them. Caroline heard muttering over the music somewhere left of her, and she noticed that Esther was engaging in a stiff looking dance with an older man with grey streaked hair. His face was hardened and stern, and Caroline assumed that this was Klaus' father. At that moment, he caught Caroline's eye, and she turned her head away quickly.

"You look wonderful in that dress, Caroline," Klaus murmured, his breath on her ear. She felt a shudder run down her spine as he complimented her.

"Where on earth did you learn how to shop?" she asked him quietly.

"Believe it or not, it belonged to a princess who was almost as beautiful as you," he whispered, and pulled her back slightly so that he could make eye contact with her. Caroline wanted to grin, but Klaus' face was deadly serious. She found herself staring into Klaus's eyes as they danced, unable to tear away from his gaze.

The first dance was over long before Caroline was aware. She realised that Esther was stood on a podium, clapping her hands into a microphone. "Welcome, welcome all – to the Mikaelson Annual Charity Gala!" there was a smattering of applause before Esther continued. "If you could all take another glass from the waiters who are on their way round, and then we will head out to the garden, where the Date Auction will commence shortly."

She stepped down from the podium, and then vanished from view. "The Date Auction?" Caroline questioned, as a waiter handed her a champagne flute. Klaus snickered, and downed the champagne that he was handed, and then took another one from the waiter's tray.

"My mother has been doing this for years. I don't think she realises that it's actually quite degrading nowadays," he muttered.

"But what is it?"

Klaus pulled Caroline's arm through his, and led her out into the garden. "It's an embarrassing affair," he explained. "About ten young women are placed in the auction, and the members of the Gala have to place a bid, with the chance to win a date with the lady they are bidding on. As most of the people my mother invites here are extraordinarily wealthy, the bidding generally starts fairly high. Naturally, all the money goes to charity – that's the point. Just a bit of fun to get people spending cash."

When Klaus finished, Caroline's eyebrows were high. "Really?"

"Unfortunately," Klaus replied. He reached the rows of plastic seats, and ushered down one of the front rows.

As they sat down, Caroline spoke again. "Have you ever won a date here?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Caroline," Klaus muttered. "I prefer to play by the other charity games my mother will host. Kol, on the other hand, has won several. Several in the same evening, in fact. The problem is, he seems to mistake a casual date with flat out prostitution, and assumes that any girl who goes out with him is willing to jump in his bed."

Caroline laughed as she watched Kol stagger out of the ball room with the dark skinned girl. The pair of them looked extremely drunk, and something a little more. The rest of the seats soon filled, and before long, Esther was standing on the stage, tapping a microphone once again.

She announced the Date Auction, and then proceeded to list the nominees. Elena was called up, much to Caroline's amusement, and so were Nadia and Rebekah. Caroline hadn't seen Rebekah since she had fired her several months before, but it was unsurprising to see that she looked fantastic, as always. A few other beautiful looking young women were called onto the stage, and then it seemed like they were ready to begin.

Caroline was trying to make eye contact with Elena, when Esther began coughing into the microphone again. "Final nominee; Caroline Forbes," there was a round of applause, and Klaus looked at her sharply.

"You signed up for this?" he muttered.

"I – no! Of course not!" she hissed indignantly. Several people swerved around to look at her, and Esther craned her neck.

"Come on up, Caroline."

Caroline groaned inwardly, and pulled herself to her feet. As she reached the stage, trying to ignore the stare that Rebekah was burning into her, she finally caught Elena's eye. She took her place beside her friend. "This was you, wasn't it," she murmured out of the corner of her mouth, while Esther began explaining the rules to the audience.

"Hey, if I have to go through this, so do you," she replied with a grin. Caroline rolled her eyes and stood up straight. She just wanted to get it over with.