AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well it seems like everyone enjoyed the last part though it was a bit of a filler. Since I covered two other holidays in this fic I couldn't ignore Christmas even if Caroline was in Mystic Falls. The kids (And Klaus) missed her and she missed them so it just seemed natural that they would talk on Christmas.
And yes, everyone seems to be on Caroline's case about her attachment to them don't they? Thankfully she doesn't agree and thinks they are being overprotective. Liz especially. She might have been an absentee mother but she is still looking out for her daughter. The thing is with Liz, Bonnie, and Elena is that they haven't really seen Caroline with Klaus so they don't get to see what all of the readers do.
To the Guest who asked, yes, Caroline was dressed in the white dress from 4x09.
Huge thanks to Nathania Le Fay for her help on my research of Barbados. She's been great with giving me information about her home country.
Part 17
*Ding Dong*
*Ding Dong*
"Caroline, can you get that? It should be our driver," the blonde heard Klaus call down the stairs to her. She could tell he was busy; she could hear him arguing with Henry about how he didn't need a second bag of books and toys so she headed for the door. When she opened it, she was surprised at the sight of the man on the other side.
She had expected to see an elderly man, a traditional chauffeur for some reason, but this guy was definitely not either of those things. He was around her age, with broad shoulders, dark longish hair that fell down around his ears, and pale eyes. The combination was very…pleasing to the eye. "Um, can I help you?"
The man's lips curved up in a smile. "I'm Dean. Klaus asked me to come by to drive for him."
"Oh," Caroline replied. So he was their driver. "Come in."
Dean nodded in acknowledgement before stepping inside. She shut the door then turned around and put her hand out. "I'm Caroline."
"I figured. He's talked about you before at work. And I didn't think boss man had that many pretty blondes around to answer his door," Dean replied as he shook her hand before he motioned to the bags sitting nearby. "So I'm guessing these are ready to load up?"
"Uh yeah, with a few more coming down." Caroline couldn't help blushing a little at the compliment. "Let me help."
"No, no way that's what I'm here for. I can load this stuff up no problem," Dean assured her as he picked up a couple of bags.
He had just gone out the door when she heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Klaus descending them. "I assume that it was Dean at the door?"
"Yes," she replied. "I anticipated when you said we'd have a driver that you meant you'd have a car service."
"I didn't think that was necessary; my SUV is more than capable of handling all of our luggage. Dean will drive us there and then pick us up on our return," Klaus explained, confused by her statement. She was more than aware the vehicle he owned would be big enough, having driven his hybrid a few times herself. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no problem. Just wasn't what I expected is all," Caroline replied with a smile. "Everything all right upstairs?"
"Yes, I got it sorted. The twins should be down in a minute," Klaus replied. No sooner had the words left his mouth than the kids in question came down the stairs, their last bags in hand. Dean returned then and within fifteen minutes, they were loaded up and on their way to the airport. Klaus sat up front with Dean, while Caroline sat in the back with the twins.
They made it through traffic and the airport meeting up with Finn, Sage, their kids, as well as Stefan, Rebekah and Kol without any major setbacks, something that Caroline was grateful for. Traveling during the holidays was tough; doing it twice in as many days with the crowds was almost too much. However, the first class seats she was in this trip made up for it.
Having never traveled much, especially as a kid Caroline was surprised at how accustomed all of the kids were to flying. She would have been bouncing up and down in her seat by the window but while they were excited about the trip, it seemed that flying had become commonplace. Henry sat next to her, reading but she could tell that would be ending soon by the way he fidgeted.
"Dad? Can I switch seats with you so I can sit with Lex?" Henry asked.
"Yes, but make sure you two don't disrupt everyone else. And don't run off to your cousins' seats either," Klaus announced as he released his seatbelt. He gathered his carry-on bag before moving to switch places with his son. He smiled at Caroline briefly when he slid by her into his new seat. "Enjoying the flight?"
"Hmmm," Caroline answered, just before she yawned.
"Tired?" Klaus remarked.
Caroline nodded. "Back to back trips have worn me out."
"I'm not surprised," he commented. "It's why I offered to book your ticket leaving from Virginia instead of Boston. I didn't want you to be too tired nor cut your trip home short."
"I know, but it would have been a bigger hassle, I didn't pack the same clothes for this trip as I did for Barbados. Sweaters, jeans and boots would look a little funny on the beach. And there was no way I was bringing two sets of luggage," Caroline explained. "I'll just have the stewardess get me an espresso or five."
"I have a better idea, why not take advantage of the fact that your seat reclines and take a nap?" Klaus suggested.
"But the kids…"
"Are entertaining themselves at the moment. Besides, we are thousands of feet in the air in an airplane; there aren't many places they can go," he argued. "Get some rest. You're no good to us if you are asleep on your feet when we land."
Caroline bit her lip for a moment as she thought over what he said. She was very tired; a nap would do wonders for her lack of energy. She felt vaguely self-conscious about sleeping next to him; a person could do many embarrassing things while they were sleeping. Snoring, drooling...but eventually she got over it and nodded. "Okay, but if I sleep too long, wake me up when we start to land."
"Sleep well, sweetheart," Klaus said. She called the flight attendant over for a blanket and pillow before reclining in her seat. Within minutes, he heard her breathing even out and figured she was asleep. He glanced over and saw that she was indeed fast asleep. She must have been more tired than she had let on to fall asleep that quickly.
The house had seemed different over the last week while she had been gone. He and the kids had enjoyed the extra time together of course; nevertheless she had been missed. The twins had been very vocal about it, which made sense to him considering how much time they spent with her and the connection they shared with her. The one call to her that they had made on Christmas hadn't been enough. He had caught himself looking for her throughout the day, expecting to see her getting coffee in the morning, or coming out of her room only to remember that she wasn't there. It was odd to him that she had become such a fixture in their lives so quickly that it was odd not to have her around all of the time.
He saw the twins' heads pop up above their seats to look back at him out of the corner of his eye, Lexi's mouth open to say something but he brought his index finger to his lips to make sure that they be quiet when they spoke and didn't wake up the blonde next to him. They smiled as they nodded in understanding before sitting back down in their seats. Klaus looked over to make sure that Caroline was still sleeping before he pulled out his sketchbook and started to sketch.
/
From her spot in the foyer Caroline looked around the condo in shock. It had to have as many if not more square footage than her mom's house in MysticFalls. There was a hallway on either side of her that lead to what she assumed were bedrooms, and the entryway opened into a huge living room decorated in light colors and marble floors. It was taken up by a huge u-shaped couch, which faced the large flat screen TV on the opposite wall. But the thing that really caught her eye was the back wall. In the center of it was a huge arched doorway that opened onto a porch with a gorgeous view of the beach and ocean beyond. "Holy…crap."
Klaus heard her exclamation from where he was shutting the front door after the porters left and chuckled. "Not what you were expecting?"
"No, not exactly," she replied. "I figured just a small suite or something with a kitchenette. Not a freaking house."
"Dad can we go out on the beach?" Henry asked.
"Not tonight, we have to get settled in here and meet everyone for dinner. Besides the sun will be going down shortly," Klaus answered his son. "You and Lexi take your bags and find your room. It's the only one with two beds in it. I'm going to show Caroline her room and the rest of the house."
The kids quickly grabbed their stuff before scampering down one of the hallways in search of their room. Klaus chuckled at their excitement before turning to Caroline and leading her farther into the living room. "This condominium has three bedrooms, one for each of us and the twins are sharing the third, a full but small kitchen is to the left of the terrace door. It's attached to the indoor dining room. There is also an outdoor cooking area that includes a grill, bar, and mini-fridge, and full table out on the terrace. The terrace opens out onto the beach but is surrounded by a privacy fence. The beach beyond is open to anyone who is a guest of the resort and there are lifeguards patrolling the waters."
"Okay," Caroline said, taking it in as she looked around, trying to absorb all he was telling her. "Do you plan to make use of the kitchen or will we be eating out?"
"A little of both. We are meeting the rest of the family tonight at the main building, they have a couple of restaurants in addition to a spa, fitness center and a few other things to appease their guests," Klaus explained. "There is a grocer not far from here; we can have them deliver in the morning."
The blonde nodded. "Is there a pool or just the beach for swimming?"
"There is a pool, multiple ones around the resort. One is not far, just a couple of buildings down from Elijah and Katherine's condo. They are to the east of us, while Sage and Finn are to the west. Rebekah, Stefan and Kol are sharing a flat closer to the main building," Klaus stated. "I'll show you which is your room if you are ready?"
"Um, sure," Caroline agreed. She followed him back to the foyer where she gathered up her luggage.
She no sooner picked up her carry on and small travel case than Klaus pulled her luggage handle out of her reach. "I've got it love, this way."
She trailed behind him as he led her down the hallway that the twins had went down towards two doors. She could hear giggles coming from one door but he turned into the other one. When she stepped into it, she felt her eyes grow even larger.
The room was decorated in white and pale teal with light oak furniture, a large bed with dresser and side tables. It was a good size room but appeared larger due to the fact that one of the walls contained another arched door that lead out onto a patio. She found herself drifting towards the door and as she passed through it she realized that it was different than the one off the living room. She had her own freaking patio!
Klaus watched her reaction as she came into the room and couldn't help but smirk. "I hope that this will be comfortable enough for you."
Caroline rolled her eyes at him. "I think I'll manage."
"Well I'll let you get settled. I'm going to check on the twins and then unpack myself. If you need me, I'm down the other hallway from the foyer."
She watched as he retreated from her room but before he closed the door, she said, "Thank you, for all of this."
"You're welcome," Klaus responded.
Once he was gone and the door was shut, Caroline looked around the room again, taking it all in before falling back onto her bed with a squeal.
So they are finally in Barbados. What did you think of the part?
If you want to have a look at the condo that I used to describe the one above, go to www dot portstcharles dot com/villa-rentals and scroll down to the bottom where it says Three bedroom beach view.