AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello Lovelies, your eyes aren't deceiving you, I am updating early. Writing has been going well so far and everyone has been begging for an early update so here it is.

I just wanted to put another warning on this story that this is a slow build up fic. I've had people asking when they are going to get together but before I do that, I have to build up their attraction to having feelings. That comes with time, time spent together knowing each other. When they get together both Klaus and Caroline are risking a lot, he doesn't want to risk losing a great person who his kids love nor does he want them to see him with her or other women because the kids could get hurt emotionally by that, and Caroline could be potentially risking her career. So when they get together, its needs to be more than just a hook up or because they think the other one is hot. They are attracted to each other and are starting to care about each other but are ignoring it and mistaking it for simple friendship. It's the others around him especially Klaus's family that sees there's something more. I know this is fiction but I still like to keep things as true to real life when I write AU/AH as possible. That being said, things will start moving in that direction pretty soon.

Thank you all for your reviews, they are like a drug to me.

Part 19

"Where's Caroline?" Rebekah asked.

"Still inside getting ready. She got delayed due to Lexi needing help with her suit," Klaus answered his sister. They were currently on the beach in front of their temporary residence, spread out on several lounge chairs and large towels. Everyone save for Caroline and Lexi that is. "She should be out in a moment."

"Dad…are you done yet?" Henry whined from where sat in front of his father. He was getting sun block put on and was not happy that his playing was being delayed.

"Yes, I'm done," Klaus answered as he looked over the boy's back to make sure he had gotten in all on him. Henry had inherited his skin tone and didn't burn easily, like Lexi did but he made sure to keep both kids covered in sun block when they were out. "But wait here while I finish your sister."

"But Dad!" Henry whined. "Noah and Connor are waiting."

"And they aren't going anywhere," Klaus reminded him as he looked over where his nephews were getting similar treatment by their mother. Both of their boys had inherited their mother's red hair and pale skin and Sage was even more diligent on sun care than he was. "Lexi, your turn sweetheart."

As his daughter sat down and his son scampered over to join his cousins, Klaus glanced back towards the condo just in time to see Caroline stepping off the terrace as she walked towards them. When he had left her earlier, she was still dressed in the same shorts and t-shirt she had put on following her after-workout shower, so he hadn't seen her in her swimsuit until now. He was glad he had on sunglasses, otherwise he was sure everyone would have seen his eyes widen to twice their size like one of those cartoon wolves on television.

Compared to the other women on the beach, her one-piece suit would be considered modest. None of the younger women on the beach wore anything more than a two-piece, hell even Katherine was wearing a bikini regardless of the fact that she had started to show. However, Klaus thought that if she was trying to cover up and hide her sensuality, she had seriously underestimated herself.

The suit was dark blue, and fit her perfectly. The bottom was cut in a way that highlighted her lean legs making them look longer if it were possible, before molding over her hips and flat stomach. The halter-top curved over her chest, splitting in the middle and allowing a generous peak at the cleavage, before tying behind her neck. He couldn't help but think that one quick tug on that tie would cause her breasts to be bare to him.

His attention was brought away from her when he felt a towel hit him in the face. He grabbed a hold of the offensive piece of terrycloth and looked over at the person who had hit him with it. Stefan smirked back at him, "Thought you might need that, to mop up the drool."

Klaus glared at his friend even though the other man couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses. However, Stefan seem to get the point and his smirk only got bigger causing Klaus to throw the towel back at him.

As Caroline approached the group, she couldn't help but notice that there were really good genes in the Mikaelson family. All of the guys were well built and easy on the eyes. Something she could see Kol using to his advantage as he waved to a couple of girls from his chair.

She saw Klaus looking at her but she couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses. She was glad that she too wore shades otherwise; he would see the way her eyes raked down over his body. Even though they had been living in the same house for months, Caroline had never seen him in less than pajama or sweat pants and a tank top. That little tease was nothing compared to how he looked as he sat in front of her in nothing but a pair of black swim trucks and she found herself stumbling a little in the sand before she righted herself.

He wasn't overbuilt like some guys but she found his lean sculpted chest vastly sexier. She was aware that he had broad shoulders but she could see the strong well-built chest that went with them as well as the developed abdomen. The muscles of his arms and upper body moved and rippled a little as his hands moved to accomplish their task. Remembering the hard muscles of his chest that was beneath her on Halloween, she couldn't help it when a shiver went up her spine. She noticed there was a small patch of chest hair in the center as well as an assortment of small scars over his chest but her eyes were drawn more to the tattoo ink on the left side. She could see it clearly now, though it didn't clue her in on what it was exactly. There were two lines of small individual symbols, the top one longer than the bottom one. She realized that she was starring and couldn't help the blush that rose on her cheeks.

Lexi noticed Caroline's arrival just then. "Caroline, you're still going to go in the water with us then aren't you?"

"Sure thing. I just need to get some sunscreen on too," she answered as she reached into bag and pulled out her own bottle of lotion, trying to keep her eyes on the little girl instead of her father's bare form behind her. "Wouldn't want to look like a lobster after our first day here would I?"

Caroline sat down on an empty chair and began applying the lotion to her legs. As she did, she heard Kol and Rebekah trying to talk Stefan into something, and he wasn't budging. "What are you guys talking about?"

"We are trying to get Stefan to go to a club with us tonight. Leaving the old people here for a night," Kol replied, turning away from the discussion to answer her. "Honestly, do you really think you aren't going to go? Bekah wants to go and we all know she has you wrapped around her little finger."

"Why don't you want to go?" Caroline asked Stefan.

"Just not in the mood to go clubbing," he responded with a shrug. "Clubbing in Boston is one thing; here the clubs will be filled with too drunk tourists."

"He's just being stubborn," Rebekah retorted. "It's PrivaBarbados. Very exclusive and not just a tourist bar. You should come with us."

"Yes, darling you should definitely come with us. That is if my dear brother will let you. What do you say Nik, can Caroline come out to play with us?" Kol asked, his voice clearly trying to taunt his brother.

His goading though seemed to get the intended affect when she saw a scowl mar Klaus' face. "If she wishes to go, I won't stop her. It's up to her."

"What do you say, Caroline?" Rebekah asked. "I promise to keep Kol from driving you too crazy; he'll be too busy trying to find some female companionship."

"She speaks the truth there, unless you would prefer to keep me company?" Kol asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Kol…" Klaus growled in warning.

"Just teasing," Kol countered. "If you decide to come with us, I promise to treat you with the same respect as I do my dear sister here. But you really should come, have some fun."

"Well…" Caroline said unsure. Despite the fact that this was a working vacation, it was still a vacation. Moreover, according to all of the plans that people were throwing around last night during dinner, it might be the only night she wasn't watching the kids. "Okay, I'll go. I think I even have something that I can wear."

"Excellent," Rebekah replied before she looked back over at her fiancé. "Now you have to go, Stefan."

Caroline heard Stefan grumbling a bit as she reached around trying to reach the one spot she had yet to put sun block on, her back. It wasn't the easiest place to reach and she struggled. "Do you want some help?"

She turned around at the sound of Klaus' offer. "What?"

"You look like you are struggling a bit, sweetheart. I can help if you like," he explained. He knew that his offer wasn't the smartest thing for him to do but he also didn't want her to get burned. Her swimsuit dipped low on her back and left a lot of exposed skin.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asked, not certain that she was open to the idea but she didn't have much choice if she didn't want her sensitive skin to burn.

"I've already gotten my hands dirty so to speak." Klaus held up his hands to show her what he meant.

She nodded her agreement but before she could move to where Lexi had been sitting, he stood and made his way over to her chair. "Scoot forward."

Caroline did as he instructed and moved forward in the lounge chair so that he was able to sit behind her. Once he was settled, she handed him her bottle of lotion to use before she pulled her loose braid over her shoulder. She felt her body tensing as she waited for him and tried to will herself to relax. A moment later when she felt his warm hands touch her back, her nerves began to subside.

Klaus started at the top of her neck and slowly worked the lotion into her pale skin. The lotion created a barrier between her skin and his hands so he was not able to feel her skin completely but from what he could feel, made him not want to stop touching her. "I hope my hands aren't too rough."

"No, they are fine," Caroline replied. His hands were slightly callused but in no way were they rough. The texture as well as the firmness of his strokes on her back felt wonderful, very soothing and she had to keep herself from leaning back into him.

When his hands moved farther down her back, her bodies' reaction turned from relaxation to something different. His fingertips moved against her spine and felt more like a sensual caress than him just rubbing the lotion on her. Her lower back was very sensitive and she had to bite back a moan when his thumbs massaged it.

As he moved his hands leisurely down her spine, Klaus felt Caroline relaxing into his strokes. He found himself having to bite back a smile when he heard a muffled whimper coming from her. What he was doing was completely innocent but like on Halloween, he found the most chaste of touches were anything but when he was touching her.

However, when his fingers moved lower and felt a difference in the surface of her skin, his concentration moved to something else. He looked down and saw a jagged piece of raised skin under his fingertips. And then he saw more. They were scars, old scars by the look of them but scars just the same. His mind wondered to what they were from, but his fidgety children pulled his attention to them. They had been busy with the other kids burying each other in the sand but now they were ready to go into the water. "All done."

"What?" Caroline asked absently, she had been so focused on the feel of his hands on her skin that she had momentarily forgotten her surroundings.

"The twins are about to start a mutiny if we don't get them in the water," Klaus explained, getting up from behind her.

"Oh, right," she replied as she too got up. She kicked off her sandals, put down her sunglasses and headed down with the kids. Finn and Sage were already in the water with their kids, Katherine and Elijah had Daniel down by the water, playing on the wet sand where the waves reached.

Caroline had been to the ocean before, thought it was exceptionally beautiful but had never been a huge fan of swimming in it. Nevertheless, she had promised the kids that she would get into the water with them and she wasn't going to disappoint them.

Klaus saw her hesitating and looked at her curiously. She smiled bashfully. "Don't pay attention to me; I'm just having flashbacks to watching Jaws."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her statement, as he watched her move farther into the water when Lexi started yelling to them. "Caroline! Come on!"

Within a few minutes, Caroline calmed down in the water as she played with the twins. She swam races with each of them and their father, as well as played tag and body surfed. She had completely forgotten her apprehension until later when the four of them were wave jumping and she felt something touch her leg. She brushed it off until it happened again a minute later as they were cresting a large wave.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked from next to her, he had been holding her hand while they were wave jumping and had felt her flinch.

"Something just brushed my leg," the blonde answered.

Henry's brow furrowed and looked down as a wave went by them again. "It might be a fish, or something."

"It's probably just seaweed or something," Caroline said just before another large wave came through, this one almost over Henry's head. She had to bite back a scream when she felt something again, this time it was more of a nip. "But maybe we should go closer to shore, whatever it is I think just tried to nibble on me."

"Oh, maybe it's a cookie cutter shark, they don't bite. They just latch on and chew…"

"Henry! Not helping to calm me down here," she retorted as another wave came by, however this time she noticed movement beneath the waves that was definitely not any fish. Her fear disappeared as the two heads popped up next to them. "You! You scared the crap out of me!"

Klaus and Lexi laughed at Caroline's fury, "Come on, love, we were just having a bit of fun."

"Fun huh?" She said before looking at Lexi. "And you, you little traitor! I thought girls were supposed to stick together."

But Lexi was laughing too hard to say anything; she was enjoying her dad's stunt too much so Caroline decided to get revenge on the ringleader by using both hands to splash him in the face. However, that just seemed to egg him on and he splashed her back. Pretty soon it became an all out war between the four of them that only stopped some time later when it was time to head in.

So what did you think? Love it? Hate it? Sorry I didn't go into more detail about the other Mikaelson men, for some reason just the small paragraph I had for Klaus took me forever.

We had a little bit of everything in that chapter, sexual tension, family time, banter. I actually had a family member do the exact same thing Klaus did to Caroline in the water, so not cool.

For those of you who might have noticed, I had changed this from M to T but it is now back to M. I plan for smut to happen later so even though the story thus far has been definitely in the T catagory, it will go M later so I'm keeping it now at M.

Next part, Caroline's night out. Nothing bad could happen could it?