AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello my lovelies, apologies for taking so long to update but I've been so busy that my motivation hasn't really been with me.

Thank you everyone who is continuing to read this, as of today I've been writing this story for a year. It's so unbelievable when I think about it but considering the story got much larger than I thought it would be, I guess not.

As I promised the whole issue of Caroline and the nanny thing will end with this part. Hopefully in a way that you like. Thanks to Gottabeelove for her help with that.

And thank you to klarolineepiclove, approvesomuch and jomosfamilyjewels for their beta work.

If you have a second, I opened a poll on my profile here to see which of the twins is peoples' favorite. You can vote for Henry, Lexi or both.

Part 47

Klaus ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he continued to look over the documents on his laptop. They were the resumes for the nanny candidates that Caroline had emailed him for his review. He had told her that he trusted her expertise in the matter and had left it up to her to set things up. He was starting to really regret making this compromise with her.

"You know you look awfully frustrated for a guy who is getting laid regularly." He heard a voice from the doorway say.

Klaus looked up and saw both Kol and Elijah standing in the doorway of his office. Well Elijah was standing; Kol was leaning against the doorframe casually while his hands dug into the bag of candy in his hands, a smirk on his face.

Klaus rolled his eyes at Kol's statement. "If you recall little brother, I told you that my sex life is none of your business."

"Which usually means there isn't one." Kol replied as he walked into the office and dropped down into one of the chairs.

Klaus thought to say something about not inviting him in but he knew that the words would go right over Kol's head since he rarely waited for an invitation anyways. "Did you come to be a nuisance or are you here with a purpose?"

"Lunch." Kol answered.

"Lunch?"

"Yes, Niklaus." Elijah spoke up as he too made his way into the room. "If you recall we are scheduled to have lunch to discuss some business issues since you will be out of the office tomorrow and therefore will miss our prescheduled meeting."

"Trust me when I say I would much rather be here tomorrow." Klaus replied, remembering the meeting now. "Will Finn and Rebekah be meeting us at the restaurant?"

Elijah shook his head. "No, they are otherwise engaged."

"Why are you going to be away from the office?" Kol asked before tossing one of the colored candies into the air and catching it with his mouth.

"If you must know, Caroline is setting up interviews for a new nanny tomorrow." Klaus answered.

Kol's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "New nanny? Trouble in paradise already? Though I must give her credit, she stuck with you longer than I thought she might."

"Kol, behave yourself." Elijah interjected when he saw Klaus' jaw clench and his eyes blaze with anger at their younger brother. He knew if he didn't intercede and Kol persisted, there was a very good chance that Klaus would leap over the desk and attack him.

This time Kol was the one to roll his eyes. "Everyone in this family is so touchy; none of you know how to take a good ribbing."

"Funny, I don't remember you being very cordial when Caroline teased you about how your relationship with Ms. Bennett was going?" Elijah retorted.

Kol's mouth opened and closed for a moment before he was able to form words. "We aren't here to talk about my love life but Nik's. So what is this about a new nanny?"

Klaus couldn't help but smirk at the way Elijah turned the tables on Kol, only to have Kol shy away from it. Figured, Kol loved to stoke the fires but hated to get burned. Deciding to drop the idea of needling Kol, he instead answered his question. "We are interviewing nannies to see if we can find a suitable replacement since apparently it is no longer appropriate for me to employ a woman who I am also seeing."

His younger brother starred at him for a moment before saying anything. "So Caroline thinks it's not okay for you to be working together and shagging anymore so she is making you find a replacement?"

"Why do you believe it is solely Caroline's idea?" Klaus asked.

"Oh I don't know, perhaps because you own a business and work daily with your family, and employ several people you would consider friends yet you have never had any issues with it." Kol replied then continued when Klaus' eyebrow rose in question. "Well never any real issues. So why would you suddenly develop a problem with it now?"

"I haven't." Klaus answered with a groan. "But I did agree to it with Caroline and I have to see it through. Hopefully we will be unable to find anyone suitable."

An idea suddenly popped into Kol's head and a mischievous grin appeared. "If you want Nik, I can recreate that scene from Mrs. Doubtfire, you know the one where Robin Williams calls his house as different people so as to scare his ex into thinking he is the only option? Except in this case, I'd do it so that Caroline thinks every applicant is a fruit loop."

Elijah waited for his brother to shoot down Kol's suggestion, ridiculing it as a juvenile prank that Caroline would never fall for but to his horror, his brother seemed to be considering the absurd idea. "Niklaus! You can't seriously be considering taking Kol up on his offer."

"What?" Klaus asked, as Elijah's interjection pulled him from imaging the proposition Kol had suggested. "Of course not."

"That's good to know." Elijah breathed in relief.

"Caroline would never fall for it anyways." Klaus replied.

"Oh please, I could fool her easily. I could do an American accent, as well as Australian." Kol declared.

However, Klaus shook his head in answer. "Thank you Kol but no, that would not be a wise idea."

"Fine." Kol said with a huff before he shoved a handful of his previously forgotten candies in his mouth.

"Though I believe it could have adverse effects on the twins, perhaps Caroline is correct in encouraging this avenue to be explored." Elijah offered. "I'm sure that she would feel more comfortable overall if she is known solely as your girlfriend, after all there is a distasteful stigma attached to women who find relationships in their work place."

"Or you know, you could always just shake up the relationship." Kol added as he crunched on the candies causing Elijah to look at him in distaste. "Have you no manners?"

"Yes, but I only choose to use them around people I'm trying to impress, i.e. not the two of you." Kol retorted.

As the two argued over Kol and his manners or lack there of, Klaus started to consider what he had suggested but needed him to elaborate. "What exactly do you mean Kol?"

Kol looked at him stunned; did Nik actually want his advice? He couldn't remember a time when that had ever happened before. "You really want to know?"

"I might come to regret it but yes."

After thinking over how best to explain his thoughts, Kol spoke. "Our family is able to work together because regardless of how the business goes, we are family first. Caroline doesn't have that reassurance, she probably feels disposable."

Klaus looked at him confused. "So you think if I…made Caroline a member of the family then she wouldn't be so adamant about finding a new nanny?"

"I don't think he means anything that permanent." Elijah stated. "I think what Kol is saying is that Caroline was your employee before you two became involved and if things continue as they are now, that will be how she is associated with you."

"Yes, what Elijah said." Kol agreed.

"Easier said than done." Klaus said with a sigh.

/

*Ding dong*

"Right on time." Caroline acknowledged as her eyes glanced at the clock on her way to the front door. Hopefully this was a good sign; of course the previous two interviews had also showed up on time and had been disappointments.

The first one, Andie, had been very qualified having been taking care of children for over twenty years but something about her felt off to Caroline. As if beneath that nice matronly exterior, there was a wicked witch, kind of like that movie Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead and she didn't want to take a chance on her. The second, Amy, was also qualified though decades younger, but Caroline knew that the woman's meek and quiet personality would not be a good fit either. Now they were down to their final two interviews of the day and Caroline wanted them to go better. There wasn't many more options, none of the resumes that she had acquired seemed to fit what they were looking for.

When she opened the door, Caroline met the very surprised brown eyes of a woman around her age. "Oh, I must have the wrong place."

"Hayley Marshall?" Caroline asked the new arrival. The file she had on the woman had included a picture so she knew she had the right person but thought that it was polite way to respond. She was sure that the woman was nervous and wanted to calm her a bit. Though in truth she didn't look very nervous or anxious like Caroline herself had been on her interview, quite the opposite. Then again the woman also looked the opposite of Caroline; dark brunette hair, round brown eyes, puffy lips though they did seem to be about the same height. Their opinion on what should be worn to an interview was quite different as well, Hayley was dressed in short black skirt, and a low-cut white top covered with a black jacket.

"Uh, yeah that's me." 'Hayley' retorted. "I thought that I was interviewing with a guy? The girl on the phone said it was a single father?"

"You are, and he is." She replied. "I'm Caroline, Mr. Mikaelson's current nanny."

"Oh, okay then I guess I'm in the right place." Hayley said with a shrug.

"Please come in." Caroline invited, holding the door open to let her in. She watched as Hayley made her way inside, glancing around the foyer, before Hayley turned her attention back to her, leaning as she spoke in a low voice. "So is this Mr. Mikaelson hot?"

"Excuse me?"

"Is he hot?" Hayley repeated. "From what I figure he's a thirty something single dad who probably barely sees his kids and looks to have money so I'm just curious if he is the kind of guy who you don't mind working late for if you know what I mean?"

Caroline's mouth dropped open at Hayley's question but before she could react or say anything, Klaus appeared from the sitting room in the back and she saw Hayley's attention altered course, her eyes widening when they landed on him. While she always thought he looked handsome, today he looked especially drool-worthy. He had on a pair of black jeans and a black button down, with the top few buttons undone and framing his necklaces. His curls were a bit disheveled and his smile was showing his dimples.

"Never mind, definitely hot." She heard Hayley say under her breath before the brunette started over to him. "Hello, I'm Hayley Marshall; it's very nice to meet you."

"Hello, Klaus Mikaelson." Klaus responded politely before motioning behind him. "We are going to be conducting the interview in the back sitting room, if you'll just follow me."

"No problem." Hayley replied, a large smile on her face.

Caroline couldn't help but notice the way the other woman's eyes had drifted south when Klaus turned around to lead her towards the back of the house. The woman was staring at his ass and not hiding it a bit, well at least from Caroline. This continued until the three of them reached the back of the house and Klaus opened the door for Hayley to enter. She could see Hayley giving Klaus a wide smile before she walked by him, brushing her front against him as she went through the door though there was plenty of room for her to make it through without touching him.

Klaus didn't seem to have noticed what Hayley had done though, instead winking at Caroline as he motioned for her to follow Hayley. As she passed him, she felt his hand come up to the small of her back, leading her in while staying behind her. His touch calmed the fury and annoyance that she was feeling, at least until she took her seat and saw the look of disappointment on Hayley's face.

"I thought that it would just be the two of us for the interview." Hayley stated, her lips turning into a not so subtle pout.

"I value Caroline's opinion as greatly as my own when it comes to my children's care so it is natural that she will be joining us." Klaus declared.

"Right." Hayley replied. "Can I ask if you feel that way, why she is leaving?"

Klaus looked to Caroline to answer, which she did. "It is my choice due to personal reasons."

"Oh." She noted.

"So Hayley, may I ask why you are looking for a new position?" Caroline asked, causing Klaus to look over at her in surprise. It was one of the questions they had been asking other people but usually not right away. However, Caroline had a feeling nagging her about Hayley and wanted to see if it was right.

"Oh, well my last job ended because the parents are getting divorced and no longer required a nanny." Hayley answered.

"That's odd, I would think they would need you more than ever if the parents decided to separate." Caroline remarked.

"They didn't separate; the wife took the kid and left him."

"I'm sure that was a bit of a shock." Klaus stated.

"Not really, she left him… after catching him with another woman." Hayley responded with a shrug and a knowing look.

Caroline wasn't sure but she was almost positively that Hayley had a guilty look to her face and it was on the tip of her tongue to ask the brunette if she was the other woman but she refrained. Instead she focused on the other questions that they had planned to ask and within twenty minutes, she felt like she was on the edge of exploding. Every time Klaus said something amusing, Hayley would laugh animatedly, covering her mouth and throwing her head back as if it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. And when she wasn't doing that, she was finding some reason to lean towards him and Caroline had no doubt in her mind why she wore the blouse that she had.

"So Mr. Mikaelson, or should I call Klaus?"

"Mr. Mikaelson is fine." Klaus replied.

"Well Mr. Mikaelson," Hayley continued, discontentment in her tone as she did. "I'm curious about something."

"And what is that?"

"I know you are not married, but are you involved with anyone? Girlfriend? Or girlfriends perhaps?" Hayley asked with a smile. "I hope you don't mind me asking, I was just wondering if you would be out a lot of nights or if you spent them by your lonesome?"

Caroline came out of her red haze enough to look over at Klaus to see what his reaction would be. His personal life hadn't came up in the interviews so she didn't know what he would say. However, she didn't have to wait long before he answered. "I don't mind if you ask it and to answer your question, yes I am seeing someone."

"Oh," The other woman said, "So by seeing you don't mean serious?"

"No, it's very serious." Klaus claimed.

"Pity." Hayley stated. "Though I'm sure a guy like you might like a little variety from time to time."

"That's it." Caroline snapped as she rose from the chair. She had had enough of watching this woman blatantly flirt and proposition Klaus and she wasn't going to take it. She sure as hell wasn't going to let Klaus hire her and let her be around the twins, over her cold dead body. "This interview is over."

Hayley looked at her confused. "What?"

"I said this interview is over, which means it's time for you to leave." Caroline explained as she motioned towards the door to emphasize her point.

"I don't understand." Hayley said as she stood, looking away from Caroline to Klaus. "You're not seriously letting her just dismiss me?"

Klaus just shrugged slightly. "I believe I told you that I value Caroline's opinion just as I do mine and if she does not believe you are equipped for the job, then I concur with her."

"I'm very equipped for the job." Hayley argued. "My services."

"We have no need of your services." Caroline interrupted. "Now please leave before we have to remove you."

Hayley finally seemed to understand that Caroline's word was law and that it was hopeless to stay but that didn't mean that she left quietly. She rolled her eyes at the two of them before stomping past them and out of the room. Caroline followed her, ensuring that she didn't damage anything in her fury on the way out.

Klaus rose from his seat and headed out of the room when he heard the front door slamming. When he did, he saw Caroline standing in the middle of the foyer and he was pretty sure that he could see steam coming out of her ears. "Well she was…friendly."

As Caroline turned around to face him, he almost felt like flinching at the glare that she gave him. "She was…was a disgrace. And what's worse is that when people see you and I together, they are going to think I'm just like her."

Klaus moved forward quickly and pulled her to him, bringing his hand up to tilt her chin up to him. "You are nothing like her. Anyone who thinks that are moronic."

Caroline nodded slightly showing that she was listening. "She just rubbed me the wrong way, I mean she was practically throwing herself at you and probably would have if I wasn't there. It was infuriating."

"I can tell." Klaus acknowledged. "Do you want to cancel the last one?"

"No, there's no need for that." She replied before she pushed her shoulders back to stand up straighter, showing she wasn't defeated yet. "With that mess of an interview over early, I have plenty of time to calm down before we go pick up the kids and deal with the last interview of the day. In any case, it can't be any worse."

/

After the catastrophic interview with Hayley, Caroline was almost scared to answer the door for their final interview but had been pleasantly surprised when she saw Camille O'Connell. She was dressed modestly thankfully though Caroline couldn't help but notice that their styles were very similar. That coupled with her blonde hair and blue eyes, she looked a bit like Caroline herself. However, she quickly disregarded the thought once they got into the question and answer part of the interview.

Camille was very nice and courteous, well spoken and clearly enjoyed working with children. She was a part time psychology student who only worked for families who had school age children so that she could attend classes during the day. Caroline was impressed with her, and she could tell that Klaus was as well though grudgingly so. Therefore, after they depleted their question bank, Klaus and Caroline agreed to have her meet the twins.

Unlike when Caroline interviewed, the twins had not interrupted the meeting though she wasn't surprised. They hadn't been very happy with the possibility of getting a new nanny when they had talked to them the night before. Caroline had felt so torn at their reaction, she wanted to do what was best for them but also felt a bit of pleasure that they didn't want her to leave. But she thought that they should at least meet her and give her a chance.

Caroline led the way down the stairs, with Camille behind her and Klaus in the rear, telling Camille a bit more about the kids she was about to meet. "Wait until you meet them, Henry and Lexi are some of the best kids you will ever meet. They are so sweet, polite, and are very low maintenance…"

Caroline's last word was completely drowned out as a loud shriek pieced the air. It took her a minute to recognize it as Lexi's and couldn't understand what would have caused it. She'd never heard the little girl shout like that before she rushed down the last couple of steps. When she entered the playroom, Caroline couldn't believe her eyes.

The playroom was a complete disaster; there were toys and pillows everywhere, and it looked as if the kids had taken every container of art supplies that they owned and dumped them on the floor. The twins themselves were standing in the middle of the chaos playing tug of war with a stuffed horse that she recognized. Both of the kids had one, gifts from someone years ago when they were preschoolers, one was black and one was brown. Since it was the brown one, Caroline knew it was Cow, the horse that belonged to Henry, which he was making sure to remind his sister of.

"It's mine! Give him back!" Henry demanded.

"No, I need him! He has to be next to Horse to pull the carriage!" Lexi argued back, tugging harder as she did but her brother was holding his own.

Caroline glanced up at Klaus for a moment and saw he was just as confused as her at their behavior before looking at Camille. She could tell that the other woman was taken aback by what she saw, glancing around wide eyed at the mess of the room.

"Henry! Lexi! Stop fighting now." Klaus interceded.

Both of the twins turned their attention to their father but did not stop their power struggle. "No way Dad, he wasn't even touching Cow but he won't let me play with him." Lexi explained.

As Klaus tried to break up the two, Caroline addressed Camille. "I'm sorry about this."

"Is this typical behavior for them?" Camille asked, still looking alarmed at the scene before her.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed. "This is an oddity, I assure you. The kids are usually very neat and well-behaved."

"No Dad! I want it!" They heard Lexi yell, causing Caroline to smile nervously.

Camille looked around the room again before opening her mouth again. "You know if the children are this out of control, they maybe looking…Ahh what is that!"

Caroline looked in the direction that Camille was looking and saw Norbert was also down in the playroom, out of his home and wandering around the room. Well not wandering so much as coming straight towards them. "That's Norbert, he's harmless."

"I don't like lizards, or snakes." Camille replied with a shudder. "Do they let him out of his cage often?"

"Hardly ever." Caroline replied. "Henry knows better."

"There is nothing to be afraid of." Klaus stated as he rejoined them, having broken up the struggle between his children. "Henry is fully responsible for his care and you would never have to touch him."

Camille didn't look very confident on Klaus' assurances though but however before either of them could say more, another round of screams and shrieks came from the twins. They turned to look at them, only to see Henry shove his sister quite forcibly, causing her to fall backwards and onto the floor. Thankfully, she rolled when her bottom hit the floor into a somersault and it didn't stop her from getting right back up and launching herself at her brother. She looked as if she would have tackled him but Klaus' arm broke it up first.

Nevertheless, it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Camille looked at Klaus and Caroline as she started to back out of the room. "Um, thank you for the interview and everything…

"Wait." Caroline tried to argue but Camille shook her head. "But I really don't think this is a good fit for me. I'll see myself out."

As if a pack of hungry wolves was after her, Camille turned on her heal and raced back up the stairs. Moments later, they heard the front door slam for the second time that day, Caroline cringing at the sound this time before she faced the twins. She couldn't help but notice them trying to hide their matching smirks and it all clicked into place. "You guys did that on purpose didn't you?"

Henry and Lexi instantly picked up the displeasure in her tone and the smirks dropped immediately, yet they still nodded as Henry spoke. "We thought that since you and Dad wouldn't listen to us when we said we didn't want a new nanny, we'd make sure that no one would want to be ours."

Caroline looked up at Klaus, and noticed he was smirking a bit as well. "Did you know about this?"

He shook his head. "Its news to me as well love. While they will be punished for their display, I can't fault their reasoning for doing it."

"Punished?" The twins said in unison.

"Yes, punished." Klaus repeated. "I understand why you did it but you two need to know you can't just do something like this every time you don't agree with something that we are doing. During that fight, which I now realized was completely staged, Lexi could have gotten hurt and then where would you have been Lexi?"

"I would be out for a few weeks, maybe." Lexi admitted, thinking about how she would have missed gymnastics. "But…"

"No buts. You two clean this mess up." Klaus ordered. "Caroline and I are going upstairs while you do."

"We have to clean it all by ourselves?" Henry asked, now he was the one looking around the room in horror.

"That's right, if you guys can make the mess, you can clean it up." Klaus stated before he guided Caroline out of the room and up the stairs.

They had just reached the first floor when Caroline could feel Klaus' body begin to shake. She looked over and saw him barely containing a bout of laughter.

"Klaus, stop it. You shouldn't be laughing. "

"No, you're right." Klaus said, though she could see he wasn't stopping.

"So stop laughing." Caroline grumbled. "It's not funny."

"Oh I beg to differ with you; those two just pulled something that would make their uncle very proud." Klaus replied.

As he continued to laugh, it became infectious and Caroline found herself starting to laugh with him. They kept it up for several minutes before she finally got control of herself again. Klaus noticed her suddenly shift from happy to subdued and he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking, those four were the top four of all of the applicants and none are even worth a second look. Maybe this whole search is hopeless."

"Is it hopeless or just pointless?" Klaus inquired.

"What?" She asked looked at him.

"Don't you believe that it's possibly a sign that you should stay here." He clarified. "Think of it, every applicant you've found something wrong about them, I don't think that's a coincidence."

Caroline opened her mouth to argue but then remembered how her mother had said something very similar when they spoke on the phone. Maybe she was finding fault in all of them because she didn't want anyone else to take care of the kids. The more she thought about it, the more she knew that they were right. "Okay, maybe you're right."

"Excuse me?" Klaus replied surprised. "Did you actually state that I was right?"

Caroline smacked his chest lightly. "Yes."

"So what does that mean?" He asked cautiously.

"That I guess I'm not going anywhere." Caroline responded.

Klaus' brow furrowed as he looked at her. "You don't sound too confident of that decision."

"No, I am. I really didn't like the idea of someone else living here and taking care of the kids but we still have the problem of the gossip and it affecting the kids." Caroline explained.

"Because you are their nanny who started dating their father?" Klaus inquired, verifying what she meant.

"Yes."

"Then I know just want to do." Klaus declared.

"What?"

"You're fired."

"I'm…I'm what?" Caroline asked, looking at him in complete and utter shock. Had he really just said what she heard him say? "You're firing me?"

"Yes." Klaus said simply.

"But why?" She inquired. "I mean, I finally just agreed to what you've been wanting for months, for me to keep working here without reservations despite our being together. Yet now you don't want that and I'm out of a job and homeless?"

"Actually I have a question for you." Klaus stated.

"You have a question for me?" Caroline said exasperated. What was Klaus doing?

"Well as you pointed out, now that you are not my nanny and therefore no longer have the benefit of room and board as part of your salary, I was wondering if you would move in with me?" Klaus asked. "Well actually, us?"

Caroline starred at him as if he had grown a second head. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I assure you I'm thinking quite clearly." He declared truthfully. It was something he'd been thinking about since the day before when he was talking to Kol.

"So let me get this straight, you are fired me, now you want me to move in with you?" Caroline clarified.

"Yes."

"But I already live here, or did until a few minutes ago, so how is this changing anything?" She asked.

"Because now if you live here, it will be as my girlfriend." Klaus explained as he stepped forward, cupping her chin in his hand.

"You mean…I would live in your room?" She inquired. She brought up her hands, placing over his while the other rested on his chest.

"Our room." He corrected. "If you agree to it that is."

"Of course I do, I can't imagine living anywhere else." Caroline smiled at him as she answered. A thrill of excitement went through her as she did; she had never lived with a man before. True she had technically been living with him for months, but this was different. This wasn't two people sharing a house, but a couple sharing a home. Yet there was still something they needed to take care of. "Well that solves the problem of me having a place to live but I still would need a job and you a nanny."

"Very true, very true." Klaus confirmed. "Of course until you find another job and I another nanny….

Caroline saw the look in his eye and suddenly, she understood. "I see what you are doing you know."

"What is that?" Klaus asked a smile on his face as he attempted to look innocent.

"Trying to get your way."

"Is it working?" He questioned, eyebrow rising in question.

"It might be." Caroline replied. "But on my terms."

Klaus nodded. "And what are they?"

"I would continue to live here, moving into your room with you…"

"Or we could move into yours if you prefer though mine is much bigger…" He said cheekily.

"Regardless we would share a room, and I would watch the twins. We will renegotiate a salary for that, but I will help pay living expenses." Caroline bartered, her voice rising when she saw he was about to argue. "This way I won't feel as if I'm a kept woman."

"And you wouldn't think that even though I still pay you?"

"No, I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like it would be different. Like this arrangement would be more equal." Caroline answered. She watched as he thought over what she proposed. She didn't think he would oppose it, why would he? He got everything he wanted.

"You drive a hard bargain sweetheart, but I agree." Klaus approved. "Seal with a kiss?"

Caroline rolled her eyes at him but that didn't stop her from leaning in to meet his soft lips. He smiled against her kiss, before kissing her more forcibly. She could see things getting out of hand quickly but they did not find out because the doorbell rang, interrupting them. "Hmm, maybe Camille changed her mind and all of this is for naught."

"It bloody well better not be." Klaus grumbled before releasing her and heading to the door.

Caroline watched as he opened the door and the serious look coming over his face. She was about to ask who it was when she heard a very familiar voice.

"Hello…um is Caroline here?"

"Yes." He replied humorlessly, not offering any more information or pleasantries.

"Can I see her?" She heard Elena ask.

"That depends on if she wants to see you." Klaus stated before he turned to face her. "Do you?"

Caroline starred at him for a minute, contemplating what to do. Elena was here to talk to her, apparently reaching out for the first time and she felt a little bit of hope that perhaps their friendship wasn't a lost cause. There was also a part of her, the petty part, that wanted to tell Klaus no and have him shut the door in her face however that part of her didn't win out in the end. She nodded at Klaus, who then stepped back and motioned for Elena to enter. Caroline watched as she came into view, looking very hesitant as she did.

Klaus observed the brunette as she entered his home and hoped that she wasn't there to start another argument with Caroline. She had told him Elena's attitude towards their relationship so he was not too pleased to see her on their doorstep. He himself couldn't give a damn about the virtual stranger but she was Caroline's friend and he knew that her opinion hurt Caroline. That alone was enough to make him act hostile towards her but Caroline had decided to see her so he held his tongue, for now at least.

Elena smiled timidly at the blonde when Caroline came into view. "Hi, Caroline."

"Hello Elena." Caroline replied. "I have to say it's a surprise to see you."

"I know." Elena said, she glanced over at Klaus before looking back at Caroline. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

"We are talking." She stated. "I think this is the most you've said directly towards me in more than a month."

"That's what I came to see you about. Can we go to your room or somewhere private?" Elena requested, unable to keep her eyes from glancing at Klaus before focusing back on Caroline.

"Why don't the two of you go into the living room?" Klaus suggested as he walked over to Caroline's side. He kissed her lightly on the temple before adding.

"I'll just go downstairs and see how the twins are doing with the mess. I'm sure they could use some supervision."

She smiled at him in thanks before leading Elena into the living room. As they sat down on the couches, Elena spoke. "Sorry for the interruption, I thought he would be at work or I would have just called you."

"It's fine. He typically is at work at this time however he stayed home today to take care of some interviews with me." Caroline explained, not sure why she was giving Elena such a lengthy explanation.

"Interviews?" Elena asked curiously.

"It's nothing, just looking for someone for a position that no longer needs to be filled." She said vaguely. "So you said you wanted to talk?"

"Yes, actually I'm here to apologize." Elena admitted.

Caroline did her best not to let her mouth drop open but the surprise she felt surely still showed on her face. Elena hardly ever apologized, either she waited until the other person did or she simply acted as if the slight never happened. "Really?"

"Yes." Her friend nodded. "I've been too harsh in my judgment of you and your…relationship and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Caroline asked. "For how you acted or the ignoring me part?"

"Both. I was worried that you were setting yourself for heartbreak and not thinking things through. I just saw you falling for your boss and he taking advantage of that but Bonnie and Stefan convinced me that it wasn't like that." Elena further explained. "As for the ignoring you part, that was just my stubbornness getting in the way, Damon says I'm too stubborn for my own good."

"Something he and I agree on." Caroline commented absently.

Silence fell between the two of them then for several moments as Elena waited to see how Caroline would respond and Caroline took it all in then tried to decide how she felt. She had known Elena long enough to see that her apology was sincere but she also didn't think she could just let the whole thing slide. "You know, if you had stayed at the restaurant that day and talked to me instead of running off we might have been able to fix this then."

"I know." Elena replied before she looked at the blonde with a searching expression. "Does that mean that it can't be fixed now?"

"No, I think it can be fixed but I don't know if I can just forget the last month of you ignoring me either." Caroline said. "I think what I'm saying is that it's going to take a little bit of time."

Caroline watched as a look of relief washed over Elena's face. "I can live with that. I just didn't want to lose you over this Care."

"And, you have to realize that Klaus is going to be around as well so if there is ever a time that we are all together, you can at least act nice around him." She requested.

"Of course, I mean I don't really know him except for what you and the others have told me but it would be nice to." Elena agreed as she nodded.

"It would be nice if everyone got along." Caroline said wistfully. "And as much as I want to catch up with you, I'm going to take a raincheck. Today has been a big day and…"

"I understand." Elena said as she stood.

Caroline stood as well to walk her out when Elena suddenly hugged her. "Care, I really am sorry."

"I know you are." She replied.

When Caroline didn't hug her back, Elena whispered. "You know if you don't hug me back, this is going to get very awkward."

"Well it's a little hard to when you are pinning down my arms." Caroline teased. Elena realized her error and released her hold. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Caroline said with a small smile. Once they were at the front door, Caroline reached over and gave Elena a small hug before her friend left.

Once the door shut, Caroline leaned back against it and closed her eyes for a minute, taking a deep breath. Her brain ran over everything that had happened that day and she couldn't believe it; Elena and her were on their way back to being friends and she finally felt completely comfortable with how things were with Klaus in both their professional and personal lives. Things were just perfect.

I know the last line usually means that something bad is about to happen, but I promise it's not as ominous as it sounds.

Well what did you think about resolving the nanny issue? I hope it's not too confusing. Caroline is still taking care of the kids and getting paid for it but not like a stranger but like a friend of the family.

As for the idea of the kids' mutiny, that idea originally came from my mom who did something similar with her brothers when they didn't like the woman my grandfather hired to take care of them. I also want to thank wintersquare and peanutmm for the ideas they gave me.

To the guest who asked how many more parts I plan to write, I only have a ballpark number but I will tell you that the next part will be the first of the whine down. That's not to say there isn't more story there is but it will start leading to the end.