Notes: Another Klaroline heavy chapter. We're making (slow) progress. For anyone who's interested I have 4 more chapters planned before we get to the final section (in which Caroline is 27). That is subject to change, of course. This chapter, for example, was not in my original outline but moving from the last to the next felt to abrupt when I read in sequence. The reviews have been amazing, so thank you guys!

Caroline: Age 25, Klaus: Age: 32 (March)

Klaus thinks about ignoring his phone when it begins to vibrate against the bedside table. He'd turned his guestroom into a makeshift studio, a few weeks ago, in an effort to begin painting again. He's been at it all afternoon. It's been an overcast day, the clouds heavy, and not much light had entered the room. He'd not been disturbed by darkening skies, and the sound of the device rattling against the wood is jarring. A quick glance at the clock tells him it's nearly seven.

The phone goes off, again and again. Klaus grabs at it, with a grumble, assuming whoever's disturbing him must be after something important. He finds a flurry of messages from Caroline, the content of them confusing.

Caroline [Saturday 6:47 PM]: PLEASE tell me you're at home.

Caroline [Saturday 6:48 PM]: Klaus?

Caroline [Saturday 6:50 PM]: KLAUS!

Caroline [Saturday 6:51 PM]: Ugh, I am going to KILL Rebekah.

Caroline [Saturday 6:51 PM]: She could at least answer her phone.

Caroline [Saturday 6:52 PM]: I'm cold and wet.

Caroline [Saturday 6:52 PM]: And this clerk at this store is giving me the evil eye even though I totally bought something.

Caroline [Saturday 6:53 PM]: And you're clearly busy.

Caroline [Saturday 6:53 PM]: And not getting my weird stream of consciousness ramblings.

Caroline [Saturday 6:54 PM]: And of course Lexi's in freaking Australia right now.

Caroline [Saturday 6:55 PM]: And Stefan's a co-dependent weirdo. Who thought moving back to Virginia after college was a solid life plan.

Caroline [Saturday 6:56 PM]: Totally should have brought my jacket.

He's calling her as soon as he's finished reading through the texts. "Oh thank god," Caroline breathes, as soon as she answers. It sounds like she's outside, traffic noises loud in the background.

"What happened?" Klaus asks. "Are you here? Why are you here?"

"Are you at your apartment?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Awesome. I'll be there in ten and I'll explain. I'm going to need your guestroom. And a towel. And some dry clothes."

Klaus sighs and resigns himself to waiting a little longer for an explanation. Caroline's obviously not in any serious trouble, so he'll manage. "That's fine, love. I was about to order dinner. Any preferences?"

"Oooh, something carb-y. Please."

"Done. I'll see you soon."

"See you!" Caroline echoes. "And thanks, Klaus. You're a lifesaver."

She hangs up, and Klaus follows suit before ducking into the bathroom to wash off the worst of the paint on his hands, and then changing out of his paint splattered clothes. He places an order to an Italian restaurant that he knows Caroline likes, complete with an extra serving of cheesy bread. She had requested carbohydrates and it was only polite, as a host, to indulge his guest.

He calls downstairs and lets the door attendant know he's expecting someone, who should be let up immediately. Klaus then grabs a stack of towels from his bathroom, setting them on the hallway table.

He tries Rebekah while he waits but gets no response. Klaus hadn't any idea that Caroline would be in town this weekend. Rebekah hadn't mentioned it, and they'd had lunch yesterday. Nor had Caroline, in any of her recent emails, and he's curious about her reasons for being here. And why she'd kept it a secret.

There's a knock and it only takes him a moment to throw the door open, as he'd been unable to sit down, and wait patiently. Klaus has to force himself not to smile at the sight that greets him.

Caroline's soaked, having obviously spent far too long in the rain, and looks distinctly displeased about it. Her hair's flattened to her head and the sweater she's wearing is pulling down her shoulders, heavy with water. His effort to maintain a straight face is in vain, because the first thing Caroline says is, "Shut up." She's testy, and her face is flat, and he knows she'd had no trouble reading his thoughts.

Klaus gestures for her to come in, pressing his lips together at the audible squelching sound her trainers make as she enters. Caroline tosses one of the towels he'd left out on to the floor before toeing off her shoes and dropping her bag. She steps on to the towel before she slips off her sweater, and attempts to pat herself dry. It's mostly a futile attempt, and in the end she's only managed to stop the worst of the dripping. Caroline wraps a towel around her hair, looking over at him apologetically, "Sorry for just showing up like this."

Klaus, who is definitely not noticing how her thin t-shirt is clinging to her body, is quick to wave her words away, "It's no trouble, Caroline. I wasn't doing anything important."

Caroline's head tips in contemplation, dropping down, "Were you painting? I didn't know you still did that."

"I just started again," Klaus tells her. "I'm a bit rusty, but that'll pass."

"That's great!" Caroline exclaims, seeming genuinely pleased.

"How did you know?" Klaus asks.

She reaches over, fingertips cool on his throat, "You missed a spot. But that blue is totally your color."

Klaus swallows, as her touch lingers. "Well, I'm afraid my paints and things are currently monopolizing my second room. If you'd like to shower before dinner and warm up you'll have to use my bathroom."

And what a crime it is that the first time she'll be inside of it, after all these years, he won't be accompanying her. That his plans will remain unfulfilled.

"That would be great," Caroline says. She steps away from him, bending and bundling her sweater into the towels.

"You know the way," Klaus tells her. "Help yourself to anything from the closet."

She thanks him again before making her way down the hallway, leaving damp footprints in her wake.

Klaus is suddenly very aware that this is the first time they've really been alone, since Rebekah had turned twenty-two. And he knows for a fact that Kol's nowhere near his apartment, and won't be suddenly dropping in, though Rebekah still has a key. But none of those are thoughts that he should be dwelling on. He might be unattached but, last he'd heard, Caroline still has a boyfriend.

She's not the cheating type, not after having been cheated on. And Klaus would never allow himself to be any kind of other man with Caroline.

He shakes the tempting, but impossible, ideas away before busying himself in the kitchen. Klaus puts the kettle on and gathers up plates and utensils for dinner. He's got the island set for two, and tea made, by the time Caroline emerges.

Her wet hair's piled on top of her head and she's wearing his clothes. She's flushed and wrapped in a thick sweater and Klaus is relieved that she's likely no longer cold. "Food has been ordered. It might take a while, since it's Saturday," he tells her. "I made tea."

Caroline smiles as she climbs onto a stool. She reaches for the steaming tea pot, letting out a sigh as she lays her hands on it. "You're the best, Klaus. Totally my favorite Mikaelson right now."

"Ah, so Rebekah has done something? I figured as much. What happened?"

Caroline's mouth twists, her annoyance palpable. "It's kind of a long story. These last few days have been interesting."

"Tell me all about them," Klaus encourages, taking his own seat.

Caroline pours herself a cup, stirring in an appalling amount of sugar, "Where to begin? So Bekah and Enzo have been doing this weird semi-angry fuckbuddies thing, right? Rebekah likes him, but won't admit it, and Enzo's totally aware that she likes him, and gets a perverse amount of pleasure from goading her about it. And it's been happening for like a year now."

Klaus nods, having been aware of the situation. Not a big fan of it, but there'd been little he could do. It's not as if he could threaten Enzo. The other man would have likely laughed in Klaus' face if he'd tried. And told Caroline all about it, the wanker. And that would have led to a long winded lecture about how little right Klaus had to meddle in Rebekah's romantic entanglements. Something he'd thought best to avoid.

"Well, Enzo decided he was fed up with the situation. And, since he's literally the most impulsive human on the planet, he bought an apartment in New York. Without telling anyone. Until the day before yesterday. When he informed me that he was moving this weekend."

"That's a touch drastic. And not very considerate of your finances, if I may say so, love."

"Oh, but the big revelations just kept coming. Turns out, Enzo freaking owns our building. And like six more in Chicago. I mean, I knew my rent was on the cheap side. But I figured it was just because he'd lived there forever."

"I thought he was some sort of contractor?" Klaus asks. He knew that was part of the reasons why Rebekah refused to date Enzo properly, despite numerous invitations. "It's why my dear sister keeps turning him down, since she finds the idea of manual labor distasteful."

"He is. I guess he got some sort of inheritance, just after college. Bought a building, fixed it up. Been doing the same thing as a side job ever since."

"He likely should have mentioned that," Klaus muses. "Would've made Bekah far more amenable. 'Real Estate Developer' would be easier for her snobby academic friends to swallow. "

"I think that's why he didn't. Which I kind of get. I love Bekah, but if she couldn't get passed Enzo's job title, and see that he's awesome, then she kind of doesn't deserve him."

Klaus maybe agreed in theory. He could grudgingly admit that Enzo was a good man, and certainly loyal. Rebekah could (and had) done far worse. "So you decided to assist Enzo in moving?"

"Yep. He hired people to pack, but they were terrible at it. I figured they'd be equally terrible at unpacking."

Klaus chuckles at that, "And how did you two inform Rebekah of Enzo's new address?"

Caroline groans, running a hand through her hair, "Okay, that part went badly. But I had nothing to do with it. I was on Team Break It To Her Gently. I told him to buy flowers, to take her to dinner, somewhere nice, where she wouldn't throw a plate at his head. Told him to say something sweet, about how much he enjoys her company, and how he hates how little they see each other. That hey, people build apartments in New York, and he had a job lined up, and it was an easy decision to make."

"How very Cyrano of you, sweetheart," Klaus murmurs, amused by her flailing hands. "Am I right to assume that Enzo did not follow your advice?"

"No, the idiot. Does he ever?" Caroline grumbles. "He texted her his new address, and asked her how she felt about Utah Sky vs. Blue Macaw for the kitchen when she showed up. And then he asked her if she was free to go test out mattresses, just to be a dick."

"And Rebekah didn't take too kindly to having that sprung on her?" It's an easy assumption. Klaus is wincing just imagining Rebekah's reaction.

"Understatement," Caroline deadpans. "It got heated, they started yelling. I said I'd go grab a coffee, because it was either going to end in murder or sex, neither of which I wanted to witness. When I got back there the door was locked and there was no answer.

"So which option are we betting on?" Klaus wonders.

"Please. If a murder had happened I would have been roped into body disposal already. Rebekah could have at least left the key to her apartment, since she's not going to be using her bed tonight, so I didn't have to bug you. And my overnight bag would have been nice," Caroline complains.

"It's fine, Caroline. Besides, I find I quite like you in my clothes."

Caroline stills for a moment, eyes widening, but she doesn't immediately reply. Klaus watches her carefully. It had slipped out, the tiny suggestive remark. He's been careful not to make them recently, to keep their interactions strictly platonic.

Caroline takes another sip of her tea, eyes intent on him over the rim, before she murmurs, "I guess that's good to know."

Klaus finds himself edging closer, intrigued by her reply. "Is it? Did you doubt it?"

"That you're still kind of interested? You can't blame me for wondering. It's been a long time, we've both been with other people. It's not like we talk about it."

Klaus supposes she has a point. But it's not as though that would be an easy conversation to initiate. "How's your boyfriend, love?" he asks pointedly.

Caroline deflates slightly, slumping in her seat. "He's good. We're not so good."

Klaus isn't sure if he wants to know. If he's up to lending a sympathetic ear to Caroline's relationship troubles. He doesn't think he has it in him to be that good of a friend. But he has to say something. "Does that mean you'd like something stronger?" he asks gently, reaching over to tap her cup.

It coaxes a smile from her, and she shakes her head. "No. It's not melancholy drunk bad. He accepted a job in Atlanta, starts right after graduation. And we talked about trying the long distance thing, but…"

"But you've decided against it?" Klaus ventures, well aware of her feelings on that particular topic.

"Yeah. I think it takes a certain amount of work, and neither of us feels that we'll be able to do it, since we're both kind of ambitious workaholics. We decided we'd rather end it while we still love each other, and stay friends, then end up a mess of jealousy and resentment and anger. It's just weird, living with a countdown hanging over us."

Klaus makes an agreeing noise, not sure what to say. She's blinking rapidly, eyes shiny, and he's a bit at a loss for what to do. Tears have never been his forte.

Caroline saves him, and shakes her head. She lets out a soft laugh, "Anyway, that's happening. And I know it's for the best but it's been two years, you know? It's just hard."

He's probably supposed to say something comforting, some sort of platitude about letting go of the things that you love. How if they come back you know it's fate, or some such nonsense. But if Klaus is perfectly honest with himself he'd rather Caroline and Jesse weren't meant to be. And he's never believed in fate.

He's also never lied to Caroline, and sees no reason to start now.

"And what of you? Any job offers?"

"Two," Caroline says, making no effort to hide her smugness. "I'm expecting a third next week."

Klaus grins, lifts his own cup in a toast, "Congratulations, sweetheart. Are you looking to relocate?"

"Not right away. The one I'm leaning towards will keep me in Chicago for a while. I'm just going to see if I can leverage the other offers and negotiate a slightly better salary."

"So ruthless," Klaus teases approvingly.

Caroline takes it as the compliment it was meant to be, beaming at him. "It's with the company I've been working for since I landed that internship my first year. They know I'm amazing, so I think they'll be willing to pay. But, enough about me. How are you? When did you start painting again? There was a sketchbook in your room that I was dying to snoop in, by the way. I feel like the fact that I resisted is an excellent marker of my personal growth."

Klaus wracks his brain, thinking over what was even in the sketchbook in question. He shrugs finally, "Wouldn't have been terrible if you'd given into the urge, love. There's nothing incriminating in that one."

He regrets the word choice immediately, as Caroline's eyebrows shoot up, and she leans forward eagerly. "'Incriminating?'" she repeats. "Incriminating, how? Have you drawn me, Klaus?"

Klaus refuses to squirm, at her too accurate guess. And he wishes he'd not just reaffirmed his unwillingness to lie. "I've drawn everyone I know, a time or two."

She tsks, thoroughly unimpressed, "Such a cop out, Klaus. So you've drawn me. Have you drawn me naked?"

He freezes, hand tightening on his cup. His eyes shift away from her, without his permission. All tells that Caroline has no trouble reading.

"You totally have!" Caroline crows. He's relieved that she seems gleefully amused, and not upset.

"Not recently," he finds himself muttering, though he knows it's a poor comeback.

Caroline lets out a snort, "Yeah, I figured. Since it's been so long, and you're getting on in the years. I bet your memory's just not what it used to be."

He's about to refute that statement, because his memories of his time with Caroline remain vivid, but she's barrelling ahead. "I have to see them."

Klaus is certain that's a very bad idea, at this juncture. They've referenced the weekend they'd had sex more in the last half hour then they had in the previous four years. He's not entirely sure what it means, but paging through his sketchbooks, where he'd captured several of their intimate moments, seems like it would lead somewhere they can't go again. Now, at least.

So perhaps a small, innocent, falsehood is permissible. "I'm not entirely sure where those books would be, love. I've dozens, as you can imagine. All boxed up, dating back to when I was a teenager. And, as you've just said, that's quite a number of years."

Her eyes narrow, and for a moment he's not sure she's bought it, thinks she'll press, and they'll spend the rest of the evening digging through the boxes in the back of his closet. But she relaxes slightly, "Fine. Some other time. And don't think I'll forget."

He'd never be so lucky.

"And, just to confirm," Caroline continues, pinning him with a hard glare, "no one else has ever see those sketches, right?"

"No," Klaus assures her immediately. "Just me. I promise." He'd always been very careful, of those particular books. That wasn't something that Kol, or Marcel, or the few other friends he had over regularly needed to see. And Bekah would have thrown a hell of a fit, would never have shut up about her disgust.

"Good. I do trust you. And your stuff is always great so I'm sure they're totally classy and way more beautiful then I actually am. But, you know. Control freak."

"All part of your charm," Klaus taunts fondly.

"I think so," Caroline says, the picture of false modesty. "Not everyone agrees."

"Idiots, clearly."

Caroline rolls her eyes, reaching over to shove him, "You think everyone's an idiot."

An exaggeration, but not one without merit. Klaus was entirely aware that he wasn't exactly an optimist, when it came to the general state of humanity. Far too many people annoyed him, and he'd never been very good at hiding that. And he was fine with the results, found it weeded out many aggravating individuals, "I like to think I have excellent taste in people."

The buzzer sounds, before Caroline can reply, and she's out of her seat before Klaus is. "I'll get it. It's the least I can do, for showing up like this."

He tries to argue, but she ignores him, talking over him, "Blah blah blah chivalry. Don't be a caveman, Klaus," she throws over her shoulder, leaving the kitchen at a fast clip. He hears the door open and close, assumes she'd gone down to meet the delivery person, so he can't do anything sneaky.

He briefly considers slipping some cash in her bag, but there's no way Caroline wouldn't notice. And Klaus feels like things are shifting. Just a small amount. But away from the strict 'just friends' state in which they've lived. He doesn't want to draw her ire and risk another, less favorable, change.

Not when it's taken so long to happen.

Next time: Klaus takes a trip. It's totally only business...