Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing. Only the story is mine.

Note: Previously, in "Rolling in the Deep," Klaus reveals his plans to host a gala at his nightclub, saying he'll make it even better than his former protege, Marcel Gerard's event.

Hey, everyone! Yeah, I know I've been behind on the updates for this one (the last time being January 3), but my real life has been hectic and I haven't been inspired lately. But I'll at least attempt to update.

Apartment of Cody Forbes, French Quarter – That Same Moment…

Caroline applied her lipstick in the bathroom, humming a little tune to herself in the process. For the past seven years since moving to New Orleans, she had been living with Cody in his French Quarter apartment. In the span of the same time period, she gave birth to twins (she found out via an ultrasound she had more than one baby), a boy and girl named Dominic William and Arianna Elizabeth. Even though it was eerie that they both had jet black hair and blue eyes like their father, Caroline loved her children unconditionally, and with Cody's help, she was able to provide for them throughout the chaos that was their infancy.

Now that the twins were old enough to attend school, Caroline decided it was time she got a job so she could at least help with the rent, even if Cody told her it wasn't unnecessary because they were family.

When she walked into the kitchen, she found it was strangely quiet, which was unusual, since seven-year-olds weren't known for being quiet. She saw the reason when she got closer to the table – Dominic had a black eye.

Before she could ask where he got it, Arianna said, "Dominic got into a fight at school yesterday."

"He what?" said Caroline. "Dominic William Forbes, you know fighting is against the rules. Why would you suddenly get into a fight when I specifically told you not to? And don't lie to me, young man."

Dominic hesitated for a second and, knowing he couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, sighed and said, "I did it to defend Arianna. There was this one kid who was laughing at her and calling her names, so I did what any good brother would do, I socked him one in the eye."

"But, he hit you in the eye too, Dominic," said Arianna.

"I still defended you," her brother said. "I tried to explain to the principal, but he didn't believe me and I got suspended for a week."

"You got suspended?" said Caroline. "This is perfect, I've got a job interview today."

Cody interjected then. "Don't worry about it, Care. Go to your interview, I'll take care of the twins." He saw her about to protest. "Ah, ah, I insist."

"I appreciate it, Cody," said Caroline. "But I don't want you to think I'm taking advantage of you because you're my brother. I want to be able to contribute, which is why I want to get a decent job so I can help with the rent."

"You're not taking advantage of me," said Cody. "I love the fact you're living here." He nodded pointedly at Dominic and Arianna. "Besides, I adore my niece and nephew. I probably won't have kids, so they're the most precious things in the world to me."

Caroline smiled at her brother and then looked at her son. "Don't think you're off the hook for this, Dominic. You're still going to face the consequences of your actions. While it's great you defended your sister, you broke the rules." She looked at her watch. "I've got to get going before I'm late for my interview. Cody, could you take Arianna to school for me?"

"Not a problem."

Caroline nodded and, grabbing a coffee, headed out of the apartment.

Hybrid Nightclub – Five minutes later…

Caroline felt small as she arrived at the entrance of the club. She found it hard to believe such a place like this existed. From what she read about it, it was supposed to be one of the most luxurious clubs in New Orleans. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the building and took a look around at the décor. It was beautiful and the atmosphere reminded her of the old Frank Sinatra movies she and Cody watched at their grandmother's as kids. So much so, she half expected to be greeted by Jerry Lewis.

"Caroline? Is that you?"

A familiar voice brought her to reality and she looked to see… "Stefan? Oh my God, what are you doing here? By that, I mean what are you doing in New Orleans and what are you doing in a place like this?"

"Well, to answer your first question about what I'm doing in New Orleans, I live here. And to answer the second question, I work here as a bouncer." He revealed his bruised face. "As you can see, I got roughed up by some asshole last night."

"You're a bouncer?" said Caroline. "Stefan, why would you have such a dangerous job?"

"If you must know, the owner of this establishment is my brother-in-law, Klaus Mikaelson," said Stefan. "Now that I've answered your questions, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm here to see Klaus. I saw your ad for the assistant manager job in the paper. I called and was told to come in for an interview." She looked around at the décor again. "I noticed how nice the place looked when I walked in."

"You like it, huh?"

"Yes, what are they for? Some kind of party?"

"I can't really discuss the details," said Stefan. "You'll have to ask Klaus." He sighed. "His office is upstairs. If you want, I can take you there so you don't get lost trying to find it."

Caroline nodded and followed him to the elevator. It was quiet during the ride and finally, due to her curiosity, she decided to break the silence between them and ask what she had been wanting to ask him since they saw each other in the lobby.

"Have you heard from Damon?"

Stefan sighed. "No, I haven't. I did talk to Ric about a month ago."

"Has he heard from Damon?"

"You would think that, since they're such good friends," said Stefan. "But, no, he hasn't heard from that asshole either. It's like he's jumped off the face of the Earth or something." He pounded his fist into his open palm. "I blame that slut he ran off with on what should've been your wedding. I swear that brother of mine is a piece of work. I can't believe I actually looked up to him."

Caroline saw how agitated Stefan was getting and immediately felt guilty for even mentioning Damon in front of him. "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" said Stefan. "It's not your fault."

"I still shouldn't have mentioned him," said Caroline. "I was just curious. We haven't spoken in seven years."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for not keeping in touch," said Stefan. "My schedule is unpredictable, my wife is going to have a baby, so we're getting ready for that, not to mention the huge shower the in-laws want to throw. I swear, they're making such a production out of it. It's not like this is the only grandchild."

"But, it's the first one from you, and that's a big deal."

Stefan smiled and before he could say anything else, the elevator alerted them that they had arrived on their floor. They stepped out and made their way to Klaus' office. Caroline looked around at the walls, seeing the art that adorned them, and wondered just how he was able to afford such a place. Her first thought was that he was probably involved in organized crime, but she immediately discouraged herself from thinking such a thing. Why would she, the daughter of a decorated sheriff of a small Virginia town, willingly work for someone like that?

I shouldn't think things like that. I don't even know him, so it's wrong to assume he does anything illegal.

Finally, they arrived at the door. Stefan carefully knocked and a few seconds passed before Klaus' voice was heard on the other side.

"Yes?"

"Klaus, there's a Caroline Forbes here to see you. She's interviewing for the Assistant Manager job."

"Send her in, Stefan."

Stefan nodded and turned to Caroline. "Go on in." He hugged her. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Caroline returned the hug and after he walked away, she entered the office. The door closed as soon as she crossed the threshold. She saw that the walls were also adorned with art, just like it had been outside. The desk in the middle of the room looked as though it was designed for a king rather than a nightclub owner – made of fine oak and decorated with gold.

"Like what you see, Caroline?"

The accented voice in the room startled her and she turned to see Klaus Mikaelson himself standing there. He was definitely handsome, with slightly curly dark blonde hair and greenish blue eyes that had a devilish gleam. He wore a tailored suit, but had a body that a woman would have to be blind and stupid not to notice. Caroline found it difficult to discourage herself from any impure thoughts she was having about him the longer she stared at him.

"Y-Yes, I do," she said. "You'll have to forgive me, I've never been in a nightclub before. I've been in bars, but they were nothing compared to this."

"No need to apologize, love. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you'll get used to it," said Klaus. "Now, Stefan says you're here for the Assistant Manager position? Do you have experience?"

"Well, I was the captain of the cheer squad in high school, so that kind of counts. You have no idea just how hard it was to get those girls organized, especially for competitions," said Caroline. "Kind of makes you wonder how I survived four years of that shit." She saw the look he was giving her. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't, I was just impressed by what you said," said Klaus. "I only asked because I'm looking to host a gala event here at the club."

"I noticed the decorations when I came in," said Caroline. "When is it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Tomorrow night." Klaus studied her face as he finished talking. She was a thing of beauty, with long, blonde hair that rivaled the summer sun, blue eyes he found himself being mesmerized by, and, although it was covered by the white blouse and black skirt she was wearing, she had a body he could imagine himself caressing as he made passionate love to her under the sheets of his bed.

"Wow, that's...quite ambitious."

"You don't think it's too short a notice?"

"I think I can make it work," said Caroline. "I've put together Decade Dances, hosting the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and even the senior prom. So, with enough motivation, I might be able to organize this and make it the best party in New Orleans."

Caroline was so engrossed in what she was saying that she didn't notice that Klaus had approached her until she was pushed up against the wall. She gasped at just how close they actually were and her heart pounded. "Klaus, what...what are you doing?"

The answer to her question came in the form of his lips closing on hers in a kiss. While she hadn't expected this, she reluctantly returned it, moaning as it deepened. She hated to admit it, but she was enjoying it. It had been a long time since she had been with a man. She had been on dates, of course, but the moment they found out she had children, things fizzled out.

Klaus stepped back, breaking the kiss, and for a few minutes, there was silence as he admired just how beautiful she was. Finally, he decided to say something before she thought something was wrong with him.

"You've got the job."

"I do?" said Caroline. "But, we didn't have much of an interview."

"Regardless, I think you're perfect for the job."

"Well, thanks, I guess," said Caroline. "So, when should I start? I know you want to get this gala set up and everything."

"You can start early tomorrow morning."

Caroline nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'll go home and tell my brother the good news." She noticed his arms were still around her. "But, I can't do that if you don't let me go first."

Klaus looked down and saw he hadn't released her from his embrace and, clearing his throat, stepped back further to let her go. He then escorted her to the door, even though he didn't want her to leave. After she left, Klaus couldn't help but get the feeling he had seen her before. No, she couldn't be who he thought, was she?

Quickly, Klaus went over to his desk and opened the sketchbook. Sure enough, there was the picture he had been working on earlier. It looked exactly like Caroline, the hair, the eyes, everything! That could mean only one thing – Caroline was his "mystery muse," and she didn't know it yet.

This is almost too good to be true, he thought. I have met my muse, even if she may not realize who she is to me yet. Regardless, I can't let her slip through my fingers. I felt something between us and, even though we've just met, I think she felt it too. I'll have to pursue her cautiously, so I don't scare her away.

Note: Okay, here's Chapter 3. I wanted to make sure it was perfect, and I think I achieved it. Stay tuned, because it's only going to get better from here.

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