Hello Welcome to my new story.
"She needs to be at home," Elijah said with a solemn expression.
"Now it all makes sense; that's why you offered your guest house," Klaus remarked, lounging on his brother's couch with his eyes closed.
"You know very well that's not true, Niklaus," Elijah responded, unable to hide a hint of exasperation at his younger brother's current state. He added, "It would be just for a week, and since you would already be on the same property as her, you can use the guest room on the first floor. Katherine and I will be back before Christmas Eve," pushing Klaus's shoes off the leather couch.
Klaus shook his head as he sat up, slipping on his sunglasses. "I'm pretty sure Rebekah would enjoy..."
"I am asking you," Elijah stated firmly.
Klaus massaged his temples, hoping the headache he was getting would go away. "How does Katherine feel about this?" he inquired.
"For your information, she agreed," Klaus raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"With some hesitation," Elijah admitted. "Plus, there are also some rules that you will need to follow," Elijah informed him as he opened the curtains in his office to let in some fresh air. Klaus scoffed as he walked over to the minibar.
"Like no drinking," Elijah told him of the first rule as Klaus served himself a cup of bourbon.
"You know I'm only doing this for Sophia, right?" Klaus informed him as he took a sip of his drink.
"I thank you for that. Who knows, it might help take your mind off..."
"Don't." Klaus threw back the rest of his drink.
"Niklaus, you need to tell the family the truth…" Elijah started, but Klaus shook his head.
"I do not wish to speak of... her. If Rebekah chooses to remain friends with her after everything, why would this make a difference?"
Elijah let out a sigh as he picked up a glass, and passed it to his brother. "Well, if it matters, it's good having you here, Niklaus. I think you might actually like Mystic Falls.
"Why do you have to go?" Sophia clung to her father's leg, her big, innocent eyes fixed on him.
Elijah gazed down at his young daughter with a mix of affection and sadness. "Sof, you know why we have to go," he said gently.
"But why do both of you have to go?" Sophia looked up at both her parents, her lower lip forming a pout.
Elijah scooped up the little girl into his arms, and Katherine leaned in to place a tender kiss on her daughter's rosy cheek. "You know I'd much rather stay with you," Katherine said, her voice warm and motherly. "But Daddy needs someone to help him deal with all those stuffy-suited men." Sophia cracked a small smile and tightened her grip around her father's neck.
"And we promise to bring you a gift to open before Christmas. How does that sound?"
"Two gifts!" Sophia's eyes lit up, and she smiled at her mother.
"You're so much like your mother," Elijah said, pressing a kiss onto her forehead.
Sophia's hopeful expression wavered as she looked at her uncle. "Him?" She pointed at Klaus. "Does he even know how to...?"
"Sophia," both parents chimed in, reprovingly.
"But can't I stay with Uncle Stefan and Aunt Rebekah?" She whined.
"Sorry, love. You're stuck with me," Klaus replied with a wry grin.
Sophia sighed, crossing her arms, while her parents shared a laugh. As they bid their farewells, Katherine turned back. "Make sure to follow her schedule," she said, handing Klaus Sophia's schedule for the fourth time, which she had already texted, emailed, and posted on the fridge.
"She also can't have more than one piece of candy, and her bedtime is at 8. Oh, and don't forget dance class; she can't be late."
"I know, Katherine. It's marked in red," Klaus replied, pointing at the laminated schedule she handed him.
"Well, I've left you our contact information, but if anything happens, I've also provided other emergency contacts, ranked by whom to call first. As a last resort, you can call my sister, but only in an emergency."
"Katherine, I'm pretty sure Niklaus has it."
"You said the same about Kol and Rebekah. Reminded me how we found this house."
"Bye, Mommy. Bye, Daddy," Sophia called out as they left the house and climbed into their waiting car, waving as they drove away. Sophia turned to her uncle, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"So, what's for lunch?" she asked, bouncing on her feet. "Can we have ice cream after ballet?" Her missing front teeth gave her smile an endearing charm.
Klaus couldn't help but shake his head, his lips curving into a smile as he carried her back into the house.
"We're going to be late."
"No, we're not."
"Yes, we are."
"You see, we're here with two minutes to spare," Klaus declared as he found a parking spot in front of the small dance studio, aptly named Mystic Dance.
Sophia eagerly hopped out of the car, urging Klaus to hurry up. As they entered the studio, a spacious, freshly remodeled space, Sophia suddenly came to a halt.
"What's wrong?" Klaus asked.
"My hair."
"What about it?"
"Mom forgot to put it up," Sophia said as she set her bag down, taking out hairpins and hair ties.
"Here you go, Uncle Nik," she handed him the brush.
Klaus looked around and then spotted a blonde woman trying to contain her laughter. "Hi, Sophia."
"Auntie Care, I mean Miss Forbes!" Sophia exclaimed with a yelp.
"And who's your friend?" Caroline asked.
"He's not my friend; he's my uncle. He moved in with us from New York and is going to take care of me while Mommy and Daddy are out of town." Sophia said proudly.
"Nice to meet you, Uncle Nik. How about I help you out here?" Caroline took the brush from Klaus and started brushing back Sophia's hair.
"You first want to brush it back into a ponytail," she explained to Klaus, demonstrating as she spoke. "Then you twist the hair like this," showing him how to create the bun. "Place the hairband over it, followed by some bobby pins to secure it in place." She finished Sophia's hair. "There you go, Sophia. Go on and warm up"
"Thanks, Miss Forbes," Sophia beamed.
"Yes, thank you sweetheart." Klaus said with a smirk as Sophia ran into the studio
Caroline could not help but scoff at the compliment. "No problem. Usually, I'm okay with the girls keeping their hair in ponytails, but Miss Sophia is a stickler for the rules."
"Oh, she gets that from her father," Klaus remarked.
"I'd guess so. Kathrine likes breaking the rules too much."
"You grow up with Kathrine?"
"Sure did. Caroline Forbes." she introduced herself, extending her hand.
"Number one on the emergency list," Klaus acknowledged as they shook hands.
"Well, I'm flattered. Good to know I'm ahead of Elena and Bonnie," Caroline quipped.
Klaus chuckled. "You're welcome to wait or come back when class ends at 4 p.m.," Caroline suggested as she walked away to join a group of young girls patiently waiting.
Klaus couldn't help but glance at her retreating figure, intrigued and unable to look away. Turning to the room where a group of moms were all staring at him, he flashed a charismatic smile.
"Hello, ladies," he said, laying the charm on thick as he took an open seat.
"Where you go, Uncle Nik?" The little girl asked as she rushed out of her dance class with her small bag slung over her shoulders. Klaus had only lasted ten minutes in the waiting room before he decided to step outside, fearing he might strangle someone or say something inappropriate.
"I had a phone call to make," he told her as he reached out to take her bag.
"Okay, next time you have to stay," she insisted as she slipped on her jacket.
"But no phones, Miss Forbes hates them." At the mention of the teacher's name, Klaus couldn't help but look around for her, spotting her in the main dance room engaged in a conversation with a parent. For some reason, he just couldn't keep his eyes away from her.
"Excuse me." A voice broke him from his daydream.
He turned to see a young brunette woman looking at him. "Klaus, right?" she asked with a warm smile. "I'm Vicky, Amanda's babysitter." She extended her hand to him.
"Nice to meet you," he said, taking her hand.
"Well, Amanda was wondering if it would be okay for Sophia to come over for a little bit," Vicky said, her smile growing. "I could take her for a few hours while you run errands; it's no problem at all."
"Can I, Uncle?" Sophia asked, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Well, why not," Klaus said, shrugging.
"Great! Here's my number and address. Call me when you're ready to pick her up," Vickie said, still smiling.
"But what about our ice cream?" Sophia chimed in.
"Oh, do you mind?" Klaus asked, pulling out his wallet.
"Not at all. If you need anything, anything at all please give me a call," Vicky told him as the little girl let out an excited yell and rushed to the nanny's car.
"Thanks," Klaus said, slipping the number into his pocket.
As Klaus and Stefan sat at the bar, he glanced around and asked, "This is the only bar?"
Stefan nodded. "Yes, Klaus, you know this. The one time you were in this town, you were drunk and couldn't wait to get back to New York."
Klaus shrugged it sounded like something he would do.
"Hey, Stefan. No Rebekah today?" The waiter said as he approached them.
"Hey, Matt. No, she's in the city. This is Klaus, her brother," Stefan introduced.
"Nice to meet you," Matt replied with a nod. "What can I get you guys?"
"Bourbon," Klaus quickly responded.
"Make that two," Stefan added.
"Sure thing, this one's on the house," Matt said, pulling out the glasses. "A welcome to Mystic Falls," he said with a bright smile.
"Hey, Care," Matt said to the person behind him.
"Hey, Matt. Here for our meeting," a familiar voice responded. Klaus turned to see Caroline Forbes, no longer in her dance attire but dressed in a navy blue sweater dress that highlighted her blue eyes.
"Stef," Caroline greeted with a warm smile, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Klaus," she said to him, avoiding eye contact and a scowl forming on her face as she noticed the drink in his hand.
"Miss Forbes," Klaus replied, taking a sip of his drink.
Matt broke their interaction by saying, "Alright, guys, if you need any food, April here will take your order," and the brunette smiled at the mention of her name.
"Ready, Care?" Matt asked as they walked off to a corner booth, but Klaus couldn't help but follow Caroline with his eyes.
"Don't even think about it," Stefan warned, pulling Klaus out of his daydream.
"Don't think about what?" Klaus asked, turning back to his friend.
"You know what," Stefan replied.
Klaus smirked as he raised his glass toward his friend.
"Can I help you, sweetheart?" Klaus asked, popping a fry into his mouth.
"Where's Stefan?" Caroline inquired.
"Something about meeting my sister in the city," Klaus shrugged.
"Wait, Rebekah doesn't have Sophia," Caroline stated.
"She's at a friend's house."
"Was it on her schedule?"
"Really?" Klaus rolled his eyes.
"Yes, really," Caroline crossed her arms.
"I'm sure she's fine hanging out with her friends for a couple of hours, even if it's not on her schedule," Klaus argued.
"Let me get this straight. You'd rather be drinking than taking care of your niece, whom you've only seen a few times," Caroline pointed to his empty glass.
"I'm pretty sure she'd rather be with her friend than me, sweetheart. And I have seen her more than just a few times, for your information," Klaus retorted.
Caroline shook her head, smiling. "Don't call me sweetheart, first off. And second, good luck when you pick her up from..."
"Amanda's house," Klaus said, popping a fry into his mouth, and Caroline's eyes widened.
"You left her with Vicky," she laughed. "Good luck with that and with Katherine when she finds out."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Klaus asked.
"Oh, you'll find out," Caroline replied as she walked away. Klaus couldn't help but watch her go, his eyes fixed on her until she disappeared from view.
So? let me know what you think. Happy to be back writing and hope to soon be bale to work on some of my other stories.
