Once again I would like to thank all of you who reviewed, favorited and followed.
Also people who think my fic deserved much more attention than this thankyou you re comments are much appreciated.
I have a few names I want to mention Hasi , Ridhi ,Suniya I love you all.
I also want to mention NOUR whom I call NOURIE she is a recent and amazing addition in my life , love you so much Hon.
S/N ; This special side note is for my wonderfully talented friend Jia (Klarodivine) as she has helped me a lot and her reviews are just like oxygen for my work. Without your support I think I ll lose the motivation to write a BIG THANKYOU YOURE AWESOME AND A WONDERFUL FRIEND.
Also I m going to post the next chapter within this week, I hope it s good news for those who avidly follow this fic LOL if anybody does actually.
And a special message for everybody: Please help spread positivity and love and even if you can only make somebody smile you are doing enough.
CHAPTER 4
My Brother's Girl
Elijah Mikealson was a man of few words, sensational taste and was well known for his tenacity as he always went after what he coveted till he attained it. And currently what he wanted was for a certain blonde to say yes to his proposition.
He never understood those people who had a certain talent, gift or a unique forte yet they were not doing anything with it or as the kids these days would call it pissing it away. How could they be content with the status quo and not strive to achieve the ultimate level of virtuosity.
This is why he was having hardship understanding Miss Lina's, that's what she had said her name was, reservations no flat out rejection on joining one of the most prestigious Dance Academies of the country.
In the past year since he had taken the role of caretaker/shareholder of the academy he wanted it to be recognized all over the world and for that to happen he needed fresh talented yet dedicated students in his academy, and certainly Miss Lina was fresh in the true sense of the word.
He was grateful for his good luck that he had stumbled upon her the night he had gone to visit Katerina about her behaviour problems at the academy, which to his utter surprise had been sorted out without a hitch considering the fact that nothing about Katerina was easy and he was saying this from personal experience.
An experience that still left him unnerved whenever he got too close to her but he was not going lose time over thinking about any of that now.
He was on a mission here to get the blonde to realize what this academy could for her and what she could do for it in return.
To be great at what you are made of is what Elijah was all about and this trait he shared with his younger stepbrother but to say in the least his brother was a bit impulsive with his devil-may-care attitude, volatile persona and was at times self destructive which often hindered with his self growth and also detrimental to the people around him, that is why he wasn't pleased much to see Niklaus hanging all over Lina, clearly they were sharing an intimate moment over what he did not know nor cared about but he wasn't going to let Klaus sabotage this so he exclaimed, " Niklaus are you flirting with my date?"
He could see the girl jerked back a bit but Klaus stubbornly stood where he was and both of them enunciated his name.
Caroline then moved towards the kitchen door closer to Elijah leaving Klaus standing where he was and with a cautious smile said, "Mr Mikealson you said you were gonna come by 2pm and.. Oh it is 2... I did not realise how much time had passed. " looking at the kitchen clock and surreptitiously stole a glance at Klaus still standing near the sink but now was halfway turned on his side and was looking at both Elijah and her with an unreadable expression on his face was it longing? She must be imaging it.
Elijah then spoke, Call me Elijah please and shall we leave Miss Lina? "
"Yes, Okay " stopping a beat as if waiting for Klaus to stop her, but why did she want him to stop her from going with his brother she could not comprehend her inner turmoil, Klaus didn't stop her so she said," I'll just change then we'll leave. "
"Magnificent, I'll wait outside in the car. And farewell to you brother I hope you will continue to pay attention during those dance lessons you think you don't need. " with this Elijah left the kitchen and Caroline turned towards a small closet at the far left end of the kitchen.
The instantaneous silence made Klaus wonder why was he feeling this immense impotent rage and a foreign a sense of yearning, yes foreign because he had never felt this sort of strong urge to have something, rather someone before. True over the years he had wanted many things in fact he even had competed over girls with his brothers before but he had never envied Elijah before.
Almost as if at once realizing his train of thoughts he shook himself no it was nothing, he felt nothing, he didn't envy his brother over anything.
At the same time the object he was envying his brother over came out of the makeshift changing room /closet.
She had changed into a yellow top that brought out the blue in her eyes and white jeans that hugged her long legs and sneakers with her hair now pulled back in a more secure braid that reached her waist.
He was still standing where she had left him.
Caroline wondered if she should say something maybe tell him it wasn't a real date Elijah just wanted to show her the Dance Academy and had ended the conversation he had with her this morning saying "Great we'll make it a date Miss Lina" that didn't mean they were having a real date, it wasn't anything remotely romantic.
Klaus had turned his back to her the moment she had re-entered the kitchen. He was not even acknowledging her presence then why should she explain herself. Thinking this she left the kitchen.
Klaus couldn't see her but knew the exact moment she turned away from him with the sound of kitchen door closing telling him she had left.
Caroline was sitting in Elijah s Jaguar any other girl would have been exuberant at the prospect of sitting in one and that too with handsome and dashing man such as Elijah Mikealson but she was at present lost in deep thought about a certain other Mikealson.
She was right earlier she did not owe him any sort of justification. But the more worrisome part was, why was she feeling she should have said something, as if she should have cleared the misunderstanding.
Why should she feel accountable maybe because they shared a moment in the kitchen but it clearly didn't mean anything to him otherwise he would have said something to her and not that it meant anything to her or did it?
And what the hell why was she still agonizing over that, no she wasn't gonna think about it anymore. She was not gonna think about those lake blue eyes had turned to lightening blue when he was close to her Ughhh stop enough Caroline. Okay she wasn't gonna give it anymore thought starting this second, go.
Elijah interrupted her thought process by remarking, "So Miss Lina here we are. The Mikealson and Bennett Dance Academy. "
They exited the car and Caroline saw a tall prestigious 20th century castle style building. Classy was the word that came to her mind when she first gazed upon the building. There was an open enterance of the building in arch. There were extensive gardens flanking the entire establishment on all sides.
Elijah lead her inside passing through an elaborate corridor then going up to the first floor by a staircase all the while students kept on coming, especially girls giggling and greeting him,
"Hello Mr Mikealson. "
"Afternoon Mr Mikealson."
"How are you doing Mr Mikealson?"
And he kept on mumbling the appropriate responses. Caroline couldn't prevent a grin from gracing her enchanting face.
Elijah saw it and asked, "Is anything chucklesome Miss Lina ? "
" Chucklesome ? God you really are British and no, nothing, it s like you're the popular kid around here you know like those brawny jocks teenage girls flutter their eyelashes at and swoon over. "
Elijah returned her smile and exclaimed "Unfortunately I wouldn't know it seeing as I have never been to one. I went to boarding school as a youngling and not one with co-education I might add."
Then he halted in front of a huge door. He opened the door and Caroline could see it lead to an auditorium, with a fancy stage and like a 50 rows and columns of seats for the audience. There were a bunch of ballerinas on stage stretching and flexing and a CD player on one corner of the stage on a table. Few kids were sitting in the first few rows of the auditorium.
As both Elijah and Caroline moved forward towards the stage and sat in the second row Caroline spotted a daunting chocolate skinned woman with curly black hair hardly reaching her shoulders and wearing a top with a long gypsy style skirt, sandals on her feet and multiple rings each with a unique stone embedded in it clapped her hands and said, " Ok take it from the top. "
Caroline guessed she was almost 60 years old and she had one of those faces that probably had broken many hearts in her youth. On cue the girls lined up and engaged in a beautiful ballet. They were looking exquisite like swans dancing in all their glory in springtime. Caroline was so taken with their dance routine with all the ingredients of a ballet plies, pirouettes that she wished that she could be a part of something so stunning. She couldn't quite squish the feeling that this is what she had been dreaming of her entire life.
She could now fully comprehend why Elijah had asked her to at least accompany him to the Academy for a few hours. Elijah Mikealson was one sneaky guy.
The ballet ended and the old woman crooked a finger at a young girl who had the same skin tone, alluring leafy green eyes and perhaps the same hair, she couldn't tell exactly as they were neatly coiled in a bun, as the older one and almost shouted, "Bonnie come here. What have I told you about your pose? Your fifth position is practically manure. You will do the whole routine again. "And launched in a few more colourful analogies.
Caroline was wondering why that Bonnie girl was timidly bearing her insulting behaviour, when the old lady said, Alright rest of you take break and be back here after 30 mins. "
Elijah then walked up the stage and the woman turned intending to continue scolding Bonnie when she saw Elijah and exclaimed, "Eli!" and rushed to hug him. She proceeded, So you finally decide to show your pretty face here?"
"Sheila. You know I was busy trying to convince my father not to pull off the funds on the Academy. "Elijah replied clumsily hugging her back.
"Let s not ventilate about it here, besides talking about Mikeal leaves a foul taste in my mouth."
Sheila then accosted Bonnie who was stretching a few steps away from them, "Darling come here. "Bonnie complied and went to stand next to the old lady.
Sheila then introduced Bonnie, "Elijah I want you to meet my granddaughter Bonnie. Ever since I lost my baby Abby 4 months ago she has been living with me and has been a part of this institution as a dedicated pupil. But Sheila Bennett is never the one to favor nepotism so Bonnie also had to audition and might I say Alaric loved her. "said with pride resonating in her voice, the same voice that was bashing here earlier and resumed to say, "I'm just glad that after losing Abby Bonnie did not give up dancing in fact decided to pursue it professionally and she is making her and her mom's dream come true. Which her father is not much ecstatic about since he did not want Bonnie to follow in my footsteps."
"And Bonnie dear this is Elijah my best friend Esther's eldest son. Esther is one of the very few people I deeply cared about that I have lost along with Abby. She will always have a special place in my heart. "and squeezed Elijah's hand.
"It's tough losing people you hold dear to your heart. " for a moment his expression turned melancholy at the mention of his mother then welcomed Bonnie saying, "It's a pleasure to have met you Bonnie and from what I've just witnessed you are a much welcomed addition to our academy. "
Bonnie replied, "Thank you Elijah." turning towards her grandmother Bonnie then said," Gammy I'm gonna go do my routine. "
As she was about to move away Elijah stopped her taking off his suitcoat inquired, "Bonnie would you do me the honor of a dance? "
Bonnie was astonished not saying anything she looked at her grandmother as if silently asking for her permission, Sheila nodded and turned towards the CD player to play a slow soulful tune.
As the music flowed out of the player Both Bonnie and Elijah started an intricate Ballet routine which was a scenic composite of all the Ballet moves from arabesque to temps de fleche to tire-bouchon .As they started dancing an eery silence reigned over the surroundings, as if they were conducting a holy procession.
They were moving in sync with one another and Caroline was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, she desperately wanted what Bonnie had right this moment, the privilege to showcase her talent.
She desired to be the one to exhibit to the world that part of her she was gratified at. She wanted to run up the stage and dance, just dance till her feet ache. She wanted to mesmerize, spellbind and enchant them in much the same way Bonnie and Elijah were.
But as the music stopped and the people began cheering all the thoughts and emotions that had Caroline in a pandemonium earlier began to ebb away and once again she found herself on shaky ground regarding Elijah's offer.
Elijah and Bonnie then bowed and thanked each other. Caroline saw that he again greeted Sheila and descended the stage. Everybody else went back to their business. He came to stand next to Caroline and with a self-satisfied smirk asked, "So what do you think? Will you bestow us with your presence here?"
She wasn't confident yet but she did not want to decline it either hence she replied carefully," You said the next semester was starting a week from now, I'm gonna need that week to solidify my decision about enrolling here."
Elijah knew he was more than halfway there and said," Okay. Then I expect to hear from you in a week from now Miss Lina."
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Despite Caroline's turndown at his offer to drop her off at the boarding house Elijah did the gentlemanly thing. As Caroline alighted Elijah's car she saw Katherine standing at the main door her arms crossed and her left leg was tapping. Caroline felt like a kid who had overstayed her curfew with her indignant mom waiting for her at the doorway.
"Hey, so funny story actually this morning Elijah showed up at the cafe saying he wanted to give me a tour of his esteemed Academy and just to get him of my back I said yes." trying lighten the grave mood hovering around Katherine like a buzzing bee.
Then she entered the hall and went straight to her room with Katherine menacingly tailing her.
"Don t you hey me. Don t you dare hey me. What the freaking rotting corpses in hell Lina you totally bailed on me. "Katherine vented and Caroline plopped facedown on bed groaning ,"I'm so tuckered out right now I don't even want to respond by saying "A" much less anything else. Please Kat we'll talk in the morning."
"Listen Miss Lina whatever your last name is I want to hear everything so you better start talking young lady."
Caroline let out a breathy sigh and replied," You're really are a dog with a bone. You're not gonna let this go, huh? "
" Awww, you know me so well." Katherine taunted.
"I was on a date with Elijah." Caroline said date for the lack of a better word and earned a glare from Katherine who practically barked at Caroline, "No wonder you're tired. Did you guys...you know.. I mean." and made a weird face.
Caroline mumbled,"Now that s a sight I thought I'd never behold Katerina Petrova inarticulate. And no get your head out of your rear end. I don't think I'd date a guy who uses "youngling" and "chucklesome" in his speech, who even says stuff like that these days." got up and scurried towards the washroom leaving the door open started rinsing her face with Katherine now standing near the bathroom door.
"Are you saying Elijah is not dateable? I'll have you know he's completely dateable like if there was a Forbes magazine most dateable of all times he would totally be in top five." Katherine exclaimed automatically defending Elijah.
"What? oooooohhhh Kat's got a crush, it s so adorable almost as adorable as an aligator in love." coming out of the washroom Caroline snarked.
Katherine bit her inner cheek and haughtily answered ,"Mega rude.I don't have a crush. I don't succumb to male charm. They fall for me and I just flick them off like gnats."
"Ok miss gnat flicker. Now can I go to sleep?"
"Oh pish posh who sleeps at 10 pm? And I said the whole tale."
"Aaaaagggghhhh."
"Don't make sex noises, they're making me uncomfortable."
Caroline smacked Katherine on her arm and Kat made an agonizing sound," Aaaahhhh ."
"Who's the porn star now?" Carline joked.
"Don't change the subject. The whole story, you and Elijah, right here right now."
"You know the other night he offered me a place at the Academy and I very politely declined but as it turns out dear old Elijah Mikealson can't take no for an answer." to which Kat mumbled ,"Tell me about it."
"What?"
"Nothing, you continue."
"So he shows up at the cafe this morning when you were at the academy I guess, we had another detailed conversation but I was far from convinced, just when I was about to voice my rejection again he suggests that I should give him a chance and he'll give me a tour of the Academy so I can "cognize" what I'm throwing away without completely thinking it through." Caroline said the word cognize in her best Elijah impression and proceeded," Trying to get off the hook I say yes and he ends the convo by saying ,"We'll make it a date." That's it, he didn't rip off my clothes and we did not indulge in a bout of sexy times like you're picturing in your head a moment ago. Got it."
Katherine let out a sigh of relief," Oh thank god. You know what you really know me well. I had this full fledge vid running in my brain where you two were humping like a couple of rabbits."
"Eww, I so did not want to star in that video. You can put your odious thoughts to rest nothing is going on between me and Elijah."
"So what's your stance on the dance front?"
"I asked him for a week ."
" You know you should totally join. Then we'll have plenty fun I mean we'll hang out together and I'm great company. You at least have to say yes because of this you're gonna have the pleasure of Katherine The Great's company."
Caroline chuckled," Now its's definitely worth considering ."moved to bed and lied down on it with Kat sitting near her. Katherine then professed, "And in the event you do decide to date Elijah I'll help you through that gruelling experience."Both cackled at that and Kat wishing her a good night with sexy and sweaty dreams left.
At the mention of sexy dreams Caroline's thoughts drifted to a certain uber sexy greek god with his cobalt blue eyes, exotic looking necklaces, blonde curly hair and a devils smirk. As if to rid herself of his thoughts she put the sheet over head and clenched her eyes.
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To say that Klaus Mikealson was feeling churlish would be the understatement of the century, he was presently irate, seething with anger no, no, more like vexed. The scene in the kitchen had left him feeling so.
He had left his pesky little siblings at the Cafe soon after Elijah and Caroline left and had stormed out of there. Trying to alleviate all these unwanted emotions he had driven his car for hours. Now he was back at his apartment. Thankfully he lived alone, he hated having to answer to anybody.
He was aware the only way to release all this pent up frustration was by his painting. But tonight he did not want to draw because he had a pretty good idea what would appear on his canvas. He was not going to paint a certain golden haired fetching waitress with azure eyes. Eyes that were hiding harsh realities and a heart-rending past. Oh she had a certain glow, a glimmer, a... light about her that was sucking him right in but there was something sad about those cerulean blues.
Opening the door of the spare bedroom, where he usually painted , with exasperation evident in his movements he picked up an empty canvas and hurled it on the wall. He did not want to put those ravishing looks on canvas but it was like he had a case of an uncontrollable itch, a defiant urge a compulsion to do so.
As if in a trance he picked up another canvas put it on its stand and began drawing, it was no surprise to see the face that was coming to life on paper under his nimble fingers. He kept illustrating, unshackling himself of his choler.
Once done he was feeling triumphant but that soon turned to mournful. She was his brother s girlfriend, he was aware of an artist s privelege, but he wanted to do more than just draw her. He was Effing attracted to her. Usually he had no qualms about seducing girls his brothers fancied but Caroline was not one of those girls you could just toy with and leave, he had a feeling that she was one those who asked for nothing but made you want to lay down the world at their feet. Those who had the power to destroy you with one just look and he did not need that, he was already disfigured both heart and soul.
Hence he will maintain his distance from the flaxen haired goddess, staring at the facsimile he created on the canvas Klaus thought, covered the canvas with another sheet, left and did not look back.
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