A/N: Well, this is Part 3. It's been a long-time coming.
Be warned, there is some adult content in this part.
I hope this was worth the wait. Please let me know your thoughts!
With the champagne in hand, he took the elevator up the several stories to the top floor of the hotel, making his way to the suite Caroline had obviously already acquainted herself with judging by the picture she had sent to Bonnie.
He hoped that boded well for what remained of the evening; the ring box still burning a hole in inside pocket of his jacket.
If Enzo hadn't intentionally interrupted them earlier, the proposal would have already happened, they would be engaged, and he and Caroline would have been engaged in another activity altogether by now, he suspected.
Rebekah had claimed the suspense was killing her; well, the suspense was killing him more. He was eager to rid himself of the fear of the unknown. While he felt confident that Caroline would say yes, there was a small part of him that worried she might say no. That would be karma for all the times he had claimed that he didn't do serious and proselytized that love was ephemeral and marriage was for insecure fools.
Then a twist of fate brought him back to Caroline Forbes and the rest was history.
Now here he was, engagement ring in his pocket, ironically finding his way to a hotel suite to meet her, as he had led Caroline to do all those years ago after their chance encounter at the Mystic Grill.
His third attempt in forty-eight hours was a charm, he thought to himself as dug out his key card to enter the room.
The door clicked and he turned the handle, sucking in an anxious breath as he opened the door.
As he entered, he saw no sign of Caroline, as the door opened into a darkened corridor lit only by the light from the bathroom to his left through the walk-through wardrobe leading to the bathroom, but he could smell the sweetness of her perfume.
He noticed that Caroline had moved their luggage to the wardrobe and he noticed a few of her bathroom items already neatly organized on the bathroom counter. He smirked to himself as that was classic Caroline, regardless of where they were.
Straight ahead was the bedroom and main living space. He could hear the faint sound of music playing, but he couldn't decipher it, likely music Caroline had playing from her phone.
He stepped out of his shoes carefully, ensuring that he did not lose hold of the champagne and glasses, and slid them with his foot towards the black leather boots Caroline had worn.
Giving himself another brief pep talk, he swallowed nervously, and moved down the marble-tiled hall towards the main room.
Although he had already been up to the suite briefly early to catch a quick nap, in the excitement of his last-minute arrival, he had not taken much time to observe the suite itself. The room was a corner suite, two walls boasting oversized multi-paned windows, two of which doubled as terrace doors opening to a small private terrace. The cream-coloured walls and ceiling were accented with crown-moulding lined with gold, giving the impression of ornate woodwork from centuries ago. The carpet and drapery were a faint, but fitting, French blue. The king-sized bed faced the terrace doors and the bedding was pure white with a gold bed skirt and dark-wood framed headboard upholstered in gold patterned material. The room was lit with dimmed pot lights and an antique chandelier.
Leaving aside the luxury of the room, the central focus for him was the spectacular side profile of Caroline perched atop the expansive wooden desk in front of one of the large windows, with her legs supported by the seat of the chair, admiring the view of sparkling city lights in the Seine and the glowing Eiffel Tower. This had no doubt been where she had taken the picture she had sent to Bonnie. Her shoulder-length hair was now completely loose, wavy from the small bun it had been previously twisted into and her black suit jacket and red coat had been draped over the back of the chair. Most notably, however, was that her pants had also been discarded and her white blouse was now completely unbuttoned, revealing her chain necklace and both the lace of her black bra and boy shorts.
He licked his lips as his felt his pants grow a little tighter at the sight.
"Hi," he greeted her sheepishly as she noticed him appear in the room. "Surprised?" he asked her.
"Pleasantly," Caroline nodded with a smile. "It's stunning," Caroline said adoringly, turning to continue her observation of the city lights.
"Not as stunning as you," he said, as he set the champagne glasses down on the side table and began to open the bottle of champagne carefully.
He was distracted by Caroline's blushing grin and eyeroll, becoming too eager with the cork, a pop from the bottle startling them both. As champagne rose to the opening of the bottle, he recovered quickly, avoiding any spills as he tipped a champagne glass towards the bottle top, filling up the first for Caroline before giving himself a similar generous pour in the second glass.
"Twenty years," he noted to her, thumbing the date on the bottle label as he placed it on the side table.
With the champagne glasses in hand, he approached Caroline, giving her the first glass.
He watched as Caroline lifted her glass. "To the next twenty years?" she asked tentatively, tipping her glass towards him.
"To the next twenty," he replied sincerely, clinking his glass against hers carefully.
They both took long sips of champagne, their eyes trained on each other.
He took another long sip in quick succession, wanting to maintain the assistance of the liquid courage as he made a mental note of the ring box still in his pocket. Caroline raised her eyebrow at him as he finished his glass, but did not press him further, presumably assuming he was enjoying the champagne.
Clearing his throat as he placed his glass on the desk, he pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and tentative, testing out the waters to ensure he had made it back into her good graces. He brushed his thumb over her lips as they broke the kiss.
"So, love, did I acquit myself?" he repeated his question from earlier, now running the palms of his hands over the tops of her legs.
"Well, that depends," she teased, her hand toying with his necklace while her eyes focused on his lips before glancing up at him.
He raised an eyebrow curiously. "On…?"
"Whether you charged this room to your credit card or mine," she snickered, taking the break in their kiss as an opportunity to finish her glass of champagne before setting her empty glass down beside his.
"Business expense," he shrugged innocently with a laugh.
Caroline let out a laugh alongside him.
"I think if you're audited, the IRS will deem the purpose of a corner hotel suite in Paris on Valentine's Day to be very much for pleasure over business," she mused, flirtatiously, splaying her hand over his chest while the other shifted her body to the end of the desk away from the chair so that her legs were hanging off the edge of the desk, parted, in front of him.
He shrugged innocently while her legs curled around his, mimicking her index finger curling around his necklace, both encouraging him closer towards her.
"Your pleasure is my business, love," he quipped, garnering an intrigued laugh from Caroline.
Caroline's eyes fixed on the details of his necklace before looking up at him challengingly. "Then perhaps we should get down to it then?" she grinned suggestively, crossing her one ankle over the other behind him, keeping him firmly in place between her legs, bringing their bodies closer together, her centre flush against him.
She pressed her lips against his eagerly, stealing another hungry kiss from him, taking him by surprise.
He hesitated and broke the kiss. Although he was thoroughly enjoying their flirtatious banter filled with little sexual innuendos, the weight of the ring box in his pocket was growing heavier. His focus would be elsewhere so long as his nerves deferred the most important order of business he had put on the agenda for the evening, unbeknownst to Caroline.
"But…" Caroline hesitated, her legs unlocking from around him and falling to each side, sensing there was something more serious on his mind. She knew him much too well for him to be able put this past her.
"But…this is it Caroline," he started. "There is no going back from this," he continued, looking away from her apprehensively as he echoed the words that they had spoken to one another after he had missed his flight back to New York from Mystic Falls all those years ago. His sweaty palm curled around the ring box in his pocket.
"Klaus…" Caroline looked at him nervously, waiting for him to finish.
"I want more than just tonight, more than just the next twenty years," he said to her, looking at her intently, tucking her hair behind her ear, as he leaned in, his breath faintly caressing her skin. "When I have you tonight, I want to have you knowing you'll be my wife," he said determinedly.
He did not give her an opportunity to respond before he removed the ring box from his pocket and lowered himself on one knee in front of her.
From previous discussions with Bonnie over the years, he knew that Caroline would accept nothing less than a traditional proposal, even if Caroline was currently in a state of undress in their hotel suite. Of course, this had not been in accordance with his original plan, but he couldn't wait any longer.
He steadied himself on the floor surface with his one knee and opened the box, revealing to Caroline the marquis diamond engagement ring he had designed especially for her with input from both Grayson and Elise.
"Nik…" Caroline said another variation of his name in disbelief with one hand on her cheek as she slid off the desk, now standing in front of him. She briefly glanced around the room self-consciously before returning her focus to him and the ring that he had presented her with.
"It's been twenty years since that night at the Mystic Grill, and although we haven't technically been together for twenty years yet, you know that I'm not necessarily one for following the rules, and I believe I have a promise from you to collect on," he said, hinting at Caroline's past promise to marry him if they were still together after twenty years.
She had tears in her eyes and he wasn't sure yet if that was a good or bad thing.
"I want forever with you Caroline Forbes. Marry me," he requested of her, looking down at the ring he was offering to her to reaffirm his intentions and his affections, wanting to avoid her reaction, a small part of him self-conscious that she might refuse his proposal.
He felt her reach for his hand and that eased the anxiety in his chest, giving him the courage to look back up at her.
"I can't promise that I won't ever make a mess of the kitchen again," he admitted, causing Caroline to laugh through her tears, now apparent on her cheeks. "But I can promise you that I will spend the next twenty years and the next twenty years after that always by your side, supporting you always, always trying to be the husband you deserve to have."
Her continued smile despite her tears seemed favourable, but he could not be sure until she said yes to his proposal and accepted the ring.
"You don't have to try," she spoke, causing him to second-guess the direction of his proposal. "You are already the husband that I deserve," she reassured him. "Yes, I will be your wife. Klaus," she continued, finally giving him the relief and the satisfaction in the answer he felt like he had been on one knee waiting hours for.
Eager to discourage her from taking back her words, he removed the golden ring from the box, glittering with diamonds, and carefully slid it onto her left ring finger before placing the empty box back in his pocket.
She helped him up with her left hand, bringing him into an embrace and kissing him deeply. He returned the kiss, relief washing over him after having Caroline accept his proposal.
They parted the kiss, their foreheads touching as they lingered there taking everything in, her hand still holding his between their chests as they both rose and fell from the adrenaline of the moment.
He noticed Caroline glancing down admiringly at the ring which thankfully fit her like a glove, sparkling in the dim light of the room.
"This ring," she started, "it's beautiful…but it's too much," she hesitated.
"You deserve something beautiful," he reassured her.
She faltered at her attempt to hide her excitement over the ring as another smile tugged at her lips.
"I don't want to know how much this cost, but it better have gone on your credit card because I know this definitely does not count as a business expense," she mused.
He laughed and shook his head. "You don't want to know," he agreed, trying not to dwell on the sizable payment he had remitted to the jeweler. "But, tonight alone made it worth every penny," he reassured.
"It's perfect," she agreed, continuing to inspect the ring while her hand lay flat against his chest.
"Grayson and Elise helped me," he said, giving their kids credit for their assistance and investigative skills to verify Caroline's ring size and her stylistic preferences.
If it was even possible, Caroline's smile grew wider, obviously happy that he had involved their children in the plan.
"I'm shocked that they were able to keep it a secret," Caroline said surprised, mainly referring to Elise, who had trouble keeping things to herself.
"There were a few close calls," he confirmed, thinking back to a few occasions where Elise had almost spilled the beans in the course of conversation with the two of them.
A look of realization crossed Caroline's features as she looked away. "The dinner…Elise was at Kol and Bonnie's…you were going to propose over the dinner you made," she concluded, her expression falling as she put the pieces together and concluded that their argument had derailed his first proposal plan. "There goes my Type A personality getting in the way again," she sighed as her cheeks began to redden with guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I was stressed about the show. All I could see was the mess and I completely missed the intent."
He cupped her chin with his forefinger and thumb. "All's well that ends well, love," he reassured her, not wanting to dwell on his failed proposal, but rather wanting to bask in the triumph of his second attempt.
"It did end very well," she mused as he returned his hands to her waist and her eyes returned to meet his after briefly glancing again at the ring he had given her.
"It doesn't have to end just yet," he hinted, his fingertips pressing into the soft skin of her hips.
Her eyebrows raised with an intrigued grin. "We do have some unfinished business to attend to," she acknowledged teasingly, her hands now curling around the edges of his jacket, enticing him closer.
"We do," he agreed, his tongue running over his bottom lip as he took another moment to appraise her seductive appearance.
She looked up at him challengingly, urging him to make the next move.
He grabbed the sides of her thighs roughly, startling her in a welcome way, lifting her up to place her atop the desk once more.
Her legs instinctively wrapped themselves around his hips again while his lips crashed down upon hers, kissing her hungrily, eager to pick up where they had left off just a few minutes ago before his proposal.
Caroline matched his intensity, tugging his jacket off his shoulders forcefully while she returned his kiss.
Taking his hands off her thighs, he twisted his arms behind his back to pull his jacket off the rest of the way, tossing it on the floor while he continued to hold her lips with his.
They broke the kiss, him pulling his shirt over his head while she took the opportunity to slip herself out of the loose white blouse she had been wearing, leaving her only in her bra and underwear.
She met his lips again, her tongue parting his lips further, their tongues meeting.
He strained against the confines of his jeans once more as his excitement rose. Caroline, as if on cue, began unbuckling his belt and undoing his pants.
While she worked at his pants, his lips danced along her neck, sucking and biting the flesh above her collar bone, and his hands wrapped themselves around her back to undo her bra.
With the clasps of her bra undone, he pulled the straps of her bra down, the black lacy article falling down to her forearms, exposing her breasts to him.
She slipped her arms out of the bra, letting it drop to the ground beside his feet.
He caressed her breast with one hand, his lips gently encircling the pink taut nipple of the other, eliciting a pleased sigh from Caroline's lips as her hips bucked against him, her thighs gripping him tighter.
Her fingers weaved through the curls of his hair, holding his mouth against her chest while her other hand dipped in between them feeling the full extent of his excitement for her.
His groan of appreciation at the sensation of her warm hand wrapped around his length vibrated against the curve of her breast.
"Bed," he suggested eagerly against her skin.
"No," Caroline said assertively, her hands pulling down his jeans and boxer-briefs, letting them rest above his knees.
His hands dropped away from her more obvious erogenous zones, falling to the sides of her thighs – more neutral territory as he eyed her curiously, waiting for her clarification to proceed, given her mixed signals in the heat of the moment.
Caroline wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, claiming his lips with hers. He buried his hands in the golden waves of her hair, holding her in place, craving the taste of her champagne tongue.
"It's been nearly two weeks," Caroline complained in between their embrace, referring to the last time they had been intimate. "No foreplay. Klaus, I want you, now," she asserted breathily against his lips. "Take me here and don't you dare stop."
His knees nearly buckled out from under him with her debauched demands.
Indeed, it had been over a week since they had last been intimate, and even then, it had been interrupted. Work and family responsibilities had given them little time for one another. Their last opportunity had come during a weeknight the previous week. Elise had plans to go to a friend's house after school and so they decided to take advantage of having the house to themselves, both rearranging their schedule to arrive home early. He had Caroline on the verge of climax with his tongue between her thighs spread for him in their home office and studio when Elise had arrived home early after her friend cancelled their plans due to illness. The interruption, although too late to stave off Caroline's impending release had stifled it entirely to Caroline's frustration. Although on the third-level, he left the room promptly to intercede their daughter at the front door while Caroline took the time that he had bought her to regain her composure and dress herself. They had thought to make a second, quieter attempt in their bedroom that night after Elise went to bed, but whatever illness had afflicted Elise's friend hit Elise shortly after dinner, causing her to be stick to her stomach, and so he had spent the night in Grayson's old bedroom across the hall from Elise's bedroom at her request. The addition of Elise's brief illness on top of their other scheduled commitments had made the last week a write-off.
Combining all of that with their argument before Caroline left for Paris, had left both of them on edge and sexually frustrated. They needed to release the pent-up tension that had been building.
He dug his hands into her thighs once more, pulling her towards him so that she slipped off the desk, now standing on her feet caught between him and the desk.
She had attempted to kiss him again, but before she could, he decided to act on his own lascivious urges. Emboldened by her demand and his desires, he surprised her by grabbing her wrists and spinning her around to have her face the desk, her bare back, outlined with the tattoo he had drew for her all those years ago, exposed to him.
He could hear her hum with anticipation, taking enjoyment from his forceful demeanour.
Trailing his lips up her spine as he nudged her to lean forward over the desk, his hands outlined the curves of her sides, resting on her hips before his fingers curled around the edges of her panties, yanking them down over the delicious curve of her ass to rest around her thighs above her knees.
"Klaus," she pleaded through laboured breaths, encouraging him to continue as her hands spread over the desk surface to support herself.
Her forward position against the desk gave him an enticing view of her rounded ass and her swollen pink lips peeking out at him as his eyes trailed downwards.
He glided the palms of his hands over her backside, over the small of her back and up over her shoulder blades, his mouth following. He tugged her hair to the side with one hand, allowing him to kiss her exposed neck, taking in her feminine scent.
Caroline leaned over a little further, submitting to him, her bare lower-half now flush against his hardness, inviting him to take her as she had wanted him to.
Eager to feel himself sheathed inside of her, he delayed his gratification no further, holding her in place by her hip while his other hand guided the tip of himself against her opening.
Caroline tried to force her hips backwards, desperate and aching to have him inside of her, but he taunted her by holding her hip in place.
"Please," she whispered lowly.
He acquiesced to her request, succumbing to his own desires as well, pulling her hips towards his, entering her delicious wet heat swiftly. It was impossible to deny himself this indulgence any longer. It had been long enough.
The gasp that escaped both of their mouths sang sweet relief as he filled her and began rocking his hips.
One of his arms curled around her waist, the pads of his index and middle fingers dipping themselves into Caroline's folds from the front, feeling how wet she truly was for him before initiating a counterclockwise circular motion over the soft bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs, nearly causing Caroline to collapse over the desk.
His free hand took full advantage of her vulnerable state to cup her swollen breasts and lightly pinch her perfectly pink nipples, Caroline sighing gratefully as he did.
He cursed quietly under his breath, clenching his eyes shut, overwhelmed by the feeling, even after all this time. He bit his lip, forcing himself to open eyes to subtly distract himself so as not to be consumed too soon.
From over Caroline's shoulder, he could see out of the hotel room window, thankful that they were several stories up and the lower height of the surrounding buildings meant they had some semblance of privacy by the window, although he suspected they could likely still be noticed by anyone intentionally glancing up at their particular window. Evidently, this didn't bother Caroline, as she always did have a small exhibitionist streak in her. This is not something they would be able to get away with in the bedroom of their New York Townhouse, clearly visible to their neighbours across the street.
As their view was unencumbered by any of the neighbouring buildings here, they overlooked some of the most breathtaking sights of the city lit up against the night sky, though it was presently difficult to see anything but a blur of lights in the darkness as his breath was currently taken by Caroline's body underneath him.
"Harder," she begged through her teeth, her request alone nearly enough to send him over the edge.
Although he didn't mind tortuous and slow, when Caroline had a flavour for hard and rough, he would be lying if he said it didn't ignite something more primal in him, all too willing to give it to her how she wanted it.
Dropping his hand from her breast, he pressed his fingertips deep into the skin of her hips to steady himself, undeterred by the prospect of any marks he may leave behind. He knew Caroline would wear them as a badge of honour for the next few days and only he would see them.
He thrust himself harder inside of her as she had requested, his other hand, by contrast, still gently teasing the tender bud of flesh between her legs.
At this point, the desk was shaking slightly and so were the empty champagne glasses on top.
"Yes!" she cried, her knuckles turning white from griping the far edge of the desk in front of them, struggling to hold herself up as he moved more vigorously against her, the sounds of their bodies and their heavy breaths lending sound effects to the music that was still playing dimly in the background.
Leaning over her, he continued to cover her upper back and neck with his lips, a distraction for him to stave off succumbing to his pleasure too soon while he worked Caroline towards her building release.
It was then that the champagne glasses rattled onto the floor, causing them both to be briefly startled by the sound of the glasses falling, but surprisingly not shattering, thanks to the plush carpet breaking the fall.
"I'm so close, Klaus, don't stop," she warned with a pant as she always did, urging him to continue, bringing him back to their moment, seemingly worried that he would be so cruel as to inflict such a supreme torture on her by withdrawing his stimulation when she was on the verge of pure bliss.
To be fair, given that the last time she had been in such a state they had been interrupted unexpectedly by their daughter, he supposed Caroline's anxiety this time was warranted. Thankfully, both of their children were an ocean away and so there would be no sudden interruptions from them tonight.
"Come for me, love," he instructed her, knowing she loved to hear his lustful encouragement in the thick of the moment. "I want to feel you unravel around me," he demanded in a harsh whisper against the back of her ear.
"Mmmhmm, yes," she whined, her eyes clenched shut, focused on her release.
It was becoming a kind of supreme torture for him each time his hips hit against her, pumping inside of her at just the right angle, his own body desperately wanting to lose control while his mind was fighting to hold on a little longer.
She cried out, his name and expletives leaving her lips incoherently as her body trembled and her silk-like walls constricted around him like a vise-grip, his cock coated in a sheen of her release.
He chased the same release as her, relieved that he had now brought her to hers. His movements became more inconsistent as he allowed himself to be consumed by his own pleasure, spurred on by Caroline's sweet moans of pleasure, toppling over the edge he had restrained himself from for Caroline's sake. His hand was leaving an impression on her skin and his other arm wrapped securely around her front, holding her firmly in place. He hissed and muttered his own jumbled expletives as he filled her with evidence of his satisfaction, the delightful vibrations of ecstasy rippling from his core throughout his body.
As he rode out his own high, Caroline was mewing contentedly beneath him, her sighs of appreciation causing him to spasm subtly while still inside of her.
Caroline's hands recoiled from the far edge of the desk in front of her, flattening out over the surface, pushing herself up slightly as she allowed herself to relax further. His body curved around hers for support as he tried to regain his bearings, his face buried against her back, his ragged breathing hot against her skin.
Steadying himself, he loosened his hold on her. Once recovered, he steadied his breathing, standing upright behind her as Caroline followed suit. He pulled the band of Caroline's panties up her thighs, putting them back in place for her, knowing Caroline appreciated him more when he put things back the way he found them, before adjusting his own pants and boxer-briefs that had been strained around his thighs.
She turned around to face him, draping her arms over his shoulders and her hands behind his neck, weaving through his hair. He took a brief moment to admire the sight of her – her bare torso adorned only by her necklace, mussed hair, lazy smile playing on her lips, with a sated look in her eye.
Her lips captured his softly, slowly deepening the kiss, her tongue sliding against his while his hands roamed over her bare frame before tangling themselves in her hair, holding her still reciprocating the movements of her mouth against his.
"That was amazing," she purred contentedly when they broke the kiss.
He smirked, kissing her once more before replying teasingly, "You're welcome."
She lightly hit her hand against his chest as she mimicked his kiss, before scowling, "Don't get too cocky, Mikaelson," she cautioned him, referring to him by his last name, again echoing how Enzo preferred to refer to him, as though she was mimicking Enzo again to get a rise out of him on purpose.
She stole another kiss from his lips, nipping at his lower lip playfully.
"I won't be able to help it, sweetheart, if you keep kissing me like this wearing next to nothing," he complained half-heartedly with a laugh, continuing to welcome the taste of her lips against his.
It was true. While they had both only just finished minutes ago, he could feel his cock stirring between his legs as they continued to tease on another with their mouths.
When they broke the kiss, he noticed Caroline glance down at him, confirming his warning. Appearing to have an idea cross her mind, her eyes lit up.
"I know it's after one in the morning and I'm exhausted and you're probably jet-lagged, but considering we are child-free in Paris in an expensive hotel room, why don't we make the most of it by checking out the massive walk-in shower in the bathroom and we can see who will be thanking who?" Caroline proposed seductively, her eyebrows raised in anticipation of his answer.
He grinned, as though he had accomplished a secret mission, knowing that his reverse psychology on Caroline had worked. His earlier smug response, taking primary credit for their lovemaking, was perceived by Caroline as a challenge. Caroline was not one to be outdone – she was very competitive.
He nodded his head towards the side towards the wall separating the bedroom part of the hotel suite from the bathroom. Although it was late, and he could feel the exhaustion creeping up on him, but he was more of a night owl than Caroline was and it was impossible to refuse her.
"Lead the way, love," he prompted her.
Caroline smiled excitedly by his enthusiasm and the prospect of their next adventure. She grabbed his hand and was about to pull him towards the bathroom, but was stopped in her tracks by the loud ringtone of her phone.
He shut his eyes, cringing at the interruption as Caroline sighed dramatically. She turned to look down at the phone on the desk which had been playing music this entire time – his focus so entirely on Caroline that he had barely noticed – now paused by the unique tone letting them know that one of their children were calling.
As he opened his eyes and glanced down at the phone with Caroline, the high school graduation photo of their son Grayson illuminated Caroline's phone screen as an incoming call, confirming what he had suspected.
"Ignore it," he urged her, kissing her neck, as he pulled her into him with one hand while simultaneously trying to swipe Caroline's phone to ignore the call. "If it's an emergency, he'll call back."
"Yeah," Caroline agreed distantly, now distracted by the call as it went to voicemail.
He tried to turn her attention back towards the moment by continuing to kiss her neck, his hands running along her upper thighs, but when her phone began ringing once more with the same ringtone, she instinctively turned, breaking away from him, reaching the phone immediately and swiping the screen to answer the call.
Caroline couldn't be faulted for answering the phone right away on the second call on the off chance that there was a true emergency, particularly as Grayson was with Elise. He had also told their children before he left that they could call them anytime, he reminded himself guiltily. The rational part of him who was thinking with his brain knew all of this, but the other part of him, motivated by lust, cursed the interruption. Have children they said…he thought to himself. It had to be Elijah taunting him in the after-life by having his son - their son - call at such an inopportune moment.
"Grayson?" Caroline answered, holding the phone to her ear, concern underlying the tone in her voice.
"Mom, I'm calling you on messenger," he was close enough to hear Grayson say.
His eyes widened, but it was too late for him to warn Caroline as she held out the phone in front of her face. Although Caroline had realized that the call through messenger meant an instant video chat with Grayson, in the moment, she had neglected to turn her mind to their state of undress, too focused on what the reason for Grayson's call may be.
He was slightly out of the camera's view, to his relief, and although thankfully Caroline had been holding the phone closer to her face and not any lower, the horrified look on Grayson's face told him that he knew his mother was not wearing a shirt.
"Well, that was clearly a mistake," Grayson chastised himself. "I'm hanging up now and you and dad can get back to…oh god, I'm not even going to finish that sentence," he cringed.
"Wait! Honey, I'll put a shirt on, talk to your father for a minute," Caroline said frantically, her cheeks red with embarrassment as she tossed the phone to him hurriedly like it was a hot potato.
He glared at her quickly in protest, but by then the phone was in his hand and he was fumbling with it nervously, as though he was some school boy caught by a teacher behind the bleachers with a cheerleader.
With the phone in hand, and at face level, he turned away from Caroline to give her privacy as she fished through the clothing on the floor for something to wear.
"Is everything alright?" he asked Grayson with mild irritation, picking up where the conversation with Caroline was headed, completely choosing to disregard the awkward moment, thankful it did not appear that Elise was in view.
Grayson's eyes were still closed on camera. "It was," he said with a humiliated laugh.
"You can open your eyes, mate, I have the phone now. Your mother is just changing," he explained, cringing to himself again as Grayson mirrored his reaction, probably not wanting the additional details.
"Just stop talking!" Grayson winced in protest.
He rolled his eyes. "Oh stop being dramatic," he mused. "This was nothing compared to the time I came home early one afternoon and caught you skipping high school class with…"
Grayson glared at him warningly as his words caught Caroline's curious attention as she was picking up his shirt off the floor to put it on – one of those moments of teenage indiscretion that he had used his discretion to keep between him and Grayson. He knew that could come back to bite him now that Caroline was in the loop, but it was so long ago that he hoped Caroline would let it go now.
When he knew that Grayson knew what he was referring to, he smirked. "I'd say that we're even, hmm?" His words having dual meaning as he eyed Caroline intentionally, alluding to Grayson's relationship with Lily Salvatore, among other things he was certain Caroline kept in confidence with their children – whether she was trying to spare him the stress or spare their children his reaction.
Grayson scowled, shrugging him off, knowing that Caroline would likely be giving him the third-degree when she got home about something that happened a few years ago already.
"So, I take it that tonight went well?" Grayson asked, purposely changing the subject, hinting at the proposal, but not wanting to spoil it in case he hadn't asked her yet.
"Did mom say yes?" he could hear Elise ask Grayson faintly in the background, out of earshot of Caroline, appearing partially in view of the camera as she fought to grab the phone from Grayson's hand. "I want to talk!" she shouted as Grayson tried to shush her.
Caroline, now dressed in his shirt, was waiting impatiently behind the phone to talk, wanting to give them the news – not privy to the chaos that was ensuing on the screen as Grayson's phone appeared to change hands.
In the commotion, to his surprise, his sister Rebekah had swiped Grayson's phone and appeared on screen, Bonnie leaning in against her so they were both in view of the camera with Grayson. In the background, in addition to Elise, he caught glimpses of Kol and Marcel. He had not anticipated his siblings and in-laws to be with their niece and nephew based upon their earlier conversations.
"Well, Niklaus?" Rebekah prodded him impatiently for confirmation, coming in view again on the screen with Bonnie, everyone waiting expectantly for an answer.
Caroline gave him a confused look at hearing Rebekah's voice and held out her hand for the phone so she could talk.
"How did tonight go?" Bonnie asked him, mirroring Rebekah's vague questioning to fish for an update about the proposal.
Realizing that Bonnie was also there with their children, Caroline nearly pushed him aside as she snatched her phone back from him, coming into view of the camera again, curious to investigate the presence of all of the familiar voices and eager to reveal the news they had been calling about.
"Yes!" she interrupted excitedly, holding up her left hand in view of the camera. "I said yes!" she beamed.
The group on the screen erupted into loud cheers.
"Congratulations!" Elise shouted alongside Grayson who was smiling with her.
"Let's see the ring!" Bonnie and Rebekah demanded in unison so that Caroline would hold her left hand still.
This prompted Caroline to hold her left hand up closer to her phone camera to flash the engagement ring he had put on her finger causing both his sister and sister-in-law to gasp.
"Care, that's gorgeous," Bonnie commented. "Klaus did a good job," she added, nodding towards him knowingly.
Although Grayson and Elise had given their input, he had also consulted with Bonnie, her oldest friend, not only about the proposal itself, but to confirm what colour of band and diamond cuts Caroline preferred.
"It's beautiful, Caroline," Rebekah affirmed before looking over her shoulder at Marcel behind her. "I think I need an upgrade Marcellus," Rebekah observed.
Marcel shook his head. "Hand over the Tiffany bracelet I just bought you for Valentine's Day and we'll chat," he teased her, much to her chagrin.
He and Caroline snickered. It was beyond him how Rebekah and Marcel had made it this far in their relationship with all of their bickering. Earlier in their relationship, once he had come to terms with his younger sister dating his friend, who was a few years his senior, Marcel had provided him with too much information, explaining their arguing was like foreplay.
"Judging by your appearances, it sounds like she said yes more than once tonight, eh mate?" Kol said in behind the girls with a devious smile, erupting into laughter.
Both he and Caroline scowled at Kol as Bonnie turned to try and hit him in his side. His children started to make gagging sounds in response to Kol's remark. While it concerned him that his pre-teen daughter understood the innuendo of her uncle, at this point, this was eclipsed by his continued confusion at the sight of not only his children, but his siblings and in-laws in view of the camera.
"Kol!" Caroline complained.
"What are you doing there besides being an annoying bad influence?" he asked Kol.
Before Kol could chime in with another smart remark, the camera focused in on Bonnie. "We just thought we would stop by on our way home from dinner and check in on Grayson and Elise and see if they had heard any news from you since you went radio silent on the group chat. Marcel and Rebekah had the same idea apparently and were already here," Bonnie said, explaining why the four of them were present in addition to Grayson and Elise.
"Thanks for checking in," Caroline said appreciatively to Bonnie.
"Well, we'll let you two lovebirds get back to it," Kol said over Bonnie's shoulder with a discreet wink. "We need to get back home and make sure that Henry hasn't driven Ben and Abby nuts yet," Kol added, referring to their three children, Henry being the youngest, Ben and Abby being older and closer in age – Abby and Elise having been born in the same year.
Henry definitely took after Kol, and the relationship Henry had with his older siblings, reminded him of the relationship Kol had with him and Elijah. Kol had terrorized them when they were kids.
"We also have to run; we only have Jade for a few more hours to watch Freya," Marcel said in the background, referring to his older daughter who had apparently volunteered to watch their younger half-sibling for the evening on account of Valentine's Day. "We have to make the most of it," he said with a suggestive glance to Rebekah.
His siblings and in-laws congratulated them and wished them well, Bonnie and Rebekah chiming in about being bridesmaids, Kol and Marcel turning their minds to a bachelor party, before they all disappeared from view of the camera with waives goodbye.
This now left them with just Grayson and Elise as he had originally anticipated when Caroline got the phone call from Grayson.
"So, what do you guys think?" Caroline asked with restrained excitement, waiting for their answer, although knowing they had helped him with the proposal, she wanted confirmation that they were as happy about the news as she was.
"We're happy for you, mom and dad," Grayson affirmed, evidently having recovered from the earlier traumatic incident, Elise shaking her head affirmatively in agreement beside Grayson.
Both Grayson and Elise had harassed them over the years to marry, although Grayson had been a little more persistent about it than Elise. He suspected that had something to do with Elijah and Elena and how they had shared with Grayson their wedding photos and video when he was younger.
"Thank you, sweetie," Caroline said softly, still referring to Grayson using a juvenile pet name despite Grayson's many protests over the years, her voice cracking slightly as she appeared to become emotional speaking to Grayson.
He nodded to Grayson appreciatively, exchanging a knowing glance, he and Grayson more reserved with their emotions, but both having a mutual understanding of one another, much like he had with Elijah.
It was times like these when the absence of Elijah and Elena was most felt. He wondered what their reaction would be to news of their engagement wherever they were now. He suspected that they both would be complaining about how long it had taken them, but ultimately, he hoped that they would be proud of them, not just about their engagement, but everything leading up to it. He and Caroline had somehow raised their son to adulthood and gotten him to college. It still surprised him sometimes, though he knew it was likely in large part thanks to Caroline, as he doubted it was something he would have been able to do alone. It was particularly important to him that Elijah was proud of him. He had filled the shoes for Grayson that Elijah filled for him in Mikael's absence. Elijah's approval had always been important to him.
His mind then wandered to what this moment would have been like if Elijah and Elena were still here with them. He would have had the benefit of Elijah's sage advice and Elena would have undoubtedly given him tips for the proposal and engagement ring, like Bonnie had done. Elijah would have been contented to see that he had settled down and committed himself to someone, his wife's best friend no less, and he was sure Elena would be pumping Caroline up about the wedding planning. Deep down, however, he knew that none of the last twenty years, including tonight, would have happened if it were not for the tragedy that happened to Elijah and Elena; he and Caroline would not have Grayson, they would not have Elise, and they would no have one another. It was that thought he had struggled with over the years. He couldn't have this happiness without the pain of losing them.
"I told you she was going to say yes, dad," Elise said, snapping him out of his thoughts of Elijah and Elena.
"You did," he acknowledged, thankful for his daughter's encouragement. She was very much like her mother in that regard – always so positive.
"I heard that you and Grayson helped your father with it?" Caroline confirmed curiously.
Elise nodded readily. "Mostly me," she claimed, eager to take the credit from Grayson. "Do you love it?"
"Of course!" Caroline exclaimed, reassuring their daughter she had done a great job.
"Did you cry?" Elise asked her.
"Of course!" Caroline repeated her previous answer with a laugh, their daughter knowing her all too well. Not only was Caroline wonderfully optimistic in life, but she was also very sentimental.
"Were you surprised?" Elise asked Caroline, continuing her intrigued interrogation over the events of the proposal.
"Very surprised," Caroline acknowledged, smiling at him, before looking back at the phone to Elise and Grayson. "I was also surprised you and your brother were able to keep this secret!" she exclaimed.
Grayson nodded. "Elise almost let it slip a few times," he noted, throwing his younger sister under the bus.
Elise glared at him, shoving his shoulder. "No, I didn't!" she protested.
Grayson glared back at Elise and nodded, likely still irritated about the way Elise had spilled the beans to him about his budding romance with Lily Salvatore over dinner the night previous.
"You let Lily slip yesterday at dinner," he pointed out to Grayson and Elise.
Rolling her eyes, Elise shook her head at Grayson.
"Try to get along you two," he said sarcastically to their children over the phone.
"You still have a few days together," Caroline reminded them. "Elise, I expect you to be on your best behaviour for Grayson and listen to what he says. I'm not above withholding your phone for another week once I'm back," she added warningly to Elise.
Grayson shot Elise a smug look and Elise huffed in defeat.
A guilty expression crossed Elise's features as she made direct eye contact with him. Caroline likely thought her reaction was attributable to the prospect of having her phone withheld for another week, when he had known that she had responded that way because he had promised her that she could have her phone back tomorrow.
Elise did not respond to Caroline immediately, so Caroline emphasized her point with a glare.
"Okay!" Elise groaned, obviously not happy about having to defer to her older brother.
Before anything further could be said, he and Caroline heard the doorbell ring through the phone, startling both Elise and Grayson.
"If it's your uncle Kol back to taunt us some more, please don't let him in," he warned jokingly.
"The pizza is finally here! I'm starved," Elise complained, disappearing from the camera view as Grayson began walking with his phone towards the front door.
"We ordered pizza," Grayson confirmed.
"On my card, I assume," he mused.
Grayson gave them an innocent shrug, "We gotta go," he announced, obviously in the foyer getting ready to answer the door with Elise partially in view beside him. "Congratulations again," he said quickly, Elise announcing her goodbyes in the background.
"Love you two, we will talk tomorrow," Caroline said enthusiastically, although Grayson cut the call short on her mid-sentence.
With the call ended prematurely, Caroline frowned slightly with a huff, staring at the screen on her phone, causing him to chuckle. "Pizza is more important than our news, sweetheart," he explained, consoling her amusedly with a hand on her back.
Caroline let out a restrained laugh, sliding her phone onto the desk, conceding that they were in fact second place to delivery pizza.
"Everyone seems happy about the news though," Caroline pointed out with a tentative smile as she turned to face the desk once more, staring out the window view the city lights and sights.
He stepped closer in behind her, his one arm draping over her shoulder while the other wrapped around her waist, now covered by his shirt.
"Well, they have been waiting a long time," he pointed out with a laugh.
Caroline laughed alongside him guiltily. "I know that was a subtle dig at me," she conceded. "I know. I deserve it. I really did make you work for it. I'm sorry," she acknowledged apologetically, echoing Kol's earlier comment to him, referring to her reluctance to make their commitment official. "You asked earlier if I had any regrets and I said that I didn't, but I think I regret not getting out of my own way sooner for this moment. I let my insecurities and fears get the better of me," she admitted. "That's not your fault."
He took a moment to take in Caroline's words, validating what he had always known deep down to be true but the self-conscious part of him had difficulty believing – Caroline's reluctance had always been more about her own internal battles not as a result of any lack of faith in him. He knew it wasn't easy for the stubborn and headstrong Caroline Forbes to acknowledge her own weaknesses. They were very much alike in that regard and he had come to know better over the years not to gloat about it.
He kissed the crock of her neck apologetically. In truth, his own insecurities had gotten in the way as well.
"I should have worked up the courage sooner to give you a proper proposal instead of my previous half-hearted attempts," he admitted, although there was underlying sincerity, his past efforts were in fact not genuine proposals, but they were more akin to casual suggestions, broaching the edges of the topic to gauge Caroline's reaction. "I doubt they inspired much confidence," he concluded.
Caroline shook her head, laughing as they recalled one incident in particular. Marcel and Rebekah had decided upon a destination wedding to Las Vegas. Naturally, he, Caroline, Bonnie, and Kol had accompanied them, but not before making a pit stop in Mystic Falls – he and Caroline having arranged for Meredith and Stefan to watch Grayson and Elise, and Bonnie and Kol having arranged for Bonnie's mom to watch Ben and Abby. While the group had fully indulged in a childfree extended weekend with all of the nightlife Las Vegas had to offer, Marcel and Rebekah opted for a more romantic off-the-strip wedding ceremony in Red Rock Canyon. That did not stop him from drunkenly and adamantly suggesting to a less intoxicated Caroline one evening while they toured some of the casinos and bars that they get married before Elvis at one of the chapels checkering the north end of the strip. Kol and Marcel had seemed convinced by his idea, Marcel even cheekily suggesting to Rebekah that they change their wedding plans for the weekend so that they could also get married by Elvis in a double ceremony. Of course, Caroline was not impressed by his gesture, vehemently opposed to the idea, preferring something more formal – and sober – for their wedding – a celebration that included their children. Bonnie and Rebekah had sided with Caroline, although he suspected Rebekah backed Caroline up because she didn't want her wedding to Marcel to be overshadowed. When he had sobered up the next day, he was relieved that Elvis had not in fact married them. Although he would be happy with a smaller affair for their nuptials than Caroline had in mind, he couldn't picture them getting married without their children being present to celebrate the occasion.
"If I had been as drunk as you that night, we could very well have wedding photos with Las Vegas Elvis," Caroline mused, a relieved undertone to her voice.
"We still can. We can hop on a flight to Vegas and by-pass New York when we leave Paris?" he suggested jokingly.
Caroline snorted dismissively, still not convinced by the prospect of an elopement to Vegas.
"Honeymoon?" he proposed.
She hesitated still not convinced.
"If you're picking the wedding venue, I'm picking the honeymoon," he proposed, thinking that to be a fair trade-off.
"If it's hot, has a private beach, and in-room massage, I'm in," she listed longingly.
While Paris was beautiful, it was not sunny and hot in the middle of February.
He brought his hands up to rub both of her shoulders anticipatorily. Caroline hummed under her breath in appreciation, relaxing against his chest, still studying the cityscape from the window.
"I'm sure I can find something that checks those boxes," he concluded, his mind running with various destination ideas that might fulfill Caroline's criteria and rival a proposal in Paris.
With his shirt now hanging off her right shoulder from his massage, he kissed her bare skin there. He glided his hands down her arms, palms resting over her hands, her fingers loosely lingering off the front edge of the desk.
With his hands on hers, he took notice of the engagement ring on her left hand, sparkling between his fingers.
Still behind Caroline and so concealed from her view, he allowed a small smile to play across his lips as he reveled in the satisfaction of his success that evening. Grayson and Elise had been right about the impromptu proposal.
He brought her left hand up to his lips, kissing the back of her palm.
"Are you sure you like it?" he wondered, becoming self-conscious about the ring he had given to her.
Caroline nodded, grabbing his hand with hers to bring his arm with hers like a cloak back over her chest for the warmth it provided, the room suddenly feeling cold as they both relaxed. He wrapped his other arm back around her lower waist, bringing her against him closer, kissing her neck as she rested her head in the crock of his.
"I love it," she affirmed readily, reinspiring confidence in him that he had made the right choice about the ring with the help of Grayson and Elise, of course.
"I love you," he replied back swiftly.
Although he was behind her still, he could see from the corner of her mouth that he had made her smirk.
"I love you," she said back sincerely, turning to the side so she was able to kiss the corner of his mouth, coaxing him to face her from the side for a deeper kiss.
He used to cringe at those three words when he was younger, but he now adored hearing them, particularly from Caroline. That was not to dismiss hearing it from his Grayson and Elise – he could never forget the moments when Grayson and Elise first expressed those words of affirmation to him when they were younger – but there would always be something special about Caroline saying those words to him.
A/N: My apologies for making you wait so long for an update. I hope the proposal - even if not how Klaus originally planned - was how you imagined it.
I can't say if I will write another update on this in the future, although I have some ideas brewing. If I don't update again, after 12 years of writing this version of Klaroline, I am satisfied with where I have left this as I feel like I have had it come full circle from Heart-Shaped Glasses.
I also have some other ideas brewing to update some of my other fics, so if you are interested, please make sure you have opted to get updates!
Receiving your comments and thoughts would make my day, so please consider leaving me a review!