#klarosummerbingo

In hindsight he’d been too careless – or too distracted by his sister’s wicked tricks to be precise. The first thing they were taught about venturing into the human world was to always keep themselves near water. Well, not the first thing actually. The first thing was not to venture into human territories in the first place, which ironically he had adhered to out of all his siblings for hundreds of years. But in the haste to find Rebekah he’d forgot about the second rule.

Contrary to certain fabricated lore, merpeople wouldn’t die from a lack of water. Instead, they’d slowly “mummify” from dehydration as Rebekah so elegantly put it. Klaus detested directly borrowing human terms, the creators themselves so susceptible to the corruption of mortality that they felt the need to rejuvenate their language at an ungodly rate. And he detested the feeling of dehydration, every inch of his skin feeling foreign and desperate.

Yet fortune had it that he was already too far from the beach but not close enough to any human residential area. He’d been walking for quite a while and all he saw was the forsaken desert with no river nor pond, not even a store where he could purchase some relief with human currency. Klaus squinted in annoyance as he watched a small group of humans gathering in the middle of nowhere, dancing to strange music generated by an even smaller group in the center. He recognized it as some form of a concert.

Pushing down his distain, he examined the crowd in the corner of which he spotted a scrawny creature crouching beside a box, with a poorly made sign that read: ICE WATER. Praise Poseidon.

Klaus exhaled and strode toward the sign. It would probably be bottled with the disgusting taste of chemicals and plastic, but it would have to do for now. He reached into his pocket and pulled out one piece of their ridiculous paper currency, not bothering to read what was on it. Rebekah had said that they were all high in face value anyway.

He was just about to hand the piece of paper to the merchant when a female voice interrupted from a few steps away, “hey there! You got any water left?” Klaus paid it no mind as he pushed his money-holding hand an inch forward. He couldn’t wait to be rid of the filthy-smelling piece. But he was interrupted yet again by the fast approach of a human body, the air shifting around him not unlike water currents, only lighter, and warmer, with a sweet scent of flowers. Klaus impatiently looked up at the human that almost bumped into him.

She was beautiful.

Merely seconds later Klaus would regret the prolonged stare. But in those few seconds, he let his eyes roam over her lean form, flushed face, and hair the color of gold.

He was pulled out of his trance when the scrawny merchant drawled, “sorry, only one left.” And regret started to set in as the female reached for her purse with a smiley nod. Under any other circumstances Klaus would gladly let her have the water, but not right now when he barely felt he fit in his own shriveled skin.

“Excuse me, I was here first.” The female didn’t seem to hear him, “excuse me –”

“Huh?” Finally, shiny blue eyes skimmed over to him like gentle waves, and Klaus felt his heart swim for a tiny moment. “I’m sorry, did you want something?”

Klaus gulped, gesturing at the box with the bill that he was still holding, “I was just saying that I was here first.” Inside he was silently fuming since he sounded like an absolute idiot.

“Oh,” she blinked a few times in surprise, then blinded him with a big smile, “well you see, I’ve been here all day and I’m really, really thirsty, what with all the singing and dancing. You know how concerts are. Anyway,” she bit her stuck-out lower lip, batted her long lashes, and slightly swayed the lower half of her body. “Could you just let me have this one? Thanks!”

Klaus may be an idiot, but he could recognize the tricks from a mile away. And amused as he was, he wouldn’t let the little lady have her way. Not this time.

“I’m afraid I can’t agree to that, love.” He smirked, keeping his eyes on her as he shoved the cash into the merchant’s face, “keep the change.” Whatever number was on that piece of paper, it was enough for the merchant to promptly lay the icy-cold bottle into his waiting palm.

Her rosy lips hung open, seemingly unaccustomed to anything uttered from them being so easily rejected, “seriously? It’s just a bottle of water!”

“Sure it is,” his fingers closed around the plastic container, the condensation taking the edge off his severe dehydration. “Then why the indignation?”

She huffed, her golden curls bouncing so lively, “I am not indignant. Just shocked to see that chivalry is indeed dead.”

“It would be if you are always in such a haste to announce its demise,” Klaus chuckled, “I, however, would very much like to prove the contrary. How about dinner with me, tonight?”

“Really? You just robbed my water and now you’re asking me out to dinner? I don’t even know your name!” She threw up her hands before tilting her head to regard him with a stinging amount of contempt, “used to getting your way, huh? Is it the accent? Personally, I don’t get the hype.”

“Actually I could say the same thing about you.”

“What?” Her brows went up and the tiniest crease formed on her forehead. It was adorable.

“You are just as used to ‘getting your way’, aren’t you? You never thought I’d take the water, even if I was here first.” He smirked at her, and the girl had the decency to look slightly embarrassed, her face blushing just enough for Klaus to notice.

But she was not one to ever back down. Klaus could tell.

“I’m not wasting my time arguing with you, water-hogger!” She crossed her arms and jutted out her hip, a delicate statue of beauty and petulance. Klaus couldn’t wait to further rile her up.

“Speaking of water and time-wasting,” he uncapped the bottle and, in a swift move, poured all the content right over his own head. He didn’t hold back the sigh at the sweet relief, his drying skin finally feeling appeased, the moisture soothing away the layer of tension that had built over the past hours. He basked in the cool comfort for a few more seconds before taking notice of the unexpected silence. He’d thought she’d be screaming at him at this point. Anger was a good color on her.

But instead the girl was quiet save for the audible gasp she’d let slip. Klaus palmed away the water from his face, looking at her curiously.

She was not looking at his face though. Her eyes were transfixed on his midriff, jaw hanging open. Klaus followed her line of sight and pleasantly realized how see-through the white T-shirt he threw on this morning could be under the…right circumstances. He looked back at the girl and caught her unconsciously wetting her lips.

“See something you like, love?”

“Huh?”

Klaus didn’t quite hold back the laughter boiling at his throat. The blush on her face grew.

“I mean…how could you! You didn’t even drink it! What is this, some low-budget R-rated movie?” She gestured frantically at him, expressive to the tip of her blonde curls.

For the sake of his own chances, Klaus decided to let that comment slide. “I assure you sweetheart, it was never my intention to offend you. Now how about I acquit myself over dinner and drinks? It’s only fair.”

***

After much persuasion and sweettalking, the girl – Caroline was her name – said yes, ostensibly reluctantly. Klaus saw the little smile she tried to hide when they parted ways though. They’d exchanged phone numbers, and now Klaus was wandering around downtown LA trying to find the restaurant that Caroline exclaimed they simply “must try” via text messages.

He’d driven here alone in a car that his family had left in a local property they owned. Throughout the years they’d accumulated human possessions as such all over the world. Klaus had always thought it unnecessary, but now he had to admit that Kol’s theory of “in times of need” had its merit.

Still he was not overly fond of the human world, which was way too crowded to begin with. Yet these little creatures loved to confine themselves in even smaller spaces like dwellings and automobiles, skyscrapers that cut the streets into narrow trenches. It was ridiculous, as if they were secretly afraid of too much freedom. As least it appeared that way when they kept bumping into Klaus with their sweaty arms and shoulders.

Suffice it to say he was not in the best of moods when he found his destination in a small alley off the beaten path. Yet in a city like this even the unbeaten path never went unnoticed, and sure enough there was a line forming outside the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Klaus inwardly sighed. Humans. Of course they would spend their already fleeting life doing meaningless chores like waiting in lines. It was nearly fascinating how senseless this self-crowned “superior” species could be. Klaus had watched them from beyond the shorelines for centuries, and still he could not quite figure them all out. Whenever he thought he’d finally summed up the ultimate principles of human behavior, something jumped out from the sea of random yet monotonous motions and intrigued him to take a closer look.

Like the fact that Caroline had apparently decided the perfect spot for a romantic dinner was a Japanese ramen joint.

Maybe this wasn’t a romantic dinner for her. The girl did seem like she was still silently fuming when she said her goodbyes. So maybe she was trying to distance herself and pretend this wasn’t a real date. If that was the case, then Klaus would have no problem showing her his very pure intentions.

He was wracking his brains for any rusty memories of human conventions regarding courtship, along with any pieces of Rebekah’s relationship quips or woes that he hadn’t completely filtered out, when he heard the sound of her sweet voice, with just a hint of hesitance, “umm...hey there, Klaus.” His name, even uttered with strangeness, sounded titillating on her tongue.

Klaus took a moment just to appreciate her form. She wore a blue dress that took on a warm hue in the evening sun, her long legs pouring out from the flowy material ending in yellow strappy sandals. She’d painted her toenails, transparent paint with an iridescent sheen, like that of the inside of a seashell. The dress had a low neckline that revealed the little golden shell-shaped pendant nestled between her breasts. Earrings in the same shape dangled around her face. Her hair was down this time, rather than the two braids she wore earlier that day, and one side was pinned back with a star-shaped clip. Starfish, if he had to guess.

Her outfit had a theme. Klaus had to smile at that.

“Okay, you need to stop staring, like right now.” Caroline held out a perfectly manicured finger, same shade as her toenails, “that is way too creepy to be cute.”

“So you think I’m cute?”

“You clearly think it enough for the both of us,” she shrugged. “No need to feed your ego.”

Klaus merely smiled at that, “you look beautiful, Caroline.” He decided that blushing was his second favorite look of hers, right after annoyed and defiant.

“Thanks, you too.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and looked aside, her long eyelashes fluttering up and down from her profile, as if shining whale flukes rising and then sinking into the evening sea. It was mesmerizing, like a painting, but suddenly that painting swung into life when she looked back, a big smile lighting up her entire face, “well come on then, I’m starving.”

“In case you haven’t noticed...” Klaus gestured at the growing line.

“Don’t worry about that,” she whispered to him, her breath tickling the side of his face, “I know someone here.”

Klaus raised an eyebrow at that, but Caroline just winked at him, “you were right about one thing – I am used to getting my way.”

She led him right to the front of the line and greeted some brunette girl named Vicky. “I met her earlier at the concert, and she just happens to work here. Isn’t it great?” Klaus simply nodded and smiled, his eyes following her every move as she navigated the crowd with confidence and ease. The crowd didn’t seem so ghastly now that it parted for her charms, and their growing proximity was a much-appreciated bonus.

Ten minutes later they were sitting side by side at the wrap-around counter in the center of the room, facing the open kitchen where chefs bustled around. Drinks were at hand, orders were in, and Klaus was more than happy to keep watching Caroline in pleasant silence. Caroline, apparently, didn’t quite think so.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop with the creepy staring thing?”

“I believe you did,” he tilted his head. “However, try as I might you are far too beautiful for me to avert my eyes.”

“Laying it on a little too thick there,” Caroline half-laugh half-scoffed. “Don’t tell me you actually got girls to date you with those lines.”

Actually mermaids in his kingdom had been throwing themselves at him since even before he claimed the throne, but Klaus was not going to tell her that. “Not in so many words, no.” Something in her words registered then, “so this is a date?”

Caroline shrugged, “I said yes, didn’t I?” His expression must have given him away somehow because Caroline laughed, and it was the most melodic sound, “I know, doesn’t sound like a rational decision – trust me I’m still debating over it.” She gave him a pointed look, “and I’m totally not over the water incident, but curiosity trumps grudges I guess.”

Klaus felt his heart flutter. She was curious about him. That was definitely a good sign. But more than anything he wanted to use her lovely curiosity to fulfill his own. “I’ve always found curiosity a great trait in people,” although in others’ cases it always entailed something he could manipulate to his own heart’s desire. “So, what are you most curious about? Other than myself, that is.”

Caroline threw him an unimpressed look, though the corners of her pink glossed lips were lifting upwards, “you just can’t lose that annoyingly smug, over-confident, I-know-better-than-anyone-else attitude, huh?”

“What can I say? It goes with my outfit,” he joked, the playful light-heartedness a fresh feeling in his chest, “and I do.”

“What?”

“Know better than anyone else.” He smirked.

“Seriously, are you like an actor or something? You sound like you’ve been type-casted as the supervillain in a bazillion trash shows.” Her lips wrapped around the straw of her lemon sea salt iced tea, the sight instantly drying up Klaus’s throat.

He coughed and quickly took a sip of his own drink, “and here I thought I was to star in ‘some low-budget R-rated movie’.”

Her eyes fell on his then, the blues deep yet clear, “you know, it’s not very chivalrous of you to repeat everything I said back to me.”

“Believe me, chivalry has nothing to do with this one. I just couldn’t stop replaying our brief encounter over and over again in my head,” he licked his lower lip, looking at her from under his own eyelashes, listening for that catch in her breath.

There it was. Sometimes truth made the greatest lines.

“Now why don’t you tell me all about your curiosities, and give me a bit more material to obsess over?”

***

Their dinner date was quite a success, if Klaus did say so himself. Caroline, it turned out, was a great conversationalist when he wasn’t getting on her nerves. She openly shared her life stories, and Klaus had hung on to her every word. Everything appeared fascinating when she was in the picture, including her smalltown origin, her endeavors at keeping the perfect GPA, her last-minute decision to travel to the West Coast for vacation, and the boy troubles besieging her best friend slash roommate, which Caroline had been regaling him for the past half-hour. It was a long story, Caroline had warned him.

Klaus wasn’t particularly interested in the story, nor its main characters, having seen similar plots repeating itself in the past centuries. A woman vacillating between siblings was hardly news, no matter how excruciating it might have felt to the participants. Though truth be told, it was just one other thing he didn’t understand about humans – his people had far more determination, and far less care for the pesky notion of monogamy when it came to the matter of hearts. And what he couldn’t understand, he generally sneered at.

But Caroline seemed deeply invested in the issue, and Klaus couldn’t fault her for her youth, or her genuine care for the people she considered hers. Not to mention that she looked absolutely stunning when she cared.

They were now walking alongside a quiet beach, having driven here at Klaus’ request. Caroline was gesturing vehemently while she talked a mile a minute, her nimble fingers seemingly toying with the evening breeze. Klaus idly wondered how they would feel on him, but the thought was fleeting as Caroline’s expressions commanded his full attention. She had such an expressive face, all the emotions written on it seamlessly morphing into one another like the colors of the evening sky. He couldn’t afford to miss even a single nuance, filing every detail into his mind in something akin to reverence.

“I’m just saying, she’s the one hanging onto the past so hard it’s pathological. We are halfway through college and she’s still going back and forth between her high school boyfriend, and – oh wait – his brother who’s entirely too old for her!” Caroline threw up her hands, “Damon is a disgusting scum, period. And Stefan, well I love him but he has to deal with his substance abuse problem on his own, and Elena isn’t exactly helping. And now she’s accusing me of trying to ‘get out’? What’s wrong with having a life plan? No offense but she should try it sometimes.”

“What do you mean ‘get out’?”

“Oh my god,” Caroline’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes blinking sheepishly, “how long have I been talking? I’m so sorry! It’s just that we just had a huge fight right before I left for LA and we aren’t talking right now, and it’s just so frustrating I –”

“Relax, love,” Klaus touched her bare shoulder, feeling an involuntary shiver going through him. He indulged himself in lingering one more second before removing his hand, the warmth and softness of her skin a phantom glow on the tip of his finger. “You’ve known her your whole life. It’s understandable that the situation weighs on your mind. But I might need some further explanation on the topic.”

“Oh, right,” Caroline laughed, “I have finally decided on a major, and basically my career path for like, the next decade. I want to become a marine biologist one day, which means a PhD at a decent school. Whitmore just can’t cut it. But Elena isn’t exactly happy about that.”

Klaus frowned. His indifference towards this Elena girl was fast growing into annoyance, “and why is that? I’d imagine anyone would be happy for you, let alone one of your closest friends.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Caroline huffed, “but according to Elena, apparently I ‘think myself too good for the small-town life’ and ‘always bite off more than I can chew’. I wonder who’s been feeding her all this garbage talk.”

“Only few are destined for great things, sweetheart, which means they are almost always misunderstood.”

Caroline rolled her eyes, “hey, just because you’re the one percent doesn’t mean you need to spew this elitist nonsense, alright?”

Klaus lifted an eyebrow, amused, “and how do you know I’m the ‘one percent’?”

“I may be a biology major, but I can tell brands just fine. Especially expensive ones.”

Klaus chuckled at her haughty look. She was right in a sense, even though most of his limited collection of human attires came from his shopaholic little sister, save for the occasional gifted belts or ties from Elijah.

“Seriously, do you own a million-dollar business or something? You have that all-powerful boss vibe.” Her eyes sparkled with a combination of curiosity and secret excitement, probably generated from the sensitivity of the topic. But as Rebekah used to say, what was gossip if not swirls of intelligence to the educated ears? And he would certainly enjoy indulging her in her little vices. 

“You could say that.” Running the ocean kingdom was not unlike running a human business, he supposed.

“Wow,” Caroline said quietly. “I mean I suspected, but I didn’t think I’d actually be right. Maybe you were just one of the extremely cocky ones, you know?”

“That, my dear,” Klaus smirked, the innuendo clear in his voice, “is also very true.”

“Don’t even start.” Caroline warned him with a pointy finger and glaring eyes, but they turned sparkly in an instant, “so tell me how it feels.”

“Being cocky?”

“No, being a conceited pervert who has the emotional maturity of a thirteen-year-old boy,” she rolled her eyes at him, the ripples of smile never quite gone from her face.

Klaus shrugged, “to be honest, I don’t know how to answer your question. It’s been long since I contemplated my feelings towards the...business. It’s mine now. What more can I say?”

“What do you mean it’s yours now? Who did you take it from?”

Klaus had to admire her shrewdness, even when it worked against him, “it belonged to my...stepfather’s family for generations.” The word “stepfather” tasted like cutting sand on his tongue. It would forever irk him that he could not erase the putrid name of Mikael from his own existence. Even in death that man haunted his thoughts, his decisions, his narrative. He hated it with everything that he was.

“So he left it for you?” Caroline threw the question back over her shoulder, approaching the ocean beckoning at their side.

Klaus watched as she took off her sandals and stepped into the waters, her giddiness almost palpable. The sun was setting, the tides long since ebbed, and she almost stumbled into the scene with all the enthusiasm of someone who was chasing either, not knowing that she resembled a goddess who could have stopped both. Klaus followed suit without a spare thought, a tantalizing calling in his core, from the ocean or her he couldn’t tell.

He watched as she bent down, her hair cascading while her fingers immersed into the rose gold reflection of herself. For a few moments he forgot the breath that he didn’t need, and just looked in awe at her hovering over the edge of his kingdom. She straightened up then, looking back at him, her eyes questioning. He finally realized that she was still waiting for an answer.

Klaus sighed, shaking his head, his lips twisting into the sarcastic angles that they were so used to, “on the contrary, he made it painfully clear that I wasn’t worthy.” For the first five centuries of his life, with words and whips alike. “So I proved him wrong.”

Even after hundreds of years Mikael’s blood splattering onto his face as Klaus plunged his hand into his chest still tasted fresh. He’d reduced him to nothing, and took all that he had – the kingdom, the title, the crown. And the victory, just as his dying blood, tasted like acid rust. Painful and stale and irremovable – a prison that he willingly subjected himself to for the rest of eternity.

“You don’t sound so happy about that,” her voice broke through his muddled thoughts, but he was too preoccupied to decide whether that hint of kinship he detected was real. “I know it probably meant a lot to you at the time, but if you are not happy with it, have you ever considered leaving?”

Klaus walked to her side and crouched down, sinking his palms into the coolness of his life source. He instantly closed his eyes, the sense of connection overwhelming. What was only salty water to humans was so much more to his kind. He could feel every message, every emotion, every tiniest tremble of nerve, from the wooing songs of a merman in love, to the panicked chemicals of a herring about to meet its end.

He remembered the first time he was allowed to ascend to the surface. With a longer life span, merpeople were usually considered to be mature enough only when they’d lived a century, at which time they would have the freedom to go above and leave the kingdom at will. Klaus had seen his brother Elijah do it, secretly clinging onto the stories and souvenirs of his adventures. But as if sensing his eagerness, Mikael held off his ascendency until he was a hundred and fifty. He’d made the journey by himself that day, swimming as fast as he could towards the blurred visage of the sun.

His heart nearly stopped when he burst out of the water. A century and a half he’d been used to the thick consistency of water, the heaviness, the pressure. Now in the barely existent embrace of air, he felt unbearably light. For the longest moment he was frozen in space, lost and bewildered without the anchor of his destined burden. A thousand feelings warring in his chest, he was thrilled yet terrified, exalted but melancholy, all bravado, all resentment, all nostalgia. He ended up lurking around the reefs spying on the humans on shore, closer than he’d ever got, but feeling farther still. 

How could he ever explain to her that he didn’t know how to live like that?

So finally he whispered gruffly, like the coward that he was, “it’s complicated.”

He snuck a peek at her, expecting a modicum of sympathy, but she only snorted, “‘it’s complicated’, give me a break! It’s all I’ve been hearing this past week. Hell, this past year. Let me tell you, Klaus, nothing is that complicated.”

He bristled at her quick judgment, standing up and towering over her in one stride, “and how would you know? Just because you’ve had an easy sheltered life -”

“Hey, stop right there!” Again with the finger. Klaus had half a heart to bite it off at this point, not having been interrupted by anyone outside of his siblings for decades. He was about to fire back a venomous reply when he felt her hand on his arm, the unexpected touch soothing him instantly.

“Look, I shouldn’t have invalidated your feelings, I’m sorry okay?” Caroline smiled sheepishly, then putting on a stern look, “but I refuse to be lashed out at.”

Klaus exhaled deeply, “it was not my intention, love. However, you need to understand that sometimes life presents us with impossible circumstances. Its natural cruelty is unmatched even by the sharpest minds.”

“Which is why everyone should just listen to me!” Caroline exclaimed, giving the sand a small kick in her frustration, and already a laugh was tickling at his throat despite himself.

“And pray tell why that is?”

“Because I have the best answers!” She swirled around, her soft scent surging around him, “for everyone! Elena, Stefan, Damon the Douchebag, even you.” She clasped her hands together, her eyes determined and sure, “Elena should dump both of the Salvatores and focus on herself for a while. Stefan can transfer to another university, up north, or maybe Europe. Somewhere with long winters and a lot of comfort food, no party schools. And Damon can just fuck off.”

Now he did laugh, unable to stay annoyed at her, “and what of me?”

“Well, I know it’s not my place yet, but I think you could use a break from that family business of yours. Not saying you should just up and quit, but go take a vacation or something.”

“Yet?” He teased her with a straight face, although his own amusement was hard to contain.

She blushed furiously down to her clavicles, the color set off by the blue of her dress, and one pink bra strap that had slipped out from the neckline. She had so many colors on her, down to the little trinkets that she used to adorn her impeccable form. It was strikingly different from Rebekah, who was at her heart still a creature of the sea and preferred pearls to any other jewellery like a true mermaid. Caroline, however, reminded him of a painting that he found in a sinking ship little over a century ago. The moment he had his eyes on it he knew he had to see it for real. Not in the perpetual cold blue hues of the ocean, but in the blinding sunlight where colors reside. And he did.

He saw all the swirling colors in broad daylight. So straightforward and honest and raw that it physically hurt him, yet he couldn’t avert his eyes.

“I never asked you why you wanted to be a marine biologist.”

Caroline’s eyes widened, no doubt surprised both at being spared from her slip, and at his memory of her words, “I’ve always loved the ocean. When I was young I used to watch The Little Mermaid all the time, it was my favorite movie back then. According to my mom, my first dream job was actually a mermaid. I guess a marine biologist is as close as I can get.”

“You’d make a perfect mermaid, sweetheart.”

“Yeah yeah, I know I would,” she obviously didn’t believe him, nodding along with a pointed look before bursting into melodic laughter. “But I have my heart set on marine biology for now.”

“I’m sure you’d excel at that, too.” Spoken no less sincerely than his last remark. He could see it in her eyes, the passions and ambitions burning bright. He knew a fighter when he saw one.

Caroline nodded emphatically, “I really want to. And as I’m sure you already know, whatever I want, I find a way to get it.”

“Simple as that, huh?”

“Exactly. Work, study, fame, love, peace, world domination...You can have it all, as long as you want it bad enough.”

Klaus reached for her hand then. It was soft and warm and trembling slightly, but she finally let it settle in his. Light as a feather, a piece of reassurance nestled in his palm, for what he didn’t know. Her eyes looked up to meet his, and Klaus felt a tide in his soul.

“Well sweetheart, I might just take your sage words for it.”

She’d changed out of her boring suit, pulled out the pins in her hair, and loosely braided it back. After changing into a pale blue cotton dress and pair of oversized sunglasses, then selecting a few Forbes Industries prototypes, Caroline had headed out for sustenance.

She hadn’t bothered to let her security detail know. She’s adept at sneaking away under their noses. The detail is mostly for show, to make sure no one connects Caroline Forbes, wild child heiress, to the vigilante who’s working on tidying up the city streets.

She’ll slip into the leather ensemble she’d commissioned once night falls and load up with weapons. Then she’ll head to the garage where she keeps her armored vehicles and larger toys.

There’s a new villain who’s been popping up more and more frequently on her patrols. She hasn’t caught him doing anything untoward just yet, and he’s yet to make the papers and have a ridiculous name bestowed upon him. She’s scoured papers from England, then the rest of Europe, checking to see if there was a reputation that preceded him. So far, she’s found nothing, but  Caroline knows he must be working on something big.

Why else would he be so determined to attract her attention? He must have some kind of plan cooking up, wants her looking in another direction when he enacts it.

The walk to the restaurant had been uneventful. Caroline had to wait a few minutes for her order to be ready, but passing the time on a bench outside, unnoticed, her people-watching undisturbed, had been a nice change from how she’d spent the rest of the day.

It promised to be a hot evening, even though the sun would be setting shortly. Sweat had begun gathering near her hairline, forcing curls out of her braid. Caroline had added a mango lassi to her order and collected her dinner, inhaled appreciatively at the warm, spicy scent emanating from the paper bag.

She’d begun her walk home, sipping her drink contentedly, weaving through the growing number of pedestrians who were venturing out for the evening.

She’d noted the guy shadowing her about three blocks from her building, had heaved a dramatic sigh that had the guy waiting for the walk light with her edging away.

She’d just wanted to stuff herself with naan, biryani, and saag paneer and become one with her couch for a few hours before she went out to take out her frustrations on some bad guys. Was that too much to ask?

Caroline takes a turn, heading east to where there should be fewer people, reaching into her bag to slide her fingers into the modified brass knuckles (not actually brass but a proprietary FI compound) and grasping the extendable baton.

She takes another turn to check that she’s not paranoid, but the goon mirrors it.

As does another person.

Caroline pretends to adjust the strap of her dress, twisting her head to get a better look at her second pursuer. It’s an impressively muscular woman, her considerable height only enhanced by her spiked hair, dressed in skin-tight shorts and a mesh crop top.

She doesn’t seem to mind that Caroline’s spotted her, wiggling her fingers and offering a challenging smile.

There are two possibilities. Either the people following her are cocky and stupid – really the ideal scenario – or they’re cocky because they’ve got a solid plan and some big guns.

When a hand grabs her upper arm and yanks her into an alley, spilling the mango lassi and staining her dress, Caroline suspects it might be the latter. She’s thrown against a wall, just managing to get her hands up to save her face from being smashed into the brick.

She hears footsteps pounding against concrete, and the two pursuers she’s noticed join the man who’d yanked her into the alley. Regretfully, Caroline drops her takeout and her bag and backs away, hiding her weapons in the folds out of the skirt. She forces a quaver into her voice, “What do you want?”

It’s unlikely that three people who seem to have stepped right out of the goon for hire catalog have just decided to rob her. Caroline doesn’t want to assume there’s a larger plot. She’s hoping this won’t turn into a big thing, and she’s out of luck if people are planning to kidnap Caroline Forbes for ransom.

But it’ll be even messier if a bad guy’s clocked her extracurricular activities.

The spiky-haired woman takes the lead, stalking towards Caroline. She’s got a knife in her hand now, “What do I want? Twenty million dollars, to start with.”

Oh good. It’s just a kidnapping.

Honestly, kind of an insulting one. She won’t even have to liquate any assets to come up with the twenty million. Caroline stops moving, straightens her spine. “Done!” she chirps brightly. “Wire transfer, or cheque? I can do cash too, but that’s like ten briefcases. What are you going to do with them after?”

She’s been hoping to catch her attempted kidnapper off guard, but the woman doesn’t falter. She snorts, “You’re funny. I didn’t expect that.”

“Thanks, I get that a lot. I’m chock full of surprises.”

Spike lunges forward, and Caroline dodges, stepping past her and whipping her arm out, until her weapon lengthens fully. She crouches, extending her leg and spinning while slashing with her baton. Caroline lands a brutal strike on Spike’s kidneys. Spikes grunts, stumbles forward, arm banding over her stomach protectively. Caroline completes her spin and rises, catching Spike with a punch before she pauses, poised on the balls of her feet, back to a wall.

Her would-be kidnappers no longer look as confident. Spikes spits blood, expression enraged. The other two watch Caroline with calculative gazes.

“Girls gotta keep in shape, right? The tabloids are brutal. It turns out the elliptical is super boring, so I had to find something a little more fun.” Caroline leaps forward, tucking into a roll, snagging a brick from the ground and using her momentum to throw it into Leather Jacket’s face.

The brick makes contact with a gross crunch of blood, bone, tissue, and teeth. Leather Jacket howls, his hand coming up to cover his head. She jumps again, thighs locking around his neck, spinning to bring him to the ground. She digs her knee into his spine, gripping his head and slamming it into the ground for good measure until he goes limp underneath her.

Caroline stands, wiping her hand on her already ruined dress. “One down,” she says.

Only to instantly regret the proclamation. Bonnie says she needs to lay off on the monologuing, and maybe she’s got a point.

She senses movement behind her, near the mouth of the alley. Caroline turns warily, head swiveling between her two attackers and the men who are now freaking rappelling from the rooftops. Six of them. In black tactical gear, strapped with weapons and wearing black ski masks.

Well, crap.

If she’d been on patrol, with her protective suit and gadgets, she might have been able to take them. Now, in flats and a sundress, with two flimsy weapons and no backup, she doesn’t like her odds.

Caroline tosses the baton aside, pastes on the smile she uses when she has to ignore paparazzi shouting rude questions about her sex life at her. She lifts her hands slowly, palms open. “So, I’m guessing you don’t only want cash, huh?”

“Funny and smart,” Spikes says spitefully, coming up behind Caroline and yanking her hair. “What a rosy life you must lead.”

She feels a sharp sting in the side of her neck, then a flood of wooziness. Brief pain when she collapses.

She’s vaguely aware of being heaved up and over someone’s shoulder, of being alarmed by how her limbs won’t cooperate when she tries to fight back. She’s tossed in a trunk, encased in blackness.

Caroline fights it, the tiredness, her thoughts growing meandering and disorganized. When the engine rumbles to life underneath her, Caroline loses consciousness.

* * * * *

Caroline realizes she’s tied to a chair as soon as awareness returns.

She can hear voices murmuring, too soft for her to make out any words even when she strains. Caroline’s slumped over, pulling against the ropes. She’s definitely going to have some fun bruises tomorrow. Her head’s resting limply against her chest, and she stays as still as she can, barely opening her eyes while trying to get a good look at her surroundings.

Unfortunately, she seems to be in a pretty generic warehouse—grimy, smelly, cavernous, decorated with random overlapping graffiti.

She spots a tray of shiny, sharp medical instruments to her right.

Which is not ideal.

Caroline tests her bonds slowly, checking for any give or weakness. Any kind of opportunity. One of her captors has eagle eyes and notices her movements. She flinches when his voice booms out, “Sleeping beauty awakes!”

Damn it.

Caroline lifts her head, rolling her neck to work out the cramp that’s developed. “I prefer the modern Disney princesses, thank you.” She’s not the type to wait around for a handsome prince to come to her rescue.

She studies the guy who’d spoken. He’s got steel-grey hair and tanned skin, thick biceps. His face doesn’t show even a hint of emotion, and he doesn’t acknowledge she’d spoken. She’d guess he’s a pro, probably some variety of ex-military, likely expensive. Caroline hears the clomp of heavy boots and twists her head to see some familiar faces joining the party.

Moderately damaged familiar faces, but she’s not sorry about that.

“So about that ransom,” Caroline begins hopefully. “Twenty-five million, was it?”

The guy who’d taken a brick to the face grunts, “Thirty now. For our trouble.”

Caroline can admit that’s fair.

“I get it. Plastic surgery’s not cheap. Not that I’ve had any work done, despite what the tabloids might claim. I’m only twenty-seven. Of course my boobs look fantastic in a bikini.”

No one even cracks a smile.

“Okay, so you’re not interested in jokes. We could discuss the fact that it’s super gross that people follow me around the world and stalk me with long-lens cameras. Am I not entitled to take a vacation?”

No response.

Caroline sighs, shifting in her chair in an attempt to get more comfortable. “Tough crowd.”

Spike drags a second chair over, sitting down and resting a booted foot on her opposite knee. “Thirty million dollars. I have a list of six prisoners that I need to be released from the Super Max. And I want something from the Forbes Industries Vault. The subterranean one that most of your employees don’t know about.”

Caroline tips her head back, considering. Thirty million dollars, no big deal. The prisoners might be hard to arrange, but she’s got connections. She knows exactly who she’d need to bribe. She can always scoop them up later, wrap ‘em in a pretty little bow and leave them on the steps of city hall.

The Vault though? That’s not happening. She’s going to have to figure out how they even know about it, who else might have bought the info, but that’s a problem for later.

“How about fifty million dollars and a couple of extra prisoners? Maybe someone from the asylum?”

Spike leans over, her hand drifting over the tray of instruments. She plucks up one with a serrated edge, twirling it through her fingers. “I know you’re used to snapping your fingers and getting everything your little heart desires, but this isn’t a negotiation.”

She leans forward, resting the blade against the dip between Caroline’s collarbones. She taps it against Caroline’s skin with each carefully enunciated word, “Money. Prisoners. Vault.” She pulls back, gives the instrument another spin. “That’s my only offer. You can say yes, and we’ll give you a phone, so you’re servants can start arranging things. Or, we can do this the hard way.”

She doesn’t insult Caroline’s intelligence by spelling out what the hard way would entail.

Caroline swallows, straightens her spine. “No one gets in my vault.”

Spike sighs in faux disappointment, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. “The hard way it is, then.”

Caroline closes her eyes, holds her breath, waits for the first cut to come.

It doesn’t come from where she’d expected.

Glass shatters from high above, showering down, leaving dozens of tiny nicks across her bare shoulders. She feels a rush of air before a body landing in front of her, knees bent.

A familiar man, one who’s been taking up way too much of Caroline’s free time, smirks at her, “Hello, love.”

Caroline gapes at him, and he pivots, backing up until her bent knees brush the back of his calves. She sees few bright flashes, but his back obscures her view of what’s happening. Whatever he’s doing, it’s painfully loud. Popping sounds interrupt shouts and screams of pain, and heavy thuds ring out. Caroline cringes, tucking her ear against her shoulder in an attempt to muffle the cacophony.

Silence, when it comes, scant moments after the chaos began, is jarring. Caroline leans as far to the side as she can, eyes widening when she spots the pile of bodies. She watches as the man, who she doesn’t know if she can call her rescuer since at this point he might also be planning on ransoming her, yanks a handful of zip cuffs from his pocket.

He moves swiftly and with grace, seemingly very at home his body and aware of its capabilities. Caroline’s eyes narrow, mind whirling as he secures her attackers, and she tries to assimilate this new information. He pulls off his leather gloves when he’s done, returning to her side. His expression grows regretful, and his fingertips brush her shoulders, skimming over the cuts and scrapes there. “Sorry about these. The skylight was the best entry point. Make sure you clean them up, hmm?”

He steps passed her, and Caroline feels him make quick work of her handcuffs. She hears the snick of a knife unsheathing and stiffens, but he only uses it on the ropes that bind her legs and torso. Caroline shakes them off, stands hesitantly.

“Okay,” she says, crossing her arms and turning until they’re once more face to face, separated by the metal chair. “What exactly is happening here? Who are you?”

“I’m afraid I’m not yet ready for you to know my identity. In due time, I promise.”

Caroline sucks in a sharp breath, her teeth grinding together. “Um, how about no?”

He blinks, and Caroline steps a little closer. They’ve always met in the dark, and he’d purposely stuck to the shadows as he’d teased and tossed questions at her. She’s never been this close to him. His eyes are blue, his lashes annoyingly long in a way men never appropriately appreciate. He wears a black mask, covering from the top of his forehead to his upper lip. His hair is slicked back, but she thinks it might be on the lighter side, given the shade of his stubble.

He clears his throat and shifts his weight, but he doesn’t step back or shy away. “I… I beg your pardon?”

“I have had a garbage day. It was long, it was boring, I had to argue over things I know I’m right about, with people who think I’m a bimbo and spend way too much time trying to look down my tops. My dinner got tossed aside when goons r us scooped me up. I love this dress, and it’s ruined. I’m bleeding. I don’t know where my shoes are. I’m hungry, I’m tired, and I want to go home!” she’s shouting when she’s done ranting, out of breath.

“Right.” Her rescuer, she’s decided on the term now, shoves the chair aside. He steps forward until his feet bracket hers, wraps his arm around her waist. Caroline grips his biceps, too shocked to admonish this rude invasion of her space. “Hold on. Step up onto my feet.”

She throws her hands up in frustration, “Hello? Did anything I just said sink in?”

His lips, which she’s now noticing are very nice, full and soft looking, compress. She’s pretty sure he’s trying to swallow a laugh. “I heard every word. I’m trying to assist in getting you home. In service of that, if you could please step up onto my feet and hold on.”

His right arm rises, and Caroline recognizes the device in his hand. She’s about to ask him if he’s seriously rescuing her with a device he’d stolen from her but thinks better of it.

He’d stolen the grappling hook from a vigilante who rocks a rose pink leather catsuit, not from Caroline Forbes. It would have been a monster slip, a true testament to how rattled she is from the day’s events that she’d almost blurted out her secret identity to a guy with questionable motives and an unknown name.

Instead, she smiles tightly, loops her arms around his neck, and gingerly steps onto his heavy boots. “For future reference,” she says sweetly, “I generally only like following orders in the bedroom.”

The strangled choking noise he makes as they hurtle upward is immensely satisfying.

* * * * *

Two days later, Caroline’s on her couch watching news footage of a gala she’d been supposed to attend. She’d had a great dress, red and scandalous, all ready to go, but trying to cover her scabby shoulders with makeup had made her look like she’d contracted some kind of infectious skin issue.

She’d sent her regrets and a fat check, resigned herself to a solo evening in her comfy sweats. On her TV, a society reporter’s chattering away about the guest she’d just finished talking to, a lech who’s at least smart enough to hire a publicist good enough to hide his dealings with loan sharks. She trails off in the middle of a sentence, fingertips coming up to press at her earpiece.

The reporter looks right at the camera, excitement on her face. “I’ve just been given some breaking news! A surprise guest has arrived, all the way from the UK. Klaus Mikaelson has shied away from public life since his messy exit from his father’s corporation five years ago. He’s built his own tech firm from the ground up. Buzz had been building since they announced their intention to go public. Let’s see if we can get a few words.”

Bored with the fawning, Caroline’s just about to switch channels. She knows all about Klaus’ Mikaelson’s company. Blurbs about it have been showing up in the intelligence reports she has complied since he’d lured a pair of promising engineers from FI’s Paris offices.

She’s planning on investing in his IPO because he might have scummy HR policies, but his business is sound.

There haven’t been many pictures of him available; apparently, he’d hardly been a social butterfly even when he’d been welcome in the family fold. He couldn’t have been more than sixteen or so in the ones Caroline’s seen, in which he’d been gangly and angular and sporting a terrible haircut.

The image changes, swinging to the red carpet before Caroline can grab the remote. She pauses, impressed because Klaus Mikaelson has grown up nicely. She might be distracted by the flawless fit of his tux, which Caroline knows can cover a world of sins, so she leans closer as the camera pans up to his face.

And promptly drops her wine class.

The blue eyes. That smile, the dimple it carves into his stubbled cheek. She’d brushed her lips over that cheek barely more than forty-eight hours ago when she’d thanked him for what he’d done for her.

Klaus Mikaelson had accompanied her home the other night, had neatly deflected her probing questions, his amusement never turning to exasperation at Caroline’s dogged persistence.

She’d seriously considered inviting him into her home. She’d told herself it was only in search of more information, but a tiny part of her, the one that was unfailingly honest and sometimes gets her in trouble, had admitted her rescuer intrigued her, even without a name.

Well. Now she has one. A plan forms rapidly, and Caroline scrambles for her phone, digging it out of her couch cushions. She taps the screen, connecting a call to Bonnie. “Bon? Sorry to bug you when you’re off the clock. But I need you to find someone for me.”

She stands, walking into her bedroom as she explains what she needs.

Bonnie’s a genius, well worth the exorbitant salary Caroline pays her. She gets the address within an hour.

* * * * *

Caroline drops a rope onto the terrace of Klaus’ apartment, slips down with barely a whisper of sound, landing lightly. She hugs the side of the building, inching over to the open French doors. She’s fully suited up, hair tightly controlled, and mask on. She eases her foot over the threshold, eyes darting around.

Ugh, of course, he has excellent taste.

Caroline likes light and airy, fun patterns and textures. But she can appreciate the sumptuousness of Klaus’ living room. It’s done up in burgundies and neutrals, hints of gold. There’s a buttery leather sofa facing a fireplace, thick carpets that muffle the sounds of her boots as she walks further in. She can imagine a pleasant night in front of a crackling fire, curled up on the couch when the weather turns cold.

But she’s getting ahead of herself.

Her nose twitches, picking up the smell of curry, cardamom, and turmeric.

She hears a door click shut, whirls to find Klaus, barefoot and still dressed up from The Gala, though he’s ditched the jacket and tie. He leans against the now-closed doors to the terrace. He smiles at her warmly, “Hello, Caroline.”

Which answers one of her most pressing questions.

Caroline yanks her mask off, tossing it aside. “I realize this is going to give you déjà vu, but what exactly is happening here?”

Klaus pushes off from the door, ambles towards her, studying her reaction carefully. Caroline doesn’t flinch away or retreat. “I have a proposition for you. And I have dinner. Takeaway from that place you visited the other day when your evening plans were… interrupted. I even got the mango lassi.”

Caroline narrows her eyes, “I have weapons, you know. Way more than you’d think, given how tight this outfit is.”

He laughs, a low husky sound that Caroline knows would be easy to get addicted to. “I’m sure you do. I’m not worried about you using them on me. I only want you to hear out my proposal. You can leave anytime you wish.”

She wonders if it’s stupid to believe him, but she does. He’d had the upper hand two days ago, had no trouble dispatching the group that had taken her. If he had nefarious intentions, he could have picked up right where they left off with the torture.

Caroline’s learned to trust her instincts. They’re telling her she’s safe.

She tugs her hair out of its elastic, loosens her collar slightly, pulling the zipper down a few inches. “Mind lending me something to wear? This totally isn’t designed for sitting for long periods.”

Klaus directs her to a guestroom, gathers a few things of his for her to wear. When she gets to the dining room, she finds he’s arranged the food on gleaming platters and lit candles. Her mango lassi, in its plastic cup, looks wildly out of place.

Caroline refuses to find it endearing.

“As I love him.”

“Mother thinks he is going to make an offer for you.” Rebekah said with a coy smile on her lips, doing her best to appear smug at the concept. It was no secret that Rebekah had always wanted a sister, despite the fact that she did not get on well with the other girls in the village outside of Caroline. All of the Peirce sisters set her on edge, especially Elena. “Won’t planning a wedding be exciting!?”

“You honestly think he’ll ask?” Caroline asked hesitantly, sitting up on the blanket and staring at Rebekah. It was true that her and Klaus had been dancing around each other since they were children but they were still so young. Caroline was barely eighteen and Klaus had just celebrated his twentieth birthday. Young marriage was not uncommon in their village, a simple life filled with berry picking and plucking eggs from the chicken coops. If she was honest, when she curled up in bed at night, she imagined what a life with Klaus would be like. She imagined small children running in a stone cottage. A garden in the back and a barn filled with all sorts of animals.

“I’m certain of it. He walked down the dirt path to speak with grandmother. You know she only likes visitors on holidays and special occasions. He asked for that pearl ring and that would count as a special occasion.” Rebekah said as she reached into the basket and pulled out a piece of the crusty bread they had brought along. Summer picnics were one of Caroline’s favorite activities when she was not busy with chores or house cleaning and when Rebekah suggested a picnic that afternoon, Caroline could not say no.

That and Ayana always packed them the best lunch.

“Has he told you about any plans? When is he going to ask? Do you think he will ask before autumn?” Caroline fired off her questions at a rapid speed, nearly knocking over the bowl of grapes that were resting beside her as she shifted to look at Rebekah more. “It is the beginning of summer now and if I am to plan a wedding I would hope to have it before the weather grows cold!”

“You’re going to say yes.” Rebekah exclaimed with a loud giggle. Her excitement was clearly written on her face and in her bright blue eyes. “We’re going to be sisters!” She clapped her hands and reached for her, bringing her into a tight hug and refusing to let go. “I don't know what he is planning. At all. Mother just has a suspicion but Klaus has seemed a bit nervous and on edge.”

“He shouldn’t be.” Caroline whispered, a soft smile coming over her lips and a bundle of nerves growing in her stomach. The thought of marrying Klaus was not a new one but she did not think that he had any plans to ask her. She was not Elena who had marriage offers by the time she was seventeen, she was just Caroline.

All she had was Klaus.

She wanted it no other way.

“Maybe you won’t have to wait long. Look.” Rebekah pointed over Caroline’s shoulder, causing her to turn around. Klaus was walking through the field, his fingers brushing over the tops of the flowers.

Unable to help herself, Caroline pulled herself from the blanket and rushed towards him, her bare feet running along the dirt ground. Klaus’s face lit up, a dimpled smile growing on his lips. Caroline launched herself into his arms, Klaus catching her easily. Her laughter rang all the way down towards the small picnic and Rebekah smiled gently at the sight. The love that passed between Klaus and Caroline was potent, like the flowers that swayed in the summer breeze. Klaus spun her around and then sat her back down onto the ground but continued to hold her in his arms.

His head bent towards hers, touching their lips together in a soft kiss. Their kisses were always gentle with a hint of passion that was always threatening to topple over. She was innocent, wanting to avoid a scandal that would quickly travel through their village. Knowing that Klaus wanted her, not just intimately but as his wife was enough for Caroline to consider tossing the virtue she had been taught to hold so dearly away.

“You seem happy.” Klaus whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She could feel his smile on her skin and Caroline just breathed in the scent of him. He pulled her close and Caroline buried her face in his chest, silently willing him to ask her the question she was now dying to hear. “What is it that has you smiling so widely?”

“Just thinking.”

“About?”

“You. The future. Everything.” There was a spark behind his blue eyes, almost though he wanted to press her for the meaning behind her words. Yet, Caroline just stood on her tip toes and kissed him again, silencing him. While she wanted him to ask, she also wanted to see what he would have planned for such a proposal. So, for now, Caroline was willing to wait, something she was not known for, and allow Klaus that moment. “Come. Join us. Ayana packed strawberries and I know you love those.”

Caroline gripped his hand, pulling him through the field and towards their blanket that was spread out on the ground. Klaus sat down first and Caroline happily positioned herself on his lap, his arms going around her to hold her close. Rebekah beamed at them, appearing as though she was about to burst with happiness.

Caroline could only hope that Klaus did not wait too long, because she could not wait to call him husband.

Perhaps it was not a charitable thought to have about a young woman marrying her high school sweetheart but Caroline had other plans. Plans that involved an ocean view, wine and activities that were not suitable for the eyes of children. Yet, she was stuck in a classroom five days a week for the next month dealing with the kids who were unable to pass the second grade. There were not many kids, for those who struggled typically were held back a year but some parents just did not want their kids repeating a grade. It was a small class, only five students but they were all little terrors.

Especially the Salvatore girls. Lily and Stephanie Salvatore were the daughters of Stefan and Elena Salvtores, born only ten months apart and landing them in the same grade. While Lily, who was the eldest, was a quiet child, her sister was the opposite. Unfortunately, Lily often followed in Stephanie’s footsteps, causing the two girls to get into trouble. While during the school year, they were easily separated, summer school was a completely different story.

“My mother used to say that frowning caused premature wrinkles.” Caroline was pulled from her thoughts, turned her head to look at Klaus who was leaning against the doorframe of her classroom. He was in jeans and a grey Henley, a more casual look compared to the black slacks and button up he wore during the school year. Looking down at her own jeans and flowery top, she could assume that summer school leaned towards a more relaxed dress code. “What's wrong?”

“Stephanie Salvatore is a menace and it is your fault I have to deal with her.” Caroline replied, pointing her finger at Klaus with narrowed eyes. He at least had the sense to look ashamed, for it was his fault she was in this predicament. “You know, I get that you’re the vice principal and all but when your head is between my legs is not the time to get me to agree to things like this.”

“I’m sorry Sweetheart, what can I do to make it up to you.” Klaus asked, pushing off the door frame and walking towards her with his hands in his pockets. “Perhaps it was a dirty trick but it is only one month and then I promise you I will take you to whatever beach catches your fancy.” Caroline narrowed her eyes at him as Klaus reached out to touch her. “And if you want to be mad at anyone, it would be April-”

“Stefan! Please! Stop!” A scream echoed from just outside the school doors. The sound of crying children could be heard and both Klaus and Caroline took off running towards the parking lot that was not far from Caroline’s classroom. When they opened the metal doors and stepped out into the summer heat, Caroline saw Stefan Salvatore punching a man with jet black hair in the face. “He is your brother!”

As Klaus raced towards the two men who were throwing punches at each other, Caroline knelt down to the crying children, Stephanie’s face stained with tears while Lily remained impassive as she stared at the scene before her.

“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.” Caroline said, pulling both girls into her arms, turning to see Klaus gripping both men by their shirts and attempting to pull them apart. Elena was standing on the side, her fingers running through her long brown hair and Caroline could see tears streaming down her face.

“Guys. Knock it off! Not in front of the kids!” Klaus yelled, finally pushing the two of them apart. Stefen reached out again, pushing his brother roughly down onto the ground. Klaus turned and pointed at him, annoyance and frustration written on his face. “This is a school and you’re setting a great example for your children.”

“Damon slept with my wife! My own brother slept with my wife.” Stefan exclaimed and Caroline froze. She looked around at the scene before her and then back down at the little girls. Studying their appearance, she could see hints of Elena in both of them. Lily had long brown hair and soulful green eyes while Stephanie had jet black hair and dark brown eyes. Caroline turned to look at Damon who was still on the ground. Looking between him and Stephanie, Caroline got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“Ste-”

“Don’t.” Stefan cut Elena off, turning to her with disdain in her eyes. “Answer me this. Stephanie. You got pregnant so quickly after Lily was born. I worked overtime to support the two of you and I found it so strange that you got pregnant when we barely had time together.” Stefan paused, holding his wife’s gaze and Elena at least had the decency to look ashamed of herself. “She isn’t mine is she?”

“No.” Elena whispered and Stephanie began to cry, burying her face into Caroline’s side. Lily pulled her sister towards her, holding her close and whispering something in her ear. Caroline could not make it out but she knew that it was meant to be comforting. “Damon helped me alot when you were working. Lily cried constantly and it just happened. When I realized I was pregnant I panicked and-”

“And kept sleeping with my brother for nine years.” Stefan cut her off. He took a deep breath, looking at Elena as though he had no love left for her. He wouldn’t even look at his brother and Caroline had a feeling that a divore would be happening in the near future. “You know what, yes she is. I was there when she was born and every time she was sick. She is my kid. I am going home and you can stay at Damon’s. We will talk about custody arrangements when I have a cooler head.”

Stefan walked towards both of the girls, Caroline moved out of his way and leaned down to pick up a still crying Stephanie. The little girl wrapped her arms around Stefan’s neck and buried her face into the crook of if. He reached out and Lily quickly took her father’s hand, following him happily towards one of the cars in the parking lot.

Elena looked distressed, watching her husband take their daughters to a car while she just watched them leave. Damon pushed himself off the ground and moved to comfort her but Elena pushed him away, before heading off to her own car. Klaus looked at them all in confusion once he realized that the fight was over.

“Well, I think I figured out why both the Salvatore girls have to do summer school.” Caroline muttered as Klaus made his way to her. The few parents that had witnessed the fight slowly departed for their cars, muttering to themselves about the scene they had just witnessed. Klaus stood beside her, keeping a respectable distance, not wanting to add to the scandal by spreading the fact that the vice-principal was sleeping with one of the teachers.

“Wait, who is the father?” Klaus asked her, pure confusion written on his face. He clearly was trying to wrap his head around the scene they had just witnessed.

“Both. She has one with each of them.”

“Ah,” Klaus said, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck. He shook his head and Caroline knew that he was thinking of his own dysfunctional family. Caroline had only met them a few times in the past six months that they had been together but it was enough to know why Klaus preferred living two states away from every single member of his family. Before heading back to the school, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Remember to bring the condoms on your way over.”