#Insomnia is kicking my ass so I decided to finish coloring this piece

[rins-brainrot-artdump]

A little confuse but he's got the spirit

[bellemorte180]

Little Love

If it wasn't for the court ordered custody order, Caroline and Klaus probably would have killed each other. While they tried to be civil for their daughter, it wasn't easy. However, after a night in the Emergency Room something softened between the two of them. Slowly thing began to change and maybe....just maybe...they can see beyond the hatred they built up for one another.

Written for Klaroline Week. Day 4 Enemies to Lovers 

Thank you @klaroline-events, for putting this all together

Caroline tapped her highlighter against her notebook. Everything was organized precisely and she marked each foot note with a specific color. She glanced at the article on the screen and smiled. It was perfect and finished a head of schedule. Glancing at the clock which were blaring the number 9:15 pm, and noticed that she had just under three hours left before she had to have it submitted in order for it to make the morning paper. She flipped through her notes again, triple checking that everything she had was correct. Caroline was not a journalist who printed mistakes and she hated doing redactions. They were embarrassing.

Caroline was lost in thought that she did not hear the creaking of her home office door or the patter of feet coming up to her. It wasn’t until a small hand tapped her on the arm that caused her to jumped slightly.

“Mommy? I don’t feel good.” Caroline looked down at her six-year-old daughter, Lizzie, and sighed. The little girl was clutching the pink unicorn that her aunt had gifted her as a baby and she rarely let go of. She had curly blonde hair, blue eyes and dimples that Caroline despised who they had originated from. Lizzie had trouble sleeping and at times simply could not just go to sleep no matter how hard Caroline tried to put her down. Caroline had more than one late night just trying to get her to close her eyes. It had been awhile since Lizzie refused to sleep but on occasion, she had bursts of insomnia.

“What’s wrong baby?” She put on her best mom voice and knelt beside her. She felt her daughter’s head and realized that she was warm. Very warm. This was more than just not being able to sleep and wanting her mother’s attention. “What hurts?”

“My head. It won’t stop thumping.” Lizzie replied, rubbing her ear as she went. Caroline stood and held out her arms. Lizzie early crawled into them, allowing Caroline to pick her up. Despite the fact that her daughter was growing very quickly and probably would be taller than Caroline one day, Caroline could lift her easily. Lizzie was a very active child with a very picky appetite that it was difficult for Caroline to convince her to eat three solid complete meals a day. While she was not underweight by any means, she was still a skinny child.

Caroline carried Lizzie into the bathroom and sat her down on the counter. She fished through the cabinet and pulled out the child’s thermometer that she spent way too much money on. She had to ensure that it was accurate and it had not let her down yet. She stuck the thermometer under Lizzie’s tongue and waited the few seconds before pulling it out.

103.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

Caroline could feel her heart begin to beat faster and the slight panic well up in her chest. Her daughter just didn’t have a fever, she had a high fever. She could tell that her daughter was not feeling the best and decided to try and calm herself before making matter worse. Lizzie had a tendency to overreact and throw a tantrum when she was scared…or hurt…or angry…or very happy.

It was a trait Caroline insisted that Lizzie did not inherit from her.

“Lizzie, we are going put some clothes on and take a drive okay?”

“I don’t want to go for a drive.” Lizzie whined but Caroline persisted.

“I know but we have to.” Caroline picked Lizzie back up and walked into her daughter’s bedroom. She pulled out a pair of small black leggings, a large shirt and sweatshirt. Lizzie dressed with minimal protest, which told Caroline exactly how sick her child was and put on a pair sock and small sneakers on her feet. Once dressed, Caroline quickly slipped on a pair of shoes and grabbed her own sweatshirt; still being dressed from her day.

She picked up Lizzie and left the town house she rented in the middle of Richmond, Virginia. She strapped Lizzie into her booster seat and ran around the car and slipped into the driver’s seat. Once she was down the road, heading towards the hospital, she glanced back to see that Lizzie had drifted off slightly; her pink unicorn still clutched tightly to her chest. Caroline reached for her phone, which was in the back pocket of her jeans and dialed. It rang three times before clicking to voicemail.

Scowling, Caroline hung up and dialed again but this time it only rang once before the voicemail picked up.

“Klaus, I know you hate hearing from me but if you do not call me back in three seconds, I will rain hell down on you. Do you understand?” While it probably wasn’t the best way to leave a message, Caroline was stressed and having to call Klaus was never a pleasant experience in her opinion. If he did not call her back, she would try again….and again….and again until he got so irritated with her, he would have to pick up the phone. Klaus must have been thinking along the same lines because less than a minute later, his name popped up on her caller ID.

"I’m working Caroline.” Working, right. That was code for painting in Klaus’s book. While Caroline would admit that Klaus was a talented artist, he owned an art gallery that showed other people’s art and she was willing to bet that was not a gallery show at 9:30 on a Wednesday night.

Okay, maybe she wasn’t willing to bet that, because art showings could happen on a weeknight, but that was beside the point.

“Yeah, well I’m driving your daughter to the emergency room so I win.”

“Lizzie?” Klaus’s voice changed from one of irritation to worry. There was a softness to it that Caroline rarely heard from him; possibly because it was never really directed at her. She heard it when the spoke to their daughter but he rarely treated her with the same affection. “What is wrong?”

“She woke up complaining about her head hurting. She was hot to the touch and had a fever of 103.” Caroline replied and Klaus hissed.

“Did you give her anything?”

“The moment I took her temp, I put her in this car and called you.”

“What was she like before? Was she not feeling well before you put her to bed?” Caroling grind her teeth. She hated when Klaus gave her the holier than thou attitude when it came to their daughter. She knew how to care for her child and while she would say that Klaus is a good father, being a shitty human being notwithstanding, she did not need him questioning her parenting skills.

“She was fine. She watched Frozen a million times, played with her pink unicorn, picked at her dinner, and talked nonstop about what she wants for her birthday, despite the fact it’s like six months away.”

“She picked at her dinner? Did she eat anything at all?”

“Oh, don’t give me that Klaus. You and I both know that our daughter is the pickiest eater on the planet. I was able to get her to eat a few chicken nuggets and some broccoli.”

“Lizzie loves chicken nuggets.”

“Not tonight she didn’t.” Klaus had no reply because he knew that Caroline was right. Lizzie had a tendency to love one food and then hate it the next day. It was a never-ending game of guessing which foods she would eat on a day to day basis. The fact that Caroline was able to convince Lizzie to eat a couple pieces of broccoli was a major win.

“What hospital?”

“Chippenham.”

“I’ll see you there.” Klaus hung up the phone and Caroline tossed hers onto the passenger side seat. She glanced in the back and saw that her daughter was still sleeping. Despite the fact that it was hard for Klaus and Caroline to have a civil conversation, they generally tried not to fight in front of her. So, the rarely spoke to each other outside of text messages. They didn’t even provide the transportation to and from each other’s houses, relying on Klaus’s sister Rebekah to both pick up Lizzie and drop her off at their respective homes.

Caroline had no problem with that arrangement because she actually liked Rebekah.

Klaus and Caroline met through a mutual friend; sort of. Caroline’s friend Katherine had been dating Klaus’s brother Elijah and the two met at their New Year’s Eve party one year. One to many vodka-cranberries had Caroline running off with Klaus to his apartment and was in his bed before the clock struck midnight. But their romantic interlude only happened once.

Okay, several times but it was only one night.

When Caroline discovered she was pregnant, she first thing she did was have Katherine give her Klaus’s number. She told him the news and he flipped his shit. He didn’t believe her at first and it wasn’t until she took an in-utero DNA test that confirmed he was the father that he started believing her. However, their relationship did not improve. Caroline wondered if he would have even stepped up and been there for his child if it hadn’t been for Elijah kicking his ass to do the right thing. In the back of her mind, she knew that was not a fair thought but none-the-less, Klaus was a right jack ass to her at first.

And Caroline still couldn’t believe Katherine dumped Elijah for Mason Lockwood. Complete downgrade in Caroline’s opinion.

The relationship between Klaus and Caroline did not improve with time. They both had a temper and it clashed with the best of them. However, there were small moments when the two could come together for the sake of their daughter. He was with her during labor and she still remembered when Klaus held Lizzie for the first time. He even bought her a small silver bracelet with Lizzie’s birthstone inside it in order to celebrate the birth of their daughter.

He didn’t even fight her on wanting to name Lizzie after her mother who had died when Caroline was a teenager.

But then there were times where he was vindictive and just down right cruel. When Caroline started dating Tyler Lockwood for a while, Klaus flat out refused to allow Lizzie around him. Granted, Caroline was not about introduce her daughter to some stranger but Klaus hated Tyler with a passion that baffled Caroline. She had to point out that he had women in and out of his life that she didn’t feel was a good example for Lizzie.

It was a back and forth tug of war between the two of them. When the relationship between Caroline and Tyler fizzled out (which she partly blamed Klaus for), Klaus was far to smug for her liking. He also liked to mention whichever girlfriend he was with to just annoy her as much as possible.

f it wasn’t for their court ordered custody agreement, Caroline was sure that they would have killed each other by now.

They came to a week on week off agreement with Rebekah providing the transportation; with Elijah as an alternate if Rebekah was not available. There was no way in hell Caroline trusted Kol in a car with her child. Klaus and Caroline actually agreed on that fact. The two had little to no contact directly with one another outside of emergencies and the few activities their daughter was in. During those times they could at least pretend to be civil.

Sometimes.

When Caroline pulled into the hospital parking lot, she gently got Lizzie out of the car and walked her into the emergency room hospital. By the time the nurses were checking her in and Caroline was filling out the necessary paperwork, Lizzie curled up in her lap; refusing to let go of her mother, Caroline’s phone buzzed to let her know that Klaus was parking his ridiculous expensive car. He must have sped the entire way but Caroline couldn’t blame him. She would have done the same thing in his position. She saw him all but run in, his eyes darting around, looking for her.

“Klaus.” Caroline called and his eyes snapped toward her. She eyed him up and down as he made his way over to them. His hair was a complete disaster, probably from pulling at it due to stress. He was in a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt that had seen better days. He was covered in paint, which confirmed to Caroline that he had indeed been working on his latest project.

“How is she?”

“She slept pretty much the entire way here but she is still warm. The nurses said it’s a quiet night so it shouldn’t take to terribly long to take her back.” Klaus nodded and saw that she will filling out paperwork.

“Here, let me take her.” Klaus reached over and took Lizzie from her arms, which Caroline was grateful for because it made filling out the forms much easier.

“Daddy?” Lizzie woke up slowly and gave Klaus a small smile, the dimples they shared showing on her cheeks.

“Hey little love, how are you feeling?”

“Not good.” Lizzie wrapped her arms around Klaus and buried her head in his neck. Caroline couldn’t help but give a small smile. No matter her feelings about Klaus, she had to admit that it melted her heart to see her daughter interact with her father. “Will you stay with me?”

“I wouldn’t leave you for the world.”

“Shit.” Caroline hissed out and closed her eyes. She brought the clipboard to her head and rested her forehead against it.

“Mommy, that’s an Uncle Kol word.” Caroline couldn’t help but crack a small smile at that and Klaus outright laughed. Lizzie narrowed her eyes at the two of them, not liking that they where laughing at her. “Well it is!”

“That’s right and what do we say about Uncle Kol.” Klaus asked.

“Ignore him because he is always wrong.”

“That’s right.” Klaus stated and looked over to Caroline. “What’s wrong?”

“I forgot her insurance card.” Caroline scowled. It was not like her to forget things. She typically was always on top of everything that she double checked and triple checked if she had what she needed when she left the house; but this time she was in such a rush that she didn’t think to check. “And my entire wallet actually.”

“Here.” Klaus shifted and pulled out his wallet. He opened it and pulled out his copy of the card. For a split second, he saw a picture of Lizzie in his wallet and she smiled at that. “Use mine. It should be up to date. And I’ll take care of the bill to when we check out, so don’t worry about that.”

“Thank you.” Caroline muttered. She hadn’t thought about the hospital copay. Klaus was good for it and she knew that but money had been a touchy subject with them for a time. When she was pregnant, Klaus accused her of getting pregnant on purpose to take him for money; which Caroline did not do and out of stubbornness, she never once filed for child support, even though she could have used the money at the time; having only been a little over twenty-one when she fell pregnant.

They lapsed into silence and once they were called back into a room. Klaus, who was still holding Lizzie, laid her down upon the bed. She pulled her pink unicorn to her chest and eyed the nurse worryingly. Their daughter was not one who trusted strangers, at all. In fact, she rarely made friends with children her own age because she didn’t trust new people easily.

That and she had a prickly personality.

Something Caroline insists that she got from Klaus.

The nurse checked her temperature and other vitals all the while asking both Klaus and Caroline questions. When Caroline was going over why she brought her in, Klaus did not interrupt once nor scold her for something he would have done differently. The nurse said that the doctor would be in momentarily and slipped out.

Lizzie feel asleep soon after and both Klaus and Caroline lapsed back into silence. Caroline stood from the uncomfortable hospital chair and paced the room. She could feel Klaus’s eyes on her with every movement she made but she could not be sure if it was out of annoyance or sympathy. The silence between them was driving her insane, especially since she was not one who did silence well.

“Thank you.”

“What for Caroline?”

“Coming tonight.”

“She is my daughter. I would drop everything for her.” Klaus replied and Caroline nodded. She could not argue with that and honestly, Caroline did not have it in her to argue. “I hope Haley does not mind that I pulled you out so late.” Granted, it was only a little after ten but still, Haley was a right bitch in Caroline’s opinion.

“Haley?”

“Yeah. You know, your girlfriend.”

“Oh. Haley and I ended things about five months ago.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” Caroline paused, mainly because she never asked. “Although that explains why Lizzie hasn’t mentioned her in a while.” Lizzie hated Haley. It wasn’t that Haley mistreated Lizzie, Caroline would not stand for that and if she was forced to admit it neither would Klaus, but that Lizzie did not like how Haley babied her. In fact, she was surprised that Lizzie didn’t spill those beans the moment she learned that Klaus gave her the boot. Secret keeping was not Lizzie’s strong suit. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. That entire relationship was a train wreck.” Caroline snorted at that. She didn’t like Haley the moment she met her over a year ago. Caroline could not explain why but there was something that just drove Caroline insane when she saw them together. “You can say it Caroline. I know you want to.”

“I told you so.” Klaus just rolled his eyes at her. She smiled lightly. The knowledge that his relationship with Haley was over made her feel slightly better. It was petty but Caroline didn’t care. “What happened? I mean, never mind. None of my business.”

“No. It’s fine.” For a moment, Caroline wanted to ask if he was feeling alright. He usually got annoyed if Caroline pried too much. Which she honestly didn’t do that often, only when she was concerned with who Klaus brought around Lizzie. “I caught her tampering with her birth control.” Caroline whipped around and gave Klaus a shocked looked. In fact, Caroline was certain that her eyes were bulging out of her head. “Yeah. I had the same exact look except add in my temper.”

“Well, fuck.”

“That’s an Uncle Kol word, Caroline.”

“Bite me.” She shook her head. “Seriously? Like, Seriously?”

“Yup.” Klaus nodded. “She thought that if she got pregnant and gave me a baby, then I would stop spending all my time with Lizzie during my weeks. She didn’t like the fact that Lizzie came first.” He paused. “Because she does you know. I know I was irritated when you called me tonight but Lizzie does come first for me. Always and forever.”

“I know that Klaus and I’ve never doubted that. Not once.” Klaus gave her an incredulous look as though he couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Caroline sighed and sat back down in the empty chair. She knew this was probably the most honest conversation they have had in a very long time. “You’re a good dad Klaus. No matter what our relationship is like, I know that when it comes to Lizzie, you’ll be there.”

Before either one of them could say anything else, the doctor came in and looked at the small patient who was still clutching her unicorn as though her life depended upon it. An ear infection. When the doctor told them that it wasn’t anything life threatening, because in the back of Caroline’s mind she was certainly obsessing that it was, they both let out a sigh of relief. The doctor prescribed some antibiotics and sent them home. Lizzie slept through the majority of everything, which was very much unlike her. Klaus checked them out while Caroline took their sleeping daughter to her car, with a promise that she would let Klaus say goodbye to her before driving off. When she saw Klaus striding across the parking lot to her car, he had something in his hand that Caroline would have freaked out when she discovered it was missing.

A bright pink unicorn.

“Thank you! If she would have woke up without that…”

“It would have been the end of the world as we know it.” Klaus joked but they both knew how true that statement would have been. Lizzie would have thrown a fit, especially since she was sick. When Lizzie threw a tantrum, it was not a pretty sight. It also took Caroline by surprise that Klaus brought the unicorn to her and not hid it, making her suffer Lizzie’s meltdown. If she would have been in Klaus’s position, Caroline never would have done it but most certainly would have thought about it. Klaus gave her soft smile before crawling into the back of her car in order to kiss the top of Lizzie’s head. “I love you, little love.”

Klaus climbed out of the back, closed the door and looked at Caroline. A small awkward moment passed between them and the way Klaus was looking at her made her believe that there was something he wanted to say to her. Klaus was not one to mince his words and always said what was on his mind. The fact that he was staying silent worried Caroline.

“Well, goodnight.” She moved to walk around her car but Klaus stopped her.

“Caroline…” He paused, looking for the words but Caroline could tell he chickened out. “Will you call me in the morning? Let me know how she is doing?”

“Of course.” The shared a small smile and Caroline climbed into her car. Klaus stood in the parking lot, watching her drive off; a move that she was not sure exactly what to make of. By the time she got home, it was well after midnight. When she was getting ready to get into bed for the few hours of sleep before Lizzie woke, she noticed that she had a message from Klaus on her phone.

Thank you for your honesty.

*

The changes were subtle. At first, everything remained the same. They communicated by text message and Rebekah picked Lizzie up and dropped her off. There was something in Rebekah’s demeanor though whenever she looked at Caroline. A small smirk or an all-knowing glance that infuriated Caroline. If she didn’t have a stable understanding with Lizzie’s aunt, she would have called her out on it but she refrained.

Caroline needed to be on good terms with at least one Mikaelson.

However, the messages from Klaus were different. Friendlier. Gone were the snarky comments and explosive unfounded accusations. Instead, he added pleasantries that Caroline was convinced were absent from his vocabulary. He wished her good morning before asking about their daughter and every night he told her goodnight after every phone call with Lizzie. She would never admit it but each time, Caroline felt her stomach flutter ever so slight; but she would deny it upon pain of death.

Soon enough, just communicating by text message stopped. Klaus would call her when he wanted to check in on Lizzie. Their conversations were strictly about her but eventually they moved onto more personal topics. It started with Klaus complementing her on an article she had written. Caroline was unsure what surprised her more, the fact that he read one of her articles or that he agreed with her opinion.

There were times that Klaus would call her out of the blue with something that had nothing to do with Lizzie. He called when their daughter was at school and during times that he knew Caroline would be available, such as her lunch break or the hour she had before Lizzie got off the bus. The cordial relationship they built took months but Caroline found that it was far more pleasant than arguing every time they had to speak to one another. It baffled her at first but Caroline felt that if Klaus was going to put in the effort to be more pleasant with her, than she was not going to be the one who messed that up.

Her pride would not allow it; because that was all it was. Pride. Nothing more. Nope. Not at all.

Then one day when it was time for the exchange of custody, Caroline opened her front door to find, not Rebekah but Klaus. It had been months since Lizzie had her ear infection and she had not seen him in person since. They spoke almost everyday but actually seeing him in person took Caroline off guard. If anyone were to ask her about the blush heating up her skin, she would deny it.

“Lizzie, your dad’s here!” Caroline stepped aside and allowed Klaus to enter the house. His eyes darted around, taking in the pictures in her entry hall. She realized that this was the first time he had actually step foot inside her house. He had always known where she lived, and had been in the backyard but he had never actually been inside it. Caroline was tempted to ask why he had come but decided against it. “Would you like something to drink? Lizzie is probably still deciding which friend her unicorn would like to come with.”

Klaus snorted at that.

“If could be ages before that decision is made.”

“Coffee?” Klaus nodded and followed her into the kitchen. He looked around and smirked at the insane amount of organization her home had. He had known Caroline was a neat freak and had a case of OCD that she would deny, but seeing it so ingrained in her home was humorous to him; but he was wise enough to keep his comments to himself. At least he knew where Lizzie got her obsession that everything be neat and orderly from, because it certainly was not him. “How do you take it?”

“Black.”

“Of course, you do.” Klaus raised his eyebrows in question but Caroline just rolled her eyes in response. She made his coffee and gave it to him. “While you’re here, it would be a good time for us to talk.”

“About?”

“A special day for a special someone.”

“Ah. Yes. That.” Klaus took a sip of his coffee. “I can’t believe she is going to be seven.”

“Right?” Caroline shook her head. It felt like yesterday that Lizzie was an infant, screaming at the top of her lungs demanding that the world pay attention to her. Since Lizzie’s first birthday, it was the one day that both Klaus and Caroline tried to be on their best behavior because neither one of them wanted to ruin Lizzie’s day by the two of them bickering. “She wants a party. I was thinking we could do it the second weekend of September? Its technically not on her birthday but Rebekah mentioned that she was going out of town for work and I know she would hate to miss it.”

“That should be fine. Theme?” Klaus

“Princess.”

“Of course. What else would it be?” Klaus drawled out. “I mean, what else would the daughter of, oh what was it?” He paused for dramatic effect. “Oh yes. Miss Mystic Falls. Of course, Lizzie would want something that would require her to wear a tiara.”

“Oh, really? You want to go there?” Caroline laughed at him. “May I remind you that it was not me that bought her that doll house in the form of a castle with a doll that looked identical to her? I don’t think it was me that created this princess obsession.”

“Well, in my defense she is practically royalty.” Caroline just snorted.

“She has you wrapped around her little finger.” Klaus opened his mouth but Caroline pointed at her finger at him, silencing him. Klaus backpedaled and smirked. “And don’t you even try to deny it.”

“Are the two of you getting along?” Both Klaus’s and Caroline’s snapped to the archway that lead into the kitchen. Lizzie was standing there with her hands on her hips and her head cocked. Her blue eyes were darting between the two of them as though she was judging them both; and she probably was. “It’s weird.”

“Elizabeth!” Caroline scolded but Lizzie just rolled her eyes. Caroline could tell that Klaus was holding back a laugh and she just gave him a looked that dared him to laugh out loud. Instead, he just tilted his head toward their daughter as though to say her attitude was all Caroline. She was going to so much fun as a teenager.

“Hi Daddy!” Lizzie skipped over to Klaus and jumped into his lap. He lifted her up easily and kissed the top of her head.

“Hello little love. Are you ready?” Lizzie nodded, causing her blond pigtails to bounce slightly. “Okay, go say goodbye to your mom and we can get going.” Lizzie hopped back down and walked over to Caroline, with her arms open wide. Caroline scoped Lizzie up into a big hug and held her tightly. It was always hard saying goodbye to her daughter for an entire week, even though she knew she would speak to her every day.

“I love you, Lizzie.”

“Love you too.” Lizzie let go and all but flounced over to her father, pulling him by the hand. Klaus laughed and gave Caroline a gentle wave. “Bye mommy!”

*

“We’ve all noticed it, you know.” Rebekah replied, sipping her non-alcoholic drink while looking at Caroline questioning look. Caroline was very strict about having alcohol at her daughter’s birthday parties. The rule was mainly meant for Kol who at one point, though it was a bright idea to spike a three-year old’s punch at her birthday.

“Noticed what?” Caroline asked, tearing her eyes from Lizzie who was running around with a few other girls her age. There were not a lot of children present, mainly because none of the other Mikaelson siblings had children and Lizzie did not make friends easily.

“That you and Klaus seem, friendly.”

“We have a child together. We should be friendly.”

“That never stopped you before.”

“Rebekah.” Caroline stated in warning.

“What? I’m just pointing out the obvious.” Rebekah tossed her blond curls over her shoulder, glaring at Caroline. “All I’m saying is that we all see it. Klaus no longer wants to throw something at the mention of your name and you don’t have that scowl on your face when you see him.”

“We are trying to be better for Lizzie, Rebekah. That’s all.” Caroline stated and even she didn’t believe was she was saying. “We fought all the time and even though we tried to keep it from Lizzie, she knew we didn’t get along and it hurt her. We’re trying to be better for the sole purpose of making her life easier.”

“Try saying that once more with feeling and I might believe you.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “Look, Klaus could do far worse that you in terms of a relationship. Hell, he has done far worse. Not only do we actually like you and your obsessive tendencies but you are also Lizzie’s mom and that makes you family.” Rebekah paused. “But if you tell anyone I said that I will deny it. Now, I am going to go over there and play with the puppy my brother bought my niece.”

With that Rebekah walked away and Caroline just shook her head. She glanced over to Klaus who was staring daggers at Kol, who seemed way to pleased with himself. It did not take a genius to figure out what the topic of Klaus’s rage was. She bit her lip and walked over to Klaus, hoping to calm his anger before he murdered Kol during their daughter’s seventh birthday party. Homicide could wait until after the cake at least.

“Klaus.” He turned to look at her. “If you kill him, I’ll help you bury the body but it will have to wait until after the party.”

“He bought her a puppy!” Klaus hissed, through his teeth. Neither Klaus nor Caroline were pet people. Klaus didn’t have the time and Caroline didn’t want to clean up after them. Having a child was enough for both of them. Kol, apparently had other ideas. “He didn’t run this by me and there is no way in hell you would agree to a puppy.”

“Nope.”

“But he bought her one anyway.”

“Yes. Yes, he did.”

“We can’t keep it.”

“Absolutely not.” Both Klaus and Caroline looked over to their daughter who was laughing hysterically as the small dog licked and jumped on her. Her eyes were dancing with happiness and she was smiling so widely, Caroline thought her cheeks had to hurt.

“Damn it.”

“Week on week off? Where Lizzie goes, the dog goes too?”

“Fine.” Klaus hissed out. Shooting another murderous glare at Kol, who just blew Klaus a kiss. “I may take you up on the body disposal later.” Caroline nodded but said nothing. Klaus pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes tightly. “There is something I wanted to discuss with you before Kol brought that beast to the party.”

“About what?”

“I have an art showing next weekend. I was hoping to have Lizzie there.” Caroline cocked her head at him confused. He never had Lizzie come to one of his showings before mainly because they were not exactly kid friendly. “I know it is technically your weekend, but I would offer make-up time-“

“Klaus, I’m not worried about that.” Caroline replied, waiving her hand dismissing the idea of make-up time. “It’s just, don’t you think she would be bored. I mean, you’re so busy at those things and I highly doubt that there would be other kids there, and I don’t think the artist would appreciate Lizzie ruining their art.” She could see the hurt look in Klaus’s eyes and Caroline hated herself for a moment. “But if you want her there and the artist is okay with a seven-year-old who has way too many opinions, then sure.”

“He doesn’t mind. The artist I mean.” Klaus paused. “Would you like to come?”

“What?” Caroline asked, in a very high-pitched voice.

“I mean, to bring Lizzie and you could stay if you wanted to, look at the art. Get free wine.” Caroline laughed lightly. “And I would be there. We could you know, meet there and spend time…together.” He looked at her in that bashful way that reminded her of that New Years Eve all those years ago. He seemed shy and unsure of himself-a part of Klaus that she was not really familiar with.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

It wasn’t until hours later, when Lizzie had crashed from her sugar high and Caroline was trying get their new puppy into his crate-fucking Kol-that the reality hit Caroline. She had a date with Klaus. Well, kind of.

*

Caroline obsessed what to wear. She had never been to one of Klaus’s gallery openings before and was clueless on what to wear. In the week that passed since Lizzie’s birthday, Caroline tried to play it cool with him; not drawing attention to the fact that they had a date coming up. Except it wasn’t really a date but it kind of was. Part of her didn’t know if they had actually made plans for the gallery showing or if she had imagined it. When Klaus had randomly called her to confirm, it all became real.

It threw Caroline into panic mode. She called Katherine, demanding her to come over and help her get ready. Being the best friend that she was, Katherine complied. It actually surprised Caroline how well Katherine was taking the news that she had a date with Klaus. When her relationship with Elijah crashed and burned, which was all Katherine’s fault, she vowed never to have anything to do with a Mikaelson again…Lizzie excluded.

“Honey, we all knew this was coming one day.” Katherine said as she curled Caroline’s hair. “The two of you fought like cats and dogs for you not to get together at some point. Kol thought it was going to be sooner but I figured it would take you guys awhile, didn’t think seven years though.”

“Wait. You talk to Kol?”

“No. This was pre-break up but we all took bets.”

“Oh.” Caroline paused. “Wait what!?”

“You look really pretty Mommy.” Lizzie said, strolling into Caroline’s bedroom as though she owned the place. The puppy, that Lizzie promptly names Olaf because of his white hair, happily following after her. Lizzie was in a peach colored dress and had her hair tied back into a bun with ringlet framing her face. She was very excited for this evening because it meant she got to dress up in a pretty dress.

“Thank Sweetie. You look very pretty too.”

“I know.” Lizzie replied and jumped on Caroline’s bed after helping Olaf up on it. Katherine snorted at the little girl and shook her head. Caroline didn’t even bother correcting her for there was no use at this point.

“Got to admire the kid’s confidence, I’ll admit to that.” Caroline rolled her eyes. No matter how hard she tried, Lizzie was always going to be something of a diva. “I wonder who she got that from?”

“Me.”

“I was going to say Klaus.” Caroline gave Katherine a menacing look, refraining from sticking out her tongue at her best friend. She had to at least try and set a good example for Lizzie. “There you go. All done.” Caroline stood up and admired herself in her full-length mirror. She was wearing a light blue cocktail dress that pinned had her shoulder with a silver clasp while the other shoulder was completely bare. She wore silver stilettos that matched the clasp and her hair was pinned back lightly on one side with the rest hung down in waves. Her make-up was light and natural and she wore only a silver bracelet on her wrist. It was a gift Klaus had given her the day she gave birth to Lizzie. It was the first and last gift he had ever given her.

“You always did look good in blue.” Katherine said, admiring her handiwork. “Now the question becomes, what are you wearing underneath it?” “Katherine! Stop it. We’re so not going there.”

“Denial however, does not look good on you.”

The drive to the gallery did not take long and a part of her wished it did. The closer she got to the gallery, the faster her heart began to pound. She kept thinking back on Katherine’s words and how everyone expected them to end up together one way or another. In truth, the last several months Caroline found herself softening to Klaus. She couldn’t explain what happened but she couldn’t help but miss him when he wasn’t around. Then there was the obvious fact that she was attracted to him. That had never changed and she vividly remembered what he was like in bed.

She would never admit it aloud but that memory had fueled some of her wildest daydreams.

“Are we getting out of the car Mommy?” Lizzie asked impatiently. Caroline shook herself and nodded. She didn’t realize that they had been sitting in the parking lot for several minutes while Caroline worked up the courage to go inside. She stepped out and unbuckled Lizzie from her booster seat. Lizzie all but ran towards the door that had people spilling into it. Caroline caught up with her daughter as quickly as she good in stilettos and grabbed her wrist.

“What have I told you about running off in a parking lot without me?”

“Sorry Mommy.” Caroline just nodded and headed toward the entryway. The gallery was packed. She was not sure what she expected. She knew Klaus’s business was successful, given the fact that he had money to throw around, but she never expected this popularity. She looked around, not knowing where to turn first.

“Caroline.” She turned when she heard Klaus’s voice. He came strolling towards her and her breath caught in her throat. He was wearing black slacks, a white button-down dress shirt and a suit jacket that had to be professionally tailored. He looked good and well put together that Caroline couldn’t help but flash back to the night they met. When he reached them, Klaus leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Thank you for coming. You look beautiful.”

“Of course, and thank you.”

“What about me Daddy?” Lizzie chimed in, not used to being ignored by her father. Klaus smiled widely and knelt down to his daughter. He pulled her to him and hugged her closely.

“I’m sorry little love. I didn’t recognize you for a second. All I saw was a young lady who was too grown up to be my daughter.” Lizzie giggled and threw her head back. “Don’t be silly! It’s just me.” Klaus went in and started pressing kisses all over her face, causing Lizzie to laugh even louder. Caroline could see the curious stares but it didn’t seem to be bothering to many people. Besides, this was Klaus’s place of business and if he felt comfortable enough for such displays of affection for his daughter, Caroline was not going to stop him.

“My man Klaus Mikaelson!” Caroline’s eyes turned to a tall dark man walking their way. He was impeccably dressed with a fedora on top of his head, giving him an eccentric look. He had a wide smile with impossibly white teeth. Klaus stood and greeted the man with a pat on the back. “You have out done yourself this time. I am impressed. I already have a few pieces that I am interested in buying.”

“Thank you. Your business is very much appreciated.” Klaus smiled at the man and Caroline could tell the two had a friendly relationship. “Come, there is someone I would like you to meet. Caroline, this is Marcel Gerard. He is an art collector from New Orleans. Marcel, this is Caroline.”

“A pleasure to finally put a name with such a beautiful face.” Before Caroline could reply, or unpack such a statement, Klaus narrowed his eyes at Marcel.

“Marcel. Behave.” Klaus uttered in warning. The other man just laughed and patted Klaus’s shoulder, showing that he meant no harm. Lizzie pulled on Klaus’s sleeve, not wanting to be forgotten. “And this beautiful lady is our daughter, Lizzie.” Marcel bent down to be at eye level with Lizzie, who beamed at him, appreciating the gesture.

“Well, I’ve heard many great things about you.”

“I know. My dad never stops talking about me.” Marcel just laughed at the reply and stood, shaking his head at Klaus. People sometimes blanched at Lizzie’s bluntness and confidence that Caroline found it amusing how some people reacted. While Lizzie was a loving child who cared deeply when others were hurting, she also demanded the room when she was in it.

“Well she is most certainly your child Klaus.” Marcel replied has he stood. Klaus just nodded and looked down fondly at his daughter. There was that soft smile that graced his lips whenever he looked at his daughter. Marcel turned to Caroline. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal Klaus for a minute? I’ll promise to have him back in one piece after a few minutes.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll only be a little bit. Okay? Take a look around and I’ll find you.” Caroline nodded and watched Klaus walk off with Marcel, the two clearly discussing business.

“Can I go over their Mommy? It’s Auntie Bex and Uncle Elijah.” Lizzie asked and Caroline turned to see both Rebekah and Elijah in deep conversation. She was surprised to see them at the gallery, for she did not realize that they came to Klaus’s showings. The Mikaelson siblings were always supportive of one another but to come to a random showing? She had to admire their loyalty.

“Sure, but make sure you stay in one of our sights at all times.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Caroline replied and watched as her daughter walked over to Elijah. She tugged on her uncle’s sleeve and Elijah smiled when he saw who was interrupting his conversation. Elijah bent down and hugged the little girl before Rebekah engulfed her into a hug herself. Elijah turned and smiled at Caroline, letting her know that he would watch Lizzie until she wanted to go back to her parents. She gave him a small wave and started weaving through the crowd.

She viewed the paintings and couldn’t help but notice something familiar about them. Some were bright, full of light and just had a feeling of warmth. Then there were others that were dark and have a hint of loneliness behind it. The artist clearly had a wide range of emotions and Caroline couldn’t help but connect with the art.

She rounded a slight corner and saw a collection that was roped off slightly. There was a plaque that had a description on it but it was the subject of the paintings. There were at least six paintings of a face she knew well; a face she loved more than her own self.

Lizzie.

Each painting had such love put into it that Caroline didn’t know if she could breath. There were paintings of Lizzie smiling, laughing and running. There was a painting of her in a tutu, dancing during her first ballet class. There was a painting of her sleeping with that blasted pink unicorn clutched to her chest. Each and every painting had bright colors, love and such devotion that Caroline could not question the love the artist felt for her daughter.

Then there was a painted in the center of them all. This was the only one that Lizzie shared the spotlight in. Lizzie was smiling widely and laughing, a tiara perched on her head. She was looking up to the other person in the painting. Caroline. The detail on her own appearance in the artwork was astounding, it did not just mirror Caroline, but the emotion that was written on her face echoed every moment her heart burst at the mere sight of her daughter. The artist had to of spent a good amount of time gazing at Caroline to be able to capture such an emotion perfectly.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Caroline.

This wasn’t some random art show for some random artist trying to get his big break. Why she saw both Rebekah and Elijah there-and was willing to bet Kol was lurking somewhere in the crowed. It made sense why Klaus would want Lizzie there. Why he wanted her there.

This was Klaus’ art show. He was showing his pieces to the world for the first time.

Overwhelmed, Caroline looked down and read the plaque that described the collection.

Little Love By: N. Mikaelson Collection not for sale.

“I had hoped that I would be the one to show you these.” Caroline turned around, to see Klaus standing before her. He looked bashful and vulnerable. He stepped forward and ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tears that she had not realized where falling. “Please know that I would never sell a painting of our daughter to some stranger but I had to show them.”

“Klaus. They are…I don’t know what to say.” Caroline looked back at the paintings. Each and every time she looked at them it was like watching Klaus hold their daughter for the first time all over again. That love a father can only have for his daughter was etched onto each and every canvas. “That painting of her and I…when?”

“I’ve seen you give her that look a thousand times Caroline. Even when we were not on the best of terms, no one could deny that you loved her.” A new wave of tears flooded down her cheeks. “I’ll admit that, that particular painting is newer but the sentiment remains the same.”

“Mommy! Daddy! I’m famous!” Lizzie’s voice chimed in as she came running towards them, a brochure waiving in the air. She shoved the paper into Caroline’s hand and pointed to a listing of the paintings and collections. At the very bottom, under the listing of Little Love there was a painting simply named A Mother’s Love. “There is a set named after me! Little Love! That’s me!”

“That’s right you are!” Klaus teased Lizzie but the little girl wasn’t looking at her father. Instead she was staring up at Caroline with a worried look on her face. She stepped forward and hugged Caroline around the waist.

“Why are you sad Mommy?” Lizzie asked and Caroline realized that she still was crying. Caroline bent down to be at eye level with her daughter.

“I’m not sad honey. I’m happy.” Caroline’s eyes glanced up at Klaus and she could see that he was taken aback. Slowly, a smile spread across his face and the dimples Caroline adored popped out. “I’m very, very happy.”

“So happy tears?”

“Yeah. Happy tears.”

“Okay!” Lizzie turned from her mother, satisfied that she was perfectly fine and turned to her father. “Can I see the pictures now!”

“Of course, little love.” Klaus reached out and lifted Lizzie into his arms. He picked her up easily and began pointing out each painting to her in detail, describing the moment he was trying to capture when he painted them. Caroline just stood there, watching them with that familiar flutter in her stomach, and she knew.

Before her stood the man, she had vowed to hate for all eternity. The man who she joked with Katherine, out of earshot of Lizzie, that was her enemy.

She was in love with him.

*

In the few short weeks that followed, Caroline did not know how to act. Something had changed between Klaus and Caroline. She examined every inch of her feelings and went over every possibility of when they changed from her hating him to falling completely in love with him. She had no answers to that question, only that she was somewhere in the middle before she knew what she was feeling.

Caroline’s birthday fell on a random Tuesday in October. It was Klaus’s week to have Lizzie but offered to let Caroline have her instead. She shook her head, stating that she would do something with Lizzie the upcoming Saturday instead. However, Caroline did take off work, using her birthday as an excuse, but in all reality, it was to obsess over if she should tell Klaus how she felt.

What if he didn’t feel the same? What if he did? There were so many things to consider and the biggest one would be Lizzie. What if he did feel the same and they began to build something between them? What if Lizzie gets comfortable with them being together and then they break up? Could she put her daughter through that?

All those thoughts ran through her head as she heard a knock on her front door. Caroline pulled herself from her sofa and went over to answer the door. Behind it was a delivery man and Caroline creased her eyebrows. She hadn’t ordered anything but the delivery man held out a slip for her to sign. She could see a large package behind him and she was curious as to its contents. Caroline signed the slip and took the package inside. It was lighter than she was expecting, given its size. Carefully, she tore the brown packaging paper to revel a canvas.

It was the painting of herself and Lizzie from Klaus’s art show. Caroline lowered herself to the ground in order to look at the painting face on. Being so up close and personal to it was different from viewing it at the gallery. It was just as beautiful but she could see each stroke of the brush and effort put into both herself and Lizzie’s appearance. After what seemed to be forever, Caroline slowly stood and picked up the painting. A small card slipped out from the back and landed on the floor. She careful leaned the painting against the wall, unsure where she was going to put it yet, and bent down to pick up the card.

Happy Birthday, Caroline. Klaus.

It was as though a damn broke through her emotion and Caroline’s decision was made. She quickly slipped on a pair of boots, grabbed a coat and dashed out to her car. She drove through the busy streets of Richmond and pulled into the parking lot of Klaus’s apartment complex. She knew he would be home, or at least she hoped. Due to their prior conversations, Klaus had told her that he typically only worked the mornings at the gallery during his week with Lizzie.

She pulled into an empty spot and all but ran to the front door of the apartment building. She knew it would be locked, for only tenants could get in without a key. She looked for the bell of Klaus’s apartment and rang it. She prayed that he was home.

“Hello?” Klaus’s voice sounded through the speaker and Caroline let out the breath she had been holding.

“Klaus? It’s Caroline. Can I come up?”

“Yeah. Sure.” She could tell that he sounded confused at the fact that she was there. After a second, Caroline heard the click of the lock and that the door to the building was open. She made her way inside and headed towards Klaus’s apartment. Once she reached it, the door was already open and Klaus was leaning against its frame with his arms crossed. Caroline brushed past him and stepped inside.

She had not been in his apartment since the night that Lizzie was conceived. It still had the large windows and brick walls along the far wall. The building used to be an old factory during the Civil War that was reconstructed into apartments. She could see his artwork on the walls but pictures of Lizzie and his family also decorated the walls. She could see toys that clearly belonged to his daughter on the floor and her one coat hanging off a chair. Olaf ran over to her quickly, his bushy white tale wagging widely. Caroline bent down to put him and rub his belly, knowing that he would not leave her to speak with Klaus until he received some sort of attention.

“Thank you.” She whispered, as she stroked Olaf. “For the painting. Thank you.”

“It’s your birthday. There is no need to thank me.” Klaus shrugged. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She looked down at her hands, a question burning at her lips to be formed.

“What changed? Between us?” Klaus just looked at her in confusion but there was an understanding behind his eyes. “Months ago, you and I couldn’t be in the same room without it derailing into an argument. Now you’re sending me paintings and we talk every day and…. you’ve become one of the most important people in my life. What changed?”

“I fucked up.” Klaus replied simply and Caroline blanched. Out of everything, that was not the response she was expecting. “When I first learned you were pregnant. I reacted badly.”

“Understatement of the century.” Caroline replied and Klaus just smirked and nodded.

“I didn’t want to believe you. That night we spent together was…amazing. When you called me, I thought you were reaching to, I don’t know. Maybe grab dinner? See where things went between us? Maybe just to go another round?” Caroline snorted at that. “I wasn’t ready to be a dad and I took it out on you. I said horrible things and did horrible things.”

“Yes. You did.” Caroline replied. “But you weren’t the only one the blame Klaus. I held onto that hurt and anger for a long time. I tried so hard to hang onto all awful things you’ve done, forgetting that everyone deserves a second chance.”

“I know and I deserved all that anger. I know that Caroline.” Klaus admitted. “When Lizzie was born, it really changed everything for me. I loved her instantly and I knew that you would always be apart of my life. I wanted to do better and be better for Lizzie’s sake. I bought you that bracelet as a peace offering, hoping that we could start over. Maybe actually get to know one another and maybe…I don’t…see where things went.”

“But I was so angry at you.” Caroline felt her heart drop. If she had just been nicer to him in those beginning days when Lizzie was born, maybe things would be different. She knew he wasn’t innocent and that their relationship took a two-way street but he had tried. She didn’t. “And eventually, you gave up.”

“Rather quickly actually. Then things just fell back to how they were when you where pregnant and it was just…easier I guess.”

“Then what changed?”

“Remember, that night at the hospital, when Lizzie had that ear infection.” Caroline nodded, remembered how much that high Lizzie’s fever had been and how it had worried her.

“You told me that you knew I was a good dad and that at the end of the day, you knew I would always be there for Lizzie. To be honest with you Caroline, I had assumed that you thought I was the worst dad in the world and that if it wasn’t for the court order, I would never see Lizzie.”

“What?!” Caroline was actually shocked. She knew that their relationship was bad but she never thought Klaus felt as though she would keep Lizzie from him. “I would never, ever keep Lizzie from you. Yes. I didn’t always agree with your choices and I sure as hell know you didn’t always agree with mine but you’re her father Klaus. She loves you and no matter what happens between us, no matter what this” Caroline pointed between them, “is, you would always have an open door to her.”

“I know that now. It was a hard realization but that night, sitting in the middle of an emergency hospital room, I realized that we could do better. We actually talked that night and well, I just wanted more.” Klaus said and gave her a small smile. “Then, over time I got to know you. You became so much more than just the mother of my daughter. You became Caroline and you made me question everything.”

“Yeah. You became more than the narcissistic asshole that knocked me up.” Klaus snorted at that, wondering how many times she had called him that over the years. It was her go too insults for him.

“So, what is this?” He replied, pointing between them, mimicking the motion she made moments before. “Why did you really come here today? It wasn’t because of the painting.”

“Because…” Caroline’s thoughts were jumping back and forth. Did she confess how she felt for him, taking that giant leap that could leave her crashing and burning? Or did she keep the good thing they had going but know that it would hurt her to watch him eventually move on with his life, only keeping her as a friend? “Fuck it.”

With that, Caroline marched forward and slammed her lips to Klaus’s. He was shocked at first but once he realized that this was for real, Klaus pulled Caroline to him and put everything he had into that kiss. Caroline weaved her things through his blond curls and arched her back, pressing her chest as closely to him as she could. Klaus bit down lightly on her lip when the kiss broke apart. Their eyes locked for a moment and she could see Klaus searching for answers.

“Caroline?”

“I came here because I want this. I want you and me and Lizzie. I want joint parent teacher conferences and family dinners. I want to curl up on the couch with you after Lizzie goes to bed. I want to come to your gallery openings and for you to smirk at my articles, making snide comments when you disagree with something. I want to make love to you at night and share those stupid secret smiles couples have when they share something.” Caroline rambled on and Klaus just let her, a wide goofy smile on his lips. “I want to be a family Klaus. With you. Because I love you.”

Klaus crashed his lips to Caroline’s again. It was bruising and passionate. Caroline wrapped her arms around his shoulders and opened her lips to allow for Klaus’s tongue entrance. She felt herself go weak at the taste of him, remembering exactly what that tongue was capable of. Klaus’s hands were roaming all over her body, feeling every curve his hands could grip.

Caroline pushed his Henley upward until Klaus was forced to end their kiss in order to pull it over his head. As quickly as he tossed it aside, his lips where back onto her. Caroline touched his chest, her nails dragging down the length of his abs, while Klaus’s hands gripped her hips, bringing her as close to him as possible.

“Bedroom. Now.” Caroline whispered. She didn’t care if it was mid-afternoon; it was her birthday after all. Klaus laced their fingers together and quickly was dragging her down the hall towards his bedroom. Once inside, Caroline stopped him at the end of the bed and gently pushed him down upon it. He simply cocked his eyebrow at her in question. Caroline smirked before she straddled him. “Shh. Just relax.”

She leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips before placing a kiss on the base of his neck. She nipped and sucked his pulse for a moment, knowing that she would leave a mark. Klaus hissed when she bit just slightly too hard, but he didn’t tell her to stop. She began to move her lips downward, her tongue peaking out to lick and suck on his skin. She used her teeth to nip at his nipples while one of her hands scratched the other one.

As she made her way down his chest and stomach, Caroline’s eyes peaked upward. Klaus was staring down at her, his eyes filled with desire, causing her panties to become painfully wet. She kissed the skin that was just above the waist of his pants while her hands worked on undoing his belt. Once the buckle was undone, Caroline pulled the zipper down and roughly yanked his pants down his hips. Klaus lifted up slightly and made her job slightly easier. Once his pants were down around his ankles, Caroline eyed his penis. She remembered vividly what that felt like to be inside her. She leaned down, kissed the side of his thighs teasingly.

“Caroline.” Klaus hissed out her name, his erection straining painfully. She smirked evilly before leaning in and kissed the tip of his penis, once…. twice…three times before engulfing him fully; her tongue swirling around the length of him. “Jesus Fuck. Just like that.”

Klaus threw his head back and Caroline could see his eyes fluttering shut. His one hand reached down and gripped her blonde hair, massaging her head as she bobbed up and down. Caroline reached up and cupped his balls, rolling them gently in her hands as he muttered incoherent words. She could tell that he was close to finding his release and Caroline added a slight bit more pressure…just enough for-

“Daddy! I’m home!”

Caroline shot up as though she had been shocked, topping from the bed as she went. Landing on her back, Caroline covered her face with her hands, praying that her daughter didn’t come any closer to Klaus’s bedroom. Klaus jumped from the bed and ran over to his pants, pulling them on quickly.

“I’ll be out in a second Lizzie! Shit. Shit. Shit.” Klaus zipped up his pants and buckled the belt. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.” He held out his hand to Caroline, helping her up from the floor. Her face was still bright red with embarrassment. This has never happened to her before. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I cannot believe forgot that she would be coming home soon.”

“Well we were kind of distracted.” Klaus replied, with a smirk. He leaned and kissed her gently. It was different from the kisses they shared earlier. This one was soft, warm and full of promise. “Get cleaned up and stay for dinner. Spend the evening with Lizzie and I, she would love that and then later we can-“

“Talk?”

“I was going to say pick up where we left off but sure.”

“Or we could do both.”

“Both sounds good.” Caroline smiled cheekily at him and gave him another peck. It was quick because they both knew if they dawdled any longer, Lizzie would come looking for him and would have many questions as to, not only why her mother was there but why was she in his bedroom of all places. Klaus moved towards his bedroom door and looked back at her. “And for the record Caroline, I love you too.”

[euphoricpixi3]

Taste of Menace |7| ot7!mafia au

— Masterlist in my bio

— Pairings | this chapter | Jimin x reader ; slight Namjoon x reader

— Through the story | reader x others as the story progresses

— Warning | this story contain smoking, swearing, tattoos, drinking,  blood and drugs, smut. This is a mafia!au!yandere

— Summary | Your first time watching the underground fight took a completely wrong turn, why were you the only one laying lifeless on the cold ground when you weren’t even fighting?

It’s funny how brain is considered the main organ of the system, yet it crashes and leaves you hanging with nothing. Brain acts as a software and once it crash, our minds spirals down into a darkness void of any light. Then it screams, the error pops up with words that you can’t seem to understand with mouse clicks you try to turn it off but it does nothing as the same error keeps appearing.

“Please fix the bug in your software.”

You call technician to ask for help and he fixes the software, he disjoins the computer into pieces and without those parts is useless, just a screen and fragile parts.

For that, people are given magic pills to make them moving until the next crash.

Your brain crashed as Namjoon looked your way, both of his lips corners turned upwards.

“W-what do you mean? You asked and I answered” you flicked a tiny dust off your shoulder and scrunched up your eyebrows. Why did it always feel like they knew so much more than you. It’s like they had your whole life story displayed to them.

“I asked, but you didn’t say the truth” Namjoon firmly stated as he sat down to his chair.

You chuckled glancing at Jimin who looked at you with pleading eyes to tell the truth and not play games with Namjoon because he knew, there wouldn’t be much he could do to stop him.

“Everyone lies” you said, your attention back to Namjoon who just started to smile more as if you had walked in your own trap.

“Life is cruel, little one, but you just had admitted that you are a liar”.

Your eyes wandered back and forth between the three guys, wondering what kind of connection they had with each other.

Did one wake up at 3 am just to listen to other’s talk?

Did one say that he is proud of the other?

Did one put on a fight just to help the other?

**

You knew that Eve was a very philosophical person, she would give the words that dripped off her tongue like honey, sometimes her words would feel like broken bones from falling forty feet down, but she had always managed to paint a pretty picture that would heal every part of your broken self.

Both of you sat at one of the houses roofs. The city in front of you dreading with insomnia and shuffles of empty footsteps and shallow stares.

“Hey Eve, I know that sometimes it seems like I don’t appreciate your words, but I really do. For these past few months I have fallen down without a wish to stand back up, but now I know that I can always count on you, thank you for guiding me and helping to through another day”

You smiled quickly looking back to the view in front of you. You were never good with words, you were never good with telling how you feel, but with her that was okay because she understood you.

A smile tickled her lips before she playfully hit your shoulder “Don’t get all soft on me now, we still have to kick the world’s ass”

**

Eve had told you herself, that memories were like a piece of something made out of shattered glass, the more you cling to it, the deeper it will cut. And the pain will only sear through your skin and will take away every every feeling of safety you had.

Then why did she have to lie? You ask yourself. Why did she have to be the cause of the sharp pain that cuts you everytime you think about it.

You pulled your knees to your chest and wrapped your arms around your shins. If it weren’t for the tense stares you were getting, you would just curl up into a ball, hide yourself and never face the world again.

“How do you know I’m lying?” your head resting on your bruised knees.

Namjoon was a quiet for a brief moment, he was busy with analyzing you, you were so vulnerable and pure. But clearing his throat he stared at your face.

“Jin Hyung did your blood test and it was clean. Hmm how did he say it exactly. There’s more caffeine than water, it’s like you lived on teas and coffee or any kinds of fake energy sources.”

You groaned, the dark shade of red appearing on your cheeks making everyone around you almost awe at the sight of it.

But all of them remained silenced, they had to remain themselves they were mafia.

“Of course…” you mumbled.

“So why don’t you tell us the truth. I won’t let you go if you will keep lying” Namjoon stated, his fingertips dancing on the wooden table.

“I can’t” you whispered, you couldn’t tell them the truth, not now.

Namjoon sighed, he really hoped that all of the tortures you went through will break you, but you were stronger than it, whoever you tried to protect, you loved more than you loved yourself and in a very weird way, he respected it, he respected how you were willing to suffer for someone else.

“Jimin, keep an eye on her for now, we can’t have any trouble disturbing others” he said before dismissing the both of you.

**

You slid onto one of the kitchen chairs staring at the gorgeous male in front of you, who was willing to make you the best ramen ever.

“Any likes and dislikes I need to be aware of?” Jimin asked looking through the cupboards trying to find everything he needs.

You smiled sheepishly thinking of the long list of food items you hated, food textures that made you sick. It was a long list.

As if Jimin had read your mind, while shaking his head he “Please don’t tell me you’re a picky eater”.

You nodded rolling your eyes “I am, but I’m sure you can’t mess up ramen. Unless you will put in onions or carrots or make it too spicy…” you started rambling.

Jimin puts a finger to your lips and gently shushes you. “Wow, you’re like TaeTae”

Speaking of the devil, suddenly very messy Taehyung enters the kitchen, instantly clinging to Jimin.

“Jiminie! Why did you lock your door tonight! I couldn’t fall asleep without cuddling anyone” he whined, seeing as his voice was deeper and raspier, you assumed he had just woken up.

You couldn’t help but freeze at the sigh of him, yet you couldn’t help but almost let out a cute yelp, was it really the same guy that had a very sick playdate with you?

As if Taehyung felt your presence he turned around “Jagi!”.

As he started walking towards, jumping from the kitchen chair you moved further away, until your back was pressed against the cold wall.

“Taehyung stop” Jimin ordered with a stern look on his face.

Suprisingly to you, Taehyung stepped before looking back at his hyung. “I just wanted to say hi” he mumbles looking down.

You pull yourself together before you could move and actually comfort him. For crying out loud, he stabbed you.

“Jimin, can we go?” you ask, mentally hissing at your shaky voice.

**

You and Jimin stood in the small balcony of his room. The sun collecting colorful sky under her wing and soon all of the colors melts into a grey under the shining moonlight.

You have always loved the wind, for it comes to you so boldly, touches your skin and the soft breeze almost sooths you to sleep.

You couldn’t help but giggle as the find softly tickled your face, you had missed this, these minor joys of life that were drained out of you within the past couple of months.

Jimin glanced towards you once he heard the small giggle escape your lips, it has been long, too long since he had heard something as pure as your laugh.

It was beautiful. You were beautiful.

Before asking, Jimin cleared his throat bringing your attention towards him. “Why are you willing to die for someone who had lied to you?”

You shrugged, before smile warningly starts to appear on your tired face.

“You know there is a thin line between insanity and reality. Sometimes when it’s 3 am or 2 pm I stand in the way of both of those sites as if trying to decide which parallel is better. And when that happens I’m always being torn, standing like a complete idiot with crashed software. At those moments everything is being exposed, everything that I had folded into the small folds, just to make myself look presentable to others. It feels like suffocating on your own remorse and all you want is to scream, yet you’re blank.” You said staring at the boy in front of you. Jimin’s scrunched eyebrows only showed that he was waiting for you to continue.

“She was that person helped me to breathe when I was suffocating on my own breath, choking all because of the air in my lungs that suddenly turned toxic” you finished, a tiny transparent drop rolling down your cheek.

Before you could wipe it away, Jimin takes your face into his cold hands.

“I want to help you. But I can’t do anything if you won’t tell me…us what really happened” he whispered, his eyes jumping from your eyes, to your lips.

Then as if the wind had pushed Jimin towards you, he pressed his lips against yours.

And even though the dawn was still some time away, there was a light in your heart, that was missing just yesterday.

--

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