She could not help it. She just could not fucking help it. That bitch.

Elena sat there on the red, pillow-abundant couch with a smug face, admiring her handy work sitting across from her on a pair of wooden chairs. It had been easy to pair up Kol and Davina; their compatibility was just shining right in her face. The two were closely chatting to one another, their body language relaxed as her hands wandered up his torso. Kol chuckled, taking in Davina's beautiful smile as he listened contently. She grinned once again at her masterpiece.

Elena had perfectly straightened chestnut hair that cascaded down effortlessly. She sat next to her adoring, and otherwise boorish, boyfriend, Damon. He sat with his arm firmly around her waist to show his claim and batted his forehead against her shoulder playfully.

For all of the years they had been friends, Caroline and Elena had amassed a number of other friends surrounding them. Many had faded out of their growing group but a loyal few had stayed. It was easy to see Elena and Caroline paired together, and glued at the hip from a very young age, but then the boys came. For Caroline, she had dated around and eventually found a long lasting relationship with Tyler. However, she ultimately was not ready to settle down and become the housewife of a politician.

In Elena's case she started off with one brother but somehow ended up with the other. She could not judge her. Not openly anyway. Once Elena had started dating Damon, there was nothing better than love. The girl ranted and raved about how much she loved love and how great love would be if everyone had it. One by one she started pairing people up, forcing them together and meddling in others' businesses.

Every new person in their circle of friends was just another puzzle piece to her. Oh and how she would brag about her skills. Caroline would listen to her drone on and once Bonnie and Jeremy had gotten engaged it was like she thought she was Cupid incarnate.

When they met Davina, a recently dumped college graduate, Caroline was ecstatic. Finally there was someone Caroline could be friends with who was not in a relationship and who she would not have to talk to as if she was interviewing her on a talk show. 'So how is your relationship going?' she would ask and receive a 'Tom Cruise on The Oprah Winfrey Show' style response about how in love they were. Elena thought she was great and so did everyone else.

It was funny to Caroline, however, that Elena managed to find someone for everyone...except her. She wondered if it was on purpose but shrugged it off as her mind trying to find a reason to be bitter. She just didn't want to be the third wheel anymore.

Caroline sighed, twirling a strand of her blonde curls between two fingers. She was essentially in the middle of a mass date: Bonnie and Jeremy were leaning against the colourful, geometric-decorated wall, hands glued to each other's faces; Kol and Davina were still talking about whatever they talked about, and Matt had Rebekah by the waist, the two of them giggling like a pair of children in the doorway. She did not even want to start thinking about Katherine and Stefan.

To help numb his pain after she dumped him for his own brother, Elena found a girl who was practically a carbon copy face-wise and that was all he needed. Though, to her credit Katherine was a bit more lively and mischievous. That was something Elena lacked.

She hated that she thought badly of her best friend but she could not help it. Everything was great between them but Caroline becoming single again, and her moping and disdain for love did not fit Elena's world view, which just made things weird.

The group's latest addition was nice for Caroline: Cami, the boring psychology student. She was not boring per se, but Caroline had nothing in common with her aside from sharing the same blonde hair colour. Cami was too serious and too intense when it came to light-hearted discussions. However, Caroline tolerated her addition as she was single and she needed someone to talk to without them getting it on with their partner mid-conversation.

"So basically, everyone was running around like headless chickens for the meeting with Diane," Elena spoke loudly, expressing each word with hand gestures.

"Is the bottle opener next to you?" Caroline asked Cami in a hushed tone. The woman searched beside her but shrugged and apologised. Caroline sighed and turned to face back into the group conversation. She knew she had forgotten to bring something in from the Kitchen.

"But luckily I'd found it on some random flash drive and I basically saved everyone's asses!"

"Wow, Elena, you're practically a superhero," Caroline said incredulously. She smiled to try and convey some form of friendliness but it dropped as soon as Elena took her eyes away from her.

Elena laughed awkwardly, "I guess."

Caroline got up, looking down as she did so to hide the rolling of her eyes.

"I'm gonna go get the bottle opener if anyone wants me to get them a drink," she raised her head to smile warmly at them all.

Most of them shook their heads with the exception of Cami who asked for a glass of water. She accepted the request and quickly made her exit before Cami could explain for the billionth time her current study on alcohol and its effects on impulse control. Thrilling stuff in a school environment but Caroline came to chill out, not to take notes.

Caroline dragged her feet on the pale hardwood flooring on her way to the kitchen. She could hear that there was a brief knock on the door but now too far away she figured someone else would get it. The walls in Matt's house were relatively thin and the rooms were close enough together that Caroline could hear everything clearly. It was perfect for Rebekah, who delighted in overhearing people gossip.

Elena in particular shot up, rushing to open the door.

"Ah, that must be–," Kol noted aloud, breaking away from his conversation with Davina. He was cut off as the door opened, Elena exclaiming her greetings to the stranger.

"Klaus, I'm so glad you could make it," the brunette smiled warmly, patting the newcomer's shoulder before welcoming him into the living room.

"Guys, this is Klaus," she introduced him, gripping his arm in a friendly manner.

"Our devil of an older brother," Kol interjected with a smirk.

"The devil is I, I confess. I am sure Kol and Rebekah have brought me up several times to complain about my awful ways," he held a hand to his heart and grinned.

"Maybe once or twice but it was not without good reason," Rebecca answered, leading the group to share a good laugh.

"There's another one?" Caroline scoffed to herself in the kitchen, searching for the bottle opener in the many drawers.

How the group had acquired two pairs of siblings was a gradual occurrence. Elena dated Stefan for a while before dating Damon, but with Katherine in the picture they still hung out. As for the other pair, Kol became friends with Damon through baseball and despite their competitive relationship he started showing up to their weekly gatherings. Then once Rebekah had met Matt by chance, picking up a drunken Kol, the rest was history.

Caroline sneaked a glance behind her but only caught minor details: he was tall and wore a black, leather jacket, along with a red scarf around his neck. The group greeted him, shooting 'hey's and 'yo's from across the room.

"Matt, mate," Klaus started.

'Mate'. Caroline let out a quiet laugh. She still could not get used to hearing that, even with Kol around.

"Mind if I leave my six-pack in your fridge?"

Caroline's eyes widened, prompting her to quicken the search. It was not that she could not handle meeting someone new, but it was that she needed at least two drinks before she acted like she cared.

Where was that damn thing? She could have sworn she left it in the kitchen. Noticing an empty beer bottle on the counter, she eyed it up before moving it to the side.

"Aha, got you," she mumbled triumphantly and picked up the bottle opener. Matt's lucky bottle opener. The edges had started to rust and the picture of a football had peeled off half way. His sister gave it to him for his birthday not long before she died. He kept the damn thing on his key chain for two years after that. Out of all the things she had given him it was a bottle opener that kept him holding on.

Distracted by her thoughts she had not noticed the stranger at the door frame until he knocked on the counter top.

"Oh my gosh," Caroline squeaked, surprised by his appearance. She turned around, bottle opener held against her chest.

"Sorry, did not mean to scare you," he apologised with a slight laugh, "Didn't realise the gang was so large— any others hiding out?"

Caroline laughed, running her finger over the metal device in her hand, "Not that I can think of. I might have left a dead body or two around here somewhere though."

He chuckled, tilting his head, "And you are?"

"Caroline Forbes—Just Caroline," she said, scrunching her nose up playfully.

"Just Caroline? Should I leave the Forbes for a more formal occasion?" he teased, giving a cheeky wink.

She could only nod, cracking the smallest of smiles. When she looked at him she instinctively bit her lip. He had an intimidating aura about him and a fire in his eyes that seemed to loom over her.

They both stared at one another for a moment.

"And you're Klaus? Kol and Rebekah's brother," Caroline perked up, speaking happily.

Klaus cleared his throat and grinned, "I am discussed often then?"

"Ha...yeah, no," she replied flatly before breaking into laughter, "The walls aren't exactly soundproof here. I hear you're the devil?"

"Well, if that is what I need to be, then so be it," Klaus smirked, swinging his six-pack along with him as he walked to the refrigerator.

She pursed her lips, gripping the bottle opener tighter, and shifted in her spot. Her mouth felt dry all of a sudden and she struggled to keep her eyes on him.

It had been a long time since she had been so affected by someone's mere presence. Perhaps this was finally someone Elena had chosen for her? After all the mental complaining the long wait was because she wanted something perfect for her best friend?

"So, if you are not too attached to it, do you mind giving me the bottle opener?" he asked, taking one of his beers out of the pack.

"Uh, sure, of course," she answered, holding it out.

Klaus leaned in, grazing her hand as he took the opener. She shifted uncomfortably, unable to keep eye contact with him. She still held a smile on her face despite biting her bottom lip in an attempt to hide it.

With the crack of the lid he passed the opener back, resting it in her palm gently.

"Thanks. I'll...see you in the other room then. Nice meeting you, Klaus," she pulled her hand away, smiling slightly before making her exit.

"You too, love."

Caroline breathed out in relief on her way back to the living room. She had met the devil and he was attractive as hell. A quiet laugh escaped her. As hell.

The group was split into numerous conversations so she took her seat back on the floor with her back against the wall. Time for drinking. She hummed as she cracked open her bottle of beer, chugging it down like her life depended on it.

Midway through her chugging the handsome Klaus wandered in, his own bottle in hand, and searched for a space to sit. They made eye contact but her eyes swiftly averted.

Caroline wished he would take the place next to her but Elena was quick to take his arm again. She led him over to an empty space next to Cami, smiling delightfully at her work taking place.

"Here, sit next to Cami. She's incredibly smart so I'm sure you'll get along," the slim brunette informed him, a glint in her eye.

Caroline's expectant expression as she drank faltered. She lowered the bottle from her lips.

"Incredibly? Oh then I suppose I must find out more," Klaus pursed his lips as they attempted to tug out into a smile. He sat down and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Cami," he said, his dimples appearing.

Caroline watched Cami blush and fumble over her words as she rambled on about herself.

She also watched Elena's smug expression form on her face.

Just another goddamn puzzle piece.

Elena turned her smile toward Caroline and got down next to her.

"Hey, Care," she said wistfully, "Don't they look good together?"

"I guess."

"Honestly, I thought it would be hard to find Klaus a girl but my powers are too strong," she laughed.

Caroline raised an eyebrow, "And Cami was the perfect match?"

Such a charming personality did not seem to match with the seriousness of Cami but perhaps Caroline was missing some traits that others saw in her.

"Definitely. I mean, you're the only other girl and well, that wouldn't work one bit."

"How so?" Caroline moved to crack another beer open.

"You're high strung, Care, and he's just too...Klaus. You two are too opposite for that to ever happen. Unlike you and Tyler, who really worked out great," Elena sighed before smiling, "I'm going to get myself a drink."

Caroline nodded with a bright smile and watched her friend leave. A look of disdain then formed on her face. High strung. That was something Tyler made sure she was aware of before he dumped her on the side of the road – both metaphorically and literally. Sure, she liked things to be certain way and perhaps sometimes she overdid it but she could be fun!

We wouldn't work? Wanna bet? She thought to herself.

A couple more beers down and Caroline was content. As much as she liked to argue that she was not a lightweight, her tipsy demeanour from three bottles of beer was a dead giveaway. It saved her a good amount of money though. Everyone else had slowly gotten down the path of tipsiness too. All but Cami of course. Music had also started to play; it seemed to be that kind of evening.

"So, Klaus, what do you do for a living?" Cami inquired.

"I work in HR for my father's company," he replied, swirling his beer gently around the bottle in his hand.

"You actually work for that asshole?" Caroline piped up, spitting her words out.

There was a pause.

She had been friends long enough with Rebekah and Kol to hear the horror stories of their cruel father. Even without them as friends the Mikaelson financing company was making a name for itself, and not in a good way.

Klaus turned his gaze towards her, sitting on the floor by herself. His expression was uncomfortable but he shook it off with a grin, "Well, it is a pain but it is also how I can afford my lifestyle."

"So you're okay with him laying off hundreds of people without warning? I mean, you probably pulled the trigger, right? Being in HR and all," she sat up to speak further, tilting her head.

"I do what I have to."

"I get it— just one of those rich kids trying to vie for daddy's attention. Meanwhile, you sleep around with whatever woman floats your boat, right? You should probably go to a therapist for that. Oh, hey! Cami can help you out there," Caroline rested her back against the wall, attempting to mask her pain when she hit her head.

Klaus clenched his jaw. His stare was pointing a few thousand daggers at her but seemed to suddenly soften into an amused expression.

Cami lifted her head, eyes wide, "Uh, well, I'm not sure you should be making assumptions about Klaus' relationship with his father or whether or not he sleeps around-."

"Are you kidding me? Klaus is a dog, I have never seen him with the same woman twice," Kol joked, sipping on his whiskey and earning a gentle slap on the wrist from Davina.

Ding ding ding. She got that spot on but unfortunately, it was something that sounded mighty appealing to Caroline.

"They did say I was the devil, did they not?" He reminded her shortly.

The two kept a firm eye contact as if they were in a mental standoff.

"Hey, guys, having fun?" a perky Elena made her way through from the hallway to clear the air.

Nope. She thought. Or...yes, rather. Strangely enough.

"Yeah, fine and dandy," Caroline replied through gritted teeth and a fake smile.

"You know," Elena started, her attention on Klaus and Cami, "You look like you're getting on amazingly well."

Cami laughed shyly, "Oh I don't know."

Ew. Caroline thought. Cami acting like a little school girl was not Cami.

"Yeah I thought your type would be someone more...well, decent," Caroline smiled sourly.

There was a clearing of a throat and Cami had a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Um...well," she straightened herself up, "You know, Caroline, you never did get me that glass of water."

The defiant blonde raised an eyebrow but nonetheless rose from her spot on the floor.

"I'll be right back."

In the kitchen she grumbled to herself, filling Cami her drink from the faucet. The girl didn't deserve filtered water. She would love to see the look on her face. It's not filtered? The horror!

To be fair, she herself was inclined to drink only filtered water.

Oh and Klaus. That was another thing. Who died and left Elena in charge of dictating relationships? What happened to good old fashioned fate? She was certainly not going to let her suggest that she could not have a shot with Klaus.

Her ringtone had begun to play and she quickly hit answer, "Yes, April?"

"No, the free champagne needs to be given out after the winning speeches! And if I am hearing classical music in the background then you better tell them to pick up the freaking tempo. Otherwise they can pack their things!" she whined in her last complaint, giving a half-hearted goodbye before hanging up.

"Seems like someone else knows how to be ruthless too," Klaus appeared behind, commenting on her short lived phone call.

Caroline laughed dryly, placing the glass on the counter, "Following me, are you? So I've gotta give them a kick up the butt for not doing their jobs? It's not the same."

"And what is it that you do to...be able to kick people 'up the butt' as you say?" he asked, strolling up beside her.

"I work at pageants as the event organiser," she answered shortly, facing him.

"Ah, with the frilly dresses and the shallow judging?"

Caroline scoffed, "Actually, pageants build a woman's character."

Klaus laughed, retrieving a cold beer from the refrigerator.

"Oh so you are a failed pageant queen then...?" he guessed playfully.

As if she had been slapped in the face she angrily held her hands on her hips while he popped the cap off and swigged his beer.

"I'll have you know," she contested, "I was Miss Mystic Falls!"

Klaus smirked, resting his bottle on the side before getting closer, "My apologies, Miss Mystic Falls."

Perhaps Elena had been right. Completely wrong match. However, despite this she had a petty need to prove Elena wrong, and with the tense atmosphere surrounding them, the small distance between had gone unnoticed.

"Well, I am not surprised considering how beautiful you are. Although, I am sure you have been told that a plentiful amount of times," he complimented her, admiring her cheeks flushing with irritation.

She was taken aback for a moment but stayed defiant in her facial expressions, "Yeah, I have actually."

"It seems I am on your warpath tonight. Care to share your darkest thoughts with me?"

Again there was that burning in his eyes that made her feel self-conscious, but strangely she wanted more.

She huffed and leaned against the red counters, "So? You happy with your match?"

"My what?" Klaus squinted in confusion.

"Didn't you know? You're on the Elena show now and you've been matched with the lovely Cami," Caroline waved her arms dramatically.

He chuckled and paced slightly, "The Elena show, huh?"

"What? You thought you were invited here to just hang?" she laughed, "How'd you even get roped into this anyway?"

"We met at one of Kol and Damon's baseball games a few months ago," he said casually, resting against an opposing counter, "Now that you mention it, Elena did keep asking me a lot about my love life."

Caroline rolled her eyes in amusement at his cheeky smile. With her arms folded, she tilted her head back and forth, "Bet she liked the challenge of finding you a date then."

"In that case, I am afraid she has failed," he replied before he sighing heavily.

"What? Cami's not your perfect match? Well then what the heck is Elena gonna do?" she laughed in her sarcasm, gaining a chuckle from him.

"Like you said, I think Cami's type is someone...more decent."

"Dang it. You're gonna crush Elena's heart..." she paused, tracing a finger in circles on the laminate countertop, "You know she thinks we're incompatible?"

"Is that so?" he raised an eyebrow, "Do you share that belief?"

"Hm...I wouldn't kick you out of bed," she admitted, pushing her lips out to avoid a grin.

They shared a brief gaze. Perhaps it was the alcohol or the fact that Elena didn't think they'd be a good match, or even that he was just insanely attractive, but she could only imagine ripping his clothes off right then and there.

She pushed up her chest and took a step forward confidently.

"Do you wanna have sex?"

As if he had choked on his own breath, Klaus coughed.

"Sorry, what?"

"Do you want to have sex with me?" she repeated slowly, hands on her hips. Her fingers tapped on her curves almost impatiently.

He tripped over his words, eyes avoiding her, "Well– I mean– huh... I would not necessarily object."

"Necessarily?"

"Look, I do not regularly get propositioned."

Caroline took a closer step, poking his chest, and with a hushed tone said, "Just to be clear, I'm not some sort of sex freak who goes around asking people I've just met to do it with me."

Klaus smirked, catching her finger with his hand, "I assure you that was not my suggestion, love...but now that you mention-"

Squinting, she was unimpressed and pulled back from his grip, "If you don't want to then you don't have to, love."

He leaned in slightly to meet her eyes with his, "On the contrary, I would find it incredibly hard to say no to someone as...fascinating as you. Nevertheless, do you want to?"

Caroline pressed her lips together, realising what she had started. On one hand she knew she was acting irrationally but on the other hand her sex life was currently a tumbleweed away from being a Wild West film. She also desperately wanted to show Elena how wrong she was.

She swallowed her nerves and roughly took him by his white Oxford shirt with a devilish glint in her eye, "Are you calling me, Miss Mystic Falls, chicken?"

A loud laugh escaped him as he looked to the side contemplatively, "Well then," he made eye contact once more, "I would love to just rip your clothes off but I am afraid that if we do it right here everyone will get to find out just how thin these walls are."

"...Right. Yeah, okay. I guess we should go to mine?"

"So, what do we say again?" He mumbled as they made their way back to the group.

"We-," Caroline began but was startled by Elena's appearance, "Hey, Elena, I'm not feeling so well, I'm going to head off."

She coughed. It was her 'sick' act.

The brunette frowned but nodded, "Aw, okay, Care. I hope you feel better. Klaus, you're not leaving as well, are you?"

He shrugged and sighed, "I have a busy work day tomorrow."

"But...tomorrow's a Sunday?"

"I know, I know, but considering it is the Lord's Day, I actually have to refuse rest...being the devil and all," he answered, holding his hands up in surrender.

Caroline covered her mouth, laughing quietly beside him, "I'll be going then."

She peered in to the living room and grabbed her coat from the rack.

"I'll see you guys another time," she said waving, "Bye!"

"Me too," Klaus quickly followed with a wave as well, "It was nice meeting you, Cami. Maybe we will chat over coffee some time."

Cami opened her mouth, disappointed by his exit, but kept a hopeful expression over the idea of coffee.

He too grabbed his coat and scarf, and with that they rushed out of the door, shutting the creaky old thing before heading down the steps.

Elena was still stood in the hallway, unable to comprehend the sudden exit.

"That was so weird how they left just like that," she said, hands in her pockets as she entered the living room.

"Probably going to have sex," Damon replied lazily, spread out on the couch.

The brunette stared for a moment but shook her head, "No, that would never happen."