Notes: And here's a new chapter! Another short time jump. Enjoy and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Caroline: Age 26, Klaus: Age 33 (December – New Year's Eve)

Klaus pulls himself off the couch when he hears the knock on his door. He's been expecting Caroline, had even offered to meet her at the train station but she'd refused, insisting that it didn't make sense for both of them to have to fight through the rush of travelers. Rebekah and Enzo are throwing a party tonight, the first since they'd moved in together, and Caroline is set to be a surprise guest. Klaus has been threatened with dire consequences if he let on that she was going to be in town tonight. He's got his suspicions about why Bekah's not allowed to know Caroline's in New York and ordinarily he'd be wary about her reaction to being kept in the dark. However, if he's correct about what's going to happen tonight Klaus is fairly certain that Bekah will be too busy fawning over a flashy engagement ring to notice that a secret had been kept from her.

At least until she wants attempt to blackmail Klaus into something. He's going to assume it will be wedding related.

He's smiling when he opens the door, both to put her at ease (he's planning to grill Caroline to see if his suspicions are, in fact, correct. Kol's at Enzo and Bekah's playing a distraction and is doing his best to annoy the truth out of Enzo but, according to his recent texts, having little luck) and because he's missed her presence over Christmas and is eager to see her. Caroline returns it when he opens the door, pink cheeked and dusted with snow. She wiggles her fingers in a wave and brushes passed him, dragging her suitcase behind her, "Hey, Klaus. Thanks for letting me hang out."

"Anytime," Klaus tells her. "How were your holidays, love?"

"Good!" Caroline strips out of her coat as she talks, setting her outerwear on his coat tree. "Kind of boring, but in a good way. Your family is far more entertaining. I ate approximately three hundred cookies and watched a ton of Christmas movies. Yours?"

Klaus shuts the door behind her, throws the lock. He tips his head towards the living room and Caroline leaves her bag by the couch before she flops on to it. "I could have used a little boring, truth be told," he confesses.

Caroline's laugh is bright, "I bet. Cramming Kol and Henrik in here for a week must have made you pretty murder-y."

An understatement. His brothers had bickered constantly, about everything from what to watch on television to where to go during the days when nothing was planned with the family. The fight regarding who would occupy the guest room and who would be stuck with the couch was brought up and resettled each day. Often with accompanying contests and bets. Truly, Kol's ability to regress in age was something to marvel at. "It's a miracle that Kol will survive to see the New Year," Klaus tells Caroline as he sits, smiling when she laughs again. "I almost wish I'd taken on Finn and Sage and their little one. From what I've seen his table manners are superior to Kol's, he eats far less than Henrik, and I doubt he'd have broken my lamp."

Caroline snorts, "Probably not. Does the baby even walk yet?"

"Not quite. Though apparently watching him attempt the feat is meant to be fascinating."

"Someone's not going to make the cut for uncle of the year," Caroline sing songs mockingly.

Klaus doesn't deny it, "A tragedy. Though I suppose it would have been worse. Elijah drew the short straw, was forced to host Aunt Dahlia and mother and Greg."

Klaus can only imagine how awkward breakfast was around that table.

He catches the face Caroline makes, though she makes an effort to smooth it quickly. He can still hear the trepidation in her next question, "Will Aunt Dahlia be attending the party tonight?"

"No, thankfully. She flew out yesterday."

Caroline looks relieved, "Good. Her input would so not be needed tonight."

"Yes, I imagine her gleefully inquiring if Rebekah was pregnant would put a damper on the engagement excitement."

"Exactly," Caroline says with a nod. And then she immediately claps a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide in horror.

Klaus grins, triumphant, "So nice to have my suspicions confirmed. Don't worry, love. I'll put on my very best surprised face when Enzo pops the question."

"Ugh," Caroline grumbles, shooting him a disgruntled look. "I can't believe I fell for that. I can't believe you tricked me! Rude, Klaus. You'd better…"

"I won't say anything," Klaus assures her and her severe glare softens. "I will act perfectly natural and not breathe a word to either Kol or Henrik when they return."

"It took forever to find a ring I know Bekah would like. And I have been helping Enzo plan this for weeks."

"I assumed as much. Trust me, Caroline. I will keep my mouth shut."

She eyes him with a small amount of suspicion before she settles in her seat. "Fine. I believe you. When are you expecting them back?"

"An hour or so. I'll order dinner when they get here."

"Do you mind if I shower before they do? I imagine it'll make things easier."

"Most likely," Klaus agrees. "You can use my bathroom. I've not checked but I'd imagine the guest bath is less than pristine after Kol and Henrik have shared it for the better part of a week."

Caroline's nose wrinkles in disgust, "Boys are so gross."

"Offensive," Klaus drawls. "But I will force them to clean up before we leave tonight so you can sleep without wanting to scrub every surface in the room."

Caroline's quiet for a long moment, head tipping to the side as she appears to mentally debate something with herself. "Or… I could just sleep in your room."

Klaus blinks, shocked. While things between he and Caroline have relaxed in the last few months, neither minding when the tone of their conversations leans suggestive or flirty like they once had been careful to avoid, they've never explicitly discussed the change. A blunt proposition of bed sharing was unexpected.

Though it wasn't exactly unwelcome.

"And I'm not saying we do anything. Since your brother's are going to be here and I do not want to scar Henrik for life. Or deal with whatever Kol would say if he heard anything sex noise-ish."

"Not confident in your ability to keep quiet, sweetheart? I'm flattered."

"Oh please," Caroline shoots back. "I might be louder than you but you always had a good time."

Not something Klaus can deny. "I think 'good time' is a rather tepid statement, actually."

Caroline seems satisfied with that response, "So it would just be sleeping. Kol will still be a dick but that's inevitable. And it's not like your family doesn't already know that there's something between us."

That was certainly true. He'd long since mentioned that his mother had broached the subject of Caroline and neither Kol nor Rebekah was shy about mentioning it. They've certainly done so in front of Henrik.

"Unless that's not cool with you," Caroline adds, "or maybe you're seeing someone? I assumed you would have said something because of well… everything, not that you owe me an explanation because we're not really a thing, but…"

She's begun to fidget, apparently taking his silence as a rejection, and Klaus reaches out, pushing down her shaking leg to stall the tapping of her foot. He lets his hand linger, shifts a little closer on the sofa. He'll make it clear that he has no objections to sharing his bed with Caroline. First, he decides to clear something up, "I am not seeing anyone and I would have mentioned it. Caroline, we speak nearly every other day. Do you really think I'd not have told you of a significant other?"

She bites her lip, eyes falling from his, "Like I said, you don't owe me anything. And I don't want you to feel like you do."

"I don't," Klaus says firmly. "Obligation has never been a factor, love."

Caroline smiles, visibly relaxing, turning and tucking her leg underneath her. "I know that. Intellectually at least. But sometimes my brain gets overruled by the little voice that tells me what an idiot I was for putting the brakes on things so hard."

"Was?" Klaus presses, latching on to Caroline's use of the past tense. It might be a slip but he finds he's hopeful it's deliberate.

Caroline shrugs, but she's watching him carefully and Klaus can see the nonchalance is feigned. "I've just been thinking that maybe some of my issues about long distance relationships aren't as big and scary as I thought they were."

A piece of the puzzle falls into place, "Ah, so the good sheriff finally confessed about her boyfriend, did she?"

Caroline's jaw drops, her eyes grow accusatory and her hand flies out. She shoves him, knocking him into the arm of the sofa. Klaus laughs as he straightens up. He probably should have eased into that a little better. Caroline did not like to be anything but the first to know things. "You knew?!" she exclaims. "And you didn't tell me?!"

Klaus holds up his hands, attempts to pacify her. In truth, he had debated telling her but had ultimately decided that it would be best if Caroline heard the whole story from Liz. "Your mother asked me not to, sweetheart. Said that she wanted to tell you herself. In person. Promised she'd do it the next time she saw you."

She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing "How did you know?"

"Complete coincidence. I stopped by to visit my mother during that business trip I had to D.C. last month. I told you about it, remember?" Caroline nods grudgingly, gestures for him to continue. "I stopped by The Grill, your mother was there with a gentleman I didn't recognize. She was, of course, forced to introduce me when I went over to say hello."

"Of course," Caroline sniffs, though she seems slightly mollified. Her fingers begin to drum on her knee and her curiosity quickly wins out over her desire to maintain her annoyance, "What was he like? My mom really talked him up and my google stalking has turned up nada. So far."

Klaus presses his lips together to keep from smiling, certain Caroline would not take it well. "He seemed perfectly nice, love. Polite, well spoken, looked at your mother as if he adored her. I think you'll find him completely unobjectionable."

He can tell Caroline is not convinced. "We'll see," she replies, clearly dubious.

Klaus can't help needling her a bit, certain she'd do the same if the opportunity presented itself, "Didn't you want your mother to date? I am certain that you said something to that effect several years ago."

"I hate that you remember everything sometimes."

"That's a lie and you know it, sweetheart."

Caroline sighs, exasperated, and slouches back into the couch, throwing her hands up, "I know, I know. And she does seem happy. I just thought I'd get to vet the guy, you know? Not have news of a rando from the internet sprung on me after our traditional Elf rewatch."

Klaus refrains from pointing out that there likely wouldn't have been a good time for Luz to have told her. He does still want to revisit her words about long distance relationships and sees no benefit to really pissing her off. "Do you really think your mother didn't do her own research?"

She glares at him though there's little heat in it, "Must you be so annoyingly reasonable?"

"It's a gift," Klaus deadpans, nudging her with his elbow.

Caroline cracks a reluctant smile, "They're going to come to Chicago in a couple weeks."

"So you can interrogate him properly?"

"Yep."

"I'm sure your mother will be proud. And embarrassed."

"Only fair," Caroline notes. "She gave literally every boyfriend I've ever had some serious third degree. I'm pretty sure that more than a few boys were afraid to even attempt to ask me out in high school."

Entirely their loss, in Klaus' opinion. He's about to say so but Caroline shakes her head. "And we've gone way off topic. I was thinking that it says something that my workaholic mother can make a long distance thing work. Did you know she's going on a year with this guy?"

"I hadn't actually." He makes a mental note to corner his mother at some point and ask her some questions. He's certain she would have been privy to Liz Forbes' new relationship and she might have some information that would put Caroline more at ease.

"And things are kind of different for me than they were coming out of graduate school," Caroline continues. "I don't really have to prove myself all the time now. I am great at my job and they know it."

"I take it your eighteen month plan is still intact?" Klaus asks, making no effort to hide his interest.

Caroline beams, "It sure is. Assuming I continue to kick ass, and I will, I'll be relocating in under a year. So I figure we could maybe try an actual date. And then more dates, assuming that first date goes well. That way if things crash and burn spectacularly we can get over the awkwardness before we have to see each other on the regular."

He ignores her uncharacteristic pessimism, certain it's just a joke to mask the last of her nerves. "Are you asking me out, love? Isn't that my line?" Klaus teases. "You've never settled up on that old bet, if I recall correctly."

Caroline raises an eyebrow, "Are you seriously going to say no on that basis?"

"Of course not."

"The timing sucks," Caroline tells him, sounding apologetic. "Unfortunately, I booked my plane ticket before I talked myself into broaching this subject. I fly back tomorrow afternoon."

Klaus can agree that it's not ideal, but little about his relationship with Caroline has been. "A bit more of a wait isn't going to kill me. I'll check my schedule. See when I can travel to you for a weekend. This coming weekend won't work but I do believe I can swing the one after."

"Just like that?" Caroline asks, and Klaus can't believe she sounds skeptical.

"Why not? I've made no secret of the fact that I enjoy you. I have no objection to doing so on a more regular basis. Did you expect to have to convince me? Because I'd not object if you'd like to try."

The mischievous smirk that crosses Caroline's face is Klaus' only warning that she's taken his words as a challenge. She's pushing herself up, swinging a leg over his lap, and settling against him before he can say anything else. She leans towards him, far too slowly, and Klaus grits his teeth to keep the curse in when she veers to the side. Then her lips are on his neck, the faintest of kisses before she drags them up, and he can't object to where this is going. "I think you'll find that I can be very convincing," she murmurs, just as her hands drop to play with the hem of his shirt.

Klaus tenses when her hands slip underneath, her fingers cool against his heated skin. She glides them gently upwards and he shivers at the faint hint of her nails on the way down. He feels her smile against his skin, knows she's very pleased with herself.

Caroline's thighs part the slightest bit more, and she rubs herself against him with a languid roll of her hips. It's a torturous bit of friction through all the layers that cover them and Klaus' hands fly to her waist to pull her harder against him, wanting more. She hums, "Does that mean you're still saying yes, Klaus? That you're convinced?" she taunts.

Klaus swallows down the moan, rearing up and turning. Caroline's laugh is breathless and surprised as her back hits the couch, her legs winding around his hips as he looms over her. He plants his hands next to her head, refusing to be distracted as one of her hands slides into his hair. "You play dirty, Caroline."

She grins up at him, moving under him in a way that makes control very hard to maintain, "You already knew that," she points out.

He had. And has generally found it endearing. Less so when it's directed at him, he'll have to admit. Klaus narrows his eyes, and allows more of his weight to settle against her, smiling when she lets out a soft moan and rocks up against him. He does it again, swallowing the delightful sounds she makes when he sets his mouth to hers. Caroline opens to him immediately, her hand tightening in her hair and Klaus rolls them slightly to the side, needing his hands free. It takes him seconds to peel her sweater off and she arches back to fling it aside, panting out his name when he palms her breast, tugging the cup of her bra. He pulls back to watch her, the play of pleasure across her face as he teases her nipple into a tight peak, relishes the gasp she lets out when he slips down to use his mouth. He's tasting the slope of her breast, fumbling for the clasp of her bra, when he hears the scraping of a key at his door. Caroline evidently hears it too, stilling as her eyes widen in horror.

Talk about awful timing. "Fuck," Klaus grits out, pushing off of her.

Caroline quickly rights her bra and sits up, scrambling for her shirt. Unfortunately, her toss had been a little too enthusiastic and it's nowhere in reach. Klaus gropes for a throw blanket and she just manages to cover herself when the door opens. She slaps a palm over her face, visibly cringing.

Klaus has never before been quite so regretful that his flat is open concept. His brother's voices (in the midst of yet another argument from the sound of it) trail off along with their footsteps. There's a pause, and Klaus braces himself for what's sure to be awkward.

Kol, of course, doesn't disappoint. "Niklaus!" he exclaims, loud and cheerfully faux outraged. "Won't you think of the children? Henrik's poor virgin eyes?"

Klaus hears a scuffle, turns to see what's happening, and is greeted with the sight of Kol attempting to cover Henrik's eyes, and Henrik fighting back. "Get off me, Kol," he complains. "And I'm not a…" He cuts himself off, lips pressing shut. Kol's eyes light up and as much as Klaus feels for his youngest brother, knows what being the target of Kol's insatiable and aggressive curiosity is like, he's glad of Henrik's slip.

It gives him the time to pull Caroline off the couch, collect her shirt, and hustle her down the hallway into the safety of his room while Kol begins his interrogating Henrik about his apparent sex life.

Poor Henrik. Klaus would bet that he'll be red faced and miserable within minutes. He makes a note to sneak him some liquor later. Their mother was a bit reluctant to let her baby grow up, preferred that he not indulge in anything stronger than the odd glass of celebratory champagne in her presence. Perhaps she'd be suitably distracted at the party? The boy would need it after dealing with Kol and Klaus does owe him one.

Caroline sits on his bed, arranging the fabric that covers her more carefully. She's flushed, lips wet, and ever so slightly murderous looking, and it takes a great deal of effort for Klaus to stay where he is when all he wants to do is join her on the bed. "Seriously," she grouses, "how does Kol do it? Does he practice? No one has worse timing."

Klaus locks his door, and double checks it just to be sure, "It's entirely possible, I suppose. Did you want to shower now? I'll grab your things. Hopefully the promise of food will be suitably distracting. And we'll get him good and drunk at the party so he'll pass out without commenting on the sleeping arrangements."

Caroline smiles, and one hand appears out of the folds of the blanket, beckoning him closer with a crooked finger. Klaus swallows hard and can't help but fleetingly wonder if she's perhaps changed her mind about sex while others were in his flat. He almost thinks it would be worth the awkwardness that would surely follow over dinner. Caroline stands when they're toe to toe, tipping her head to brush her mouth over his in a kiss that (unfortunately) remains sweet and chaste. She barely pulls away murmuring, "FYI I find you super-hot when you're making devious plans," against his lips.

Klaus will definitely keep that in mind. For future reference.