Note: I've been a Klaroline shipper ever since Klaus walked into Caroline's bedroom the night of her birthday to cure her. I'll always ship Klaroline and the season finale just gave me major Klaroline feels that just needed to get out.

Enjoy!

Edit: This chapter has been edited (2017-03-19) due to me procrastinating. It has been years since I wrote this fic and I am now thinking about extending it, writing out a few more chapters. This chapter was previously approximately 2k words long, but is now double that in length, with more backstory. I will also be posting it on AO3. Thank you for reading and supporting me. xx

Part I - October 10, 2010

It had been a lovely day.

The day had started off fairly simple. Caroline had gotten out of bed, taken a shower and then dressed for school. When she had arrived there, she had been congratulated by all of her classmates and during lunch hour, her friends had sung Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs, making the lunch ladies smile and the teachers try to get the rest of the students to settle down once it was over. After school, she went home shortly to change and Caroline had been pleased to find a small birthday cupcake in the kitchen with a note from her mother, apologizing for the fact that she couldn't be there due to work. It bothered Caroline a bit, but she understood that her mother had her duties as the Sheriff in Mystic Falls. There was only so much time that Liz Forbes could spend with her daughter when the police department was severely understaffed. Not wanting to be bitter about it though, Caroline had eaten her cupcake, sent her mother a 'Thank you, I love you' text message and then gone out shopping with one of her best friends.

The day wasn't actually over, though.

After their shopping spree a town over, Caroline's best friend, Rebekah Mikaelson, had reminded Caroline of the party that she had planned for her birthday. Ever since Caroline had informed Rebekah about the fact that her father wouldn't be able to visit this year due to work and that her mother would also be busy for her birthday, Rebekah had insisted that Caroline let her plan her a party to celebrate. Caroline had objected at first, figuring that she would rather just spend the evening with her friend than organize a party that would surely get out of hand quickly (Especially if the last couple of parties that she and Rebekah had thrown together were anything to go by). Nevertheless, Rebekah had told Caroline that she wouldn't actually have to do anything; that it would be Rebekah's gift to her and that she would only have to attend the party, stuff her face with cake and have a good time. After all, it was Caroline's eighteenth birthday and that was a big deal, according to Rebekah.

Naturally, after a lot of bickering back and forth between the two of them, Caroline had finally conceded. She had agreed to let Rebekah throw the party for her at the Mikaelson's family mansion and she had told her mother that she would most likely be spending the night there as well. Liz would be covering a night shift at the station and Caroline really didn't feel like being alone. Caroline's mother had agreed, of course, because she felt bad as it was that she would be missing out on her daughter's birthday. She had promised to make it up for Caroline the moment she had time off, but Caroline wasn't going to hold it against her mother if she didn't.

It was no secret that the Mikaelson's were rich, but Caroline had never really cared much for their wealth. She lived a comfortable life with her mother and she didn't want money to define her. Her father's family had been one of the founding families of Mystic Falls, but being raised by her mother, Caroline had been taught not to let their family name get to her head. When the Mikaelson family had moved to their small town, people had been lining up on the street to see who was moving into the newly built, huge mansion that had been the talk of the town for months. The family was bigger than most in Mystic Falls, they had learned, and it consisted of the father, Mikael, the mother, Esther and their five children: Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, Kol and Rebekah. With Rebekah being the only daughter and the youngest child in the family, Caroline had made the assumption that she was a spoiled brat who got everything she pointed at without consequence. Caroline's prejudice and attitude toward Rebekah had been the main reason that the two of them clashed so much when Rebekah had first started at the Mystic Falls High School. They had fought over the title of Queen Bee for months, arguing openly in the hallways and during cheerleading practice. Caroline was ashamed to think about the times that they had clashed in public and all the horrible assumptions she had made about Rebekah. It hadn't exactly helped when Rebekah had started going out with Caroline's ex-boyfriend, Matt. Still, after months of arguing and bickering in class, they had been assigned to do a project together in biology and that had been the turning point of their relationship.

Caroline and Rebekah had been forced to work together and since both of them wanted to keep up their good grade in biology, they had decided to put their differences aside until they were done with the work. They had alternated between working at their respective houses and one day, Caroline had overheard Rebekah's father arguing with one of Rebekah's brothers over the phone. It had been an aggressive argument and Caroline had been uncomfortable, but the look on Rebekah's face had been impassive. Clearly, it hadn't been the first time that such an argument had occurred.

Somehow, the two of them had started sharing some of their personal stories. Caroline told Rebekah about her parents divorce, how her father was living with his partner on the other side of the country and how her mother was always working. In turn, Rebekah had shared how her family had moved from New York, and before that, Chicago, and before that New Orleans, although originally, they came from London. According to Rebekah, the reason that they moved so much was because of her father's business and Caroline didn't want to pry further into that, since it seemed like Rebekah was glad that they had finally put down roots somewhere. Mr. Mikaelson was always away on business trips with his wife and their absence in the household was evident. Quite frankly, Caroline had only crossed passed with them a few times, but they were both intimidating enough that Caroline always let out a sigh of relief when Rebekah told her that they wouldn't be home.

Long story short, the more time she and Rebekah spent together, the more things they realized they had in common personality-wise. Caroline apologized for all the things she had said in the past and Rebekah had done the same. Since then, the two of them had been pretty much inseparable. Caroline's other friends, Elena and Bonnie, slowly grew to like Rebekah as well. The four of them usually hung out at school all the time and organized girl's nights once every two weeks where they got together and talked about boys and whatnot else. It was a bit weird at first, considering that Matt often came up. Elena had been together with him when they were younger and after they had broken up, Caroline and Matt had dated for a short period of time. When Rebekah asked for advice the first time, both Caroline and Elena had been fumbling messes, not knowing what to say. Now, in the beginning of their senior year, there were no grudges or awkwardness there. Bonnie and Elena had always had a closer bond when they been growing up, so Caroline was too grateful to finally have Rebekah now. She didn't know what she would do if she lost her best friend. Rebekah was like the sister Caroline had never had, a confidant that she couldn't lose.

That was also the reason that Caroline was keeping one of her deepest, darkest secrets from Rebekah.

-§-

"Have you gotten dressed yet?" Rebekah asked, entering Caroline's bedroom without knocking.

Caroline quickly covered herself up, holding the dress she had been thinking about wearing over her semi-nude body. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't managed to put any clothes on yet besides her underwear and her bra. "Rebekah!" she exclaimed, turning away from the mirror that she had been examining her body through.

"Oh please," Rebekah scoffed. "It's not as if it's something I haven't seen before. You try on my clothes on all the time." Rebekah sat down on Caroline's bed, taking out her phone as she started texting.

Caroline sighed to herself. "I know," she said and threw the dress on the bed next to Rebekah, "you just startled me. It was a reflex."

"There's a lock on your door," Rebekah pointed out. "Perhaps next time you should use it in case you don't want a surprise guest." Caroline nearly rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched up in a small smile at her friend's comment. "Besides, who did you think would walk in? Santa Clause?" Rebekah continued. "Your mother is at work and your father lives on the other side of the country. You don't exactly have four annoying brothers who have no respect whatsoever for a girl's privacy," she said, sounding annoyed just by the thought of her brothers.

Caroline laughed though, because she remembered the time that Rebekah had called her to complain about her brother, Kol. Apparently, the youngest of the Mikaelson brothers had decided that it would be fun to string up all of Rebekah's bras on the big oak tree in front of their house. Rebekah had been beyond frustrated, but Caroline was so used to being an only child that she had found the whole ordeal refreshing to hear about. It had distracted her from the fact that she had been left alone for another weekend, since her mother had been away at a conference for policewomen in the field.

"I know," Caroline said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice when she was once again reminded of the fact that no one in her family would be there for her birthday. It didn't escape Rebekah's notice though, because the other blonde placed her phone on the bed and looked at Caroline.

"Your dad called you, remember? Don't be sad that he couldn't make it this year," Rebekah told her. "Your mom will make up for having to work, I'm sure… Try to focus on the good things, like the fact that the party tonight is going to be killer." Rebekah's eyes softened remarkably as she offered Caroline a smile.

"Yes, I'm sure it will be," Caroline nodded. "Sometimes, I just wonder what it would have been like if things had been different, you know."

"I understand," Rebekah said, giving her a small smile. Caroline knew that Rebekah too had often had thoughts about how her life would have been if her parents had been around more instead of always traveling. "Nevertheless," Rebekah cleared her throat, looking determined not to let the glumness take over, "keep in mind: killer."

Caroline couldn't help the grin that spread over her face. She walked over to her closet, picking up her other dress option. Holding against her chest, she turned to look at Rebekah who smirked and nodded at her.

"Killer."

-§-

It had been a long night.

The party was raging on inside the Mikaelson mansion. Caroline made her way through the throngs of people slowly, greeting the few people she recognized with a smile and a wave. She felt as if she didn't know half the people who had come to the event. Of course, Rebekah's brother Kol had taken the liberty of inviting some of his college friends, much to Rebekah's displeasure. Caroline though, couldn't say that she minded much. It had been very entertaining when Rebekah, Bonnie and Elena had rolled out the cake and some of the college students had shouted "Is this a birthday party?" before drunkenly singing the birthday song, slurring out Caroline's name when prompted by Kol.

Fortunately, Rebekah's parents were on a business trip to France. That meant that Rebekah's older brothers Finn and Elijah were meant to be chaperoning the event and keeping Kol and Rebekah from tearing each other's throats out. As Caroline walked through the crowd, she laughed at seeing Elijah being dragged up on a table by two girls to dance. He looked uncomfortable and utterly lost as Kol almost fell over in laughter, taking pictures of the whole thing. Finn had gone out on a date with his girlfriend, Sage, leaving Elijah to handle the event tonight. It was clear that Elijah was out of his element and Caroline felt a bit sorry for him. He was a businessman too, thirty years old and extremely serious. She was sure that Elijah would rather be spending the night in his room, going over numbers than babysitting a bunch of college students and high schoolers.

Caroline spotted Rebekah on the dance floor with Matt. She quickly waved down her friend who shot her a questioning look. "I'm going outside to get some fresh air," Caroline called out, motioning with her hands because she was sure that Rebekah wouldn't hear her over the loud music.

Rebekah nodded though, pointing at the stairs, motioning for Caroline to go upstairs. She was probably right, Caroline thought to herself. The upper floor was off limits for the party guests and if Caroline truly wanted a moment of peace, she would get it there. Making her way up the stairs, Caroline's high heels clicked against the floor. She didn't bother with excusing herself to the others because she was certain that by now, she was just another girl in the crowd; not the birthday girl.

Caroline walked into the main room upstairs, walking out on the big balcony that she and Rebekah had spent most of the Summer tanning on. Taking a deep breath of the fresh night air, Caroline held onto the railing, leaning forward a bit. Inhaling a few more times, she felt her nerves calming. Looking up at the stars, she was suddenly grateful for the fact that the balcony offered such a good view of the sky. She was so distracted by the twinkling lights in the distance that she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching from inside.

When the door opened, creaking slightly, Caroline jumped and turned around to face the person who had interrupted her peaceful moment. Her breath caught in her throat momentarily and her lips parted at the sight of none other than Niklaus Mikaelson, who halted in the doorway when he spotted her.

"I apologize," he spoke after a moment of staring. His voice was low and husky, nearly sending shivers down Caroline's spine.

Niklaus was the middle child in the Mikaelson family. He was five years older than Caroline and the bane of his father's existence, from what Caroline had gathered. The reason was that Niklaus - or Klaus, as he preferred to be called - had refused to study business administration like his older brothers, opting instead to study art and history. It went against everything that the Mikaelson's were supposed to be, and where Rebekah and her other brothers were supportive of Klaus, their parents were not. He rarely stayed over at the mansion because of that, especially since he studied art in New York. Usually, he planned his visits around his parents absence. Caroline had met him a few times, but their interactions had always been cut short when some random girl walked into the room and Klaus took her to his. Rebekah had never liked that his brother spent most of his visits coped up in his own room with some random girl he picked up in a bar, but he made enough time for his siblings that Rebekah couldn't complain about it either. Still, it didn't matter that Caroline hadn't spent much time with the man. She'd had enough short conversations with him to understand him somewhat. Combined with the way that Rebekah spoke about her brother with admiration over him following his dreams, Caroline had developed a hopeless crush on him.

That was her biggest secret; the one that she was sure would tear her and Rebekah apart if it ever came out.

"I didn't realize someone else would be here," Klaus continued, startling her out of her thoughts. He started to turn back around-

"Wait," Caroline exclaimed, voice coming out half-strangled. She quickly cleared her throat, embarrassed when Klaus turned around to face her again. One of his eyebrows were quirked at her and she couldn't help but notice how his blue eyes seemed to be sparkling. "Uh, the balcony is big enough for both of us," Caroline said hesitantly, brushing her loose curls behind her ear. "You don't have to leave, if you want to clear your head," she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes and hold his gaze.

Slowly, a smirk spread across Klaus' lips. He stepped back out on the balcony, closing the door behind him and then proceeded to walk over to her. When he came to stand beside her, leaving some room between them, Caroline turned back around to face the night.

"I actually came out here to have a smoke," Klaus said after a moment of silence. Caroline faced him when he shifted slightly, taking out a cigarette, placing it between his lips. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked, lighting it before she had a chance to tell him that she actually did mind. He took a drag and she was momentarily distracted by the way his pink lips curled up in another smirk as he exhaled the smoke through his nostrils. He tilted his head slightly to the side, away from her, but he kept his eyes locked with hers.

"Not at all." The sarcastic remark fell from Caroline's lips and she turned away from him, looking up at the stars again.

The chuckle that followed was low, but she still heard it and it made her heart beat just a bit faster. She tried to push down the feeling in her gut, force the butterflies to stop fucking fluttering in her gut, but it was to no avail.

"Isn't this your party?" Klaus asked, taking another drag from the cancer stick before placing his elbows on the railing. He was looking at her and Caroline glanced down at him, keeping her spine straightened when she nodded. "Then what are you doing out here alone?" he wondered next, leaning casually against the railing as he straightened slightly too, facing her more fully.

Caroline watched him curiously, asking herself whether this was actually the longest conversation they had ever had and whether she was imagining it, or of he actually seemed interested to hear her answer. His dirty blonde, curly hair was perfectly unruly, as if he had spent most of the night running his fingers through it. She hadn't seen him downstairs and Rebekah hadn't told her that he would be in Mystic Falls this weekend, so his presence had caught her by surprise. He wore casual clothing though, dark faded jeans and a gray Henley shirt. Around his neck, various beaded necklaces hung and for a moment, Caroline wondered what it would be like to just pull him closer by them.

"I needed some fresh air," she finally responded, not wanting to let her mind wander into territories that would undoubtedly make her feel even more awkward around him. She was normally confident around boys and it bothered her to no end that the man who was currently keeping her company had such an effect on her. Clearing her throat, she decided to give him a pointed look as she continued to speak, more determined this time. "Fresh air that I'm certainly not getting with you blowing smoke in my direction every few seconds," she told him, earning yet another chuckle from him.

His eyes sparkled mischievously again as he looked at her curiously now. "My, my," he said. "Bekah has a way of choosing friends with a sharp tongue, doesn't she?" There was a hint of something in his voice that made goosebumps rise on Caroline's arms. Klaus' eyes moved down momentarily, trailing over her body slowly. Caroline was glad that she had worn her black dress tonight. It was tight, enunciating every last one of her curves and she felt warm under Klaus' gaze. He met her eyes again, flicking the cigarette out over the railing carelessly. "And beautiful too," he added shamelessly, giving her another quick once-over.

Caroline was grateful for the fact that it was dark outside. It made it harder for him to see the blush that had crept up her cheeks at his comment.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she told him, trying to stay confident. She wasn't really sure where the conversation was going, but she had an inkling that she would need to try and keep her mind set straight.

"You should," Klaus said. "It was meant as one."

They stood there for a while then, just looking at one another. Caroline was certain now that she had never spent this long in his presence alone. Rebekah was usually there as a buffer and if she ever did catch him alone, she quickly excused herself before she could babble away and embarrass herself. Her heart continued to beat loudly in her chest now. It seemed to stutter every time Klaus raised his eyebrow at her, smiling slightly with that curious look constantly present in his eyes.

What the hell was wrong with her? Why couldn't she get her mind off of his beautifully shaped lips and how she desperately wanted to run a hand through his unruly curls?

"I should probably get back downstairs," Caroline said, realizing that her thoughts wouldn't go away anytime soon. She needed to get away from him before she did something stupid to her best friend's brother.

"Anxious to get away from me, aren't you?" Klaus laughed. "Do I make you uncomfortable with my compliments?"

"I'm sorry, Niklaus-"

"Klaus," he interrupted her. "You can call me Klaus."

It wasn't the first time that he had reminded her that he didn't like being called by his given name. Caroline took a deep breath. "Klaus," she started again, "this has nothing to do with you."

It did though.

It had everything to do with him.

"It's my birthday party, as you mentioned before," Caroline continued. "I need to get back downstairs."

"You probably don't know half of the people downstairs," Klaus pointed out, scoffing. "I know Kol invited his friends to this party as well."

"You're right about that," Caroline found herself saying, mentally slapping herself for agreeing with him. She was trying to excuse herself and yet she kept finding reasons to stay with him.

A smile graced Klaus' face and Caroline was left staring at him because she wasn't sure she had ever seen him smile in her direction before. She didn't even notice the small step he took toward her until butterflies erupted in her stomach when she realized the closeness between them. It happened when Klaus reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear again, but not before removing a piece of confetti that had apparently gotten stuck in it. Caroline flushed when she realized she must have had the sparkling piece in her hair throughout their entire conversation. Klaus on the other hand, didn't seem put out by it. In fact, he was looking at her as if he found her endearing or something.

"So stay here and keep me company then," he suggested, quite boldly.

"I don't even know you," Caroline said, the words falling from her lips before she could stop them. "You're Rebekah's older brother who has suddenly realized that I exist." She tried not to sound bitter, and she thought she succeeded fairly well.

"I have noticed you," Klaus countered and this time, Caroline didn't bother to hide the fact that she was staring at him.

"You have?" she asked, incredulously.

Klaus nodded slowly, his jaw suddenly clenching slightly, but his eyes didn't waver from hers. "I'm just not much for talking to girls when my siblings are around and I'm much less keen on making a move on someone who is underage," he said and suddenly, it was a bit more difficult for Caroline to breathe properly.

"No, instead you just drag the girls into your room and let your siblings assume what you get up to in there," Caroline blurted, surprised by the annoyance that made an appearance in her tone.

This time, Klaus' eyes did move away from hers, but only for a second. He had faltered and suddenly, it was as if Caroline was seeing him for the first time again. There was something different about him and she didn't want to hope that it was what she thought it was. Besides, it wasn't as if she would be able to act on her own feelings. She wouldn't risk her friendship with Rebekah for anything in the world, not even Klaus.

"There's that sharp tongue again," Klaus recovered, lazy smirk on his lips once more as he eyed her. "If we choose to overlook my previous indiscretions, how about we address your previous statement? I'm sure it's something that can be fixed easily," he told her and she had lost him for a moment before he continued to speak. "Get to know me, Caroline," he said, her name rolling off of his tongue in a way that was way too pleasant. "I dare you."

The look in his eyes combined with the way that he said that last sentence had snapped her out of her daze. "You're Rebekah's brother," she whispered angrily, as if she worried that someone might have overheard their conversation. She took a small step back from him, but he countered it by stepping even closer to her than before.

"So?" he shrugged, and her breath caught in her throat when he reached down to take her hand. "Will you at least think about it?" he questioned, pulling her hand up to his lips, pressing a light kiss against her knuckles that almost made her dizzy. He didn't break eye-contact with her as his oh-so-soft lips curved up into another smile, genuine once more. Caroline could only stare at him as he finally let go of her hand, squeezing it once before stepping back from her. He walked backwards to the door, still smiling at her.

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

-§-

It had been a lovely day and a wonderful, yet somewhat strange night.

When Caroline had made her way downstairs later, she hadn't seen Klaus anywhere. She was sure he had gone back to his room and locked himself up in there as he usually did, but his words about noticing her before tonight still echoed in her head. When she met up with Rebekah, her friend had asked her if everything was all right and Caroline had assured her that it was just tiredness that was catching up with her.

Later, when all the guests had left and a few stragglers had fallen asleep around the house, Caroline and Rebekah had finally retired for the night. They had talked for a bit and Caroline had thanked Rebekah for throwing the party, and Rebekah had promptly dismissed her, telling her that it was the least she could do as her best friend. Soon enough, Rebekah was asleep and snoring lightly in the bed.

Next to her, Caroline laid awake, staring up at the ceiling as she thought about the evening. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering to Klaus again. The way that his eyes had seemed to sparkle every time he had looked at her and the almost playful look on his face when he had dared her to get to know him. Just thinking about their conversation made her stomach do somersaults. It wasn't just his good looks that drew her in, nor was it the fact that he was still somewhat of an enigma to her. Tonight, there had been something about him that made her see him in a completely different light. The crush that had been based on nothing more than attraction had suddenly seemed to grow a bit more and the mere thought of it made Caroline even more nervous. She wasn't sure what Rebekah would say if she ever found out that Caroline liked her older brother. It was the cliché of all clichés, the trope of every fifth romantic comedy that she had ever watched…

Suppressing the urge to groan at her own silliness, Caroline turned to lay on her side, careful so that she wouldn't disturb Rebekah. She closed her eyes tightly and tried not to think about her speeding heart anymore.

And if anyone had asked her the next morning, she would have denied dreaming about sparkling blue eyes and a mischievous smile that made her breath catch in her throat and her knees feel weak.

Note: So? What did you think of my little one-shot? Awful? Horrible? Lovely? Good? Please tell me in a little review! I would appreciate it! Thank you for reading! Lots of love. xx

Edit: (2017-03-19): As mentioned, I am thinking about making this story a bit longer. Please, feel free to share your thoughts. thank you for reading. xx