Her friends had said they were there for her; were with her in spirit. Wished they could be there. But a funeral wasn’t a life-threatening priority. She wasn’t a priority.
She had no one at her side.
But she only had to get through this day.
Through a ceremony that was bitterly unworthy of the her mother. Her father was not there. There was no one else who had truly known Liz’s brilliance. So it was Damon, of all people, doing the eulogy.
No way to capture Liz. No remedy for pain.
She couldn’t do this. There was no future not fraught with desolation.
She couldn’t sing. The notes stuck in her throat, caught like a rose thorn in unsuspecting skin.
Caroline stood slowly, wishing to ground herself before the sea of people blurred by the salt trapped in her eyes. The tumbling waves of emotions dragged her further from the shores of herself, further into the deep blue-black unknown.
There was no lifeboat, nothing to grasp. Nothing to stop her floating away. Until a face.
A face she knew well, but hadn’t seen in nearly a year.
A face that haunted her dreams and daydreams.
For a fleeting moment, the mist shrouding her mind cleared, and her eyes locked with his. They held no pity, as so many others did. They held instead a solemn, stoic seriousness, that Caroline found oddly comforting.
For a moment, her eyes held his. She didn’t know what she was searching for, but he gave her a tiny nod, as though to let her know it was okay to be hurting beyond belief.
It kept her from falling over the edge before she was ready.
He was her bridge over troubled water.
And she managed to find her voice.
“Thank you all for coming,” she said, interlocking her fingers nervously in front of her. “This is for my mom.”
She began to sing. It was beautiful. And so very broken.
She didn’t let her eyes leave his, not for a second. They were the only thing holding her head above the water. For he was there for her, and nothing else.
Her last note rang out, like a flash of light before the sun dipped below the foggy horizon. And she lost sight of him as she closed her eyes.
When she opened them, he had slipped away, and it crushed her.
Passing the threshold of a home she’d loved so much, hours later, she had her confirmation that she hadn’t imagined him, as she’d begun to suspect.
A large assortment of white and pink flowers were on the table by the door, that hadn’t been there when she’d left.
Caroline
I am so deeply sorry for your loss. You may feel alone now; you may not feel anything at all. Should you wish, you will always find solace in yours truly, whenever or wherever you are with your life.
Yours, Klaus.
For the first time since she’d found out her mother was sick, Caroline felt the glimmer of a real smile form on her lips.
kc + "i was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet"
We loved filling this prompt and hope you like the result as much :)
Yes
I was wondering if, after all theseyears, you’d like to meet.
It comes in the post and she almost drops it after she pulls itfrom the envelope. The simple card contains nothing else, not even a name, butshe doesn’t need one.
Even if she didn’t know his handwriting, hadn’t kept his Save me a dance card, she’d still know – instinctively.
She ponders how she is supposed to reply to it. Sure, she couldcall him, but he just the same could’ve called her.
What is he playing at?
And, more importantly, does it matter?
No, she decides, burying the card in the first drawer she can find.
I was wondering if, after all these years, you’d like to meet.
Shit.
The sentence keeps flashing through her mind and she’s annoyed ashell with herself. Sure, she’s successfully managed to ignore the note for aweek, but it hasn’t exactly been easy.
She’s considered burning it just to get rid of it, somehow, butshe knows that won’t fix anything.
“Damn you, Klaus,” she mutters under her breath.
How is it that it had been thirty years and he still manages toget to her with just a few words?
I was wondering if, after all these years, you’d like to meet.
She’s looking at it again. Another three days and she’d reachedher breaking point.
Damn him.
She presses dial and is thinking of saying many things as shelistens to the ringing tone.
Only old people still send letters.
You know, you could’ve just called.
I still hate your stupid games.
“Hello, love,” he answers.
She blinks.
“Yes.”
“Was it what you imagined?”
He eyes her from across the table.
They’d met, halfway, and had dinner. She’d been nervous about itbeing awkward, but it hadn’t been, not even a little. They’d immediately falleninto old habits, him teasing and smirking as she rolled her eyes, scoffing.
He’d taken her hand across the table and she’d let him for a fewminutes before taking it back. Nothing more had happened and now the night wasover.
“I should be asking you that,” he finally replies.
“You invited me,” she counters.
He nods. “And I imagine you had certain expectations.”
“They were low. Basically that you wouldn’t be an annoying dick.Congratulations on not passing even that.”
He chuckles, his shoulders shaking, and she doesn’t know why butshe’s blushing. Maybe it’s the wine or the candles or the way he’s been lookingat her.
She stands before she can do anything stupid.
See, despite his more recent promise, she’d never forgotten hisfirst one.
I intend to be your last. However long it takes.
It lends an almost tangible pressure to their every interaction,even what happened in the forest. In fact, sometimes she thinks that a lot ofwhat had happened that day had been owed to that pressure.
“Can I drive you home?” he asks casually.
She looks at him. When Klaus is seated he seems to take over thechair, powerful nonchalance ebbing from every corner of it he’s draped over.
But now he’s looking up at her and though nothing has changed, shefeels the entire world has shifted. Nonchalance and devotion. Carelessness andworship.
He is so many contradictions and she only worsens it.
“My car’s here,” she says quietly.
His eyes are gleaming.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
How is he able to pull the word from her so easily? How is itthat, only with him, she’s incapable of her almost-supernatural ability toresist?
“Yes.”
His thumb runs over her knuckles.
She shivers then, without meeting his eyes, puts her hand in hislap. He’s visibly surprised but it feels right so she doesn’t remove it.
He drives one-handed, covering her hand with his; slipping histhumb beneath her fingers.
It reminds her of the way he’s curled himself around her heart.
Had she also offered it to him?
“Have you missed me?” he wonders, his voice genuinely curious butalso a little shaky.
It’s the first time he’s been vulnerable tonight.
Just like his note, he’d been so careful to keep cool. To keep theball in her court. It was a restraint she wasn’t used to, from him.
This is more familiar to her, and yet the question catches her bysurprise.
She sneaks a look at him.
“I didn’t think you’d ask,” she hedges.
“I didn’t think I’d have to,” he admits, albeit teasingly.
“Yeah, because I always used to just fall at your feet swooning.”
He smiles.
“Perhaps I thought you’d become more malleable in your old age.”
She uses her hand’s prime position to smack him in the chest andhe laughs some more while she thinks.
“Has it seemed like I haven’t?” she decides on eventually.
It dodges the question but lightly implies yet another Yes thatthis time she refuses to give.
“No contact…”
“I could say the same for you, minus your underwhelming note,” sheshoots.
“I’m not the one who asked me never to come back.”
She winces. She’s not ready for that conversation.
“I’ve missed that day,” she says, moving her hand higher up onto histhigh, hoping to distract him.
He shoots her a look. He’s affected, but he also knows exactlywhat she’s doing.
But he looks away again; helps her to continue the charade.
“Is that your way of inviting me in?”
She chokes out a surprised laugh.
“No.”
He glances at her with a small smile, like he knows just how goodit feels for her to be able to say that. And it’s true, too, she won’t beletting him in. Not because she doesn’t want to – god, does she want to – butbecause she can’t.
She’s not sure she can have him and give him up again. But she’snot ready for her last yet.
He reads her mind.
“I suppose I should’ve asked earlier – is there someone else?”
No. Not anyone particular, anyway.
“Yes.”
He’s walking her up the porch steps.
She assured him twice he didn’t have to do this but here he is andhere they are, and god her heart is beating so fast.
“Thanks.” She clears her throat. “I had a good time.”
She says it mostly to start up some sort of conversation,uncomfortable with the silence, so she’s annoyed when he doesn’t reply.
They reach the top and she already has her keys in hand, ready toescape him.
She faces him momentarily.
“It was nice catching up.”
She tries to keep her tone light, it’s supposed to be goodbye, buthis eyes are dark and suddenly he’s stepping toward her, their breaths mixing.
Her body is aching. His eyes are so blue; his body so warm. Shealmost wants to close her eyes to fully immerse in the memory of his weight ontop of her, his thick length inside her.
She lays a hand on his side to steady herself and almost topplesanyway at the warm contact. He catches her.
His nose brushes hers and their eyes meet as her chest heaves.
His hands move from her hips where he’d caught her, up to hersides, until his thumbs are grazing her bra. Her eyes flutter closed but sheforces them back open.
If they kiss, she won’t be able to stop. She learned that lessonthe hard way.
His lips move closer and she wants to, god she wants to, but sheleans away.
“Um, I’ll see you around.”
She fidgets and he smirks, noting how uncomfortable she is.
“Will you?” he wonders.
She glares before turning around, hating herself for letting anyof this happen. Why is he so goddamn good at getting underneath her skin?
She’s moving to walk away when he laces an arm around her waist,pulling her to him.
A breath leaves her chest and she almost moans, feeling himagainst her. He swipes all the hair off her neck and for a second she onlyfeels his breath, warm as his body. There’s something so comforting about beingheld by him like this, though of course she’d never tell him that. Not now,anyway.
Then he ducks; lays a kiss on the nape of her neck and she letsher eyes close, relishing in his lips on her skin again.
But then she pulls away and meets his eyes.
“Yes.”
She’s not wrong.
The next day she checks the post box and there’s another envelope.Inside is the twin of the first card.
I was wondering if, after all these hours, you’d like to meet.
She can’t help it, she laughs. Then she dials him up again.
“I don’t appreciate how many calls this is costing me.”
“You’re right, we should cut out the middle men and just neverleave each other’s company.”
She scoffs. “As much as I know how much you love causing menphysical harm, I’d get sick of you. As I am now. So it’s a no. No, I don’t wantto meet.”
He sounds amused. “Are you sure?”
She rolls her eyes.
“Yes.”
She finds the next note on her bed and her head swivels as shelooks for any sign of him.
Not finding one, she just dials his number again, not bothering toread the card.
“God, you’re annoying.”
“That’s a strange response.”
“I didn’t read the card. I’m hoping you take it as a sign that Iwant this to stop.”
“If you read the card, you’d understand.”
She wants to glare at him, hard, but then plucks up the envelopeand rips into it to find the card.
I was wondering if you’d meet me one last time.
She’s struck breathless.
“Klaus.”
“It’s not a date, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
It’s not. It’s the word ‘last’ flashing before her eyes like it’sin neon instead of his careful calligraphy.
“Where?”
“Somewhere very familiar.” He’s smiling wistfully; somehow sheknows. “So, will you meet me?”
She closes her eyes and shakes her head, mad at herself for howshe can’t let him go.
“Yes.”
It’s easier than she would’ve thought to find that exact spot inthe forest.
He’s already there waiting.
“Is this why it’s the last time? Because this is where I asked younever to come back?”
The only light is coming from the moon and stars and she notesthat he’s still unfairly attractive even in dim light.
“It seems to be a good spot for making promises.”
“Promises you’ll break?” she snaps, but there isn’t much heatbehind it.
He reaches out and pulls her closer by the arm and, though hisskin on hers sets her body alight, she says what she does anyway.
“I’m not sleeping with you again.”
“Not here or not ever?” he teases and she half-glares.
There’s silence for a long while, during which their hands findeach other’s and his nose brushes against hers again. She’s still resolved notto kiss him, but she’s also pretty sure she left her ability to resist at theedge of the forest, just like last time.
“Look up,” he whispers.
She does and he does too. Though the view is stunning, she can’tquite believe it.
“You brought me here to look at the stars?’
He catches her off guard with his lips in her neck.
“I learnt a long time ago that what you say may be what you mean,but not always what you want, Caroline. I brought you here because it’s wherewe both learnt that. I brought you here because I hoped we could no longer lieto each other.”
His walls are all the way down this time and she understands. Theyneeded this. For him to be vulnerable and for her to be honest – no more lies.She remembers telling him that she was seeing someone; remembers telling himthat she didn’t see him in her future. She remembers him promising something hehad no right promising.
Maybe he’s right; maybe this time they can do better.
He pulls her close to speak into her ear.
“I was wondering if, after all this time, you were ready for me tobe your last.”
Her breath drops away as he regards her closely; their eyesmeeting with fire between them.
We have some rather sad news: we won’t be posting drabbles anymore. As you’ve probably realised (thank you for your messages of love and saying you missed us!) based on our long hiatus, we’ve been struggling to stay afloat. Unfortunately, real life is really tough and we have our personal capacities within the fandom and other fandom jobs to attend to, too. In order to give our all to those things, we realized we had to let this one go.
Thank you so much for all your love, support and amazing prompts. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you also to all our Guest Writers, who deserve an equal amount of credit.
We’re sorry for all the prompts we never managed to get to, but there is a little bit of good news…
This isn’t our last post. Although our inbox will be closed, we’re still going to be knocking out our very last few drabbles (and all Guest Writers please send in outstanding drabbles ASAP) so you may still see your prompt filled :)
Thank you again so much and here’s to canon Klaroline xx
This one by guest writer, @queencarolinemikaelson, made us LOL. Enjoy!
Downtown Friday
Klaus scowled at the unknown number flashing on his screen.
Late. It was late.
Or early, he supposed.
He didn’t sleep that much, really. Even now, he was painting instead. But it was the principle of the thing. Whichever way you looked at it, 4:15am was technically a socially unacceptable time for one person to be calling another.
“What?” he roared, hoping to strike as much fear into the veins of the caller as there was irritation running through his.
“Whoa, Klaus? What’s up your hybridy nostrils?”
The voice on the other end of the phone was slurred and oh-so-familiar.
“Caroline?”
“Well, duh, dummy. Who else would it be?”
“I can think of a myriad of people who would call me, sweetheart,” Klaus replied, his irritation beginning to seep away despite his better judgement.
“Nuh-uh, Niknak! Not at 4am. Everyone else would be too scared,” Caroline giggled. “But not me!”
“Please refrain from calling me that insipid name, love,” as he simultaneously winced and melted at her pet name.
“Never!” she cried.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this – extremely late – phone call, Caroline?”
“Oh! Right!”
Caroline giggled some more, and Klaus found himself begrudgingly smile at the tinkling sound.
“I was just sitting here drinking. And that got me thinking about that time we totally had hot hybrid sex in the woods. And I was remembering the way you did that thing where you slammed me against the tree and then like took me really fast with both my legs over your shoulders, so I wasn’t supported by anything but the tree…”
“Your point, Caroline?” Klaus said, trying to remain cool, as though he didn’t definitely remember that manoeuvre too late at night sometimes.
“Well, I just wanted to let you know I am totally DTF if you are. Bye!”
And just like that, she hung up the phone, and Klaus was left completely confused and strangely turned on.
A couple days later, Klaus and his sister sat quietly in the study, her attention solely on the book in front of her, his back on the conversation he had with Caroline.
“Rebekah?” Klaus started awkwardly.
“Yes?” she replied distractedly, looking down at the book in her lap.
“What is DTF?”
Rebekah looked up, frowning.
“What is the context?”
“Someone told me they were ‘DTF’ the other day, and I’m intrigued as to the meaning?”
“I’m not sure,” Rebekah said honestly. “Maybe it means Downtown Friday? I know one of my friends texts me DT when she’s going to meet me downtown?”
Klaus nodded his head – Rebekah was usually the most up-to-date with the slang of the times.
His heart warmed a little, thinking about how Caroline would be in town on Friday, and she had called just to tell him.
Friday came and went, however, and the Friday after that as well, with not a single sighting of Caroline.
In fact, approximately 4 Friday nights passed until Klaus next saw Caroline. And it definitely wasn’t in downtown New Orleans on a Friday night.
It was a Tuesday night in a dingy dive bar in St. Louis of all places.
She was sitting at the bar, being chatted up by some local deadbeat. She was patiently humouring the man, but it made Klaus’ blood boil to watch someone so clearly not of her standard talking to her.
“Excuse me, mate,” Klaus cut in, just as the deadbeat asked Caroline to dance. “Mind if I cut in?”
Caroline bristled, going a shade of red.
“Actually, we do,” said Caroline, coolly. “Come on, Frank, let’s dance.”
With that she flounced away to dance with not just Frank the deadbeat, but also what looked like probably Chuck the smelly werewolf, Chase the edgy local college dropout, and Luka the lanky definitely-not-21-year-old.
Klaus sat fuming, all business he was meant to be tending to in St. Louis fleeing completely from his mind.
It only took him five minutes to get to full boil, and he stalked over to Caroline, where he cut in and directed her attention her away from her fans to dance with him.
“I don’t know what you’re so huffy about, sweetheart,” he said lightly, as they spun around to the dulcet tones of Africa by Toto.
“Don’t know what I’m huffy about? I think I have every right to be annoyed, Klaus. It’s you who has the misplaced stick up your butt!”
“Misplaced! Misplaced! You are the one who called me in the godforsaken hours of the morning to tell me you would be in town the following Friday and then didn’t show.”
Caroline stopped dancing and gaped at him as though he were the most insane imbecile she’d ever come across.
“Are you serious right now? I drunkenly tell you I’m ready to give you a chance, and you think that means I’m going to come to you?”
Klaus stared blankly at her, remembering how confused he’d been about her terminology.
“I mean, I know I was drunk, but I kind of hoped you’d still get the message. I thought you wanted me too.”
Suddenly, all Caroline’s irritated bravado had evaporated, and she was just left looking dejected and embarrassed.
“But when did you tell me you were ready to give me a chance?” Klaus asked, incredulously.
“In the phonecall!”
“When?”
“DTF, Klaus! Down to fuck?!”
Stunned silence fell over Klaus, as his mind reeled.
“I thought it meant downtown Friday,” he mumbled, sheepishly.
“You what?”
“I thought it meant downtown Friday, alright?” he repeated, a little defiantly.
Caroline could do nothing but burst out laughing.
“Whoever the hell told you that is more of a prude than you, Klaus,” Caroline said, through tears of laughter.
Hours later, a still thoroughly amused and now thoroughly sated Caroline, rolled off him.
“Why didn’t you just look it up on Google? You can learn a lot on Urban Dictionary.”
Klaus’ face was flushed as he relived his mistake again.
“That is the last time I ever defer knowledge to Bekah.”
We have some rather sad news: we won’t be posting drabbles anymore. As you’ve probably realised (thank you for your messages of love and saying you missed us!) based on our long hiatus, we’ve been struggling to stay afloat. Unfortunately, real life is really tough and we have our personal capacities within the fandom and other fandom jobs to attend to, too. In order to give our all to those things, we realized we had to let this one go.
Thank you so much for all your love, support and amazing prompts. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you also to all our Guest Writers, who deserve an equal amount of credit.
We’re sorry for all the prompts we never managed to get to, but there is a little bit of good news…
This isn’t our last post. Although our inbox will be closed, we’re still going to be knocking out our very last few drabbles (and all Guest Writers please send in outstanding drabbles ASAP) so you may still see your prompt filled :)
Thank you again so much and here’s to canon Klaroline xx
We have some rather sad news: we won’t be posting drabbles anymore. As you’ve probably realised (thank you for your messages of love and saying you missed us!) based on our long hiatus, we’ve been struggling to stay afloat. Unfortunately, real life is really tough and we have our personal capacities within the fandom and other fandom jobs to attend to, too. In order to give our all to those things, we realized we had to let this one go.
Thank you so much for all your love, support and amazing prompts. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you also to all our Guest Writers, who deserve an equal amount of credit.
We’re sorry for all the prompts we never managed to get to, but there is a little bit of good news...
This isn’t our last post. Although our inbox will be closed, we’re still going to be knocking out our very last few drabbles (and all Guest Writers please send in outstanding drabbles ASAP) so you may still see your prompt filled :)
Thank you again so much and here’s to canon Klaroline xx
We’re so sorry we’ve been away for so long, sweethearts! We are working on trying get some drabbles done, but sometimes that pesky muse is nowhere to be found in between our hectic schedules. We hope to return soon.
In the meantime, if you are a current guest writer, or are interested in becoming one, please contact us! We could use some help getting back into the swing of things!
2016 is coming to a close, TVD is ending in a few months, and we can see our Klaroline endgame right around the corner!
We’ve decided to take a hiatus until 2017 to enjoy time with our families this holiday season. FEAR NOT! We have every intention of returning refreshed and ready to continue pumping out your drabble requests. Our ask box will remain open, so feel free to keep dropping those prompts! We’ll also still be welcoming guest writers so if you’re interested, please let us know via our Guest Writers box or the chat function.
We appreciate your support and will be more than happy to chat during our hiatus, so stop by and send us a message :D
can you write a drabble where klaus paints caroline's naked body?
We loved this one written by @supremeuppityone and we think you will too!
A/N: Somehow, this evolved into an AU human Playboy-esque empire that features Klaroline. Warning: Delightful smut! Enjoy!
More than One Way to Paint a Cat
“Of all the bizarre things I expected to see in this place, this is certainly not one of them,” a crisp British accent teased, causing Caroline to sigh and mark her place in the textbook with her pink highlighter.
She crossed her bare legs, resettling her naked body in the comfortable suede makeup chair at the vanity, before regarding the intruder with a raised eyebrow.
“Define bizarre. It’s the Pretty Kitty Mansion — you’d have to put in some effort to come across as bizarre in this place,” she retorted, not bothering to mask the edge in her tone.
She was used to going on the defensive about her job; so many people, most of them hypocrites, were quite fond of telling her how awful she was to be exploiting herself. However, Caroline was a pragmatist, and when she started college years ago, she realized that the most lucrative way to support herself until she finished her degree was to pose nude for Pretty Kitty Magazine.
She hadn’t expected much at first — appearing in a handful of pictorials had allowed her to pay for several semesters of school and even start a small savings account. What she hadn’t anticipated was how popular she would become with readers. Long blonde curls, wide blue eyes and a petite, curvy body with an all-American, girl-next-door look that apparently readers couldn’t get enough of. It wasn’t until the Pretty Kitty Enterprises mogul himself, Alaric Saltzman, had contacted her to become a Pretty Kitty girl that she had realized the extent of her accidental success.
She had been upfront with him from the start — her education came first. She also put in her contract that she was strictly a print-and-appearances model only. She had no interest in the myriad of other businesses the adult industry had to offer. She had goals and plans and none of them involved becoming a household name in the adult entertainment industry. Working on the fringes gave her the funds she needed to finish school and hopefully open her own vet clinic one day.
Today was one of her obligatory appearance days at the Pretty Kitty Mansion. They were hosting a huge football party for the typical mixture of Hollywood types and executives and Alaric expected his top Pretty Kitty girls to attend the party wearing a cropped jersey and tiny boy shorts that artists would paint onto their bodies.
She had been skeptical at first that it would look like nothing more than naked girls running around in a Jackson Pollock wet dream, but the test run they’d done the other day had surprised her with how real the paint had looked. It actually seemed as though the girls were wearing skimpy outfits rather than merely carefully applied paint. The textures, shadows and contours achieved by the airbrush had been breathtaking.
She had been looking forward to getting painted again just to see the artist operate, but apparently the artist they’d saddled her with today was going to be a judgmental jackass.
“Well, to answer your question, I expected more of a raging orgy or at least a feisty pillow fight,” the man stated, dimples bracketing his smirk, which under normal circumstances she would consider charming.
Caroline snorted. “Right, well, sorry to disappoint, but the orgies and pillow fights apparently take place when I’m not around. I’m a bit busy these days and I suspect those activities would be a huge time suck.”
She narrowed her blue eyes at the attractive man before her, trying not to openly stare at the hard planes of his chest as he moved, or the way his beautifully sculpted cheekbones accentuated his impossibly handsome face.
“You must be my artist today. I’m Caroline.” She held out her hand to shake and tried not to roll her eyes when he kissed her knuckles instead.
“Enchanted to meet you, Caroline. I’m Klaus.” He cocked his head toward the textbook in her lap and asked, “I’m curious, love, is Understanding Zoonotic Diseases typical reading material for a Pretty Kitty girl?”
“It is when the Pretty Kitty girl is in her second-to-last year of vet school and has no plans to still be posing nude when she’s an AARP member,” Caroline retorted, tapping her nails impatiently against the slick cover of the textbook.
Klaus’ gray eyes widened in surprise. “Color me impressed, love. Forgive me for assuming you were merely perpetuating the college girl myth that the Pretty Kitty brand cultivates.”
She snorted, rolling her eyes as she set the book back on the counter. “Yeah, Alaric was thrilled when he found out I was actually in college pursuing a degree that I could discuss with guests when it’s warranted. Apparently, Pretty Kitty readers believe that all intelligent, sexy coeds love nothing more than posing nude while harboring a burning desire to date them.”
She laughed when she thought of the lengths some of the other Pretty Kitty girls would go to just to play up that fantasy for readers. “Some of the girls stalk university websites and memorize course descriptions and degree requirements before appearances, just to sell the myth that all Pretty Kitty girls are in college. In the time they spend to learn enough about college to lie about it, they could actually have a degree.”
Klaus gave a short laugh. “I wondered about that. Earlier, I was painting this dull blonde who was spouting some nonsense about psychology and Freud that sounded a bit off.”
She smiled knowingly. “You had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Wiki. Well, her name’s Cami, but she spends all of her time online researching psychology in a Herculean effort to obtain some semblance of a personality. I keep telling her that Wikipedia isn’t a legitimate site for authentic research, but she just babbles at me about my supposed mommy/daddy issues until I get bored and leave.”
He shook his curly head laughing, motioning for Caroline to stand on top of the platform to begin the intricate painting process. “Tell me, sweetheart, what led you to veterinary medicine? Was it a love of kitties,” he asked with a cheeky grin, garnering a well-deserved eye roll from Caroline.
Huffing, she said, “Actually I decided large animal medicine was the way to go; seeing as how I have such extensive experience interacting with jackasses and other moronic barnyard inhabitants with this job.”
“You are a delight, Caroline,” he said in an amused tone. His brow furrowed for a moment as he regarded her naked body and asked, “Now then, did you properly hydrate today? Have you eaten? Don’t want you fainting on me, love. Also, did you remember to avoid any lotions or oils for the past couple of days? I want to make sure we have good coverage.”
“Yes, yes, and yes,” she answered with a smile. “Alaric drilled your instructions into our heads during our pre-party meeting earlier this week. In between encouraging us to learn something about football to help sell the Pretty Kitty girl fantasy, of course,” she wryly added.
Klaus paused from repositioning her body to ask confusedly, “There’s a Pretty Kitty girl football fantasy?”
Caroline shook her head, sighing dramatically. “Oh yes, haven’t you heard? Apparently in addition to all Pretty Kitty girls being sexy coeds, we’re also obsessed with football.” She wrinkled her nose, adding, “And, for some reason, there’s this weird component where guys like to hear about how we either have several older brothers from which we learned about football or we were Daddys’ girls and our fathers taught us all about the game. It’s rather disturbing, to say the least.”
Appalled, Klaus began loading his airbrush with the base coat of body paint. “Where on earth did you get that disconcerting idea from?”
“Extensive market research. I’m sure it comes as no surprise, but Alaric has a top-notch marketing team at his disposal and they apparently have some fairly impressive scientific data to back up their claims, no matter how ridiculous they sound.” She rolled her eyes and continued with, “Besides, I’ve seen their theories in action. Works like a charm every single time. If you’re attending the kickoff party this evening, you’ll get a front row seat to how easy it is for a Pretty Kitty girl to take a guy’s vulnerable ego for a ride.”
He murmured in his delicious British accent, “I wouldn’t miss it, sweetheart.”
The soft hum of the airbrush compressor began as he sprayed a narrow swath of black across the tops of her hips. He jerked his chin toward the stack of index cards near her textbook. “Being such an apt pupil, I assume you took Alaric’s suggestion to heart. Would you care to dazzle me with your vast knowledge of American football?”
She closed her eyes briefly as she enjoyed the pleasant sensation of the cool mist against her soft flesh.
“Let’s see…the Patriots have yet to throw an interception on any of their 216 passes this season. Also, Seattle’s offense has an extremely porous offensive line and is a giant mess. Unfortunately, the Saints don’t possess the kind of defense needed to take advantage though.”
Klaus laughed, a slow, easy laugh that made Caroline fight a blush that wanted to erupt across her ivory cheeks. “Impressive, love. Although I must admit I do not follow American sports, so I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. I suspect it’s more than enough to convince the average guest at the Pretty Kitty Mansion.”
He added a layer of antique gold to the edges of his design, dipping a tiny paintbrush in water before carefully removing hints of overspray from her smooth skin.
The warmth of his calloused fingers against her toned belly made her shiver slightly. Concerned, he asked, “Is the temperature ok for you? I know it can get a bit chilly standing still for so long during the process. I could send for some tea or coffee, if you like.”
Caroline smiled at his question. During her career, she had worked with a variety of makeup and bodypaint artists, but rarely did they treat her as more than a blank canvas or see her body as anything more than an object. It was nice to be treated like a person for once.
“I’m fine, thanks. And yes, the sports jargon the girls memorize usually is enough to leverage whatever advantage they’re after. In fact, they usually just borrow my index cards to review before an appearance. Although sometimes their ambition is puzzling to me.”
“I assume you’re referring to Alaric’s infamous stable of girlfriends that live with him in the Pretty Kitty Mansion,” Klaus asked, slowly moving the airbrush nozzle across her full breasts with another application of black paint.
She grinned, trying to stay still on the pedestal. “Yes, being one of Alaric’s girlfriends is apparently a so-called prize a lot of these girls are after. I try not to judge, but they could have so much more going for them if they just applied themselves. You know, Alaric approached me not long after I started posing to see if I wanted to join his stable of Pretty Kitty girlfriends.” She snorted, explaining, “I declined, and told him that it was a clowder of girlfriends, since they’re kitties.”
He laughed, applying a fine dusting of antique gold along the band of her cropped jersey design.
“How droll. Tell me, do you think he’ll end up marrying any of his girlfriends?”
She blew a strand of blonde hair out of her face, hoping that her sloppy bun of curls wasn’t about to fall and smudge Klaus’ work.
“Who knows. A lot of these girls are looking for some guy to save them. Alaric has six divorces behind him, but he’s 56, so he’s got plenty of time to rack up a few more if he wants,” she said with a cheeky grin.
Klaus picked up a wide-tipped paintbrush to begin the slow process of adding thin stripes to his work. With a lazy smile that made his gray eyes twinkle, he asked, “And what about you, love? Do you need saving?”
Caroline scoffed, “Please. I do my own saving.” She glanced down at her body, admiring Klaus’ incredible work. “I don’t feel any shame with my job. It’s just naked people. Once you get past the initial social construct of guilt that inexplicably surrounds nudity, it feels almost normal.”
Klaus favored her with a slow once-over glance that lingered a bit too long to be completely professional. However, she was again struck by the thought that she felt completely at ease around him and that his interest did not make her feel objectified. If anything, she felt powerful under the intensity of his gaze, and wished fervently she could take the time to immediately explore this electric connection she felt between them.
Unfortunately, her contractual obligations demanded her attendance at the kickoff party, but she felt a small thrill of excitement at the prospect of what might happen afterward…
“You have nothing to be ashamed about, sweetheart,” Klaus replied, jarring her from her daydream before it could become too heated. He carefully drew his paintbrush down the center of her chest, creating the illusion of movement with white numbers emblazoned upon the cropped jersey motif.
“I use a variety of mediums to express my art, but bodypainting is a personal favorite,” he revealed, carefully edging the curve of a numeral with the flat of his bristles. “It’s a four-dimensional experience in that it moves through time and space with the graceful flow of a dancer. A stunning partnership between artist and model in which we work together to breathe life into the creation.” His reverent tone took her by surprise as he regarded her with a serious, if somewhat heated, gaze. “Thank you for sharing my art, Caroline.”
She nodded mutely, unable to form words after his passionate speech.
Once the bodypainting was finished, Klaus left her to the hair and makeup team, promising to seek her out at the party. Several hours later, Caroline and the rest of the Pretty Kitty girls were making the rounds at the kickoff party, strategically positioning themselves with various groups of guests to achieve what Alaric called “maximum kitty coverage”. No guest was left alone for too long, and there always seemed to be an eager Pretty Kitty girl nearby to offer a flirty smile.
Alaric was at the center of the party, lounging upon an enormous red leather sectional with several of his “stable” paying court to the Pretty Kitty mogul. They simpered, feeding him hors d'oeuvres and fetching him tumblers of scotch or the occasional cigar. Caroline managed to keep from rolling her eyes, shifting her gaze toward the beautiful artwork Klaus and his staff had created with the Pretty Kitty girls’ shapely bodies.
She spied cropped jersey and tiny boy shorts with Patriots, Seahawks, and Chargers logos and another group on the other side of the cavernous room was sporting Broncos, Bills and Saints uniforms. Wearing the gorgeous bodypaint designs was actually a nice change of pace from the usual Pretty Kitty ensemble of whiskers, cat ear headband, tail and sexy lingerie. She didn’t mind the furry tail too much, but the bell around her neck was irritating as shit after a couple of hours of jingling with even the smallest of movements.
A tap upon Caroline’s shoulder caused her to turn and she managed to avoid taking an immediate step back when her nostrils were overwhelmed by the reek of far too much Creed Aventus. The musk blended with a hint of patchouli jarred her senses, and she tried to keep her eyes from watering too badly as she smiled brightly at the guest before her.
Heartthrob Jeremy Gilbert flashed her a cocky grin, clearly still reveling in his supernatural TV series’ renewal despite a stunning lack of support from viewers. The show was more famous for its confounding ability to alienate its audience, but Caroline’s theory was that the showrunner had made some sort of Faustian bargain to ensure its continued, baffling success. Hollywood was built on Faustian bargains, Caroline surmised, and a quick glance around the room seemed to prove her theory.
Jeremy leered at her, clearly trying to find her nipples underneath the carefully applied layers of body paint. He finally seemed to give up his ‘Where’s Waldo’ tit search, and slurred, “Hey there, Pretty Kitty. What’s a pretty kitty like you doin’ over here with a guy like me?”
She chuckled and said teasingly, “Obviously waiting for you to tell me all about your birthday party last weekend.”
She’d read the headlines online just like everyone else, and knew all about Jeremy’s 21st birthday bash that had gotten completely out of control at one of Hollywood’s infamous underground clubs, Hunter’s Mark. Jeremy and half of his entourage had gotten arrested and the mug shots had been online almost instantly.
His booming laugh echoed throughout the party, almost drowning out the various flat screens on the walls.
“Oh yeah, it was off the hook, yo! We had us some fine bitches and a hella ton of shots before five-oh came down on us hard, dawg!”
“How utterly charming,” interjected a dry British voice that Caroline would recognize anywhere.
Klaus stood next to the sloppily drunk actor, not bothering to hide his distaste.
Next to their awkward group, Caroline overheard Vicki, a fellow Pretty Kitty, robotically spout off the lines she had rehearsed from Caroline’s index cards: “The Patriots haven’t thrown any interceptions this season, which is really impressive if you think about it,” the brunette said with such wide-eyed enthusiasm that it managed to capture Jeremy’s attention.
‘Patriots! Yo, that’s my team,” he crowed, slinging a muscular arm around Vicki’s red- and navy-painted shoulders as he nearly dropped his drink in his eagerness. Vicki eyed him with interest, obviously recognizing the celebrity, and she silently looked at Caroline to see if she was interrupting anything Caroline wanted to finish.
Caroline gave a slight shake of her head, signaling Vicki that she should feel free to “poach” away, and with a wicked grin, Vicki casually whisked Jeremy away to a more private area.
That was one of the reasons why Caroline felt at ease with this job — she had expected a certain amount of cattiness between the Pretty Kitty girls as though they would view everything as a twisted competition, but that was mostly avoided among the more seasoned girls.
There was an unexpected amount of mutual respect and protectiveness in the group of Pretty Kitty headliners, and they had developed a series of subtle signals to use for various situations, such as bailing out a fellow Pretty Kitty if a guest got too grabby and a bouncer wasn’t nearby and, of course, backing off if someone was genuinely interested in one of the guests.
“You look amazing, love,” Klaus murmured, snagging them both a glass of champagne from one of the waiters circulating drink trays. “It’s understandable that even that brainless git would be enamored by your beauty.”
Caroline snorted, taking a sip of her champagne. “Please. All that kid’s after is trolling for his first future divorce.”
Klaus laughed, shaking his head as he took in the over-the-top buffet towers, NFL logo ice sculptures, and painted ladies of extraordinary beauty flitting in and out of groups of famous faces.
“Are you sure you’ll be able to give this up when you finish your degree? There’s a certain intoxicating energy that could be very seductive to some.”
“Without question,” Caroline said decisively. “This is a means to an end. I’ve formed friendships here and I’ll take some great memories with me, but none of this is really me.”
She flicked her blue eyes to a clock and was ecstatic to see enough time had passed that no one would mind if she disappeared from the party a bit early.
She licked her lips, mouth suddenly dry.
“Would you be interested in seeing the real me?” She cocked her blonde head, letting her curly mane tease the sides of her neck. “Maybe we could make another memory,” she suggested coyly.
He visibly swallowed, trying to mask the surprise on his face at her unexpected forwardness.
“It would be my pleasure, sweetheart.” He allowed his gaze to sweep over her exquisitely painted form until she became uncomfortably warm. “Perhaps we could start with sliding you out of my creation,” he suggested, holding out an elbow for her to grasp.
She was charmed by his old-fashioned manners and reminded herself to walk at a normal pace in her ridiculous sneaker-inspired high heels that Alaric had specially commissioned for the Pretty Kitty girls to wear at sports-themed events.
They went upstairs to the studio and Caroline settled back into the same suede makeup chair where she was first introduced to Klaus. Making herself comfortable, she crossed her legs and asked, “Will the paint removal take very long? I was hoping we could make our escape soon,” she finished with a teasing lilt.
Klaus moved in front of the vanity and set down a large ceramic bowl with water and two hand towels.
With a grin, he answered, “A bit eager, are we? A little soap and water should do the trick, but in my professional opinion, a hot shower is probably best. A nice, long shower,” he rumbled, gripping the edge of the marble counter as he stared down at her, gauging her reaction to his blatant invitation.
Smiling coyly from under her thick lashes, she uncrossed her legs slowly, propping the pointed toe of her high heel upon his jeans-clad knee. “Well, then. Who am I to argue with a professional?”
The tip of his red tongue touched his upper lip as he bent over to unlace her shoe, easing it off of her foot before gently caressing the aching skin. She let out a small groan of relief as he repeated the blissful treatment with her other foot as well. Catching the gleam in his eye, she grabbed both of his outstretched hands as he pulled her out of the chair, allowing him to lead her to a private spa oasis complete with an enormous shower whose walls mirrored the carved rock of the downstairs grotto.
Klaus lovingly caressed her face, whispering with reverence, “What you do is extraordinary, love. You are extraordinary. You bare more than just your skin. You share a piece of your beautiful soul with the world.”
He gently kissed her lips, pulling away slightly when he felt her hands curl around his.
She sighed sweetly against his lips. “Thank you. It means a lot, that you search for more than what’s just on the surface.”
She nibbled on his lower lip playfully, eliciting a low growl from him as he felt her small hands unbuckle his belt, squeezing the prominent bulge she found. One hand flattened against the small of her back, pressing her firmly to his firm body as his other hand began fumbling with his zipper.
Growing impatient, she gripped the edges of his casual navy shirt, ripping it over his curly head and tossing it carelessly behind them as she began to grind against his erection. He stepped out of his shoes, shedding the rest of his clothes quickly as he yanked her into the shower.
Caroline flicked on the multiple shower heads, savoring the steady water pressure that started massaging their bodies with delightfully warm water. Small rivers of black, white and antique gold dripped down her curves and Klaus brushed his long artist’s fingers down her supple skin. He rubbed tiny circles, gently brushing away the remnants of his handiwork as she sighed contentedly, completely under his spell.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a heated kiss that fanned the growing flames between them. He moaned into the kiss, digging his fingers into her hips as he unexpectedly spun her around to face the rock wall.
Pressing the muscular planes of his chest against her back, he hoarsely whispered, “I want to mark you, sweetheart. I need to. Will you let me?”
Caroline quickly nodded, letting out a breathless gasp as she felt him part her thighs just enough to nestle his throbbing cock at the juncture of her sex, allowing her thighs to cradle his slickened tip.
He began smoothly thrusting, grunting, “Squeeze those delicious thighs for me, love. I want to feel you get me off.” He rested his forehead against her neck, panting, “Just like that, nice and tight.”
She felt a thrill of excitement at Klaus’ foreplay, loving his adventurous side and need to mark her thoroughly. She squeezed her thigh muscles, savoring the feel of his thickness as it moved just under her folds, teasing the sensitive flesh. He stiffened against her, cursing as he reached his peak. His sticky essence spilled down her thighs, painting them liberally.
He turned her to face him, dropping to his knees to place butterfly kisses at her navel, causing her belly to flutter pleasantly. Easing her thighs apart, he ran his strong hands appreciatively up and down her legs, delighting in the feel of his mark upon her delectable body.
“I want to taste you, love. Every dripping, aroused layer.”
He placed his index fingers at her entrance, experimentally parting the quivering folds as the water from one of the shower heads rained down pleasurably.
She grasped his soaked curls, pulling his head toward her and gasped at the first touch of his sinful tongue. Every nerve in her body came alive under the feel of his demanding mouth, and she ground her pelvis onto his impatient lips. Her startled cry at the first feel of his nipping teeth nearly sent her careening over the edge, and she tightened her grip on his blonde locks.
“I w-want y-you,” she panted brokenly. “Inside. Now!”
His answering grin was wicked as he paused briefly to rake his gray, lusty gaze over her soaked, trembling form.
“As the lady commands,” he growled, suddenly plunging his tongue deeply within her core, swirling and teasing her aching passage.
She bucked her hips fiercely, feeling her orgasm build until she had no choice but to fall over the edge into ecstasy, calling out his name as she rode out each pleasurable wave. As she came down from her high, she noticed his smug face as he took his time licking his swollen lips. “Not exactly what I meant,” she chastised, breathing heavily.
Klaus slowly rose to his feet, reaching down to fist his hardening cock as he gazed at her unabashedly. She was mesmerized by each stroke, delighting in how he shivered under her hungry stare.
The thick head peaked out from his palm, beads of desire gathering once more.
“Tell me what you meant, love,” he taunted in his delicious accent, pausing to squeeze his tip just so, emitting a sexy little growl.
Caroline cupped her wet breasts, squeezing her hardened nipples as she watched him increase his strokes. She tugged at the aching tips, the sweet, painful rush causing her to moan. “I want your cock. I need it,” she crooned, widening her thighs as she continued to toy with her slick flesh.
He groaned at the tempting sight of her, and quickly pushed her back against the wall, yanking one toned thigh around his waist as he guided his heated tip into her welcoming passage. He dipped his head down to deliver a fiery kiss, savoring the taste of her upon his tongue.
Caroline tightened her grip with her leg, pulling him closer to her as she followed the smooth rhythm he set with his hips. He groaned against her neck at the feel of her, so warm and pliant against him, and she cried out as he delicately nibbled along her collarbone. She could feel herself building toward another explosive release and met each powerful thrust eagerly chasing her high.
“Almost there, sweetheart,” Klaus whispered hoarsely, reaching down to rub her swollen clit as he bucked against her. “You just need a little more,” he declared, increasing the pressure of his talented fingers just right before she felt her body began to spasm once again. As her release washed over her, he let go as well, groaning into her mouth as he pulled her in for another kiss that left her breathless and trembling.
As they held onto each other underneath the warm spray, he gazed down at her fondly. “You are a revelation when you come, sweetheart.” He grazed one of her sensitive nipples lightly, his reverent gaze never leaving her lovely face. “But I’ve been a bit remiss in my professional capacity. I spy a few places where my artwork still clings.”
Caroline curled her lips into a teasing smile. “Well, you did recommend a long shower. Perhaps we should try again…”
Klaroline: "I'm at an anime convention with my friends and we're dressed like the Sailor Scouts. for some reason, you can't tell the difference between Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter." (Secondary ships: Kalijah and Rebenzo) I can see Elena as Sailor Moon, Katherine as Sailor Mars, and Caroline as Sailor Jupiter (or Sailor Venus).
Written by one of our new guest writers @wanderlust-in-nyc
A/N: I watched the Japanese anime of sailor moon, not the American version. The part where Caroline is walking is based on something that actually happened to my friend at a con!
Codename: Sailor V
Caroline adjusted her white gloves as she followed Katherine and Elena onto the convention floor, the rest of her friends bringing up the rear. She was excited that they were able to coordinate their costumes this year even if it wasn’t a complete set. Caroline sighed at her bickering friends as their voices grew louder, catching the attention of passersby.
“I don’t get why I can’t be Usagi!” Liv yelled, placing her hands firmly on her hips.
“Why should you get to be Usagi?!” Luke yelled back.
“You don’t have the right hair, and besides, I’m the one who got Tuxedo Mask!” Elena said.
“I’m blonde! You’re not!” Liv said.
“I’m blonde too!” Luke said.
“Well, Damon will only be Tuxedo Mask if I’m Serena!” Elena argued.
“It’s Usagi-chan!” Luke and Liv snapped at the same time.
Caroline rubbed her temples and sighed. What was supposed to have been the Sailor Scouts was turning into a complete nightmare.
Luke and Liv stormed off and Bonnie left, stating she wasn’t going to dress up as a cat just because she was Wiccan. Throughout, Katherine laughed, watching from the sidelines.
Elena dressed up as Sailor Moon, but couldn’t help complaining about the wig itching. Damon dressed up as Tuxedo Mask without any issues, surprisingly. Katherine was Sailor Mars and Caroline Sailor Venus.
“Can I just name the million other places I would rather be right now?” Stefan said.
Caroline looked over at Stefan, who was dressed as Artemis the white cat, friend of Sailor Venus.
“No one said you had to come. Bonnie said no and she left,” Caroline pointed out.
“I know.”
“You just want to be close to Elena.”
“You’re my friend, too.”
“Right.”
Stefan watched as Elena and Damon kissed and laughed. He looked down, his shoulders slumping as Caroline placed her hand on his arm, squeezing it gently.
“Do you want a belly rub? Or a scratch behind the ears?” Caroline teased.
“This was a terrible idea,” Stefan muttered.
Caroline felt a tug on her hand and she looked down.
“Can I see your tiara, Sailor Moon?” a little girl asked.
“Oh, well–” Caroline started to say.
“She’s Sailor Venus, actually. See, she has that lovely red bow instead of the two meatball buns,” a man with a British accent, suddenly appearing behind her, said.
Caroline looked over at the man, surprised that he knew the difference but also really freaking surprised at how hot he was.
“Usagi is over there getting a little too frisky with Tuxedo Mask. Maybe you should talk to Sailor Venus instead, and look her cat, Artemis, is here,” he said to the little girl, gesturing towards her.
“How do you know all this?” Caroline asked.
“My sister loves this stuff. She has a booth here.”
Stefan looked annoyed at the mention of Elena and Damon, walking off to sulk. The little girl looked up at Caroline.
“You’re pretty. I like your bow.”
“Thank you,” Caroline grinned.
“I haven’t seen your episodes yet. I’ve only seen Mercury and Mars.”
“Oh well, you’re in luck, Sailor Mars is here too.”
“Oh, where?!”
Caroline looked over for Katherine, spotting her pulling Elena and Damon apart.
“Get a room, you two!” Katherine said.
“Make me!” Damon yelled back.
Katherine lifted her hand, giving him a rude hand gesture.
“She’ll come over later,” Caroline said, chuckling nervously, turning the little girl’s face away before she could see what Katherine was doing.
The mysterious Brit smiled at her before handing her a postcard.
“Come see my sister’s booth. She’s a jewelry designer,” he said.
Caroline looked at the postcard. Rebekah. It said she designed and made replicas of anime jewelry. Turning the card over, Caroline saw an ad for an art booth. The logo for it was a complex in its simplicity – only black and white, but it managed to take her breath away all the same.
When she looked up, the blonde man was gone
“Where’s your mom, sweetie?” Caroline asked, turning her attention back onto the little girl.
Caroline walked with Katherine across the convention floor. She was on her way to Rebekah’s booth to see if she had the moon stick and the cosmic heart compact. The two women saw a blonde girl at the booth talking to a dark-haired man a few years older than them.
“Rebekah, why are we here, again?” the older man asked.
“Because the people here love this stuff and are willing to pay for it,” she answered primly.
“They have my earrings!” Katherine said, pushing past them.
Katherine picked up the red jewel star earrings. They looked almost like rubies. The man looked annoyed that someone had pushed him, and wanted to give her a piece of his mind. He turned and saw she was trying the earrings on.
“Stop that! You haven’t paid for those!”
“Duh. But they look so good on me, and they go with my costume,” Katherine said.
“Be that as it may, you still have to pay for them before wearing them,” he lectured.
“What are you going to do? Spank me?” Katherine teased.
The dark-haired man’s face flushed with color while the blonde, Rebekah, stood behind him silently giggling.
“Please excuse my brother, Elijah. Let me know if anything catches your eye!” Rebekah said enthusiastically.
Caroline looked at the items, as well as the tiara on display.
“Oh, I have one for Venus, too,” Rebekah mentioned.
“Usually everyone has just Sailor Moon stuff,” Caroline said.
“Usagi-chan is a bit of a clutz and so annoying at times. I like the other Sailor Scouts. I even made Sailor Venus’ Love Me Chain as a bracelet.”
Caroline looked at the bracelet and smiled.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you know where this booth is?” Caroline asked, flipping over the business card and pointing out the art advertisement.
Rebekah looked at the postcard, recognition lighting her face.
“That’s in the artist’s alley. It’s my other brother’s booth. It’s his first year here.”
Caroline left Katherine, shamelessly flirting with Elijah, to make her way over to the artists’ section of the convention center. She walked past the booths and saw the same mysterious blonde guy who’d given her the postcard sitting there, sketching.
“Hi,” Caroline said, shyly.
He looked up. “You decided to visit me.”
“I didn’t know you were the artist. These are amazing,” Caroline said, looking at his work on display.
“Thanks. I do other things, too, but my sister insisted that I come here at least once to show off my work.”
Caroline looked down, subtly trying to catch a glimpse of what he was sketching. It was her as Sailor Venus.
“You’re drawing me?”
“I was suddenly inspired.”
Caroline’s cheeks flushed pink and she looked at the rest of his art on display, trying not to act like it affected her. Klaus watched her for a moment before inspiration struck.
“Will you walk down there and back for me?” Klaus asked, gesturing in front of him.
“What? That’s random,” she wrinkled her nose.
“Humor me, please.”
She gave him an appraising look before shrugging. “Alright.”
Caroline walked down the aisle and back, pointedly not looking at him. Klaus was furiously sketching, trying to capture the moment. Caroline wondered what he was up to. He started coloring it in and Caroline leaned over the table. It was her walking away into the sunset, leaving everything and everyone behind with the Love Me Chain clasped in her hand, floating freely in the wind behind her.
“Here,” Klaus said handing it to her.
“I can’t take this,” Caroline said shyly.
“Yes, you can. You inspired it”
“But Sailor Venus is alone. She’s always with her friends.”
“Yes, but Minako deserves to walk off into the sunset with her happy ending.”
Caroline smiled. No one had ever thought of her, just her. She always seemed to be concerned with everyone else’s happiness.
“Oh wow! That’s so cool! Do you have another one?”
The two looked over at a guy standing at the table.
“This is the only one,” Klaus said.
“How much do you want for it?” the guy asked.
“$20,” Caroline answered, casting a side look at Klaus.
“Ok, here.“ The guy put down a 20 dollar bill. “Can I get a picture next to you?”
“Sure,” she answered, looking amusedly over at Klaus.
They took a quick picture, Caroline inching away from his grabby hands and the guy walked away with his picture and a smile.
“Not bad. That’s the first thing I’ve sold all day,” Klaus said casually.
“Really?” Caroline asked.
“Everyone stops by to look, but they don’t buy anything. They always ask what I’ve worked on or if I’m published somewhere.”
“I’m sure you will be someday. You’re really talented,” she assured him.
Klaus looked over, beginning to realize people were coming closer to his booth. It didn’t escape his mind that it was because Caroline was standing there and her costume.
“Hey, are these all drawings of her?” one guy asked.
“How much for this one?” another guy butted in.
“Caroline! Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Katherine said.
“Right, you were pretty busy with tall, dark, and suity,” Caroline teased.
“I was distracted. Besides, I got a good discount on these,” Katherine pushed her hair aside to show off her new earrings.
“Not bad. How did you manage that?”
“I got his number.”
“Is that all you got?”
“Caroline! You know I never tell,” she said coyly.
“Right,” Caroline said unconvincingly, elbowing her friend playfully.
“Anyways, they’re closing the floor so we have to go.”
“Oh, okay.”
Caroline turned back to look at her new favorite artist, who was busy drawing again. He must have noticed her eyes on him because he looked up.
“I sold all my drawings today because of you. Here, take this, and keep it this time,” he said handing her a drawing.
Caroline looked at it. It was her again, doing Sailor Venus’ Love & Beauty Shock attack. It was a close up of her face and lips about to blow a kiss. Her hair was flowing freely around her and she looked beautiful.
“It’s beautiful,” Caroline said.
“Of course it is, it’s you.”
She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t keep from blushing. “Thank you.”
Caroline was in the kitchen baking cookies when her doorbell rang. She quickly took the cookies out of the oven and went to answer the door.
“Hey cupcake,” Katherine said as she walked in.
“What are you doing here?” Caroline asked as she closed the door behind her.
Katherine was already in her kitchen, helping herself to a cookie.
“Sure, help yourself,” Caroline said sarcastically.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
Caroline noticed a velvet box on the counter.
“What’s this?” Caroline asked.
“Why don’t you open it?”
Caroline opened it carefully, gasping at what was inside. It was the bracelet from Rebekah’s booth, the Sailor Venus Love Me Chain bracelet. She looked up at Katherine.
“How-”
“Read the card.”
“But-”
“Read the card.”
Caroline looked at the paper inside. It merely had an address and a time. She scrunched her face, looking up at Katherine confused.
“I don’t-”
“Read the card.”
“I did!”
“Then why are you still here?”
Caroline anxiously headed to the address, wearing the bracelet on her wrist. She walked inside the dark building, realizing it was a gallery and there was some form of an event happening. She looked around at the art pieces and saw a picture of herself.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Caroline turned around and saw the mysterious man from the convention standing there.
“You,” was all Caroline could say.
“I wasn’t sure if you would show up or not.”
“I didn’t know what this was.”
“You really are blonde, I wonder what else you and Sailor Venus have in common,” he smirked, raising his eyebrows at her.
Human Klaroline. They are together and Caroline is pregnant, and she has a tendency to wander off late at night for odd cravings, and Klaus being a rockstar, often comes home late to find her missing and at their local dim sum restaurant at 2am. Fluff please! And Thank you!
This fluffy drabble was written by our guest writer @wassupworlditskj!
Send a Text
Klaus loved the buzz he got after a show.
Well – after, during and before.
There was something about the atmosphere of the giant stadium and the millions of adoring fans screaming, cheering and whistling; all of them singing their hearts out as Klaus sang to them.
It felt like just yesterday he’d been singing in a small bar in England, earning nothing but a few drunken claps from the crowd. And now here he was, standing atop a giant stage, his hair drenched with sweat; his guitar heavy in his tired arms.
“Now…” Klaus spoke out to the crowd, his chest rising and falling. “For my last song of the night, it’s a new song I’ve written for my beautiful wife.” When mentioning Caroline, the crowd erupted into masses of applause and cheers. The fans knew and adored Caroline. They connected with her because once upon a time, she had been one of them: a face in the crowd, who loved music and belted out the lyrics with every breath in her body.
The year had been 2011, a time at which Niklaus had had no money to pay his bills nor a job to get the money he needed. All he’d had was a half-empty suitcase and his guitar. He would gravitate from one bar to another, asking for gigs, and each of them had the same answer: no.
That’s how he’d found himself in front of ‘The Grill’, a local bar in a small beat-down town called Mystic Falls. By some miracle they’d let him play that night and, to this day, regardless of the number of performances he’d given, the memory of that one would always stay fresh in his mind.
Somewhere in the middle of his set that night, his eyes had locked on a beautiful blonde with bright eyes and a sweet smile as she swayed to his music. Her name was Caroline and he’d known she was his soulmate right then and there. Something about her presence had just felt so… right.
And that moment had led Klaus to this one.
Slowly sitting down on a small varnished stool, Klaus placed his guitar on his lap before beginning to strum it to the song he’d been dying to sing all night.
The melody was slow and sweet, his words coming out soft and loving, each syllable a gentle caress. For the first time during the concert the crowd fell completely silent, captivated by the lullaby he wished to sing to his future children.
On cue, Klaus sensed all eyes focusing on the screen behind him where, as instructed, a slideshow of photos and videos of him and Caroline were displayed. As he continued to sing and play, he heard the small sound of adoration escaping some of the audience’s lips when a video of Klaus talking to Caroline’s round baby bump came onto the screen. Klaus couldn’t help but smile.
It was after 1AM when Klaus’ Bentley slowly pulled up onto he and Caroline’s driveway. Klaus slowly walked to the front door. He was too tired to even remove his guitar from inside the car.
Unlocking the front door, he casually strolled into the house, switching the lock behind him before heading upstairs. Having expected the silhouette of his pregnant wife through the darkness, Klaus was quite taken aback when he found the bed empty and cold.
Furrowing his brows, Klaus pulled off his leather jacket and tossed it onto the bed.
“Love?” he called out to the empty house.
After waiting a few moments for a reply, Klaus slowly shook his head when he was met with silence. She wasn’t in.
Cravings, Klaus thought with an amused smirk as he pulled on his leather jacket, heading for the door once again. Ever since Caroline had hit three months of being pregnant with the twins, she would get the most extreme and random cravings at the most bizarre times. When Klaus had first come home to find an empty bed, his pregnant wife missing, he’d nearly had a heart attack, eventually having half of the local police force looking for her. The search hadn’t lasted long – they’d found her in a nearby McDonald’s, dunking fries in a milkshake. She’d been a little sheepish, having been so caught up in her desire for food that her phone had been in the car, nearly twenty missed calls from Klaus clogging up her voicemail.
As Klaus locked up the house, he wondered which fast food place he would find Caroline in. He just hoped it wasn’t far. He loved his job, but the late nights were starting to take a toll on him when he didn’t get much sleep the night before (Caroline’s pregnancy libido was something he enjoyed thoroughly, and when she had a craving for something other than food, he was happy to oblige her).
The clock struck 2AM when Klaus crossed the street to their local dim sum restaurant after having spotted Caroline through the window. Shaking his head with silent laughter, he pushed open the door, heading over to Caroline’s table where she sat contentedly eating dumplings.
Sitting down opposite his beautiful wife, he watched her continue eating, unaware of his presence. Caroline only noticed him when he pinched one of her dumplings, popping it into his mouth with his trademark smirk plastered on his face.
“Klaus!” Caroline gasped in surprise at finding him there. “Hey! Those dumplings are mine,” she whined as she folded her arms like a stubborn child, bottom lip protruding.
Chuckling slightly, Klaus leaned forward giving her a quick peck, tasting the lingering hints of soy sauce on her lips.
“Caroline…” Klaus imitated her tone, then got up to slide into the booth next to her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close.
“I missed you, love,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Smiling broadly at Klaus, Caroline placed one hand on her protruding stomach.
“Henry, Evie, and I missed you too…” she replied sighing happily.
Klaus smiled at the mention of his children growing inside Caroline. Leaning forward, Klaus placed his hand atop Caroline’s hand on her stomach and began running his thumb over her knuckles lovingly. They’d decided that, the further she got into her pregnancy, it was best for her and the babies that she not come to the concerts due to the state of the crowds and how late they ran. Clearly, the babies were night owls like their father, though. Caroline leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder, lost in his warmth and suddenly feeling sleepy.
He felt the rise and fall of Caroline’s chest against him and couldn’t help asking himself what he, of all people, done to deserve this beautiful angel. He had no idea how he’d managed to not only find his soulmate, but to be lucky enough to have her at his side carrying their children.
“I played our song today,” he said gently.
Glancing at him and shaking off her exhaustion, Caroline smiled slightly.
“So…” she asked cautiously, “did they like it?”
He couldn’t help but laugh at her nervous tone. He’d written one song about their relationship and she’d convinced herself that, for some reason, the fans would hate her. Something Klaus would never understand.
“They loved it, sweetheart,” Klaus said, kissing her hand. “Why wouldn’t they? Who wouldn’t like a song written about the woman I’m hopelessly in love with?” Klaus asked with a cheesy smile.
Rolling her eyes, Caroline smiled, biting her bottom lip.
“You’re lucky I love you,” she warned, but reached up to kiss him softly.
Laughing against her lips, Klaus nodded in agreement and parted her lips with his tongue to deepen the kiss. She sighed softly against him, tightening her grip on his shirt. He pulled away gently, meeting her eyes. “Next time you venture out of the house for a 2AM cravings run, though, please send a text, Caroline.”
She giggled, ducking her head sheepishly. Peering at him from underneath her lashes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and took his hand in hers.
“I promise. Ready to go home?”
He nodded, threading his fingers through her curls and kissing her temple. “Lead the way.”
They walked hand in hand back across the street to their townhouse, Caroline’s cravings appeased as Klaus wondered if their children would love dim sum as much as their mother.
We’re always looking for Guest Writers, be it for just a single one-off prompt with no strings attached or semi-regularly (which really just means we’ll send you prompts whenever you’re in the mood to write). We’ll send you an entire array of all the fantastic prompts we have available, one (at least!) of which will likely inspire you.
If you’re not a writer yet but have been thinking about it, this is the perfect place to start. We make sure the experience is stress-free – you can sit back once you’ve finished typing and just see all the love and great reactions to your writing pour in.
There’s absolutely no pressure: all you have to do is pick a prompt, take as much time as you need with it, and we’ll edit and publish when you’re done. We’ll credit you or keep you anonymous depending on which you prefer.
If you’re interested, just drop us a message here :) We look forward to hearing from you!
They're stuck in an elevator and they're strangers, umm smut would be nice :)
Written by guest writer @carolineforbesisawesome!
Elevator
Klaus was tired and annoyed as he made his way into the apartment building.
In no way had he asked for this job, but then again, his sister Rebekah, tended to leave him messages about these little jobs that needed to be done when she went out of town.
This month’s job was her dog, Ace. A beast that most of the time annoyed him to no end, most significantly for chewing on his favorite shoe. On top of that, Rebekah had forgotten to leave keys for her apartment, so he was forced to to knock on her neighbor’s door. Rebekah’s neighbor was a little old lady who enjoyed ogling Klaus’ behind and talking his ear off.
Walking into the elevator and slamming his finger on the tenth floor button, he leaned against the wall and let out a sigh of irritation.
When he heard heels clicked rapidly across the hall, his first instinct was to hit the ‘close’ button in an effort to avoid sharing the small elevator with anyone, but then he heard the voice of a young women.
“Wait! Please, hold the door!” she called out as she came into his view, a young blond woman carrying a grocery bag.
Instead of pushing the button, he placed his hand near the sensor to keep the doors open.
Out of breath, the woman stepped in gratefully, shaking her hair out of her face.
“What floor?” Klaus asked.
“11th, thanks…” she trailed off as her eyes met his.
She smiled brightly while balancing her groceries and couldn’t help but notice how good looking he was, and that accent.
Suddenly, she realized that she’d been staring like an idiot and quickly looked down, trying to control her blush.
The elevator began its ascent and Caroline continued to stare straight ahead at the elevator doors as if they held the answer to the meaning of life.
After a few moments of silence, the lift gave a violent jolt, throwing both Caroline and Klaus off balance. Instinctively, Caroline grabbed at whatever was nearest, which turned out to be Klaus’ arm. As she tried to regain her balance, one of her heels gave way, sending her crashing to the floor.
Giving an unintentional, but mighty pull on his arm, she brought him down with her.
“Bloody hell!” he swore, doing his best to keep his weight off her as they landed on the elevator floor.
“Are you alright?” Klaus asked, looking down at her anxiously.
“Oh, yeah! I’m fine.” She scrambled to sit up, but only succeeded in knocking her head against Klaus’. “Ouch!”
“Just lie back down, it might be safer for both of us,” he smirked at her.
He sat up, then, keeping a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her down.
“I’m so sorry,” Caroline apologized, rubbing at her head.
“No apologies needed, love, it’s not every day I’m literally bowled over by a beautiful woman and her groceries,” he said, staring at the mess around them.
Her groceries lay spilled all over the floor, including the embarrassing pack of condoms lying on top of the ice-cream carton.
“Those aren’t not mine,” she blurted out.
Klaus gave her a questionable look, arching his brow.
“Well, they’re in my bag, but my best friend is getting married in two weeks and I’m throwing her bachelorette party. They’re part of the decorations,” she explained.
Caroline tended to talk a lot when she was embarrassed, nervous, angry, or extremely happy.
Klaus let out a loud laugh, but before he could speak again, a voice from the intercom in the elevator sounded.
“Hey, there. Hope you folks are all right. We’ll be fixing this situation for you in a jiffy. Sit tight.”
Embarrassed, Caroline hastily stood up, smoothing her skirt as she did so. Klaus did the same with his trousers.
“I’m Klaus. I feel we should perhaps get acquainted seeing as we might be stuck here for some time.”
“I’m Caroline,” she finally replied, rushing over to get the box of condoms before stuffing them back into the bag.
“What type of decorations could you use condoms for?” Klaus asked as he bent down to pick up an apple that had rolled out of her grocery bag.
“Can you just pretend you didn’t see them?” Caroline begged.
“I could, but then again…” He smirked at her, eyes twinkling mischievously.
“You’re one of those hot jerk guys aren’t you?” she pondered suspiciously. “And from your accent, I bet you’re related to Rebekah,” she spat out the blonde’s name.
The two had never gotten along, since the first time they’d spoken during an apartment meeting.
Nobody invited them anymore, not after their last debate about the rooftop garden that lasted two hours.
“Guilty,” he smirked, then continued, “especially the hot part.”
He let out a small laugh as he looked her over, eyes raking over her form curiously
Caroline blushed, but snapped her fingers. “Hey, my eyes are up here!”
“Can’t help myself, love,” he admitted.
Caroline pushed him in the chest. “Jerk.”
"It’s not my fault you’re stunning.”
"You’re obvious leering is like me basically putting my hand down your pants.”
Klaus let out a chuckle at her statement.
"I’m serious,” she stomped her foot to try and get her point across.
“You’re right. I apologize.”
He turned to go back to his corner, but not before Caroline smacked his behind.
“You started it,” Caroline informed defensively, stubbornly leaning on the wall of her designated corner.
Klaus’ surprise soon turned to delight as he let out a chuckle, slowly making his way back towards her.
“I usually make people buy me dinner before smacking my ass,” he joked, trying to ease the tension as he leaned on the elevator door.
“You wish.” She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she turned to look at him.
"You’re too wound up,” he stated.
Caroline let out a huff at his comment. "You don’t know me, or any way that I wind.”
“That might be true, sweetheart, but I can see the stress written all over your body.”
"First of all, stop being creepy. Second of all, it’s not stress. You’d be annoyed too if you were stuck in an elevator.” Klaus lifted his hands in defense.
She continued, ”-okay so maybe I’m a little stressed. You be too if your best friend is marrying her ex boyfriend’s brother-“
She was cut off by the feel of Klaus lips on hers for a quick second before he pulled away.
“..who you used to date and know is a total ass,” she finished before pushing him away. “What was that?”
“A kiss.”
“I know, but you can’t just kiss me.”
“I can’t, but it seemed like you enjoyed it,” Klaus smirked, admiring the pretty pink flush growing across her face.
"I did, I mean..”
Klaus raised an eyebrow as he leaned closer, her gaze eying his lips hungrily. With a squeak of surprise, Caroline found herself pushed against the cold metal wall of her corner, his mouth trailing down her neck.
“How about this? Is this okay?” Klaus mumbled against her skin, sucking gently at her neck.. Caroline’s head fell to the to the side giving him better access.
“Yes,” she breathed, enjoying the way his tongue and touch felt on her body.
A part of her screamed at her to push him away, another one begging for her to pull his lips to hers. She listened to the latter. One of his hands cupped her chin, threading his long fingers in her hair as he pulled her closer. As his other hand ran up her thigh, teasing its way to the desired destination, Caroline let out a sharp breath.
Klaus pulled back to look at her when his hand swept over the lace between her legs, a smug smirk plastered on his face.
“Bloody hell,” he cursed quietly, rubbing his fingers back and forth over the material of her underwear.
The pressure made her knees buckle as he stoked the fire burning inside her. It had been a while since someone other than her own hand touched her this way. She felt him pull the material to one side, and he slowly, oh so slowly, slid a long finger inside her.
"Fuck!” Caroline cursed.
Klaus chuckled, cutting off her gasp with his lip. As he removed his finger, Caroline let out a moan of frustration into his mouth, which only made him more amused as he continued to assault her mouth.
Caroline lowered her hand, rubbing it against the material of his pants, delighted at how hard he was against her palm. Klaus let out a hiss, pushing back into her grasp. Caroline smirked against his lips. Right as she began to unbuckle his pants, a voice came over the intercom speaker.
“Thanks for waiting, folks. The elevator should be working now. However, for your safety we recommend taking the stairs the rest of the way while we run some tests. Sorry for the delay,” the voice said as the elevator started moving.
It was like a bucket of cold water was thrown over them. “Umm” Caroline said awkwardly as she pulled her hand back and Klaus removed himself from her slowly.
“You don’t think they saw us do you?” she asked, blushing while fixing her skirt.
She had to admit. She was a little disappointed about being interrupted.
“No, no camera.” Klaus said as he readjusted his pants.
Before he left, he needed to make sure and tip the boy in front office to delete any footage. He didn’t think there was any cameras in the elevator, but didn’t hurt to check.
“Well, Umm, nice meeting you Klaus,” she said, rushing quickly out of the elevator.
Klaus just nodded his head, but followed her out.
“Caroline.”
She stopped walking, biting her swollen bottom lip hesitantly as she turned around.
“Do you like dinner- I mean, would you like to go out to dinner with me?” he asked, his voice taking on a nervous tone.
“Klaus, that’s nice but- I never done that before,” she admitted, pointing to the elevator. “I mean I’m no virgin, but I’m not the one night stand kind of girl.”
“I haven’t either. I would lie, but I’m no saint. I truly would like to take you to dinner,” he told her, shooting her a dimpled smile. “Plus, I don’t put out on the first date.”
Caroline smiled at him. “Pick me up in a 1 hour, apartment 212.”
“See you soon,” he called, watching her walk away. Though he’d never admit it, a small part of him knew he owed Rebekah a thanks for making him do small favors. Without them, he’d never have met Caroline.
Hey there, I don't know if any of your writers is familiar with the series of Netflix Sense8, 'cause I would love a Klaroline drabble based on Kala/Wolfgang, don't care if they are supernatural or not, I just wish I could read something where KC don't know each other yet and are mentally and emotionally connected like on the series.
Happy AU Week! This one fits perfectly for today’s theme and is written by guest writer @a-little-blonde-distraction
Unavoidable
You start to feel strange things.
You feel snow in the middle of the summer, rain when there isn’t a cloud in the sky. You’ll feel anger and joy and pain. Pleasure without any reason.
What is human? An ability to reason? To imagine? To love or grieve? If so, we are more human than any human ever will be.
We all experience many deaths and births during a life… but few know what it means to be reborn a sensate.
Watch a flock of birds or a shoal of fish move as one, and you glimpse where we came from. Ask how aspen trees feel trauma hundreds of miles apart, or how a mushroom can understand the needs of a forest… you’d begin to grasp what we are.
Our kind has been here since the beginning. In all likelihood we were the beginning. All we have to do is make sure we’re here at the end.
Having another species of homo sapiens exist in secret in this day and age seems impossible; but not when secrets are vital to non-sensates.
Secrets are the center of their identities; of their societies. Secrets maintain their hierarchies. To reveal this secret, that there is another kind of human, one whose existence threatens the very foundation of their reality? No, they’ll never allow that.
He would never allow that.
He goes by many names… Dr. Silvanus; Shadows. He is a very powerful sensate who uses his abilities to hunt down his own kind, capturing a sensate and using them to track down the rest of their cluster. Once he has them where he wants them, he either kills them or ‘fixes’ them. If he deems their abilities too useful or too powerful to be squandered, he destroys them. He destroys the sensate by stripping them of everything that makes them who they are, and the new zombie shell becomes his soldier.
When you’re reborn a sensate, you’re no longer yourself; you have seven other selves. You can ‘share’ with them, something you can only do within your cluster, and when you share you can access their knowledge, languages, and skills. You can ‘visit’ them – sensates within a cluster do it instinctively, and sensates from another cluster can ‘visit’ if they’ve made visual contact eye-to-eye.
You can sense everything that they can as if you are there with them, when you are in fact a part of them, within them. Whatever you know, they know.
And that’s how he hunts. Never look him in the eye. That’s how he finds you.
That’s how he found her, because he knew she was a mother, ready to birth a new cluster. But she got free of him, and she aimlessly walked, avoiding eye contact with street signs so neither she nor he would know her whereabouts.
Then she came upon a rundown, abandoned warehouse in shambles. She didn’t know where she was, but she knew he’d find her soon. She couldn’t get far on foot, and he’d storm every warehouse surrounding the lab for a thousand miles until he found her.
She found a dirty old mattress in a nearby dumpster and dragged it into the debris of the warehouse floor. She wanted sleep, she needed sleep, but she was too afraid that he’d scour her brain and find her if she was unconscious. That she’d wake to a bunch of faceless, armored men and be dragged right back to Hell.
She knew they’d had a plan, but she needed to hear his voice again so desperately. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself, trembling more from fear than the cold. She pushed his shadows back to the smallest corners of her mind and thought of a kinder, warmer pair of eyes despite how similar they were to Shadows’ dark one. She thought about running her hands through his wild brown mane like she did once upon a time, and soon she felt his arms enveloping her.
“Stefan,” she breathed, the tension she’d felt moments ago flooded out, replaced by the love and warmth that she’d only known with him.
“It’s okay, Katherine, I’m here,” he cooed back to her, kissing the back of her head even though they were thousands of miles apart.
I fell asleep last night to the heartbeats in my head,
I fell apart when I got home inside my bed.
I can’t think, can’t speak.
I can’t move, can’t breathe.
This is a white heart heat when you get next to me,
When I’m around you it’s like waking up the dead.
My back’s against the wall
Oh oh,
And I’m feelin’ the pressure,
Yes I’m about to fall.
Oh oh,
What I’m feelin’, it’s torture.
It’s unavoidable, you are a magnet.
It’s unavoidable, I am metallic.
So do what you do, do what you do to me
It’s unavoidable you are a magnet
Unavoidable I am metallic.
Pull me in.
“I can’t do it, Stefan, I’m not strong enough.”
“Yes you can, Katherine. If anyone can do this, it’s you.You’re Katherine Pierce. You can do this…”
The beautiful brunette clung to the man who was there with her, only in her mind. Her hair was a wild, tangled mane, with tears streaming down her face, leaving harsh, black trails of makeup down her lovely skin. But despite her previously frantic state, she suddenly became serene as she stared off into space.
“I can see them…”
The brunette woman was there but she was also in eight other places at the same time. She was in the dirty, rundown and abandoned warehouse by herself; his presence only in her head and heart.
But she was also in the disheveled guy’s basement in Los Angeles who was glued to the video game on his TV screen, furiously pressing buttons on the controller and barking orders at his fellow players over his headset.
She was with the beautiful mocha-skinned girl as she danced with her friends at the rooftop bar in Monrovia.
She was standing at the end of the runway at the Milan fashion show with the handsome, dark-haired man striding towards her in couture.
She was in the DC newsroom, people racing around her, watching the gorgeous blonde working diligently in her office from the other side of a modern looking glass door.
She was with the kind-faced man putting the chairs up onto the table in the bar in Ohio.
She was sitting on the other end of the couch as the brunette, who could probably pass as her doppelganger, typed away at her computer in rural Virginia.
She was in the dirty blonde’s messy, paint-covered London studio as he worked on his first original piece in nearly a year.
She was in the boardroom with the round-cheeked, fresh faced girl, gracefully sketching with charcoals in her notebook as the team around her discussed the production design for the newest show for their company in New Orleans.
“They’re in danger as we speak. They’re going to be hunted whether you birth them or not, Katherine. At least they’ll stand a fighting chance this way if they can find one another. Do it, do it now, Katherine.”
She took a deep breath, putting herself with each person at each place all around the world; pushed herself to be with them as Stefan was with her, then she exhaled. She felt her very life-force slowly bleed out of her body and flow into theirs and she smiled softly as she let herself fall back into Stefan’s arms.
“I did it,” she gasped as he pressed kisses to her forehead, wrapping his arms around her.
“They’re almost here, Katherine. I can feel them.”
“I can feel him,” she added, her body going rigid as she remembered what it felt like to have him invade her body and mind.
“I’m here with you; I’ll always be with you here,” Stefan breathed, pressing his hand to her heart. “And you’ll always be with me here,” he added, bringing her hand to rest over his heart.
She could feel the racing thumps even though they were physically thousands of miles away and she choked back her sob.
“I love you, Stefan.”
“I love you too, Katherine Pierce.”
She took a deep breath before she rolled out of his grasp and clutched the gun in her hand, ignoring the armed men rushing towards her and the stern man that was striding towards her menacingly. She pulled back the hammer of the pistol, swiftly put the barrel in her mouth and pulled the trigger just as they reached her.
As the gunshot echoed, Jeremy, Bonnie, Enzo, Caroline, Matt, Elena, Klaus, and Davina all started, each in their own time, bringing their hands up to their temples as an acute pain unlike any headache or migraine filled their skulls.
“This is your best one yet, Niklaus,” Elijah murmured as he watched over his brother’s shoulder, sipping his Dalmore 64.
“Took him bloody long enough,” Kol needled, carelessly pouring an obscene amount of whiskey into his own glass and taking a swig as he joined his brothers.
“Oh, Kol, you know how much I adore your nagging and incessant whining,” Klaus muttered, sweat beading on his brow as he used special chemicals and tools to stress and age the oil panel he was hunched over.
“And a $100 million dollar payout is well worth the wait, brother,” Elijah added, giving his brother a withering stare until the youngest Mikaelson put down the glass of whiskey he was wasting.
“You think you can get Silas all the way up to $100 mil, ‘Lijah?” Kol raised his eyebrows.
“Father sold him enough authentic pieces in the past. He knows how vast our personal collections are, and when it comes to the big, missing masterpieces, they’re more valuable as bargaining chips than for money. The only thing Silas loves more than toying with people is a good bargaining chip…”
“True, true.” Kol nodded, impulsively reaching for the glass of whiskey again, but froze as it reached his lips and his brother shot him another look. “Whatever, I’m going to go find some less snobbish spirits. Let me know when the exchange is going down.”
Kol strode out of his brother’s studio, and Elijah slowly approached the concentrated, hunched figure.
“Not to apply excess pressure, brother, I know you haven’t been feeling well lately… but I can only keep Silas on the hook for so long,” Elijah began to press gently.
“Call Silas.” Klaus muttered.
“Are you sure?”
“The painting will be ready in 24 hours. Call Silas.”
“Are you sure you’re okay to go tomorrow? You only just shook that migraine, Care,” Tyler called as he lay on their bed, thumbing through the various documents his assistant had left for him.
“I’ll be fine,” Caroline called from the bathroom, popping another aspirin and letting the water from the faucet fill her hand.
She brought her cupped palm to her lips and drank in the cool liquid, sighing as she felt the pill pass through her throat. Reaching for her face wash, she lathered it between both hands and added, “Besides, your mother would kill me if I squandered a White House invitation on ‘a little headache’.”
“Well I’m not marrying my mother, so forgive me if I’m not worried about her fainting in the middle of the President, discussing the importance of the government’s relationship with the media.”
“Well shucks, when you put it like that,” Caroline joked, rinsing her face and patting it dry before joining him in bed.
“Seriously, I won’t be losing any money. Monique offered the dress because it’s free publicity for her, and she owed my mother that favor anyway… Plus, we’re going to be hitting the campaign trails in the next few months after our wedding this weekend, and I want a blushing bride, not a fainting bride. I need my partner to be fit for the road.”
“I appreciate that, Ty” Caroline said, brushing her hand through his hair after she’d gathered the covers around herself. “But if I’m going to be the next Jackie O, I’m going to have to learn to deal with more than just a migraine when we’ve got traveling to do and event appearances to make.”
“Spoken like a true First Lady,” Tyler grinned, giving her a quick peck on the lips before setting his papers onto his side table and reaching to turn the lamp off.
The couple settled comfortably by themselves in the dark, ready to let sleep overcome them.
“Besides, have you seen me in that dress? It’d be a sin to let that gorgeous dress go unworn.”
“Goodnight, Care.”
“YOU DID IT, YOU BLOODY GORGEOUS BASTARD!” Kol screeched at the top of his lungs, his voice barely carrying in the loud, techno filled discotheque.
He was clinging to Klaus, shaking him and getting the girls and people they had met around them to cheer for his older brother as their eldest sat off in their private section, sipping a glass of scotch quietly as he looked over emails and texts on his phone.
“DRINKS FOR EVERYONE! DRINKS ON ME!”
“You’re incorrigible, Kol,” Klaus said as he rolled his eyes at his brother, though he still felt the twinge of pride as his brother celebrated their success. “It was ‘Lijah that got us that meeting with Silas.”
“Yeah and it was your bloody craftsmanship with that bloody painting, brother!” Kol said, mostly sincere but very much inebriated. “I don’t think Raphael’s own ‘Portrait of a Young Man’ looks that legit, wherever the hell it might be.”
“Kol, you’ll do well to not stick your foot in your mouth and go around publicizing the job we just accomplished,” Elijah commanded sternly.
“I’ll stop publicizing as soon as you loosen that tie and get as knackered as I am, ‘Lijah!” Kol fired back, grabbing a bottle of liquor from the bar and tossing it to his eldest brother, who begrudgingly opened it to take the most dignified sip he could manage before handing it off to Klaus in favor of his original glass.
“To the Mikaelson family! Always and forever!” Kol said, holding up his overflowing glass and Elijah slowly held up his glass of whiskey while Klaus held up the bottle Elijah gave him.
“Always and forever,” the elder Mikaelson brothers murmured as the glasses clinked together.
“I think they got some great shots of us with the President and Michelle,” Caroline murmured to Tyler as they took their seats for the speeches to begin before dinner was served.
“How could they not?” Tyler replied with a content smile.
“I know, you were looking even more presidential talking to Barack…” She added, leaning in closer to her fiance.
“No, I meant how could they not when you look as gorgeous as you do?” Tyler murmured, pressing a quick kiss to her bare shoulder, exposed by her strapless, white and red gown. Caroline merely smiled in response and threaded her fingers through Tyler’s. She turned forward towards her place setting as the speeches began, but she was in her own world, humming softly to herself.
“No, I cannot do karaoke, Kol. Moreover, I do not want to…”
“Come on, Nikky, I know you do!” Kol said as he pushed his brother up to the small stage in the club. Once he’d positioned Klaus in front of the microphone and prompter, he crossed to the DJ and whispered the song he wanted his brother to sing.
Klaus chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair as the gaggle of pretty girls his brother had wrangled into their private section began screaming his name and catcalling him.
The sound of a guitar strumming began to fill the club as Kol gave his brother the cheesiest smile with a thumbs up before running back to their section and draping his arms around two of the girls in their little group.
He immediately recognized the song and looked at his younger brother and called, “Come on!” Kol merely cheered along with the barflys, and when he looked at Elijah for help, his older brother merely smiled and refilled his glass. Klaus rolled his eyes with a grin and turned his gaze to the prompter of lyrics, and brought his lips to the microphone.
“Twenty-five years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination”
He felt isolated and alone on the stage, but at the same time he felt connected to a bunch of strangers. Strangers that weren’t in the discotheque with him and his brothers. He could feel the melody and lyrics buzzing around in their brains, either egging them on to join him in singing or humming along with the music.
I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means
He could feel himself in different places all at once, even though he was still in this hole-in-the-wall bar in downtown London. He shook his head, trying to shake the feeling, and did his best to focus on the lyrics streaming in front of him.
And so I cry sometimes
When I’m lying in bed just to get it all out
What’s in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey yeah yeah, hey yeah yeah
I said hey, what’s going on?
Klaus began the vocalizing, which sounded a little strange coming from him, and he did his best not to laugh through the vocalization as Kol cackled along with the gaggle of girls.
Oooh, ooh ooh
Ooh, oooh ooh
Halfway through the vocalization, he felt as if someone was standing right beside him and he looked over and was struck silent. A beautiful woman in a fancy white and red ballgown, her blonde tresses pinned up elegantly, was standing no more than two feet from him, staring at him as gobsmacked as he no doubt was staring at her. They gazed into each other’s eyes for what felt like a century before she moved closer to him and joined in the vocalization shyly.
His eyes danced around her face, unable to shake the feeling that he knew her keenly, even though he had no idea who she was, but he heard the melody pick up again, and he joined her and began singing again.
And so I wake in the morning
And I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What’s going on?
Despite the fact that she was elegantly dressed, she let loose and sang at the top of her lungs, not caring how ridiculous she sounded or looked, and he found himself matching her carefree energy and joviality and they both shouted the 4 Non Blondes lyrics at the top of their lungs.
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
One moment they’d be in the discotheque, then they were at his favorite spot in Gunnersbury Park, dancing on the ruins. Then they were in an empty hall, filled with fancy tables and food, dancing in front of a podium, then they were on an apartment balcony, the breeze gently blowing the blonde’s skirts as she swayed along to the music, occasionally taking her skirts in each hand to swish them along to the music. The metropolitan landscape behind them was a stark, modern contrast to her classically beautiful dress, but it felt as if it was a part of her, and Klaus felt swept up in the entire experience she immersed him in. Her presence was overwhelming in the best way, and he’d be worried he’d gone mad if he weren’t so glad he was the only one that could apparently see her.
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
As they sang and danced, they got closer and closer together, and soon they were practically nose to nose. Klaus studied her face, sensing her hesitation, but no matter how close he got, she didn’t back away. He wanted nothing more that to press his lips to the beautiful blonde’s lovely ones, made up in a lovely blush color.
And I say, hey hey hey hey
I said hey, what’s going on?
And I say, hey hey hey—
“Caroline!”
Caroline suddenly snapped back to her surroundings. Everyone, including the politician that was at the podium, was staring in her direction, the crowd murmuring as Tyler’s hand rested on the arm he’d just gently shaken. She glanced around, chuckling nervously, nodded apologetically at the speaker and turned to her fiance, who hadn’t moved his gaze from her yet.
“You were singing, I mean, humming under your breath was one thing, but you were like, singing some song at normal volume.”
“I’m so sorry,” Caroline murmured, feeling her face turn beet red. “I don’t know what came over me, I must have spaced out. I’m so sorry, Tyler.”
“Just don’t sing over top of the President when he starts speaking and I’ll call it even,” Tyler teased, taking her hand and placing a kiss to her palm.
As her fiance kissed her hand lovingly, another pair of lips flashed through her mind, and she did her best to calm her racing heart.
Klaus’s fingers danced furiously across the canvas, switching paint brushes and blending and stroking the canvas with vigorous passion. He’d started the moment he and his brothers returned to the family manor after the discotheque. Now, almost a day later, he was finishing up this painting that had deprived him of sleep and any social interaction.
With the stealth of a panther, Elijah strode into Klaus’s studio, bourbon glass in hand, and observed his younger brother and his painting for a few minutes in silence.
His brother’s painting depicted a beautiful blonde woman in a white strapless ballgown with delicate red flowers dancing across the fabric. Her long eyelashes rested against her flushed cheeks, her gaze cast down demurely, her blonde tresses pinned up with a few framing her face, her alabaster skin glowing in moonlight. The brightness of her image was a stark contrast to the dark city skyline behind her, and Elijah could faintly make out what looked like the Capitol in the United States in the background.
Klaus couldn’t sense his brother’s presence, consumed by the visions in his head of a woman that was slowly but steadily appearing on the canvas in front of him. His earbuds played the song that had brought her to him on the iPod he had tucked in his back pocket, and his eyes flitted across the canvas, his mind going a million miles a second trying to remember every minute detail about her.
He regretted not getting over his initial shock at seeing her because, even though he had no idea how he was able to see her and not his brothers and an entire discotheque worth of people, he felt as if he knew her.
If he had maybe been more focused, maybe he could’ve learned where she was, why she appeared to him, why she was dressed as elegantly as she was — her name. He could sense things about her: she was hardworking, an overachiever, a leader, but she hid her self-consciousness and did her best to not let her obsessive compulsiveness take over. And worst of all, she had no idea just how beautiful she really was, and Klaus could scarcely believe a creature such as her even existed, much less had appeared to him and only him.
Even if he preserved her likeness on a canvas — which would never hold a candle to the true thing — she was still no more than a figment in his mind. But even though he couldn’t prove her existence to his brothers, or even himself, he knew she was real.
She was real and she was out there, somewhere; and he didn’t know why they were connected, he was only glad that they were connected.
Klaus was finally somewhat content with the likeness he’d created of her, and set down his brushes, grabbed a rag to wipe his hands, and when he turned to pick up his bottle of water, that’s when he spotted Elijah. He pulled the earbuds out of his ears, letting them dangle over his shoulder as he took a swig from the bottle, stepping back to gaze at his work with his brother.
“Quite a remarkable painting, Niklaus. She’s pretty,” Elijah murmured.
“Isn’t she stunning?” Klaus replied with quiet pride, to which Elijah merely murmured his agreement.
Hi Juliana :) We have just been taking a little time to ourselves, but we are planning on resuming our drabble posting beginning AU week! We’ve been saving a perfect one for Fusion Day!
We’re always looking for Guest Writers, be it for just a single one-off prompt with no strings attached or semi-regularly (which really just means we’ll send you prompts whenever you’re in the mood to write). We’ll send you an entire array of all the fantastic prompts we have available, one (at least!) of which will likely inspire you.
If you’re not a writer yet but have been thinking about it, this is the perfect place to start. We make sure the experience is stress-free – you can sit back once you’ve finished typing and just see all the love and great reactions to your writing pour in.
There’s absolutely no pressure: all you have to do is pick a prompt, take as much time as you need with it, and we’ll edit and publish when you’re done. We’ll credit you or keep you anonymous depending on which you prefer.
If you’re interested, just drop us a message here :) We look forward to hearing from you!
