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Back to You Pt. 2

(Part 1)

Dedicated to all of the lovely people who asked for a continuation and left me that really wonderful feedback on the first part. Thank you, I truly appreciate it more than you know! <3

This quickly ran away from me so I would also like to apologize in advance. Also doesn’t help that my writing is probably as rusty as it gets so again, apologies!

Caroline sucks in a small breath as she tries to control her nerves and takes her seat before she starts fumbling with her seatbelt.

She'd so much rather be performing in front of a crowd than this.

She hasn't been on a plane in many years and she doesn't have the fondest memory of the last time she was on one. She hadn't been an avid fan of flying even then and she still vividly remembers how terrified she had been during the turbulence that had been so severe, even her mom had looked afraid as she'd clasped her small hand.

But she tries not to think about that now.

The sky looks dark and cloudy but thankfully, this trip for the basketball tournament is much shorter than the one she and her mom had taken to Oregon in mid December when storms were aplenty.

It's with these thoughts that she tries to calm herself down and pulls out her iPod, half listening to the chatter of the rest of her classmates and team as they all shuffle into their seats and throw their duffel bags into the overhead compartments.

She glances over to where Bonnie is sitting next to Kol Mikaelson, a look of annoyance already spreading across her face as he leans over her to set his stuff down and she almost sighs in relief that at least she's partnered up with Elena.

The last thing she needs is-

"Hello, Caroline," she hears his accented voice and quickly looks up to see Klaus looking down at her with his trademark smirk.

She arches a brow but before she can ask him what he's doing, he's speaking again.

"May I?" he asks, nodding towards the empty seat beside her.

"Elena's going to be here any minute-" she starts to say when he interrupts her.

"Actually, Elena's already in her seat," he informs her all too happily. "We traded seats," he adds, looking back in the direction where the brunette was sitting.

"What?" she all but sputters as she stands up and spins around to indeed see the brunette sitting and animatedly talking to Stefan.

That traitor.

She hears Klaus chuckle, almost as if he's reading her thoughts and he takes the opportunity to slip behind her and into the empty seat.

Scowling over in her friend's direction one more time for good measure, she turns around back in her seat to notice Klaus looking at her with no small trace of amusement.

"Is the idea of sitting beside me that bad?" he smirks. "Though I can see how it might drive you crazy that this new seating arrangement messes with your careful plans to avoid me."

She feels her face flush a bit but tries to hide it.

"I'm not avoiding you," she denies, the response coming out defensive even to her own ears.

"Is that why I've hardly seen you since Christmas break?" he counters with his trademark smirk but if she didn't know any better, she would almost say he sounded a little hurt. "I may not be 'Mr. Congeniality' like you so poetically put it, but even I can tell that you've been avoiding me."

She has to look away at the almost hurt look on his face, the burning sensation in her face growing a little stronger as the guilt creeps up on her.

Maybe she has been avoiding him a little…though it hadn't been entirely on purpose. Not at first.

It all started when she came home from winter break after being forced to spend it with her dad in his new home 5 hours away. She still remembers how long and mostly miserable those 4 weeks had been. Still remembers how it felt even longer whenever she thought of her friends and him. Klaus.

Almost the whole break she'd thought of her last night in town and how he'd tried to cheer her up after he'd found her sulking in the small dance studio. She'd thought of how she'd laughed as he pulled her into a dance but that laughter had soon subsided and she'd thought of how nice it felt being so close to him like that and it made her wonder what it would be like being this close to him all the time.

Alone with these thoughts and no phone or computer to contact her friends (she'd lost "phone privileges" early on after an argument and snarky comment to her dad), the break had seemed even longer. But thankfully, all things must come to an end and so did that never ending break.

She can still vividly remember how excited she had been to return home, to see him, only to hear of the party Kol Mikaelson was throwing that night. She'd shown up, anxious to see and surprise her friends and Klaus, double checking her appearance one more time in their hall mirror when she'd frozen and felt like she received a sudden blow to the chest.

She'd stood there, frozen for a moment as she watched Klaus near the back patio, in the middle of a heated kiss with Tatia Petrova, Elena's older cousin that had moved to the small town right before Thanksgiving break. She didn't even know that Klaus knew her.

She didn't realize when the tears that had started forming in her eyes but she quickly tried to blink them away as she fought against that tightening in her chest. She was glad nobody had seen her as she'd quietly slipped out of the party and that nobody knew that she was there.

The next day, she'd learned from a disgruntled Elena that her cousin and Klaus had apparently become an item so when she'd seen them together at the Grill, it had been less of a blow but she hated that it still felt like a blow at all. So, she'd taken to avoiding the couple and maybe she'd been avoiding him too…It was easier to avoid the pit in her stomach this way.

"I'm sorry," she says genuinely. "I've just… been busy," she adds on a little lamely.

It's not a total lie. She does run a busier schedule than most of her classmates, especially with preparations for auditions for the town ballet coming up and all the different committees she's involved in.

"You've been busy?" he repeats, looking at her as if saying 'Is that the best you can do?'

"Yes, busy," she says a little defensively, maybe feeling a little cornered and the way he's looking at her not helping. "You know, as in doing stuff, helping out in the dance committee for the Valentine's dance, getting ready for auditions, meeting with Tyler-"

"Lockwood?" he interrupts, looking at her like she'd suddenly announced she beheaded his favorite horse. "So Kol's right and you have been ditching me for Lockwood? What happened to the quarterback?"

At this, she can't help but roll her eyes because of the dramatic way in which he says it all. She seriously thinks he should go into acting sometimes.

"His name's Matt and you know it," she says with a pointed look. "And not that it's your business, but nothing's going on there."

He arches a brow in disbelief but she doesn't really feel like going into that story.

"And I don't know that I'd believe anything Kol's told you but yeah, lately I have been hanging out with Tyler."

"I thought you didn't like the prick?" he interrupts before she can continue.

She really doesn't like him in the way Klaus is implying but…

"You know, now that I'm getting to know him better, he's not as bad as I thought," she shrugs.

She shoots him a look when she hears him let out a derisive snort.

"Hey!" she protests. "You should know better than anyone that sometimes reputations aren't what they seem."

"He's been on your enemy list since your freshman year," he points out dryly.

"I know and I'm not saying he wasn't an ass back then but people can change I guess," she shrugs again. "Even Tyler."

"He made you cry," he retorts.

"So did you when we met remember? And I forgave you too," she points out. "Eventually."

"That was different," he argues, shooting her an offended look. "We were kids. And I wasn't trying to make you cry."

Now it's her turn to shoot him a look.

"But now we're getting off topic. I believe we were talking about how you've been ditching me for Lockwood," he says, looking at her like she kicked his puppy or something of the equivalent.

"I'm not 'ditching' you for Tyler," she denies. "We're stuck on this annoying history project together so we've been meeting up for that," she continues, starting to get annoyed with the way he's looking at her like she did something wrong. "And besides, I didn't think you noticed anything nowadays unless you could find it inside your girlfriend's mouth."

She doesn't mean to say that last part but it just comes out like word vomit and she can feel her face flush a little as she looks away.

"Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

She can feel her face flush a little, wishing she wasn't having this conversation right now but knowing she has no way out of it because he won't drop it and also knows that he'll see through her lies.

"Well now that you mention it, I'm not exactly dying to have front-row seats to you swapping spit with my friend's cousin," she says more sarcastically than she intended.

She's thankful for the interruption from one of their teachers as he comes down the aisle making sure all of his students are seated. Or at least, she's thankful until he reminds her that the plane is set to depart in just a few minutes and she sees the flight attendant making sure all the passengers are indeed in their seats and ready for departure.

She feels her hands go clammy as she glances out at the dark clouds sitting in the sky.

Caroline feels her heart pick up its pace but tries to hide it as she feels the plane start to move a few minutes later at the same time one of the other flight attendants begins his announcement over the intercom, welcoming everyone on board and giving safety instructions and points out the exits in case of an emergency.

You're fine, she silently tells herself as she sucks in a breath.

"Have you ever been on a plane before?" she hears him speak quietly next to her ear, reminding her that he's there.

"It's been a while but yes," she answers somewhat stiffly, hating that he can pick up on her nervousness.

She tries to distract herself with her iPod but that distraction is short-lived when she suddenly feels the plane jerk a little as it starts to pick up speed.

She momentarily forgets about Klaus again, doesn't realize she's gripping the edge of the seat as the plane picks up more speed until she feels his hand settle on hers.

She turns to look at him and she's thankful to see no amusement on his face or in his eyes as he looks at her and gives her hand a small but reassuring squeeze and doesn't let go.

"It helps if you lean back and close your eyes," he tells her quietly. "Kol will never admit it now but he used to be terrified of flying and it used to work for him."

She finds herself nodding and giving him a small but grateful smile as she does what he suggested.

It sort of works… but she sucks in a breath and tightens her grip on the armrest when she feels the plane shake a little.

She's distracted however, when she feels him take one of her earbuds that were still sitting on her lap.

"This band's still not grating your ears hm?" she hears him ask and she doesn't have to look at him to know he's smirking.

He was such a damn music snob sometimes.

"Color me impressed."

"I'll color you green with envy instead," she retorts, keeping her eyes closed and trying to focus on what he's saying instead of the feeling like her stomach's hollowed out.

"What's there to be envious of?" he chuckles. "You know they're going to be a 'has-been' group in a few years tops don't you?"

"They are not!" she argues, now opening her eyes to glare at him for talking down one of her favorite bands.

"Afraid they are," he smiles smugly. "I asked my Magic 8 ball a few weeks ago."

"You're such an ass," she shakes her head, trying to fight back a smile and for a moment, she doesn't focus on the fact that the plane's still ascending.

"Language Miss Forbes," he chides in a perfect imitation of the vice principal and she wants to laugh at his take on an American accent. "This is a school trip after all. Think of what your mother would say."

She rolls her eyes but this time, she's unable to fight back the small smile that tugs on her lips.

"Never mind, she'd probably agree with you," he says dryly and she can't help but laugh a little.

It was no secret to him that her mother hadn't been his biggest fan over something that was not entirely his fault. Not that her mother saw it that way.

"Don't worry, I think she's warming up to you a little bit."

"Oh good," he remarks sarcastically. "It's only been a year. Maybe she'll fully warm up to me in the next decade. Or century."

She giggles and nudges his shoulder playfully.

"Well, at least I like you," she says and feels her cheeks redden a little at her confession so quickly continues. "Most days anyway."

She smirks at him but feels her heart skip a beat at the smile that appears on his face.

It's small, but no less meaningful.

She forces herself to look away but then he speaks again.

"I'll keep the snogging to a minimum," he says and she jerks her head around to look at him, wondering where the hell that comment came from. "When I'm out in public or when you're around, I'll keep the snogging to a minimum."

She feels that tightening in her chest again and this time, she's not sure if it's because of his words and the image of him with Tatia, or the meaning behind his words. She knows this is his way of telling her he wants her around and the truth is, she misses having him around too.

She gives him a small smile and slightly nods her head. She knows he's putting in an effort, she tells herself she can too. Although she's not sure she can stomach the sight of the two of them making out all over the place so she really hopes he'll keep his word on keeping the 'snogging to a minimum' or maybe she'll stick to avoiding them when they're together but stop avoiding Klaus altogether.

"Good, because I think some people were ready to spray you two with water," she jokes and he smirks amusedly in response. "And by some people, I do mean your sister."

He rolls his eyes and she turns her attention back to her iPod before looking back up at him after a minute of silence.

"By the way? Snogging?" she mimics teasingly. "Can you be anymore British?"

He shoots her a look but she can see the smile tugging on his lips.

"I don't know can I?" he deadpans.

"Are you going to start demanding a proper cup of coffee in a proper coffee pot?" she teases in a very poor imitation of his accent.

"Was that supposed to be me?" he laughs, causing her to playfully glare at him. "They say imitation is the best form of flattery but I don't know if I should be offended right now."

"Shut up," she laughs, feeling her cheeks flush a little more brightly. "Your American accent isn't so hot either buddy."

Total lie and he knows it if his expression is any indicator.

"And yet it's still better than whatever that was," he shoots back with an excessive arrogance that makes her scoff.

Cocky jerk.

"I think someone's in desperate need of some accent lessons," he chuckles. "In fact, I feel like it's my civic duty to give you some."

She rolls her eyes again.

"Remind me again why I put up with you?"

At this, he shoots her a too pleased grin that showcases his dimples (that she tells herself it doesn't affect her at all) and she narrows her eyes at him.

"Because I'm incredibly charming?" he smirks and Caroline can't help but snort, shooting him an unimpressed look that only seems to amuse him more. "Because I'm fairly certain you enjoy me as much as I enjoy you."

She shoots him another look and rolls her eyes but he can see the hint of pink staining her cheeks and his smile widens.

"Because you like me," he continues with a dimpled grin. "You said it yourself."

She rolls her eyes and looks away.

"I said most days," she counters. "And obviously today's not one of those days."

"If you say so," he grins, looking far too pleased with himself.

She tries to keep a straight face but is ultimately unsuccessful when she hears him start laughing the more she pointedly ignores him and feels him nudging her side to get her attention.

And as she sits there trying to ignore him, she realizes how much she's missed this. Missed him.

As she's looking ahead, she notices one of the flight attendants walking down the aisle again and she realizes that the plane's leveled out. She hadn't even noticed and she knows it's because of him.

He effectively distracted her.

He took her mind off it.

"Twizzler?"

Caroline's pulled from her thoughts and turns to see Enzo offering her some of the bright red candy he was already munching on despite the early hour.

"I'm good thanks," she says as he takes another bite out of the candy and completely ignoring the flight attendant explaining the safety protocol instructions up front.

She forces herself to pay attention and not think about the long flight ahead. Turns out, her aversion to flying hasn't exactly gone away.

She feels the plane start to pick up speed and sucks in a small breath.

Gripping the armrest beside her, she leans back and closes her eyes.

xxx

Caroline tries to stifle a yawn as she makes her way through the crowded airport, but despite her exhaustion from spending the whole day traveling and layovers, not to mention the long rehearsals the day before, she feels her body growing more tense with every passing minute ever since the plane landed.

But she tries to shake the feeling and focus on the excitement that has also been growing at the realization that she's going to see Bonnie again. It's been far too long by her standards and she's missed her dearly. And maybe she's a little excited to see Kol again too.

And maybe a little anxious because maybe, thoughts of Kol lead to thoughts of other Mikaelson's and the vicious cycle ensues.

Bonnie. You're here for Bonnie.

"What's on your mind Gorgeous?" Enzo asks from beside her, visibly at ease as he takes in the crowded airport. "Wondering how many celebrities we'll be rubbing elbows with, being in the land of 'fame excess' and all?"

She feels a smirk tug on her lips even though her mind falls on one particular actor she's fairly certain they'll see that weekend.

"Are you? Got your autograph book ready?" she teases in an effort to distract herself as they weave their way through the crowd.

"Please," he scoffs. "Everyone knows a picture is the autograph of the 21st century," he adds with a wink.

She grins amusedly, not for the first time feeling grateful that her roommate decided to accompany her.

As they finally make their way down the escalators towards baggage claim, Caroline almost immediately sees Bonnie standing in the arrivals area, with a bright smile on her face that matches the one that breaks out on the blonde's own face.

It takes every will of effort not to push past the other people on the escalator but as soon as she steps off them, both girls are practically sprinting towards each other and pulling each other into tight hugs.

"Bonnie!" she squeals excitedly.

"I'm so glad you made it!" the other girl exclaims.

"Like I would miss this! You're engaged!"

"So I've heard," Bonnie says laughingly.

"Let me see that ring!" she demands.

They both laugh together as they pull away, Caroline taking the opportunity to quickly snatch up Bonnie's hand and inspect her beautiful ring even as Bonnie jokingly complains that she had already sent her pictures.

"Damn girl, now that's a rock," she smirks while Bonnie laughs again. "Kol did good."

"Oh trust me, he knows," Bonnie says with an amused eye roll and she laughs at her friend's expression.

She's about to ask where the man in question is when-

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Caroline Forbes in the flesh once again."

Bonnie rolls her eyes while Caroline feels her spine tense slightly in anticipation and turns around, her eyes meeting those of Kol Mikaelson in person for the first time in years.

She's seen him a few times in pictures that Bonnie sent and in the background during some Skype sessions with Bonnie before the latter shooed him out of the room, but this is the first time she's getting her first real look at him like this.

Though he obviously looks older than when she saw him in person last, he still has that same mischievous and amused glint in his brown eyes that match the smirk on his handsome face.

"It's good to see you, darling," he says and despite the smirk on his face, she's almost certain that he means it.

"It's good to see you too Kol," she says with a smile before adding, "And you do know I'm the exact age as your fiance and only a year younger than you right?" she asks with a quirked brow, referring to his "little Caroline Forbes" comment.

She hears the sound of a throat clearing behind them just then and quickly turns to see an amused looking Enzo.

Crap, Enzo!

"I hate to interrupt the happy reunion but perhaps we should grab our bags before somebody snatches them?" he jokes.

She shoots him an apologetic smile at the realization that she kind of forgot all about him and left him there.

"Ah, so you must be the bloke I spoke to on the phone the other week," Kol comments as he takes in the other man and shakes his hand before turning back to her. "You know darling, I always knew you'd end up shacking up with a Brit, just not the one I originally thought."

She rolls her eyes, an action that Bonnie echoes as she elbows him in the ribs before shaking Enzo's hand.

"Enzo," her roommate introduces himself with a grin. "Nice to officially meet you in person Bonnie and not just in the background of a computer screen," he adds with a smirk while Bonnie grins and nods in agreement.

"I'm glad you could make it," Bonnie smiles. "And please try not to listen to anything Kol says. We usually don't," she adds jokingly while Kol shoots her an indignant look before catching sight of the teasing grin on Bonnie's face and pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

Caroline watches as he murmurs something into Bonnie's ear that makes her friend narrow her eyes at him and swat his chest but she can also see the hint of color that appears on the brunette's cheeks.

The blonde smiles, remembering their bantering from their high school days but it's that look that he gives Bonnie, that look of pure adoration that's new and has her smile growing and the blush on Bonnie's cheeks brightening a little more.

It was no secret that Kol liked Bonnie back in high school (more than he let on), just like it was no secret that he never lasted more than a few weeks with his girlfriends which is why Bonnie never gave him a chance back then.

But now here they are…

Bonnie looks up and catches her gaze, giving her an almost embarrassed smile before clearing her throat.

"So should we get your bags and head out then?" she asks a little loudly, shooting her a warning glare when she giggles at her friend's obvious embarrassment.

Kol smirks at the brunette in his arms, his amusement growing when she pushes him away.

"Yes, you're probably right darling," he agrees. "Traffic will be terrible at this hour and we wouldn't want dear old Bekah to get crankier than she already is if we keep her waiting too long."

"Rebekah's already here?" she asks in surprise.

"Yeah, her flight got in a couple of hours ago. She was tired from her flight so we let her sleep while we came to pick you up," Bonnie explains.

She gives Caroline a smile that the blonde finds comforting as she loops her arm through hers and starts leading the way to baggage claims.

And maybe for the first time since she set foot in that airport back in New York, she feels some of her anxiousness leave her knowing no matter what happens that weekend, she has her friends beside her.

xxx

After managing to weave their way through the heavy LA traffic miraculously in one piece (she made a mental vow not to ever get in a car with Kol behind the wheel again), they finally pull into a gated driveway and Caroline's eyes widen a little.

To say Bonnie's and Kol's new place was gorgeous was an understatement.

As she gets out of the car, she feels Enzo come stand beside her, letting out a low whistle as he also takes in the large, and beautiful home too.

"We're definitely not in Kansas anymore, Gorgeous," he mutters.

She's about to answer when she sees Bonnie and Kol opening up the trunk to start taking out their bags and quickly scurries over to help -or try to help- since Enzo and Kol insist on carrying the bags themselves, with the latter claiming in a too innocent tone that he wouldn't want her to think he was ‘anything less than an excellent host.’

As soon as they're inside, Bonnie offers to show them up to their rooms and she takes her bag from Kol and the latter announces he's going to make everyone some drinks.

Caroline briefly wonders where Rebekah is but the house is quiet so she figures the other girl is probably still resting.

"Caroline, this will be your room and Enzo, this one will be yours," Bonnie says as she points to two different doors. "Your room has its own bathroom, Care and Enzo, I hope you don't mind but you'll be sharing one with Kol's brother. He won't be arriving until the weekend though so you'll have it to yourself for a few days," she adds and Caroline feels her body tense slightly at this last bit of information.

"No problem whatsoever," Enzo says with a perfectly charming smile. "I've always wanted to brag that I've shared a living space with a celebrity."

Caroline shoots him a look that Bonnie doesn't miss.

"I see Care's given you a rundown of the Mikaelson's?" Bonnie jokes. "Don't worry, he's pretty high maintenance which is a good thing in this case because it means he's not messy."

"We have that in common then," he says with a smirk as he looks in Caroline's direction and this time, she can't refrain from rolling her eyes but she reminds herself that right now is so not the time to get into an argument over his cleaning habits.

Just then, Caroline hears a door open down the hall and sees a familiar individual walk out of the bedroom.

The woman pauses, taking in the small group gathered in the hallway, her piercing blue eyes lingering on Caroline.

"Hey Rebekah," she greets the other blonde with a somewhat nervous smile.

Carolin's seen the other blonde's face on advertisements for her fashion line but just like with Kol, this was the first time in years she was seeing her in person.

Rebekah for her part, doesn't respond right away, simply takes her in for a moment with an expression that's unreadable and Caroline tries not to visibly squirm under that damn powerful Mikaelson gaze she'd been subjected to on far too many occasions in the past.

"Hello, Caroline," Rebekah finally responds, the corners of her lips curving into a smile that reminds her far too much of another certain Mikaelson.

As if she needs anymore reminders.

"Glad to hear you made it out of that one-pony town for good."

Caroline smiles a little at that.

"Yeah, me too," she says, giving the girl a small and almost tentative smile. "It's good to see you."

"Pardon the interruption but this is driving me crazy," Enzo interrupts suddenly, his focus on Rebekah. "Do I know you from somewhere, darling?"

Caroline turns to look at him questioningly while Rebekah raises a brow as she regards the man standing in front of her.

"Trust me darling, if you'd met me before you wouldn't be questioning it."

Enzo chuckles, an almost pleased grin appearing on his face.

"Forgive me, I suppose I just haven't had the opportunity to meet someone as memorable as you obviously are," he retorts and now it's Caroline's turn to raise her brows because…is he seriously flirting with Rebekah right now?

"And you are?" Rebekah questions in an almost bored tone.

"Lorenzo, but you love, can call me Enzo," he responds smoothly as he extends out a hand.

Yep. Definitely flirting.

Fighting back the urge to roll her eyes at her roommate's antics, she watches with a hint of amusement as Rebekah seems completely unfazed by the obvious charm her roommate's turning on.

"Pleasure I'm sure," she responds as she briefly shakes his hand. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I need to speak with my idiotic brother about a pressing matter."

Enzo steps back and Rebekah leaves with a quick and final look at her. Caroline think she sees something in her gaze but the other blonde is gone before Caroline can even really question it.

As soon as she's gone, Caroline turns back to her roommate.

"Seriously? You can flirt with anyone in Los Angeles and you just have to flirt with Rebekah Mikaelson?" she asks with wide eyes. "You know one of her brothers will kill you right?"

She had a fairly good feeling she knew which brother that would be too.

"Come now Gorgeous, no need to be jealous," he jokes. "I wasn't flirting, I'm just a naturally charming man," he grins and this time Caroline doesn't fight the attempt to roll her eyes.

Bonnie grins amusedly as she looks between them.

"Well I hate to leave you guys like this, but I think I have a pretty good idea what Rebekah wants to talk to Kol about and since I'd actually like to have a chance to marry him instead of attending his funeral, I think I should probably check on them," she smiles apologetically. "I'll let you two start getting settled in and then I'll come check on you?"

"Yeah of course, go take care of whatever you need to and if you need backup, just use our signal," Caroline jokes, making the brunette laugh and nod her head in agreement.

Caroline opens the door to her room and lets herself in and after setting her stuff down, she walks over to the window, where the curtains have been opened, and takes in the beautiful view of their backyard complete with an amazing swimming pool that she really hopes they get to explore at some point that weekend.

With an almost wistful sigh, she turns back to her bags however, the idea that her clothes are getting more wrinkled the longer they sit there, too much for her to ignore or put off.

She's in the middle of hanging up a dress when she hears a light knock on the door, shortly followed by Bonnie's voice.

"Come in," Caroline calls out, smiling at her friend when she walks in and closes the door behind her. "Everything go okay down there? No 'World War Mikaelson' erupting?"

"No, thankfully crisis averted," Bonnie laughs. "Today anyway."

Caroline smirks, years of witnessing the Mikaelson temper coming to the forefront.

"Settling in okay?" Bonnie asks as she makes her way to sit on the large and comfortable bed.

"Yeah, you might have a hard time getting me to leave after this weekend Bonnie Bennett," she jokes.

"Because that would be such a horrible thing," Bonnie smirks. "I would not say no to having you around and getting to see you more than once a year."

Caroline can't help but vehemently agree.

"Sometimes this whole 'adulting' thing and living across the country from each other really sucks," Caroline jokes.

"Yeah, sometimes I actually miss waking up ridiculously early to carpool to school," Bonnie smirks.

"Carpooling and jamming out to the Spice Girls," she chimes in with a grin. "Or the superior boy band, the Backstreet Boys."

"You're entitled to your wrong opinion, Care," Bonnie smirks while the blonde playfully glares at her.

"Speaking of people with wrong opinions when it comes to boy bands," Caroline jokes. "Is Elena coming this weekend?"

"No, she has her shift at the hospital this weekend," Bonnie answers. "She's been trying to take on more hours to help her prepare for her exam in a few months."

Caroline nods, feeling for her old friend.

"How's everything going with rehearsals?" Bonnie asks. "Are you excited for your big role?"

Caroline feels a smile tug on her lips.

"I am," she admits. "But not gonna lie, some days are really long and I can't feel my feet and it's a wonder I even make it to bed," she laughs a little. "But there's nothing else in the world I'd rather be doing."

"I'm really happy for you, Care," Bonnie smiles earnestly. "You're living out your dream."

"With a few adjustments," she tries to add laughingly, feeling a small knot form in her throat.

"Your parents would be really proud," Bonnie adds with a soft smile and Caroline feels her eyes grow a little misty as she returns her smile. "We all are."

"Thanks, Bon," she says genuinely.

"And did I tell you that Kol and I are looking into plane tickets for New York to attend a certain show?" Bonnie grins.

"You're coming?!" Caroline exclaims suddenly excited and feeling some of that sadness at the reminder of her parents ease a little.

"Um, yeah?!" Bonnie laughs. "You didn't think I'd miss it did you?!"

Caroline lets out an excited squeal and rushes to hug her friend.

"Did I ever tell you that you're the best Bonnie Bennett?"

"Not enough," Bonnie jokes, prompting the blonde to laugh as she pulls back. "But I'm glad you think so," Bonnie adds, giving her an almost nervous smile. "Because I kind of need to ask you for a really big favor."

"What's up?" she asks curiously.

"Well you see, with all this talk about engagements and weddings, I realized I'm going to need someone I really trust to stand up there with me as my maid of honor and I was hoping you'd want to take the job?" Bonnie asks with a bright up slightly nervous smile.

"Seriously?" Caroline gasps, laughing and feeling her eyes grow misty when Bonnie nods her head. "You don't even have to ask Bonnie Bennett, of course I would!" she exclaims happily. "In fact, I would be honored to take the job," she asks with a wink.

The two girls laugh as Caroline pulls her friend in for a hug.

"God, I still can't believe you're getting married, Bon! I mean, I can because you're like the whole package but who would have thought it would be to the guy you swore up and down that you did not like for years," she adds teasingly and Bonnie rolls her eyes amusedly.

"Okay, you should understand the allure of the Mikaelson charm better than anyone!" Bonnie says only to seem like she immediately regrets it. "I-"

"It's fine Bon, it's not some taboo subject," she quickly tries to brush it off with a light laugh. "You're right, I did fall under the Mikaelson charm too. I mean let's face it, they can be charming bastards when they want to be," she continues jokingly.

Bonnie smirks in agreement before glancing back at her.

"I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you about it," Bonnie starts. "How are you feeling about seeing the Mikaelson's this weekend?"

Caroline almost smiles at her friend's carefully crafted question, knowing what she's really asking is, How are you feeling about seeing Klaus this weekend?

She feels that twinge of nerves she's been feeling for over a week now but musters her best smile.

"I'm fine Bon, really," she assures her. "I knew they were all probably going to be here this weekend, even Klaus. It's not like we're the divorced couple who can't be in the same room- okay that was a horrible example because it's not like we dated much less married but you get my meaning. It'll be fine," she insists firmly.

Maybe she's nervous as hell and sometimes the anticipation of seeing him again creeps up on her and drives her crazy, and maybe she's been thinking about him lately more than she would like to admit or she knows that she should, but she tells herself it will be fine. Even if she has to see him with his costar that he's apparently involved with according to various sites, she tells herself it will all be fine. No matter what happens this weekend, she'll be fine just like she was back then.

"And besides, this weekend is all about celebrating you and the future Mr. Bennett," she says. "You know, that actually has a nice ring to it," she adds laughingly.

Just then, they hear a knock on the door that was only partially closed, and it opens to reveal Enzo on the other side.

"Ladies," he greets with a smile. "Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to return Gorgeous' cellphone charger that got mixed up with my stuff."

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaims gratefully as she stands to take it. "I thought I had forgotten it somewhere in the airport."

"Oh good, the rest of gang's all here," she hears Kol's familiar voice coming up from the stairs and looks behind Enzo to see him stop at the doorway to her room. "I trust our guests are settling in nicely?"

Enzo nods and while she nods too, the smile on Kol's face makes her almost narrow her eyes suspiciously.

"Yeah, thanks," she says as she eyes Kol almost cautiously.

"Excellent," he smirks. "Now, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is we seem to be out of the good margarita mix and as much as I adore my beautiful fiance, she has terrible taste when it comes to margarita mix so the other stuff tastes like sewer water."

Bonnie rolls her eyes and Caroline fights back a smile.

"So what's the good news?" she asks, fighting back a witty comment that she's sure will get them started on something else entirely and be counterproductive.

Kol looks at the group with that grin she had witnessed far too many times growing up, right before he would say announce a plan that was undoubtedly get them all into trouble.

Nice to know some things never change.

"How do you lot feel about some good old fashioned karaoke?"

xxx

It's hours later and Caroline's sides hurt from laughing too much, especially during Enzo's and Kol's rendition of Don't Stop Believin'. She's had one too many drinks (she'd promised herself she'd only have the one margarita), she's eaten way too many tacos and she knows when she's back at rehearsals this is going to bite her in the ass and yet, she can't bring herself to regret anything in that moment.

When they all decided to go out that evening, she wasn't really sure what to expect with the Mikaelson siblings in particular. Truth be told, she expected it to be awkward and while Rebekah's been mostly distant, Kol on the other hand, well one would think that no time had ever passed at all. He was his usual mischievous self though she can pick up on subtle changes in him and seeing him with Bonnie, it's definitely not a mystery why these two are getting married.

Just like she suspected, Enzo easily fit right in with the others, and it's even been a mix of annoyance and amusement watching him try -and fail- to flirt with Rebekah throughout the evening.

They're now on their third round of drinks and in the midst of relentless mocking and teasing and just general good humored bantering, it almost feels like old times back at the Grill.

Almost.

"So sweet Caroline," Kol starts as he finishes his drink. "Are you planning on finally taking your turn up there or are you going to hide back here all night?"

"Kol," Bonnie chastises with a light slap on the shoulder.

"What darling?" Kol protests innocently. "We've all taken our turn, I've even gone up there twice now and-"

"And we all really wish you hadn't," Rebekah interjects dryly.

"And like I was saying," Kol continues, tossing a tortilla chip at his sister. "Obviously I've been the best but don't let that intimidate you darling," he says, turning his attention back to her with a mirth dancing in his eyes letting her know he's not entirely serious. "Not everyone can be as good as me."

"Leave her alone, Kol," Bonnie elbows him while Caroline rolls her eyes with half-feigned annoyance. "Care will get up there when she feels like it."

"Yeah, Gorgeous here just needs to work up that liquid courage a little bit more," Enzo smirks as he slides his mostly full drink closer to her, chuckling when she narrows her eyes at him.

"That or she just needs a different type of motivation," Kol snickers, continuing when they look at him questioningly. "I seem to recall a particular instance where you got up and serenaded a young bloke."

"Really, Kol?!"

"What darling?" Kol asks his fiance innocently. "I'm just trying to figure out if that's the motivation sweet Caroline here needs. I'd be more than happy to find a lad for you to serenade," he adds with a smirk as he turns back to her.

She glares at him and downs the rest of her drink in one go before settling the empty glass down on the table firmly as she stands up giving Kol an overly sweet smile.

"Don't come crying to me when I kick your ass at karaoke."

"Put your money where your mouth is, Forbes," he challenges.

Rolling her eyes amusedly, she walks away from their table, fighting back a blush when she hears her friends start loudly cheering.

She makes her way to the front to write down her name on the sign up list and looks for a song to pick when she spots a familiar one and smirks mischievously as a thought strikes her when she remembers Kol's grumbling every time 'another bloody ballad' was sung.

"Woooo! Go Care!" she hears Bonnie shout when she finally takes the stage and she laughs a little, feeling her face burn a little too, both because of the literal spotlight on her and the the sound of her friend's shouts that draw even more attention to her.

No backing down now Caroline.

"Hey everyone," she says with a nervous laugh. "Tonight is a very special occasion because we're celebrating the engagement of two people who could not be better suited for each other."

She smiles as most of the audience starts clapping, with Kol being the loudest as he points to himself and Bonnie while the other girl looks almost embarrassed at her fiance's antics.

"Now this next song is very special too because you see, the groom is a true romantic at heart, even if he doesn't like to admit it," she teases. "But he just can't get enough of those love ballads, especially Ed Sheeran, and fun fact here that not many people are aware of is that this next song is the very song that inspired the lucky groom-to-be to propose to his beautiful bride."

There's a chorus of "aww's" around the room and she winks over in the couple's direction, seeing Bonnie laughing and clapping amusedly while Kol is giving her a sarcastic smile, no doubt mentally flipping her off, and she sees even Rebekah looks amused from where she sits across from him.

She still feels nervous about singing in front of all of these people (she'd rather take dancing anytime thank you very much) but when she finally hears the familiar tune start, she feels her nerves settle some.

I found a love for me Darling just dive right in And follow my lead

She smiles a little as she hears Enzo and Bonnie's encouraging shouts, thinking how maybe she's not the only one who's indulged in a drink too many tonight.

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love Not knowing what it was I will not give you up this time

She hears a few audience members start to slow clap along to the slow rhythm of the song and her smile grows a little as she lets herself get lost in the moment.

Darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own And in your eyes you're holding mine

She closes her eyes and lets herself get lost in the song, lost in the words, and maybe a little lost in her own memories.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark With you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight

And maybe, these memories lead back to him.

"Why am I the only one bussing tables and doing your jobs right now?" Caroline snaps at the group of huddled teens standing around laughing and talking amongst themselves.

The teenagers all look up at Caroline with terrified expressions when they see the chair of the 3 different prom committees glaring at them, none of them daring to move.

"Why are you still just standing there?" she huffs. "Go!"

They all scurry away and she shakes her head with an annoyed sigh, really wishing she had pushed so someone else could oversee clean up duty.

The dance was already winding down, most of the people had already started heading out to either a prom after party or to attend to whatever other plans they had made. Her own friends and Tyler had already left back to his place to set up for the party but she was stuck here. Overseeing clean up duty.

"Now how'd I know I'd find you at the helm of this ship?" she hears an amused voice that she hadn't heard in too long but would still recognize anywhere.

She snaps her head around quicker than she thought was possible and sees a familiar pair of dimples and blue eyes that are shining with amusement and something else she doesn't take time to question as she all but jumps into his arms, causing him to let out a surprised but pleased laugh.

She's surprised when his own arms wrap around her, pulling her in closer as he holds her tightly against him for a moment so she's encased by the scent of his cologne and his scent that she's missed more than she knows she should have. Smiling, she holds him tighter and is surprised when he holds her just as tightly instead of letting go.

She takes a moment to breathe him in, to revel in the feel of him in her arms again, before pulling away, lest anyone see and get the wrong idea and start spreading rumors that would get back to her boyfriend. Tyler was already not fond of the Brit or their friendship as it was.

"I take it you missed me?" he smirks when she pulls back.

She rolls her eyes but is unable to wipe the smile that appeared since she saw him off her face.

She hadn't seen him since last summer when he came to visit for a few weeks since the Mikaelson clan had all gone back to London for this last winter break and she almost can't believe he's really here right now. They had kept in touch as much as they could but it was getting more difficult with their different and increasingly packed schedules and besides, no phone call or text would compare to having him there in person.

She's not sure if she's imagining it, but she thinks he looks taller. His curls have grown out some as well and she has to fight back the urge to run her fingers through them. She also notices that he has a bit of stubble that's new but surprisingly finds she likes on him. The dark button-up and dark jeans he's wearing certainly look good on him too, but not wanting to get caught checking him out yet again, she quickly raises her eyes to meet his.

"What are you doing here?!" she exclaims excitedly. "Wait! When did you get back into town? Are you here for the summer?! Like the whole summer this time?!"

"Slow down there, love," he chuckles. "Which question would you like me to answer first?"

"All of them! But you can start by telling me what you're doing sneaking into a 'lame high school prom'?" she asks with an arched brow. "I thought you'd definitely think you were too cool for them now that you're in college."

"First off, I'm not sneaking in," he protests amusedly. "I'll have you know I know one of the chaperones and she let me in to see my sweet sister who called home demanding Kol bring her bag that he snuck out of her car. I decided I'd come to surprise her since I just got in earlier, and I decided I'd surprise another blonde whom I had suspected I would find bossing minions around and you did not disappoint."

She rolls her eyes but still can't wipe that grin off her face.

"And for the record, I would never call anything you worked so hard on, 'lame'," he adds and she can she the honesty in his eyes and feels her smile grow a little bit more.

"Alright everyone, grab your dance partner and join us on the dance floor for the final dance of the evening," the DJ announces just then.

Time After Time starts to play through the speakers and she sees the last remaining couples link hands and head to the dance floor.

She notices Klaus glance around too and wonders if this is the part where he says goodbye and she's almost unsettled by how quickly every part of her seems to protest at the thought.

"Isn't this the part where Lockwood comes to swoop you away?" he asks with a hint of sarcasm.

Needless to say, Klaus had never gotten over his aversion to Tyler even if she had.

"He would if he were here right now," she answers, giving him a warning look to be nice. "But he's getting everything set up for the party at his place while I oversee clean up duty here."

"Oh?" he asks with new and clear intrigue. "In that case…"

She watches on in confusion as he offers her his hand, a small but dimpled smile on his face as he keeps his eyes on hers.

"What are you…"

"Will you do me the honor of having your last dance Caroline Forbes?" he asks with that smile still in place, looking perfectly serious as he waits for her to answer.

"Seriously?" she asks, a small but surprised laugh escaping her as she looks down between his hand and back up at him and she can feel her heart start to pick up its pace.

"Seriously," he responds, all dimples and amusement and perhaps a hint of nerves.

Or maybe that's just her projecting.

"One dance," he smirks, looking intently at her. "I won't bite."

She rolls her eyes amusedly but takes his hand and follows him as he leads her backwards out onto the dance floor, never taking his eyes off her nor she off him.

A smile tugs on her lips as he slowly spins her around. He puts a hand on her waist and pulls her close so she can feel his lean and firm body against hers and in that moment, dancing there with him, with him between her arms, his scent and warmth enveloping her again, it feels like she's gotten back some part of her she didn't know how much she desperately missed until she got it back.

She wonders if he feels the same when she feels him tighten his hold and tug her closer, almost like there was too much space between them.

The two dance in a comfortable silence for a short while before she feels him lower his head slightly and next feels his warmth breath fanning against her ear, making her suppress a shiver.

"You look beautiful tonight, Caroline," he whispers.

She feels her cheeks flush at his words because while she's heard several compliments tonight, there's a raw honesty with Klaus that affects her more than a million compliments from the rest of the world ever could.

Still, she tries to laugh it off and shakes her head slightly, prompting him to pull back slightly and look at her.

"I probably look like a hot mess from dancing all night," she says laughingly.

He smiles a smile that showcases those dimples that she's always been a little partial to.

"Doesn't make you look any less stunning."

She furiously tries to fight back the color rushing to her face and tries to keep from smiling like a maniac and maybe she's not entirely successful but it's hard to mind when he's looking at her the way he is.

"I think somebody's growing soft on me," she tries to tease. "That, or you just missed me too."

He laughs, a low and genuine laugh that makes her heart constrict. A perfect reminder of how much she's missed him.

"Perhaps," he smirks.

The two share a smile and continue to dance around that mostly empty dance floor, completely oblivious to the rest of the world around them.

She may not have won prom queen, but dancing in that mostly empty room with Klaus between his arms, she feels like she's won something infinitely better and all she knows in that moment is that she's in no rush for it to end.

Caroline tries to fight back the memories of this night that she never lets herself quite linger on and tries to fight the small knot that seems to have formed in her throat.

She keeps her eyes closed, not daring to open them as she continues singing and she doesn't know if it's because of the song or the feelings this memory has brought, but standing on that brightly lit stage, she imagines she feels his familiar gaze on her in the middle of that crowded room. Imagines that he'll be there if she just opens her eyes, watching her on that stage just like old times.

The music plays on and she keeps her eyes closed, and she doesn't know why, but she lets herself pretend for just a moment that he's really there and everything is like it was once upon a time.

Imagines that he's there, looking at her like he only seemed to. Like he looked at her that night. Tries to imagine that no matter what had happened and how many years had seen them grow together and then apart, for just that moment, she tries to imagine that had not changed.

Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song

And as she stands there, singing the final chorus of her song, imagining those stormy blue eyes she once knew as well as her own, she can't help but wonder when her song became about them.

Became about him.

You look perfect tonight

Because she knows that in the moment, she was singing to him alone even if he wasn't there to hear it.

xxx

He stands there, tucked away in a corner by the back exit where he's mostly hidden, watching the stunning blonde finish her song with rapt attention.

The place could be falling down around him but Klaus Mikaelson would never notice, his entire focus only on the blonde on that stage. Just like it had been since the moment he walked into the crowded bar after he'd heard her voice from where he lingered outside debating with himself on whether to go in or simply leave. But the second he'd heard her voice, heard her laugh, he was powerless but to follow the sound that he knew would lead him to her.

And now he stands there, the closest he's been to her in years and yet it's not close enough but he can't bring himself to move closer.

You look perfect tonight

He almost smiles at how fitting those words are. Almost smiles at how he's been thinking those very words about her since the moment he saw her up on that stage.

Almost smiles at the irony of how he's been thinking those very same words about her every time he's laid eyes on her since they were kids.

No matter how many years saw them grow together and then apart, that much has not changed.

And as he moves just a little closer when he hears the crowd start to cheer, eyes greedily drinking her in the entire time after years of relying on his memory and old photographs alone, he suspects it never will.

xxx

Caroline smiles as she hears the crowd break out into applause as the music comes to an end. Shakes her head slightly with a small laugh when she hears her friends cheer loudest of all.

She finally opens her eyes and looks out at the crowd that stares right back...and that's when she sees the face she hasn't seen in years but never learned how to forget.

In the middle of that crowded room, her eyes easily find him, just like they always used to.

Klaus...

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