Contingency Plan: A Klaroline Fanfiction (Short)

Chapter 2: To have and to hold

Some men really knew how to fuck. Caroline didn't leave Klaus' hotel until 1:00 AM. They'd had sex for hours and she was exhausted. Satisfied, but exhausted. She took the long way home, detouring through downtown Philadelphia as she thought everything over. There were a lot of things left to figure out, but a plan was slowly forming in her mind. By the time she drove her black BMW M850 past the gate of the upscale community outside the city where she and Stefan lived in the Salvatore mansion, she felt brighter about her future than she had in a long time.

Klaus Mikaelson was definitely not what she'd been expecting. Having been around so many dominant alpha males who saw her only as brainless arm candy, it was a shock to meet someone who saw her as anything but. He'd taken the time to talk to her… and listen to her answers. He'd asked about her hopes and dreams like he gave a damn, asked where she wanted to be in five years, what were her long-term goals. But it was what he hadn't asked that had impressed her the most. He hadn't asked where she liked to shop or what charities she supported or any of the other mundane questions she typically got from men, as if that was all she ever thought about. No, he wanted to know how her mind worked.

They were the same. Realizing it was rather… unsettling. Caroline had spent most of her life around people who didn't understand her. The closest female friend she'd ever had was Elena. And she'd killed her. Well, had her killed. It was a necessary evil. Elena knew when she began seeing Damon that he was already arranged and had been since infancy. That betrayal was enough to justify her death as far as Caroline was concerned. It was enough to kill her husband, too. She had no illusions growing up that she would have a fairy tale relationship with Prince Charming, but she'd always hoped they could at least form a mutually beneficial alliance. Damon made it clear when they married that she would only ever be a pretty girl there to make him look good.

Klaus definitely saw her as a pretty girl. But she was more than that. He told her how much he enjoyed her mind and admired how flawlessly she'd executed her plans. Caroline had always prided herself on being ten steps ahead of everyone around her, but then Klaus came along and showed her they were on the same page. He'd killed Giuseppe on the off chance she might want to marry him. He hadn't admitted to the murder, of course, but she hadn't admitted to killing Damon or Elena either. Maybe the day would come that they could trust each other enough to say the words. She hoped so.

Sighing, Caroline walked in the front door of the Salvatore mansion. As soon as she set her keys down on the table in the foyer, she was miserable again. Her brother-in-law had a light on in the living room and she could hear techno music somewhere in the background. Silently groaning, she resigned herself to having to deal with him tonight. She was hoping he'd be passed out drunk somewhere and she could avoid telling him about the arrangement until morning. Hearing his footsteps against the marble floors, she put on a warm smile. "Is that my favorite brother-in-law I hear?" she asked sweetly.

"Where were you?" Stefan asked as he emerged from the shadows, worry evident in his tone.

Caroline's upper lip curled as she tossed the black duffel bag to his feet, a triumphant gleam in her eye. "I got your shipment back. You're welcome."

The younger Salvatore's eyes widened. He ran to it, quickly unzipped it and began counting the solid white bricks of cocaine wrapped in cellophane. He released a hysterical laugh when he realized everything was accounted for. His eyes snapped up to meet hers, and for the first time, he noticed how she was dressed. Her blonde curls were completely disheveled and there were faint tracks of dried mascara trailing down from her eyes, all traces of her blood red lipstick long gone. "How did you get it back?" he asked warily, a chill running down his spine when he noticed several bite marks on what the dress exposed of her breasts.