Some Nights (Klaroline Fanfiction)

Chapter 1

The problem with happy hour, Caroline Forbes was learning, is that it only lasts for an hour.

"Another, please." She tapped the bar, twirling her empty shot glass between her fingers.

Caroline wasn't normally much of a drinker. Sure she enjoyed a glass of wine here and there but working as a paralegal for one of Chicago's top law firms meant long hours and not a lot of time for getting drunk. But today was an exception. Today, Caroline was going to get completely and utterly wasted until the memory of her failed relationship was nothing but a distant haze.

This was the first bar she had come across after her lunch with Tyler- the lunch where he publicly dumped her. She had to give him points though, for doing it in a public place so she couldn't make a scene. Instead, she'd stood up with as much grace as she could muster and walked off. She just kept walking until she came across this bar. It was a pretty nice place, dark blue booths and solid oak surfaces. A TV blared, tuned in the news giving updates on the current heat wave and possible power outage.

The place was nice but the service, however, was dismal.

"Another, please." Caroline said louder this time, waving her hands to get the bartender's attention.

The man glanced over with a frustrated look before coming to stand in front of her. For a moment she was distracted by his iridescent blue eyes and five o'clock shadow stubble. And then he opened his mouth. "Maybe you should slow down there, love."

Caroline, who was a little bit tipsy and in no mood to take lip from any guy, responded "maybe you should do your job and pour me another drink."

The man just shot up one eyebrow before reaching for the tap and pouring her a beer. It wasn't what she'd asked for but there was no way he was giving her anymore hard liquor. She was at least four shots deep already and was quite the lightweight by the look of her.

He slid the drink towards her and Caroline took it, taking a swig before dropping the glass back onto the counter with a disgusted look. "I hate beer," she muttered.

"Then why are you in a bar?" He asked. In her pencil skirt and silk blouse, she wasn't exactly his normal clientele.

"Give me the hard stuff." She said, slamming her hand on the counter in what he was sure she meant to be aggressive but came out sort of cute, in a pouty way.

"You've had enough of the hard stuff." He looked down the counter at a couple waiting to be refilled and shot the blonde one last look before returning to his job.

Caroline sat sulking, sipping on her beer, for another fifteen minutes before the cute bartender appeared in front of her again.

"Still working on that one, sweetheart?" He gestured to the glass of beer that had barely been touched.

"I'm not your sweetheart." She muttered, putting her elbow on the countertop and dropping her chin into the palm of her hand.

He just chuckled, shaking his head. "So what has you getting drunk at 5:00. Work trouble? Boyfriend trouble? Family trouble?" It was the big three and any girl getting drunk this early in the night, especially one so clearly out of her comfort zone, had to be dealing with one of the three.

Caroline sighed and looked up at him. "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm the bartender; don't you know it's customary for you to unload your problems unto me?" He responded with a smirk. "What's your name?"

"Caroline."

"Well, Caroline, I'm Klaus." He put a hand to his chest as he said his name. "Now why so cross?"