One Day You'll Show Up at My Door

Cherish

Three Months Later

Caroline and Delta had been in New Orleans for three months now and the party was finally coming together. The decorators were coming and the caterers were coming for tastings. Caroline was quite pleased with herself.

"Care?" Matt said tapping her on the shoulder.

"Yeah," she said never looking up from her clipboard.

"Thank you for this."

"Huh?"

"The party. It's for my engagement party. Well mine and Rebekah's."

"Ahh, fabulous," she said sarcastically. "Well, I should scrap all my work then."

"Nah, Klaus said he's paying so you pick what you want," Matt told her.

"Right well, he better tell her he said that," she said as he left the room. She went over the checklist again for the next day when she was interrupted again.

"Time for a break, love?" Klaus asked as he breezed into the room.

"No," she said plainly.

"Is something wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me this was for Rebekah?" she asked looking into his blue eyes.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," he said amusingly. "Come, have lunch with me." Caroline sighed. She laid her clipboard down and followed him from the room. For the past three months, she had been spending a lot of time with Klaus. He took her on a tour of the Quarter and of the city itself. Sometimes she would be laying by the pool and he would come out, sit on the chaise next to her and just either start talking or reading. She loved it when he read to her.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"The garden. My little one is coming to join us today," Klaus said smiling.

"Your...oh," Caroline said. She had been there for three months and had not met his daughter yet. He would go visit her. "Is Hayley coming?"

"No. She's not welcome here," he said with an edge in his voice. She just nodded as he held her chair out for her. They sat in silence for a few moments before they heard the back door open.

"Hey dad," a voice said. Caroline didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't the tall, lithe creature that was striding toward them. Her bronze locks flowing around her head in the breeze. Her blue eyes shining like sapphires. She had a thin straight nose and thin lips and the most amazing cheekbones. Her olive tone skin was clear and glowy.

"Little One," he said rising to his feet to hug her. "I'd like you to meet Caroline Forbes."

"The Caroline Forbes?" she asked smirking at her father. She had his smile. He cleared his throat and turned to Caroline. She thought it was adorable that the King of New Orleans could be embarrassed by his daughter. It showed he was...something.

"Caroline, this is my daughter, Cherish Mikaelson," Klaus said smiling brightly.

"Cheri. It's so nice to meet you," the teenage girl said shaking Caroline's outstretched hand.

"You too," Caroline beamed. She spent the afternoon watching the dynamic between Klaus and Cheri. He never stopped smiling. She learned that Cheri was seventeen because of her delayed growth and that she was an honor student. She loved horseback riding, reading, and fighting, even though when she brought that point up her father frowned.

As the afternoon turned into the evening, Klaus became slightly downtrodden. Caroline realized that it was because Cherish would be leaving and he didn't necessarily want her to go. So while she was talking to Matt, who affectionately called her Cheri-Berry, Caroline decided to talk to Klaus about his daughter leaving.

"Hey," she said standing beside him.

"Hello," he said.

"Why don't you ask her to stay?" Caroline blurted out. He glanced at her. "What? I'm just saying that if you miss her then it's only fair that you get to see her face in the morning too."

"You're right but the fight with Hayley will not be worth it. She'd ruin the feeling for me," he said his eyes glued to his laughing daughter. "I have suffered for many years because of my want and need of a family. Now that I have Cherish, I will do whatever I have to to keep her safe and to make sure that she does not endure a troubled family life as I had," he said turning to face the blonde. "It is bad enough that I can not stand the sight of her mother."

"You couldn't have kept her here. With you," Caroline said.

"No. Elijah and I agreed that I have too many enemies. That she would be safer with Hayley. So far that seems true."

"But you miss her."

"Terribly. Each and every day," he said his eyes back on his little one.

"That's ridiculous. You live in the same city," she said annoyed. "You should see her every day."

"I see her more now that she's older," he said. "Now Hayley cannot keep her from me like she was want to do in the past." Caroline looked appalled.

"If you won't ask her to stay, I will," she said. "I know that she would want to."

"I'm sure but Hayley..." Klaus began.

"Will get over it," Caroline said. "She's not a single parent and it's not ok for her to act like she is," Klaus smirked at her and her insides melted. She shook her head and walked over to where Cheri and Matt were standing. "Hey, Cheri."

"Hey," she said happily. "What's up?"

"Your dad wants you to spend the night," she said.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"Awesome! I can't wait!" she said hugging Caroline.

"You can have a sleepover with me and my friend Delta," Caroline said.

"The Delta that Marcel is like sooo in love with?" Cheri asked.

"Yes! See Matt, I told it was not just me," the blonde said slapping Matt playfully on the arm.

"We have to hook them up," Cheri said.

"Definitely. We'll give her a make-over tonight and then she can get her man tomorrow." Caroline said smiling. Cheri hugged her again before running inside the house.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Matt asked. "I mean, Hayley acts like a bitch when she gets home a minute after the time she's supposed to."

"Hayley is a bitch and I don't care about that. Klaus missed her and it's not far that he has to suffer because of her bitchiness," Caroline said. "I just want..."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Come on Care. I think I already know anyway," he said with a smile.

"Ugh. I just want him to happy OK," she said exasperatedly. "I love to see him smile."

"That's 'cause you're in with love him," Matt informed her.

"What? No! What?" Caroline said. He couldn't have been right, could he? She wasn't in love with Klaus. She hated him, right?

"I hate Klaus," she said avoiding his eyes.

"You hated Klaus for Elena," he said. "Now, you love him and that's ok. He's not such a terrible guy. He took me in, no questions asked. OK, one question but that doesn't matter."

"What question?"

"If Ty sent me," Matt said. "The answer was no. He had no idea I was even in New Orleans; still doesn't as far a I know."

"Oh," Caroline said.

"Yeah, I get it. These Mikaelsons are complicated people but they make it so easy to love them," he said kissing her temple. "It's ok to love him, Care," he said before he left her.

"Was I in love with Klaus? When did that happen? Does es Klaus know? What am I supposed to do now?