Pay It Forward (TVD Valentine's Day)
Title: Pay It Forward
Fandom: Vampire Diaries
Pairing: Klaus/Caroline
Rating: PG-13
Summary: one-shot written for an LJ prompt.
Genre: Romance, Humor
Word count: 4K
“The mail just came in,” Elena sang out, dropping a stack of thick envelopes onto Damon’s desk. “This year it's definitely your job to get the thank-you cards out,” she added sternly as Damon picked up the top envelope in exasperation. “Because I send them out every year, and-“
“But you do such a good job with it,” Damon whined, his expression shifting into a pout as he sorted through the mail. “Is it just me, or did we get even more cards this year?”
“It’s just you,” Elena informed him, “And stop with the excuses. You’re writing the thank-you cards, and that’s final.”
She would’ve kept lecturing him, but instead she let out a squeal as Damon abruptly grabbed her hips and spun her around so she landed in his lap. “Is that any way to speak to the man who’s taking you out on an extravagant Valentine’s dinner tomorrow night?” he asked her with a smirk, tightening his grip on her waist as she looped her arms around his neck.
Elena pretended to ponder, “Is tomorrow really Valentine’s Day? I had no idea…” She held out her hand so they could both see the ring around her finger, “I was under the impression that tomorrow was our 5-year wedding anniversary, but I could be mistaken.” She grinned mischievously, “That was your master plan all along, wasn’t it? To propose on Valentine’s Day so that you’d only have to take me out to a romantic dinner once a year, instead of twice?”
Damon narrowed his eyes at her, “Very funny, sweetheart. As if you weren’t dropping hints all over the place that you wanted to get engaged AND married on Valentine’s Day…”
“I so did not drop hints,” Elena huffed, but then she winked at him and snuggled into his shoulder. “Speaking of hints, are you going to give me any details about tomorrow night?”
“Nope,” Damon said easily, ignoring the seductive way that she was running her hands across his chest. “And don’t think you can use your feminine charms to coerce me into spilling my secrets,” he added, leaning forward and planting a kiss on her lips. “It’s going to be a complete surprise.”
“Fine,” Elena sighed, dropping the subject for the moment so that she could spring it on him when he was least expecting it. She examined the ring on her finger with a small smile. “Five years,” she mused in wonderment, “Can you believe it?”
“And you’re still as beautiful as ever,” Damon smiled up at her, stroking her cheek with his fingertips. “How did I ever get so lucky?”
“I ask myself the same question everyday,” Elena replied softly, closing her eyes as Damon’s hands slipped underneath her sweater to caress her skin lightly. “I guess I should be thanking your brother for giving you the final nudge into asking for my hand,” she teased, “Or else you never would’ve gotten the courage to do it.”
“Not true,” Damon refuted immediately, but he was already grinning. “Well maybe it’s a little true,” he conceded, “But that means I would have to thank Lexi for convincing you to go on a blind date with me.”
Elena nodded, a reminiscing smile on her face. “I guess we have a lot of people to thank for getting us to where we are today,” she stroked his face gently, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mrs. Salvatore,” Damon reached upwards and captured her lips, their tongues moving in sync as they simultaneously deepened the kiss. He pulled back after a few minutes, but only so Elena could pull off her sweater. Damon watched as she shimmied out of her jeans, his eyes darkening with lust.
“You know,” Elena reached out and pulled on his tie so that he stood up and followed her out of his office and into the living room. “I was thinking…without Lexi and Stefan and our other friends, we would’ve never met or gotten engaged or gotten married…”
“Your point?” Damon mumbled distractedly as she pushed him onto the sofa and straddled him. As she began unbuttoning his shirt, he suddenly got an inkling of what she was talking about. “You want us to do the same for someone else?” he frowned, “Pay it forward?”
She nodded, pushing his shirt off his shoulders and letting out a small sigh as her hands roamed his flawless chest. “Don’t you think that would be a good idea? I mean, we both have plenty of single friends…”
“Actually, we don’t,” Damon pointed out, “Your only single friend is that crazy blonde Barbie doll, and frankly I’m not surprised she’s-“ He broke off when Elena’s hands stilled on his belt buckle threateningly. “I mean,” he hastily amended, “Caroline is a little…overwhelming…when you first meet her.”
“At least Caroline is outgoing,” Elena retorted, “Unlike that British friend of yours-he barely says a word to anyone, no wonder he doesn’t have a girlfriend…they’re all probably too intimidated to approach him!”
“He’s not intimidating,” Damon responded dismissively, “He’s just going for that whole mysterious and silent thing. It works on a lot of girls.”
“Oh really?” Elena asked skeptically, “And tell me, exactly how many girls has he gotten?”
“Well it’s not my fault that he hasn’t found that type of girl yet,” Damon began to say, but he trailed off when he saw a dangerous gleam in his wife’s eyes. “Elena?” he asked worriedly, “What are you thinking?”
She bounced in his lap, “I was just thinking that we both know exactly one girl who would never be intimidated by a guy, no matter how silent or mysterious he is.”
Damon nearly groaned, “Just because Caroline won’t be scared by him, doesn’t mean that he won’t be scared of her-“ He stopped when Elena gave him another threatening look. “Fine,” he raised both hands in surrender, “Consider this me waving a white flag. When it all goes horribly wrong, I hope you know that I will be blaming you entirely.”
Elena patted his cheek fondly, “Thanks for the confidence, sweetheart.”
xoxo
Caroline Forbes stepped out of the taxi, looking up at the expensive Italian restaurant in front of her. Through the glass window, she could see many couples already seated at their tables, laughing and drinking as they enjoyed the one holiday of the year that even she couldn’t put a positive spin on.
Sure, she’d had her fair share of boyfriends throughout high school and college. Their names all blurred together into a confusing haze of rebounds, scumbags, and one-night-stands. The only serious relationships she’d ever had were Matt, Tyler, and Stefan-who was ironically Damon’s brother. They had met in college, and for a while she had thought that he was the man that she would someday marry. But then his childhood flame, Lexi, had returned into his life…and that was that.
But Caroline wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Lexi and Stefan were perfect together, just like Damon and Elena were. As for herself, she had given up on the whole concept of “soulmates” and “destiny.” It was the one reason she had agreed to go on this blind date; she had nothing left to lose.
With these thoughts in mind, she cautiously entered the restaurant and approached the hostess. “Um, reservation under the name Mikaelson?”
“Right this way,” the hostess immediately led her through the crowded restaurant towards a table near the back. “Can I get you anything while you wait?”
“Just some water,” Caroline began to say, but a smooth voice interrupted her.
“She means a bottle of your finest wine,” an attractive man sauntered in their direction, a charming smile playing at his lips. He reached out towards her and raised her hand to his lips, “Caroline, I presume?”
She raised her eyebrows, taken aback. “And they say chivalry is dead,” she let him slide her red peacoat off her shoulders, “Thank you.”
“You look stunning,” he commented as he pulled out her seat and waved her into it. “Damon’s description of you didn’t do you justice.”
“I would be surprised if Damon said anything nice about me at all,” Caroline smiled across the table, “So you’re Nick?”
“Originally Niklaus,” he said to her with a smile, “But my friends call me Nick.”
“Niklaus Mikaelson,” Caroline mused, “That’s such an interesting name. It sounds so archaic, you know?”
Klaus glanced up as a waitress approached them with the bottle of wine he had ordered. “My family and I are very traditional,” he replied casually, “Sometimes that’s a bit of a turn-off for women.”
“I’ve never dated a traditional guy before,” Caroline raised her wine glass in Klaus’ direction, “To tradition.”
“To tradition,” he agreed, seemingly hiding a smile as they clinked their glasses together. “So,” he cleared his throat, “What did Elena tell you about me? Good things, I hope?”
Caroline took a sip of wine, trying to remember. “Oh!” she snapped her fingers, “Mysterious!”
He paused, “Sorry?”
“She said you were mysterious,” Caroline announced triumphantly, “But that’s pretty much all she said.”
Klaus considered this answer for a moment before smirking, “Nothing wrong with a little mystery.”
“Not at all,” Caroline agreed, raising her empty glass to her lips. When had she finished it all? As Klaus reached over to refill her glass, she narrowed her eyes at him. “So if you’re all cool and mysterious, how come you don’t have a girlfriend?”
“Cool?” Klaus repeated in amusement, “Who said that?”
“No one,” Caroline shrugged, “But obviously you’re rich. You picked this expensive restaurant, you’re dressed in designer clothes, you ordered a wine so expensive that I’ve never even heard of it…and you’re friends with Damon.”
Klaus looked interested, “I had the impression that you didn’t like Damon.”
“Can’t stand the guy,” Caroline responded promptly, “But that doesn’t mean I don’t respect him and his tastes. After all, he married my best friend.” She downed the rest of her glass and put it back on the table slightly harder than she meant to. “They’re perfect,” she sighed, “The perfect couple. All hearts and rainbows and unicorns.”
“From what Damon says, I’d thought it was more like fireworks.”
“That too,” Caroline composed herself, realizing what she must sound like to a complete stranger. She pasted a bright smile onto her face, “Like I said, they’re the perfect match. I couldn’t be happier that they found each other. I don’t believe in soulmates, but if I did then they would definitely be IT.”
Klaus spread his arms out, “Guess we have something in common, after all.” When she sent him a questioning look, he elaborated. “I don’t believe in soulmates either. I believe that there are people out there that are better suited for each other, but the mere idea of there being only ONE person that you’re destined to be with is frankly ridiculous.”
“Exactly!” Caroline straightened in her seat, beginning to warm up towards the man sitting across from her. “My friends all think I’m crazy when I say that to them, but that’s exactly it! There’s like six billion people in the world, there’s no way that only ONE of those people is someone you’re meant to be with!” She was about to keep going, when she abruptly remembered what Elena had told her. She made a huge effort to stop talking and instead gestured to Klaus, “I’m glad we found some common ground.”
He eyed her, looking bewildered. “Were you about to say something else?”
“I-“ Caroline bit her lip, “Well, I usually…” She sighed and then said in a rush, “Elena told me that I tend to come on a little strong with my incessant blabbering, so I should try to tone it down for tonight so that I don’t scare you off.”
Klaus grinned, “Elena said that?”
“Well not in so many words,” Caroline rolled her eyes, “She sugarcoated it, but that was the basic gist of the conversation we had before I got here.”
He leaned back in his chair, looking amused. “Can I be honest about something?”
Caroline stared at him warily, “What?”
“Before I got here, Damon gave me a little pep talk too.” Klaus shook his head with a laugh, “Basically he told me to act nothing like myself, and to play the role of the charming gentleman because that’s the way to Caroline Forbes’ heart.”
Her mouth dropped open comically, “Damon Salvatore said that?”
“He did,” Klaus confirmed, “Apparently you used to go out with his brother…?”
“I did,” Caroline said quickly, “But…”
“Ah, let me guess,” Klaus ventured good-naturedly, “Stefan Salvatore is quite the gentleman himself.” When Caroline didn’t correct him, Klaus shrugged. “I guess that’s why Damon thought that was your type.”
“I don’t have a type,” Caroline said instinctively, her smile faltering as she thought over what he had just told her. “So you’re saying that everything you’ve said and done tonight was an act? Being all polite and rich and charming?”
“Shockingly, no,” Klaus tilted his head at her, “I thought I would have to put on an act and be someone I wasn’t…but when I saw you, everything that Damon told me was forgotten. I just wanted us to have a good time, Valentine’s Day or not.”
Caroline pursed her lips, “So this is the real you? No games, no acting? No puppeteer strings pulled by Damon?”
“It’s the real me,” Klaus held a hand out to her as they both stood up, “And now I would like to see the real you.”
She got to her feet and followed him curiously through a pair of double doors into an adjoining room. She froze on the threshold incredulously, “Dancing?”
Klaus bowed before her, “Miss Forbes, may I have this dance?”
Caroline felt a blush stain her cheeks as she hesitantly nodded her assent and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor. “This is so formal,” she whispered to him as he placed one hand on the small of her back. She carefully placed her own hand on his shoulder, and looked around self-consciously. “I don’t know if this is the best idea.”
“Trust me,” Klaus smiled at her winningly as he expertly turned them around in a circle, “Let’s make this a night to remember.”
And in spite of her initial protestations, Caroline soon found herself enjoying the feel of Klaus’ arms around her. He was an excellent dancer, and he made her feel as if she was as light as air. “Wow,” she breathed when they finally stepped off the dance floor an hour later, “That was…wait, where are we going?”
“Just to get some fresh air so we can cool off,” Klaus led her through a side door that she hadn’t noticed before and they stepped out into the chill of the night. He glanced at her when she shivered, and immediately pulled off his suit jacket and slid it around her shoulders. “Sorry,” he shook his head, “I somehow forgot how cold it would be outside. We can go back into the restaurant and get our jackets if you want.”
“In a minute,” Caroline smiled at him, tugging his suit more tightly around her shoulders. His scent lingered on the jacket, and something about it felt oddly comforting. For the first time in years, Caroline felt the familiar sensation of butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
“Look,” Klaus’ voice broke through her thoughts, and she glanced up to see what he was pointing at. “It’s a full moon tonight.”
“Whoa, you can see all the stars from this part of the city,” Caroline gazed upwards in wonderment, “I can hardly see any of them from my apartment.” A soft smile grazed her lips, “They’re beautiful.”
“So are you,” Klaus moved towards her, his gaze questioning as he closed the distance between them slowly. Caroline didn’t move, her heart hammering in anticipation as his lips closed over hers. She moaned into the kiss when he deepened it, and the jacket fell from her shoulders as she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer.
One of his hands drifted from her waist to tangle in her hair, and she whimpered as she pressed herself against the hard planes of his body. The cold air was forgotten as they stumbled backwards until her back hit the wall, heat flaring between them. They finally pulled apart several moments later, both breathless. “Thank you,” Caroline murmured, closing her eyes blissfully as his lips moved to the slender column of her neck.
"For what?" Klaus traced a pattern across her jawline and back to her lips, slanting his mouth over hers again. It was so easy to lose himself in her, and he barely heard her when she answered his question.
“For being my Valentine.”