Hi! Author here. Just wanted to note that the later scene with the "small gazebo" is meant to look similar to the attached picture. Just a reference picture to show the rough layout and coloring.
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Third person POV...
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Klaus walks up the front steps, pausing for a moment before he knocks on the dainty old white front door of the Forbes house, and then he takes a step back. After a brief pause, Caroline answers the door, wearing light washed jeans shorts and a black tank top.
"Hi, Klaus! Come on in," she says eagerly as she holds the door open, ushering him in.
As he steps into the breezeway, he look around at all the antique decorations around the house. Not much had changed since the last time he had stepped into the house nearly half a century ago. It appeared Liz Forbes was a creature of habit, leaving the place nearly identical to the way her mother and father had it.
"You have a lovely home, Caroline," he says, pretending as if this was all new to him.
"Thank you. My great grandma actually did most of it, and then the house was passed down through the generations of Forbes women, and they're all big believers of preserving history," Caroline says with a bit of irritation creeping its way into her voice.
"Fair enough," Klaus replied simply, gently tiptoeing around the social landmine he'd just uncovered.
"Anyways, just give me a few minutes to put some tennis shoes on, and then we can go, okay?" Caroline says before bolting up the stairs to her room.
As soon as she's out of sight, he sprang into action. Liz Forbes was the last person known to have the item Klaus had been looking for -- a necklace, the shape of the moon. It was one half of the key needed to get into a secret vault that held the answers to building white oak stakes. The other key was the sun necklace Elena wore, which was a problem for another day. That one was much easier to solve.
Klaus started by searching through the drawers of the cabinets in the breezeway, but to no avail. Frustrated, he let out a long, audible breath, and then he turns his attention to the family portraits, searching desperately for any clues as to the necklaces whereabouts.
Finally, his eyes land on a portrait of young Caroline, her mother Liz, and her father, Bill Forbes. Though he wasn't supposed to know this all yet, as Caroline had not yet told him, Klaus knew her parents history well enough to know why her parents divorced. Why he moved away, and she never talked about it. But that wasn't the part that intrigued him. It was the necklace young Caroline was wearing in the portrait. The exact moon necklace he was looking for.
"Klaus?" Caroline's confused voice cuts through the air, causing him to jump a little.
"Sorry, um... I was just admiring the painting you have here. You were quite beautiful, even when you were younger," he quickly says, trying to cover his tracks.
Luckily, she seemed to buy it. She smiles at him, and a guilty knot ties in his stomach, refusing to settle. Which was a foreign concept for a Mikaelson. Especially the ever so ruthless, careless man Klaus was known to be.
"Why thank you, Klaus. Shall we get going now we?" Caroline asks as she pulls her hair into a ponytail.
"Indeed, we shall," he agrees, holding the door open for her, and stealing one last glance at the portrait before closing the door behind him.
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Caroline's POV
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"Where are we going, exactly?" Klaus asks, and I turn back to face him.
He's shielding his eyes from the sun as we continue crunching through the sticks and the leaves that have begun to fall as the fall season is fast approaching.
"Oh, you can't tell me you're getting tired already, are you?" I tease, walking a few meters ahead of him.
"Nope, not tired, just bored," Klaus replies curtly, and it's all I can do to keep myself from rolling my eyes.
"Oh, c'mon Klaus, there's worse things in life than a little stroll through nature," I shoot back.
"Fine, but you owe me," he says sternly, speeding up until he finally caught up.
"So Klaus, how's come you've lived so long, and never found the beauty in the fragile mortality of nature?" I ask, cocking my head.
"I suppose that's just something I've never found time to enjoy," he says slowly, but I can tell there's more to it than that.
Of course, I don't want to pry. When he's ready to talk, he'll talk. Until then, I just accept that I don't have answers yet.
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"And... Here we are!" I exclaim as we approach a small gazebo halfway engulfed by bushes.
The leaves of the trees had begun to change color, mixing a sea of reds, oranges, and yellows. Klaus looks around, clearly awestruck.
"How did you find this place?" Klaus asks, his wandering eyes finally meeting mine.
"Well, let's just say I've had my fair share of reasons to need to take a walk, and get a little break from things," I say, trying to remain vague, but we both knew what I was referring to.
"Well, I guess there are little miracles mixed in the chaos of life, then, huh?" Klaus says, causing me to smile.
"See? You just get it," I say as we step into the gazebo and sit on the little white bench.
"Seriously, Klaus, where have you been all my life?" I ask incredulously, slinging my backpack off my back.
"Well, I was probably in New Orleans, handling a rogue coven-"
"That was rhetorical, Klaus," I say, cutting him off, and I giggle a little as he's temporarily rendered speechless.
I unzip my bag, and pull out the food I packed for a little picnic. And I make sure to get the blood bags out for Klaus.
"Caroline, you didn't have to do all this," Klaus says, but honestly, it was all worth it to see that look in his eyes.
The one he gets every time he's with me. It's a look I've never seen before, from anyone, and I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but what I did know is that I loved it.
"I know, but you're my friend, so I wanted to."
"Well, that was very sweet of you."
"I know," I say with a smug smile.
Rays of sunlight stream through the intricately designed roof of the gazebo, casting tiny rays of light and shadows across their faces. The sporadic chirps of the crickets, and the occasional chirp of the few birds remaining were the only remnants of the countless blazing summer days. A cool breeze gently swept through the forest, leaving behind the scent of the fading summer, making way for the shorter, crisper fall evenings. The symphony of summer had started fading away, transforming to a hushed lullaby.
Klaus, usually a whirlwind of chaos and energy, settled into his place on the bench, his elbow resting on the weathered armrest. He was entranced by the scene before him -- the light, filtering through the dense canopy, wildflowers dancing along the path, peeking out from the undergrowth, and lush ferns resting beneath towering pines.
A shiver, unrelated to the cooling autumn air, raced down my spine as my gaze met his. His once destitute eyes, now lively and captivating, telling the story of a boy who's been scorned before. My breath hitched, and for a moment, just a moment, the only sound in existence was the frantic beating of my heart.
The distant call of an owl echoed through the thick evening air, signaling that dusk was nearly upon us. With a heavy sigh, I stand up, brushing the dirt and leaves off my shorts.
"I should probably get going," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but I knew he could hear me clear as day.
The thought of leaving the peaceful haven of the gazebo, of leaving Klaus, sent a pang of disapp through me. And... Perhaps, something else.
He nods slowly, his gaze lingering on my face a beat longer than necessary. Those amber eyes, once filled with an aloof intensity, now soft, and almost... Vulnerable. A wave of heat crept up my neck, rushing into my face, and I quickly look away, unable to continue meeting his gaze. As I start to leave, a voice stops me.
"Caroline," he says, his voice barely above a murmur. "Make it home safe, luv."
The endearment hung in the air, a subtle nod to the something more I'd been noticing since the moment we met. It felt heavier coming from him. My traitorous heart hammered against my ribs, thinking a frantic rhythm, refusing to be settled by logic.
Just then, a moment of terrifying clarity washed over me: I wouldn't dream of being here with anyone else. Not even Tyler.
"I will see you around," I say, forcing calmness despite the war rating inside my head.
The last part came out curt, an attempt to downplay the concern in his voice and the sudden longing bubbling inside me. Looking back was absolutely out of the question, as I knew the look in my eyes would give away the brewing turmoil inside. Instead, I threw a quick, unconvincing wave over my shoulder and practically fled into the darkening woods.