The Vampire Diaries Imagines #Wattys2017

If I Loved You (Part 1)

"No. No fucking way."
She sat, aghast, staring fixedly at the laptop screen in front of her.
"Care, what's wrong? Did you get the part?"
Her roommate Elena ran into her room, looking over her shoulder at the screen.
"Oh, I got the part alright. But guess who's been cast as the Phantom?"
Elena raised her eyebrows. "You don't mean—oh, no..."
"Oh, yes." Caroline seethed, jabbing a finger at the first name on the list, just before her own name next to 'Christine Daae.' "Klaus fucking Mikaelson. The absolute bane of my existence." She groaned, rubbing her eyes. Could her life possibly get any worse?
Caroline had been working at Originals Dinner Theatre for a few years now. She loved her job and the theatre business, and was practically a star at Originals, having been cast in a number of leading roles over the seasons. There was nothing more satisfying than giving a good performance and bringing joy into the lives of the audience through the stories told in the plays and musicals, and waiting tables before the show and during intermission was just an added bonus of making some extra cash and interacting with the audience members. Caroline loved her castmates and co-workers—there was never a dull moment, that was for sure. The director and owner of Originals, Elijah Mikaelson, was a total genius, breathing such life into the productions with his artistic visions and keeping everyone in line and focused with his quiet yet effective and kind guidance.
But every job, even the seemingly perfect ones, had their flaws.
This particular flaw went by the name of Klaus Mikaelson. Niklaus Mikaelson, to be precise. Who also happened to be Elijah's younger brother—and the theater's producer and co-owner.
Caroline had never before met anyone who drove her batshit insane like Klaus Mikaelson did.
Arrogance and inflated ego aside, the man had made it his life's mission to make her life miserable, usually in the form of teasing and embarrassing her during rehearsals.
Everyone else thought him charming and suave—particularly the female cast—but Caroline had taken an instant dislike to him, and their little rivalry had been going on since Caroline's first day working there.
She had no idea that he had even auditioned for the role—did he even need to? He practically owned the place, after all—and it was just her luck to be cast opposite him—and in The Phantom of the Opera, of all the romantic, over-the-top musical spectacles.
"You'll be fine, Care. I mean, you've known him and worked with him for a while now. I have complete faith that you can handle Klaus," Elena assured her, patting her on the shoulder in a show of sympathetic support.
Caroline nodded, letting out a heavy sigh. "I sure hope so."

"Alright everyone, excellent work today! Tomorrow we'll begin choreography for 'Masquerade,' so be sure to run over the music carefully beforehand to refresh your memory. You're dismissed, and have a pleasant evening!"
Elijah Mikaelson waved a hand at the cast, the chatter of tired and hungry thespians after a long rehearsal filling the theater in a familiar cacophony.
Caroline wished she could be dismissed along with the others, but unfortunately the burden of being a lead required extra rehearsal time, and she had one more number to block before she could go home for the night. She gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. Any minute now—
"Caroline, Niklaus," Elijah's voice reached her ears. "When you're ready, we can begin."
She set her water bottle down, walking back over to where the stoic director was sitting, perusing his script that had an enormous amount of sticky notes attached to it that were covered in elegant handwriting, along with a huge binder of other notes and scribblings. Sometimes she forgot how much work went into directing a musical. Thank goodness Elijah was blessed with patience and hadn't lost his sanity as of yet.
"I'm all set, Elijah," she said, hiding a smile as Elijah jolted up from his notes, as if waking from a trance.
"Wonderful." He looked up, smiling at her. "Now, I'd like you to start stage right—a little more towards center stage—perfect. Niklaus, you'll be...where is he?"
Elijah frowned, looking around for the missing leading man.
"I'm right here, Elijah, no need to fuss," a suave, arrogant voice lilted up from the back of the theater.
Caroline rolled her eyes. Typical.
"Ah, Niklaus. Late as usual," Elijah called out, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone. "So good of you to grace us with your presence."
Caroline couldn't help herself. She snorted audibly.
"How could I miss my biggest number?" Klaus retorted smoothly, shrugging off his black leather jacket and sauntering over to where Caroline stood. He shot her one of his signature smirks. "Hello, Caroline."
She started right back at him, defiantly, refusing to engage in his little game. "Let's just get this over with," she muttered, not deigning to waste time greeting him, the asshole. She prayed that they could get through the scene as quickly and painlessly as possible.
"Now, you two, I realize that we haven't rehearsed the other Phantom/Christine scenes yet, but I wanted to start with 'Music of the Night' to ensure that it is spot-on and well-rehearsed. It is, after all, the song of the show." He eyed Klaus firmly. "I trust you have been practicing with Katerina, brother?"
Klaus let out a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, I have unfortunately been exposed to the unforgiving, vitriolic temper of your wife. Apparently, I have—what was it? 'An ass that needs a good kicking as well as terrible breath support when singing above a D-flat.'"
Elijah's eyebrows shot up, amused. "Well, she's not wrong, I daresay," he commented, lips twitching at the sight of Caroline shaking with suppressed giggles and Klaus glaring at her. He knew as well as anyone the little rivalry between the two, and he couldn't deny that if anyone could put his wildly egotistical brother in his place, it would be Caroline.
"Yes, yes, it's all very amusing—can we get on with it?" Klaus scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.
Elijah cleared his throat hurriedly. "Of course, brother. Caroline, stay where you are for now. Rather than block you now, I want to see how you envision Christine's movements before I jump right in and give you my vision of the blocking. Just react to the Phantom's words with awe. I'm sure you have good instincts," he smiled, then turned to Klaus. "Now, this is your time to shine, Niklaus. Stand over there, stage right. I know you have the physicality and presence, but I want to hear a bit more vocal power. It's a seductive, ethereal song, obviously, and I need both of you to exude sensuality throughout." Once Klaus was in position, he sat back in his chair, nodding to the pianist. "Let's hear it, then."
Caroline trained her eyes on the ceiling, willing herself into character. Emotion: wide-eyed innocent awe.
That carefully crafted mask almost slipped at the sound of Niklaus Mikaelson's voice, velvety smooth, slinking and whispering through the air and caressing her ear as the first notes of the melody drifted from the piano.
She barely managed to stop herself from breaking character and gawking at him.
Granted, she had made a point of ignoring his existence, but how on earth did she not know that he could sing like that?
Carefully, she chanced a peak at him, staying in character, letting her gaze linger over his face.
Lord knew the man was sinfully attractive...but if Caroline was turned on by anything, it was a man with powerful pipes.
The fact that his dark blonde stubble glinted in the light, framing his full raspberry lips that were currently mouthing the words to one of the most sensual of showtunes was irrelevant and had absolutely no effect on her. Nope. Zero.
And the chill running down her spine had nothing to do with a pair of keen, blue eyes blazing at her as they caught hers.
No. It was purely the emotion of the moment. Of course, it could hardly be anything else other than strictly acting.
But the goosebumps erupting over her arms suggested otherwise.
She nearly jumped as she felt the touch of a warm hand on her arm. Klaus slowly pulled her toward him, gradually, without a hint of hurry, lifting a lone finger to slide gently down the side of her face. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, but quickly masked it as she turned away from him, forcing herself to get back to the present and focus on her movements.
Her eyes closed of their own accord as Klaus's voice swelled to a glorious crescendo.
If music was sex, she could swear she would be having an orgasm...
She sensed his presence behind her, knowing that this was the iconic moment—Christine falling into the Phantom's embrace, completely enthralled by his power.
Her body trembled as Klaus snaked a strong arm around her, his hand coming to lightly rest on the skin of her chest right beneath her collarbone, his fingers just resting on the neckline of her shirt.
For the briefest of moments, she wondered what it would feel like, if this were real...
So lost in the moment, the heady feel of his skin on hers, she was thrown completely off guard when he suddenly picked her up bridal-style—right, they were still acting, of course—and laid her down on the other side of the stage. Klaus leaned close to her, stroking her face once more, as he sang the last lines of the song:
You alone can make my song take flight...
Help me make the music of the night.
The notes of the last chord faded away into a deafening silence. Caroline held her breath, acutely aware of Klaus's proximity. Even with her eyes still closed, she knew he was looking at her with those piercing eyes.
A long low whistle jolted her out of her haze.
"Well, no one can deny that you two have chemistry," Elijah noted, eyebrows raised. "But I must say, I'm impressed with your performances. Did you rehearse this scene beforehand?"
Caroline glanced nervously at Klaus before shaking her head, flushing at the smirk her partner was displaying.
"Incredible," Elijah smiled slightly, hastily writing some notes into his script. "In all honesty, I very much liked how you both reacted and played off of each other's movements, so there's not much I want to change. Niklaus, the only thing I need you to be aware of is to make sure that you don't rush that one measure—where was it?—Ah yes, here..."
Elijah launched into full-on directing mode, allowing Caroline a moment to collect her thoughts.
Only one stood out to her.
What the hell was that?

It was well after eleven when Caroline arrived back at her apartment, exhausted and in need of a good shot of vodka. Flinging her purse on the table, she strode to the cabinet, only to realize that they were fresh out of vodka.
She bit back a scream of frustration.
As much as she hated to admit it, Klaus Mikaelson had ruffled some of her perfectly plumed, proverbial feathers.
How on earth she could be even remotely turned on by a man she despised was a complete mystery to her.
And now, she couldn't even drown her woes in alcohol. Just perfect.
Rubbing her temple, she sighed. She needed to text Elena. Her roommate was usually out and about with her boyfriend Stefan most evenings, so perhaps she could persuade her to stop by the store and replenish their liquor supply. It was worth a shot at least.
Kicking off her flats, she padded back into the living room, throwing herself down on the couch and rummaging through her purse for her phone.
Shit.
Her phone was gone.
She swore loudly. She must have left it in the car, or worse, back at the theater.
Frantically, she slipped her feet back into her flats and grabbed her keys, when a knock on the door rang out, stopping her.
Curious, she reached for the doorknob, flinging the door wide open.
Piercing blue eyes in a handsome face that had been overtaking her brain for the entire night were staring back at her.
"Klaus?" Her eyes widened. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He merely smirked at her, arms folded against his chest. "You forgot your phone back at work. I'm simply returning it to its rightful owner." He pulled the phone out of his pocket.
"Oh thank God!" Caroline reached for it, but he quickly dangled it out of reach. She raised a questioning brow.
"Ah ah ah. I believe I deserve a reward of some kind for this little favor."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "I would think that doing the right thing would be enough of a reward in and of itself."
"What ever happened to 'one good turn deserves another,' sweetheart?"
"Well what ever happened to 'no good deed goes unpunished'?"
Klaus raised his hands in surrender. "Touche. Although I am intrigued on how exactly you might punish me." He cast her a saucy grin, his tone dripping with innuendo.
Caroline threw her hands out to her sides in exasperation. "Seriously? First of all, let's be clear about one thing—I am entirely too smart to be seduced by you and your stupid charming accent, so don't bother. And secondly, give me the damn phone back and leave me alone!" Caroline hissed, her hand darting out to grab her phone, unsuccessfully, as Klaus merely took a step back from her.
"You think my accent is charming?" he asked, pleased at her slip-up.
"That's all you got from that? Ugh!" She groaned, diving for the phone once more.
To her surprise, he caught her around the waist and pulled her to him, maneuvering them around so her back hit the wall next to her front door.
She swallowed, looking up into his handsome face, cursing the wave of heat coursing through her at his closeness.
"One date. That's my condition," Klaus spoke quietly, eyes boring into hers.
"No. Absolutely not." She retorted, ignoring the thrilling sensation coiling in her stomach. She was so not even considering the idea. Nope. Never.
"I suppose you'll have to buy a new phone then. A shame, really," Klaus said regretfully with a mock sigh, lips twitching mischievously.
She glared at him for a few moments, defiantly, searching his gaze for some weakness that she could exploit, but he was adamant.
He had her exactly where he wanted her, and she knew that he knew it, the arrogant bastard.
She gritted her teeth, and shoved him away from her. "Fine. One date, and then you leave me the hell alone. Are we clear, Mikaelson?"
He stepped toward her again, invading her personal space. "Transparently," he grinned triumphantly, shaking her proffered hand. "Shall I pick you up here Friday at seven, then?"
"Yeah, whatever." She scoffed, prying her phone from his grasp. "Now can you please go away?"
"In my experience, one usually thanks someone after they've returned something to them," Klaus said smoothly, eyes twinkling at her.
She jutted her chin out, tilting her head at him. "Thank you, Mr. Mikaelson, I'm incredibly grateful for your service," she snapped sarcastically, already turning back to go inside.
A hand pulled her back around to face him, and in the blink of an eye, she felt the soft pressure of soft, tender lips lightly touching her cheek, stubble softly scraping at her skin. She was so startled she lost her ability to move—but as quickly as it had come, the kiss was over, his hand relinquishing her from his grasp.
Her gaze snapped to his, eyes wide with surprise.
"I'll see you Friday, Caroline," he smiled at her once more, eyes lit up in victory, and then he was striding confidently down the hallway towards the elevators. "And you're welcome!" He called back over his shoulder as he rounded the corner and disappeared from view, the lingering scent of his cologne the only evidence that he had ever been there in the first place.
Caroline nearly ran into her apartment and closed the door, instantly slumping against it. Shakily, she raised her fingers to the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her, a warm feeling spreading through her being.
She had a date with Klaus Mikaelson. And there was the slightest possibility that she was attracted to him.
Could her life get any worse?