#klarolinesbuttons

[purplesigebert]

Fic Rec Friday!

Week #? - my 5th post

A Relationship Told Through Ringtones by @klarolinesbuttons

With Caroline still in Mystic Falls and Klaus in New Orleans, it's not surprising that the phone is their means of communication. What is surprising is that they're communicating at all. And that Caroline is far from minding it.

Oh, what's this? Me talking gushing about Jess' work? Quelle surprise!

I come back to this fic often but it was my mom showing me Beaches (1988) recently, that prompted this fic rec entry.

I love the progression of the ringtones, and the closeness that you can feel between Caroline and Klaus.

In the chaos of a Mystic Falls summer, Klaus is Caroline's steady point, her friend, her confidante.

And his love for her shines through when Caroline finds out about Bonnie's death.

As always your characterization is flawless, and this story makes me laugh and cry (in a good way!) every time.

Thank you for writing this Jess!

#klaroline fic rec friday #klaroline #the vampire diaries #gabby's thoughts

[klaroween]

KLAROWEEN BINGO RESULTS ARE IN!!!

Yes, you heard right. We’ve been busy tallying all the Klaroween Bingo cards (but also distracted by all your awesome goodies a bit too) and we now have our results.  

But before we announce them, we’d also like to take the time to thank you all for participating. This has been such a fun event and we couldn’t be happier with all of the lovely treats you’ve created! You guys are one talented bunch of Klaroliners.

And now for the results.....

Huge congratulations to our top three with a massive effort accumulating 60 squares between them (yes, you heard right). 

To @supremeuppityone for completing her entire card and wowing us all with her creativity. 

To  @honestgrins for her blitz of wonderful drabbles that kept us thoroughly entertained this Klaroween.

To @sunshineandfangs for her vast array of treats that had us on the edge of our seats. 

Also to the following players who gave us the most amazing goodies to devour this past October, you are all creative geniuses! 

@itsnotacrimetoloveyou

@klarolinesbuttons

@ashleigh-jewitt-xx

@misssophiachase

@childoftimeandmagic

@romanoffsbite

@austennerdita2533

@labime

@accidental-rambler

@eriberry89

@warnerxella

@klarolinekolvina

@forbesaken

@littlebirdofthenorth

Thank you all for your wonderful treats, we have been in absolute awe how you managed to come up with such creative goodies in such a short space of time. You truly have made this event even better than we first envisaged.

We will be contacting our top eleven immediately (we had some ties which means one extra gift - yay) to organise their chosen gifters. The rest will also receive a thank you gift for participating, so stay tuned!

Once the gifts are posted, keep watching our blog to see what our talented mystery gifters come up with!

- Your Klaroween Bingo Team. 

#klaroween bingo #klaroween #bingo results #congratulations everyone #supremeuppityone #honestgrins #sunshineandfangs #itsnotacrimetoloveyou #klarolinesbuttons #ashleigh-jewitt-xx #childoftimeandmagic #romanoffsbite #austennerdita2533 #labime #misssophiachase #accidental-rambler #eriberry89 #klarolinekolvina #warnerxella #forbesaken #littlebirdofthenorth

[supremeuppityone]

Drowning Secrets in the Sea

This is a gift for the lovely @klarolinesbuttons — thank you for all of the wonderful works you created for the Klaroween Bingo Event! I hope you like your gift!

In this AU human story, Klaus discovers the archaeological find of the century with an ancient underwater city and now he’s expected to share credit with a brazen blonde upstart who enjoys arguing and flirting in equal measure.

Historical note: In 2001, there was an amazing archaeological find — the underwater city of Heracleion, that plunged into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt nearly 1,200 years ago. Definitely ‘worth a Google’ when you see the amazing artifacts they’ve found! 

 “The thief is not the one who steals, but the one that is caught.”

— George Bernard Shaw

               Its bite radius seemed to be the size of a bloody golf cart, and rather than shrink back in terror when faced with arguably the most dangerous shark species in the world, Caroline appeared to be glaring at it while forcibly grabbing several gold Egyptian idols she’d excavated from the seafloor. Klaus swore that blonde menace was bloody insane as she faced off with the aggressive bull shark, defiantly swimming off without a backward glance to see if it intended to chase after her.

           As lead archaeologist for the ancient city of Heracleion, Klaus had endured a mind-numbing amount of red tape as his board of regents dictated every aspect of his research off the coast of Egypt, but he lost count of the number of times he almost quit after they sent Caroline Forbes to join his team. She arrived a month ago, with her sunshine curls, mischievous blue eyes and maddening spreadsheets that rearranged every one of his excavation processes. And her insufferable know-it-all attitude left him gritting his teeth after he secretly fact-checked her various research arguments with him only to discover that she might be the foremost expert in Egyptology.

           And that was when he knew he was in trouble. Because in his decades-long academic career, he’d never allowed anyone or anything to distract him from his research. But Caroline was a force of nature who swept into his life and left him completely out of his depth for the first time in his life. Klaus had tried to maintain a comfortable professional distance, but his control was worn thin every time she argued with him about proper sarcophagi preservation while wearing those distracting mid-thigh scuba suits she preferred.

           Shaking his head in irritation at the blonde’s recklessness, he forced himself to ascend slowly in the warm water to avoid decompression complications. When he finally broke the surface, he scowled at the cheeky grin that greeted him. Caroline leaned over the lower deck of their research vessel to help him scale the steel ladder. “Took you long enough, Klaus. I was starting to think my friend decided to play tag with you,” she teased.

           “Your ‘friend’ has a fearsome reputation for jaws of steel that ruthlessly hang on with no tolerance for provocation, and you chose to taunt the beast by encroaching on his territory. What the hell were you thinking,” Klaus growled, hating how his schoolboy crush made him irrationally angry at his colleague.

           Rolling her eyes, she bent over, inadvertently giving him a front-row seat to the perfection that was her magnificently sculpted arse as she retorted, “Well, I was thinking my friend could wait his turn because it’s finders keepers.” Straightening with one of the tarnished gold idols, she shrugged carelessly, “It’s the law of the land.” Excitedly stroking the statue, she gushed, “Do you see the beautifully rendered electrum? I estimate it’s 80% gold and the pharaonic head covering almost perfectly mimics the Amun-Gerb temple burial masks!”

           It was that unique adventurous spirit, along with her obvious enthusiasm for their scholarly endeavors, that had him completely captivated, Klaus realized with a small smile. Just the other day, the bloody lunatic had casually shooed away a venomous lionfish that had grown curious about an extraordinarily well-preserved stele she’d unearthed.

           But she wasn’t always so fearless.

          The first week she’d arrived, they’d breached a narrow passageway in the underwater cave where the oldest artifacts seemed to be located. Excited at the prospect of uncovering more priceless treasures, Caroline barely paid attention to the rope guideline strung along the cave walls as she paddled deeper into the dark cavern, their safety lights reflecting off of the vibrant red and orange coral.

           Irritated that she wasn’t following basic marine archaeology protocol, he quickly increased his speed to catch up her, intent on airing his grievances with his board of regents as soon as they surfaced. However, his indignation was short-lived when a cloud of air bubbles suddenly blocked the passage. Concerned about Caroline, he slowly floated forward, taken aback when he saw her furiously struggling against a jagged crevice. Her eyes were fearful as she flailed her limbs wildly, clearly unable to break free.

           Hating the helpless look of panic on Caroline’s face, he quickly moved into her line of sight, doing his best to calm her down so that she wouldn’t prematurely deplete her oxygen supply. His presence seemed to calm her down slightly, although she held her body rigid as he leaned closer to investigate the tangled ball of fishing line that prevented her tank from clearing the narrow passage.

           Klaus gestured for Caroline to grip her regulator so that it would remain safely in her mouth while he carefully helped her out of the buoyance compensator so that he could cut through the tangled line with his diving knife. Once he’d freed her scuba equipment, he helped her put everything back on, noting the slight tremor in her hands as she snapped the buckle in place.

           He watched her carefully as they slowly made their ascent, pleased to see that she’d shaken off her fear and was now swimming with smooth, confident strokes once more. Once back on deck, she’d quietly sat there, dangling her feet off the side as she stared aimlessly at the stunning turquoise waves that lapped gently at the boat.

           Sitting next to her, Klaus quietly told Caroline, “I was diving an ancient Greek trading vessel in the Black Sea a few years ago, and managed to get tangled in an old lobster trap. I lost my head for a bit, thrashing about in the water, but fortunately, one of the other divers appeared to help me. Later, he told me, ‘The sea is full of tricks; it doesn’t give up its secrets without a fight.’”

           She considered his words, squeezing his hand as she murmured, “I’m used to working alone. I’m very grateful you don’t, though.” she told him, the depth of her gaze searing into him, leaving him to wonder about all the things she’d left unsaid.  

           Realizing she’d caught him staring at her a beat too long, he replayed her words and finally answered, “Yes, yes, you’ve already established your superior appraisal skills with this site’s artifacts. Fairly certain I caught you drooling over the gold coins of Ptolemy the First you had spread out over the tables yesterday morning.”

           “Only because you kept classifying them incorrectly! It’s supposed to be creation date then metal weight, or else those stoner interns you brought along will never get them catalogued properly in time for your university’s unveiling,” she argued cheerfully.

           As she carefully set down the idol, she added, “And, it’s thanks to my superior appraisal skills that I secured your funding for this dig site another two years. Seriously, Klaus, you’ve been short-changing yourself for years if you’ve simply relied on a cursory estimated value of the artifacts you excavate. When you write reports to your board of regents, you have to sell them on not only the historical value of the artifacts but also the prestige and interest they’ll generate when unveiled to the public. They care about money and generating even more money under a thinly veiled guide of scholarly endeavors.”  

           He grumbled, realizing she had a point. “You’re quite well-versed in the duplicitous ways of academia, sweetheart. You must drive your own board of regents barking mad trying to keep up with your exacting demands,” he observed fondly.

           Caroline replied, “It’s really more about knowing people and how to appeal to their greed.”

           Klaus noted the slightly bitter tone to her voice, suddenly feeling the need to commiserate. “I know a fair bit about the greed in people’s hearts,” he began, resisting the urge to brush aside her wet strands when she jerked her head sharply at his statement. “My father fancies himself a world-renowned collector of priceless artifacts, but he’s actually a foul cutthroat who exploits the black market in an attempt to sate his bottomless greed.”

           Raising an eyebrow, she asked wryly, “So, you set out to become an accomplished archaeologist in one of the oldest civilizations known to man out of spite? I can respect that.”

           Not wanting to discuss his wretched father another moment, Klaus gave her a brief smile, and asked, “Well, what of your parents then? We’ve been so busy navigating the underwater work site that I’ve barely learned anything about you, love.”

           Carefully stowing the waterproof metal detectors, Caroline bit her lip, something he’d learned she did whenever she was debating something. “I never knew my father. You’ll have to tell me if that’s better or worse than having one like yours. My mom’s all I ever had.”

           Klaus observed the hard edge her voice took on — there’d only been one other time he’d heard it — when she found out he’d contacted her university to double-check her credentials. She’d been furious that he hadn’t trusted her and much to his chagrin, had forwarded him the incredibly detailed background check his own university had performed when they vetted her to join his research project. “Apologies, love, I didn’t mean to pry,” he replied, “I just thought since we’d been spending so much time together, it might be nice to get to know each other,” he finished awkwardly, feeling the tips of his ears burn slightly at the quirk of her lips.

           Caroline shook her head, scattering water droplets across the deck. “I’d like that.” Letting out a long sigh, she helped him carefully place the idols into bins of nitric acid and fresh water to start their preservation. “But, getting to know me is kind of a depressing conversation that requires many, many drinks. So, why don’t we finish up here and the first round is on me.”

           The acrid smoke filled his lungs as he made his way through the narrow bar, looking for Caroline. It was one of the oldest bars in Alexandria, a mishmash of old world-charm of the ancient Mediterranean port city with the eclectic vibe of the various tourists that drunkenly wandered in from the cruise ships. Klaus finally spied her blonde waves as she leaned over the well-worn bar to order a drink. When a drunken lout squeezed in beside Caroline and grabbed her wrist, her voice carried over the tinny, muffled classic rock playing through the speakers. “Let go before I make you let go.”

           Klaus was taken aback by the heat in her threat — even when furious, her tone was steel wrapped in sunshine. He was distracted from his thoughts when the stranger aggressively jerked her closer, slurring, “Just having some fun, but now I get to teach you uppity bitch a lesson.”

           Just as Klaus raced forward, blood rushing angrily in his ears, Caroline’s scowl turned into a dangerous blade and in one fluid move, she’d delivered a vicious uppercut to his sagging jawline with her left fist, and when he quickly released her right hand, she wrenched the boorish tourist’s arm behind his back, effectively pinning his sweaty head to the scuffed bar top with a hard thunk. Klaus arrived in time to hear Caroline hiss in his ear, “Go back to your cruise ship before I teach you a lesson, bitch.” With a final, cheeky pat across the back of his pastel polo shirt, Caroline let the stranger make his hasty, stumbled retreat out of the bar.

           Raising an eyebrow, Klaus couldn’t deny the small thrill he felt watching Caroline display this unexpected new side. “Impressive. I dare say you could use a drink.”

           As he signaled the bartender, she slapped a brown leather wallet on the bar between them, casually digging through it until she held up a credit card, announcing, “I agree, and it looks like Mr. Saltzman generously has agreed to foot the bill.”

           Against his better judgement, he fell for that impish wink she threw him, and slid the card toward the bartender to start their tab. Clinking their beer bottles together, he commented, “Care to tell me where you learned how to fight like that? Or that pickpocket routine, sweetheart?”

           Admiring the scribbles in various language along the wall behind them, she shrugged, “I grew up in a rough neighborhood. When no one’s looking out for you, you’ve got to look out for yourself. And I may have picked up a few other...unorthodox skills somewhere along the way.”

           As Klaus considered what Caroline wasn’t saying, he asked carefully, “Earlier you mentioned it was just you and your mother. What happened that she wasn’t looking out for you, love?”

           “My mom’s been sick for a long time which is why I started taking on more specialized assignments to try to keep up with her medical bills,” she ventured, taking a long drink from her bottle.

           Feeling a pang at her confession, he couldn’t help but inquire, “How bad is it, sweetheart?”

           “She needs a kidney and I’m not a match,” Caroline told him, worry lining her brow as she stared off into space. “There’s this waiting list and it’s her only hope now and I don’t know what I’ll do if...” she trailed off as she seemed to struggle to rein in her emotions.

           Klaus hated how defeated she sounded, all traces of her vibrant personality were gone and she looked so alone that he squeezed her hand. He suddenly felt the unexpected urge to tell her, “I had a little brother, Henrik, who was sick. By the time they found the leukemia, there was only time for a few rounds of chemo...we lost him within a year. I read him Greek mythology stories every day he was in the hospital.” A small, sad smile touched his lips as he added, “His favorite story was the one about the minotaur and the maze.”

           “My mom likes me to read Ovid to her when she’s getting her dialysis treatment. We’re both fans of Jason and the Golden Fleece,” Caroline said, nudging his shoulder.

           Klaus contemplated his beer as he revealed, “I think that’s part of why I became an archaeologist — to connect with that childlike wonder at ancient myths bigger than the world as we know it. There’s always a mystery to unravel with each new artifact; we’re restoring a bit of humanity’s lost heritage that we never even knew was missing. Unlike the other priceless works lost to the ages and likely never to be recovered like the coronet of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, or the end piece of the Bayeux Tapestry.”

           Caroline’s hand stilled as she reached for her beer, finally grasping it to clink it against his once more, cheerfully telling him, “I’ll drink to that.”

           He suddenly was aware of how close they were sitting. He watched her carefully, cataloguing too many emotions to decipher them properly. Heart pounding, he decided to take a chance. He closed the space between them, meeting her lips with his in a kiss that was hesitant but hopeful. Ignoring the catcalls of the drunken patrons, he deepened their kiss, encouraged by the way her hands touched his face, as if wanting to keep him in this moment.

           Suddenly, Caroline broke their kiss, her blue eyes full of regret as she told him sadly, “I can’t. We’re heading in different directions and it’s not fair to you. I’m sorry, Klaus.” Not waiting for his response, she abruptly left, disappearing into the night as he struggled to understand what happened.

           Several shots later, Klaus left the bar, weaving a bit as he made his way through the market square and back to the cramped office space that had been rented for the research project. He didn’t understand Caroline’s rejection — they were both respected archaeologists specializing in the same regional histories, their research project had been extended for several years — why did she believe were they heading in different directions? His thoughts were muddled from drinking, but he wasn’t sure it would make more sense after he sobered.

           He fumbled with his keys, finally fitting the correct one in the lock. He didn’t bother turning on the lights in the downstairs work area, instead slowly trudging through dusty piles of boxes until he was at the foot of the stairs that led to the staff’s sleeping quarters. As he began the unsteady climb, he paused when he heard Caroline’s irritated voice. From the sound of it, she was arguing with someone on the phone. “It’s over, do you hear me? I’m done!”

           Was she fighting with a lover? He strained to hear more, not caring about something as inconsequential as manners if it turned out Caroline had only turned him away because she needed to end something with someone else first. “No,” she swore angrily, “no more. I told you I’m done and I mean it!” Klaus held his breath, waiting for her to speak again, but when he didn’t hear anything further, he finished climbing the stairs to his quarters and fell into bed.

           The next morning, the sun blinded him, and from his throbbing head, he could tell his hangover was shaping up to need more than his usual greasy breakfast to cure. Groaning, he clumsily pulled on less-rumpled clothes and made his way over to Caroline’s room across the hall. He hesitated before he knocked, replaying last night’s events from their heated kiss to her confusing rejection and then the argument he overheard. He cared for her, but if she didn’t feel the same, surely he could set aside his hurt so that they could continue working together.

           Easier said than done, mate. Every time he replayed her words and the regret in her eyes, his heart sank in his chest. Rubbing a hand over his scruffy jaw, he squared his shoulders as he gently knocked. “Caroline? Would you care to join me for breakfast before we start cataloging our excavations?” Frowning when there was no response, he knocked a bit more firmly, her door swinging wide to reveal her bed was already made. Gray eyes narrowed, he noticed that the small closet was open, showing that it was empty save for a few coat hangers. Caroline was gone.      

           His hangover was no match for the rising panic he felt, terrified that he’d pushed her away with his impulsive kiss. He raced downstairs, unsure what to do. Spying his phone on a desk, he grabbed it, frantically looking for her number. Before he made the call, however, a noise near the back of the office caught his attention.

           A local bank had donated a vault to secure the artifacts, and Klaus realized that the noise was coming from inside. Feeling a slight glimmer of hope that it was Caroline, he ran inside, stopping short at the sight that greeted him.

           It was the flash of silver on the gun that he noticed first, his gaze tracing the length of the pistol until he registered that it was his father who held the gun. “Mikael,” he snarled, refusing to show this contemptable man any fear. “We haven’t spoken in years. Why are you here?”

           Mikael’s smile was cruel and twisted as he revealed, “To finish the job my assistant couldn’t get done.”

           Klaus hated the way his father possessively ran his hand across the piles of gold and bronze coins, eyeing the intricately carved statue of Hapy, god of floods, with pure greed. “What are you on about? What assistant?”

           He nodded behind Klaus, the blade of his smile sharpening as he greeted, “Why, the lovely Caroline, of course.”

           Caroline suddenly entered the vault, stoic and coldly calculating as she studied Mikael. “I told you I was out. I’m not helping you steal this treasure from Klaus.”

           Klaus felt his temper rise, forgetting the gun his father had trained on him as he growled at her, “All this time, you’ve been working for my father?! Was anything you told me real?!”

           “Yes,” she snapped, momentarily tearing her eyes away from the gun, “My mom was on a waiting list for a kidney but Mikael used his connections to get her kicked off of it. He said he’d only get her put back on if I pulled this job for him.” At Klaus’ noise of disgust, she shouted, “That list is her only chance! She’ll die without a kidney and I already used everything I had to pay her medical bills — there was nothing left to try to buy her one off the black market!”

           Despite his anger at being betrayed, he also felt a sliver of sympathy for her situation. It was the most vulnerable he’d ever seen her, even when he saved her in the underwater cave it didn’t compare to the raw emotion he now found in her eyes, and it took everything in him to hang onto his fury. Gray eyes narrowed, he replayed her words, picking up on her obvious familiarity with the black market, not to mention the other unusual traits he’d noticed but carelessly shrugged off. Whipping his head around, he asked Mikael suspiciously, “You could’ve used any thief to steal from me. Why Caroline?”

           “Because she’s the best grifter in the world,” he answered with an approving nod in Caroline’s direction, “among her illustrious accomplishments, she stole the end piece of the Bayeux Tapestry from a collector whose family had hidden away for generations.”

           Klaus’ gray eyes widened and he couldn’t help but be impressed — the final section of that famous medieval work had vanished sometime before the 16th century. Over the centuries, it only had been spoken of in whispers in the academic and art worlds, believed to be lost forever.

           Caroline seethed as she corrected his father, “I’m a treasure hunter, NOT a thief.” Flicking her gaze back to Klaus, she explained, “It’s how I knew so much about ancient artifacts.”

           “Obviously, you’re not a professor of Egyptology at the University of Chicago,” Klaus muttered, feeling completely ridiculous — he’d been quietly working on a lecture series that he’d intended to petition his own university to approve a visiting professorship for Caroline once their project grant had been depleted.

           Caroline sheepishly replied, “I may have picked up some digital forgery skills at some point,” she shrugged, “I knew your board of regents performed extensive background checks, so I wanted to be prepared.”

           Mikael sighed mockingly, “As amusing as this interlude has been children, it’s time to put an end to this embarrassing debacle.” Waving his pistol in Caroline’s direction, he ordered, “Start hauling the treasure to the front of the office. I’ve arranged for secure transport within the hour.”

           Despite the obvious danger, she narrowed her gaze at him as she challenged, “And if I don’t? Seriously, do you have any idea how many times I’ve had a gun pointed at me in my line of work?”

           While he admired her courage, Klaus barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her complete lack of self-preservation. He realized he was subconsciously angling his body as though trying to block Mikael’s line of sight.

           Mikael’s voice retained that cold, vicious certainty that had terrified Klaus as a child. “If you don’t follow my instructions, the fact that I will shoot both you and my worthless son is inconsequential. What should concern you is the depraved, agonizing torture I will visit upon your poor, sickly mother once you’re dead.”

           “Leave Caroline out of this, Mikael,” Klaus shouted, his heart plummeting when he saw how pale she’d grown the moment her mother was threatened.

           The fleeting warmth he felt when she flashed him a grateful smile was doused when his father chuckled darkly. “Useless boy, too foolish to understand he’s already dead.” The deadly click of the hammer as he cocked the pistol echoed throughout the bank vault, and Klaus hated the helplessness he felt, knowing he was about to die.

           Suddenly, Caroline whipped out a black handgun that had been concealed behind her back, tucked in her waistband. “Not him, Mikael. You.” She confidently stepped away from Klaus, keeping her cold gaze trained on Mikael.

           “You’re nothing but a scared little girl. You won’t pull the trigger,” Mikael taunted her with a sinister curl of his lip. Klaus registered the predatory way his father stalked toward Caroline, and he instinctively moved to protect her.

           A shot rang out with a sharp crack, sending adrenaline flooding through his system as he grabbed Caroline and threw them both behind a pile of dusty boxes. As he lay halfway on top of her, he quickly scanned her for injuries while listening for his father.

           He was surprised by the gentle press of Caroline’s palm on his back. “Klaus, it’s ok. It’s over.” She moved out from under him, pulling him to his feet as her smile turned grim.

           Klaus followed her gaze across the floor to where Mikael had fallen. The small bullet hole was centered in his forehead. A perfect shot. How the bloody hell did she know how to do that? “You saved my life,” he acknowledged in a harsh whisper, staring down at the monster who’d haunted his dreams for as long as he could remember. “He’d planned on killing me regardless of your decision to help him steal the treasure, and yet you risked your own life to save mine.”

           As she put away her gun, Caroline looked uncomfortable, shuffling her feet a bit as she muttered, “Well, I couldn’t just let you die after everything...” she trailed off awkwardly. As though noticing the way his eyes kept wandering back to his father’s body, her brow furrowed worriedly and she grasped him by the arm, leading him out of the vault and into their main work area. Biting her lip, she told him, “Mikael said there’s a transport arriving within the hour — so, we have a few options to take care of this. I just need to know whether you want him to have a burial. Or, do you just want him gone?”

           His thoughts raced as he processed her words. How in blazes did she know about these things? He thought back to his horrific childhood with that vile creature, and realized that he only felt relief as he’d stared at his father’s corpse. The cold, calm certainty of his voice still surprised him as he decreed, “Mikael was an abusive monster who deserves every indignity you care to inflict.”          

           Nodding once, she pulled out her phone, typing a quick message. Flicking her blue gaze at him, she announced, “Understood. I called in a favor and everything will be taken care of before Mikael’s security detail arrives. My friend has secured a safe house for you to continue your work at the site and the artifacts will be transported safely.” At his shocked expression, she gave him a small smile, explaining, “He’s the one who commissioned me to find the missing Bayeux Tapestry piece.”

           Curious, Klaus asked, “How did you find it?! The bloody thing has been lost for centuries without a trace — How did you even know where to begin?”

           Shrugging, Caroline coyly said, “I just happened to hear a few interesting whispers that seemed like they’d lead to an adventure.” Her tone grew serious as she seemed to search for something in his expression. “I’m sorry for everything. I lied to you and while I had my reasons, it doesn’t change what happened. I fell for you, Klaus.”

           Laughing nervously, she shoved her phone back in her pocket, playing with the frayed belt loops on her jeans as she couldn’t seem to look at him when she confessed, “I put everything I had into fighting it, but I couldn’t help myself — you’re so passionate about your work and fiercely intelligent when we debate and you have this crazy charismatic pull and my god, you look like you’re chiseled from marble...” she rambled, cheeks flushing. “And I’m sorry I left — it’s just all I’ve ever known; it’s what I’m good at. But it hurt my heart to do that to you, so I came back because I couldn’t stand the thought of what Mikael would do to you.”  

           Caroline fell for him. Klaus took a breath, not knowing what to say. It was everything he’d wanted to hear, but somehow, it still wasn’t enough. She’d lied to him. She’d every intention of stealing those artifacts, possibly irrevocably damaging his career. How could he trust her after that?

           She studied his face, as though cataloguing every emotion that flickered across it. In a small voice, she asked him, “Now what?”

           He sighed, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t know, Caroline.” Running fingers through his curls in frustration, he hated the way bitterness started to bleed into his voice. “I don’t know if I can move past everything. I don’t know if could ever trust you.”

           She was wistful as she replied, “I understand,” and placed a quick kiss on his cheek as she walked away.

           Klaus stopped her when she opened the door. “What’s next for you then? Off on another adventure?” He was still greedy for her presence, wanting to soak up their last moments together, but couldn’t bring himself to tell her how he really felt. Stubborn arsehole.

           “In my downtime here, I’ve heard a few interesting whispers that might lead to an adventure.” Caroline winked, taking her heart with him as she walked away.

           For the next week, he walked around the new office like a ghost, barely paying attention to his research as his every thought was plagued by Caroline, and occasionally yelling at one of his irksome interns if they dared to breathe wrong in his presence. He was a miserable bastard and knew he only had himself to blame. He let her walk away. Caroline was off on a new adventure and probably had forgotten all about him.

           When the package arrived, he’d been staring off into space, remembering the endearing way Caroline used to flush an angry red whenever he argued with her about discrepancies found in radiocarbon dating techniques. She’d been a veritable wealth of knowledge — surely it wasn’t solely the result of treasure hunting. Yet another thing he’d never know about her, he thought grimly. Mindlessly opening the box, he paused when he registered the crudely wrought bronze. A quick assessment revealed two bracelets, an axe head, four sickles and a handful of spear points. Was he actually  holding a shipment of priceless artifacts from the Bronze Age?

           Klaus’ hand trembled as he recognized Caroline’s handwriting:

           “There’s more where this came from. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, maybe you could stop by?”

           She’d written a series of GPS coordinates that made his heart hammer with excitement. Klaus knew that this interesting whisper would definitely lead to an adventure.

 Please review here:

AO3

FFnet

#klaroween bingo #klarolinesbuttons #klaroline fanfiction #gift fic #i hope you like your gift #uppity bitch fanfic

[klarolinevacay]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Vampire Diaries (TV), The Originals (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson Characters: Caroline Forbes, Klaus Mikaelson, Kol Mikaelson, Katherine Pierce Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates Summary:

Klaus Mikaelson is the Original, Hybrid King of New Orleans and Caroline Forbes is the mysterious arrival new to town. Declaring war against each other seems much easier than acknowledging their budding attraction until their similarities and past collide and they're forced to face their true destiny in dire circumstances.

#klaroline vacation gift exchange #klaroline vacay #Klaroline #klarolinesbuttons #klaroline drabbles #gifts

[klarolinelibrary]

I would like a time travel edit inspired by Time After Time by @klarolinesbuttons

Klaroline Library Trivia Prize:  Time After Time Edit

For @purplesigebert 

#klaroline library #KCL trivia prizes #KCL librarians edits #klaroline edits #klaroline

[klarolinesweetswap]

Three days left to sign up for the Klaroline Sweet Swap exchange!!

Sign-ups for the Klaroline Sweet Swap Gift Exchange end on August 26th at 11:59pm ET and I hope you guys join the fun and sign up!! 

The timeline is as follows:

Sign-ups: Aug. 13 - 26 Assignments Out: Aug. 28 Assignments Due: Oct. 28 Gifts Revealed: Oct. 31 Gifters Revealed: Nov. 3rd

That means you get two months to complete your gift, so if you’ve never done writing, gif/graphic/aesthetic creation, or video editing, this is a great way to experiment with things you’ve never tried! If you’re nervous about writing or media creation, you could also design a playlist for someone, and share all your klaroline love through music.

For more information on what kinds of gifts you can request/create and the specifics of the exchange, please read the new rules (they’re a little different than the KC Mag exchange, but mostly the same stuff). If you have any questions, you can put in an ask!

If you want to sign up, you can do so here.

Archive of Our Own is an invite-only archive, and you need to be a member to participate. If you need an invite to Ao3, please let me (Angie) know and I’ll try to get that done as soon as possible.

I hope you guys choose to participate, and I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with <3

- Angie (thetourguidebarbie)

**Note: This exchange is not run by anyone on the Klaroline Magazine team (other than me, though I didn’t help out with the last exchange they did), but I want to toss out a thank you to everyone who helped out with the original exchanges, especially klarolinesbuttons, who created a baseline for some of the content I’m using.

#klaroline #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline drabbles #kcedits #kcedit #klarolinesweetswap

[klarolinewinterwonderland]

KLAROLINE WINTER WONDERLAND GIFTER REVEALS!!!

It’s time to unveil the identities of the Gifters for the 2017 Klaroline Winter Wonderland Gift Exchange!

But before we do that we’d like to thank everyone who participated. So many wonderful and talented members of our fandom took the time to create amazing works to share with us. Thank you all for joining us in making this event such a success!

A special thanks to our hard-working team for making this Klaroline Winter Wonderland Gift Exchange happen. Thanks also to the amazing Angie for stepping in as a pinch hitter so that everyone got a gift!

Also, please remember to leave these amazing gifts kudos or comments, likes or reblogs because their authors put in a lot of work and effort to create them! 

And now...Drum roll please....here’s what you’ve been waiting for!

@kickassfu/kickassfu wrote a Drabble for @honestgrins

@3tinkgemini/3tinkgemini wrote a Drabble for @withyouandthemoon

@klarolinedrabbles/klarolinedrabbles wrote a Drabble for @childoftimeandmagic

@supremeuppityone/UppityBitch wrote a Drabble for @klarolinesbuttons

@queencarolinemikaelson/theoriginalcheesecake wrote a Drabble for @brophigenia

@delerithmoriwen/DelerithMoriwen wrote a Drabble for @rebelandhercaptain

@garglyswoof/garglyswoof wrote a Drabble for @she-walked-away

@thetourguidebarbie/Angelikah wrote a Drabble for @agirlnamedtruth

@goldcaught/melsbels created an aesthetic for @ashleigh-jewitt-xx

@itsnotacrimetoloveyou/coveredinthecolors wrote a Drabble for @garglyswoof

@austennerdita2533/Austennerdita2533 wrote a Drabble for @laufire

@bbatcats/bigbvdwolf wrote a Drabble for @kickassfu

@honestgrins/honestgrins wrote a Drabble for @goldcaught

@klarolinesbuttons/venomandchampagne (sushi bunny) wrote a Drabble for @delerithmoriwen

@misssophiachase/misssophiachase wrote a Drabble for @3tinkgemini

@princess-of-the-worlds/princess-of-the-worlds created an aesthetic for @supremeuppityone

@brophigenia/brophigenia wrote a Drabble for @queencarolinemikaelson

@childoftimeandmagic/Writerwithagoal wrote a Drabble for @austennerdita2533

@withyouandthemoon/withyouandthemoon wrote a Drabble for @thetourguidebarbie

@that-wandering-belle/missingstars89 wrote a Drabble for @littlebirdofthenorth

@she-walked-away/soapmaniac22 wrote a Drabble for @itsnotacrimetoloveyou

@ashleigh-jewitt-xx/ashleighxx wrote a Drabble for @klarolinedrabbles

@rebelandhercaptain/Tonight_At_Noon wrote a Drabble for @that-wandering-belle

@thetourguidebarbie/Angelikah wrote a Drabble for @princess-of-the-worlds

@littlebirdofthenorth/dani_grl82 wrote a Drabble for @bbatcats

@laufire/laufire created aesthetics/gif set for @misssophiachase

So, that’s it for us for another Winter Wonderland Gift Exchange, see you next time! 

#klaroline winter wonderland #kcww #klaroline #gifter reveals #that's a wrap

[klarolinefanficdirectory]

Hi, great blog :) was wondering if you know of any good World War 2 based Klaroline drabbles, thank you very much

Drabble by klarolinesbuttons

The Healed Heart Shows It Shallow Scars by princessoftheworlds

An Angel In War by The Mikaelson Cupcake

Love Behind The Front Lines & Just A Dream by Sci-fi Christian

#Anonymous #Ask

[klaroween]

Klaroween Bingo - Masterlist: Week Four (and beyond)

Can you believe Klaroween has been and gone? Well, technically Halloween but we can’t help ourselves! Where has the time gone? We’ve loved everything you’ve created, and can’t thank you enough for making this event so fun and spooky at the same time! 

Once we’ve tallied everything up we’ll be back to announce the results. But please let us know if we haven’t reblogged anything of yours or added it below, tumblr has been eating posts of late and we’d hate to miss out on your lovely creations.

But time for our last master list of works.... Have at it, lovelies! 

Drabbles

Spooked by @honestgrins

Black Cat by @childoftimeandmagic

Pools and Pumpkins  by @klarolinekolvina

Stake Once Check Twice by @childoftimeandmagic​

Are you trying to Get us Killed? by @sunshineandfangs

You Give out Floss to Trick or Treaters, Don’t You? by @supremeuppityone

Fall Days by @childoftimeandmagic

Scary Video Game by @sunshineandfangs

Love Bites by @misssophiachase

The Huntress and the Beast by @childoftimeandmagic

Hand Over the Chocolate and No One Gets Hurt by @sunshineandfangs

You Don’t Have a Ghost of a Chance by @supremeuppityone

In the Cemetery Really? by @childoftimeandmagic

Are You Trying to Get Us Killed by @sunshineandfangs

Don’t Open That Door by @childoftimeandmagic

Help Me Please by @sunshineandfangs

Why Not Both by @childoftimeandmagic

Aesthetics and Drabbles

Who Ate All My Candy? by @supremeuppityone

You Look Good Enough to Eat by @sunshineandfangs

Swing Swing from the Trusty Tangles by @austennerdita2533

And What are you Supposed to be? by @supremeuppityone

Aren’t You A Little Old to be Trick-or-Treating by @klarolinesbuttons

Candy Corn by @klarolinesbuttons

My Favourite Holiday is tomorrow; Half-Price Candy Day by @supremeuppityone

Witch and Familiar by @klarolinesbuttons

Cinderella Masquerade by @austennerdita2533

Bones by @ashleigh-jewitt-xx

Devil by @klarolinesbuttons

Can’t You Like Wiggle Your Nose and Everything Works Out by @sunshineandfangs

Black Cat by @klarolinesbuttons

Gif Set and Drabble

Halloween Party by @sunshineandfangs

- Your Klaroween Bingo Team

#klaroween bingo #klaroween #klaroline drabbles #kcedits #klaroline #amazing works yet again

[klarolinevacay]

KLAROLINE VACAY EXCHANGE - GIFTER REVEALS

It’s finally time to unveil the identities of the Gifters for the 2018 Klaroline Vacation Gift Exchange.

Before we do the reveal, we’d like to thank everyone who participated. So many wonderful and talented members of our fandom took the time to create amazing works to share with us. Thank you all for joining us in making this event such a success!

Special thanks goes to our awesome pinch hitters @childoftimeandmagic and @labime for stepping in and helping us out with gifts. 

Please remember to leave these amazing gifts kudos or comments, likes or reblogs because their authors put in a lot of work and effort to create them!

We’d also like to take this opportunity to say goodbye for the last time. It’s been a fun ride and we hope that you’ve enjoyed participating as much as we’ve enjoyed organising all the gift exchanges over the past few years. 

And now…Drum roll please….here’s what you’ve been waiting for!

@austennerdita2533/Austennerdita2533 wrote a Drabble for @3tinkgemini

@princess-of-the-worlds/princessoftheworlds wrote a Drabble for @ashleigh-jewitt-xx

@childoftimeandmagic/Writerwithagoal wrote a Drabble for @beautifulstronglight 

@klavscaroline/klavscaroline wrote a Drabble for @fyeahcaptn

@brophigenia/brophigenia wrote a Drabble for @littlebirdofthenorth

@klarolinesbuttons/venomandchampagne (sushibunny) wrote a Drabble for @acourtofhopeanddreams 

@katieb373/katiekunde0924 wrote a Drabble for @forbesaken

@3tinkgemini/3tinkgemini wrote a Drabble for @joey-prue

@supremeuppityone/uppitybitch wrote a Drabble for @laufire

@beautifulstronglight/beautifulstronglight created a gifset for @misssophiachase

@supernutellastuff/supernutellastuff wrote a Drabble for @realynn8

@acourtofhopeanddreams/fanetjuh wrote a Drabble for Sakura_Rae_Star

@thatsanotherlovestory/thatsanotherlovestory wrote a Drabble for @withyouandthemoon

@joey-prue/joey_prue created Graphics for @klarolinedrabbles

@childoftimeandmagic/Writerwithagoal wrote a Drabble for @katieb373

@klarolinesbuttons/venomandchampagne (sushibunny) wrote a Drabble for @labime

@littlebirdofthenorth/dani_grl82 wrote a Drabble for @princess-of-the-worlds

@withyouandthemoon/withyouandthemoon wrote a Drabble for @strongbeautifulfulloflight

@klarolinedrabbles/klarolinedrabbles wrote a Drabble for @supremeuppityone

@misssophiachase/misssophiachase wrote a Drabble for @klarolinesbuttons

@realynn8/realynn8 wrote a Drabble for @thatsanotherlovestory

@strongbeautifulfulloflight/wrecklessrighter wrote a Drabble for @supernutellastuff

@labime/labime wrote a Drabble for @brophigenia

@forbesaken/honorableotp wrote a Drabble for @klavscaroline

@laufire/laufire wrote a Drabble for @childoftimeandmagic

@ashleigh-jewitt-xx/ashleighxx wrote a Drabble for @austennerdita2533

Enjoy all these wonderful gifts and don’t forget to leave them some love!

(For the last time) - From Your Klaroline Gift Exchange Team! 

#klaroline vacation gift exchange #klaroline vacay exchange #gifter reveals #klaroline vacay #klaroline #last time ever #thanks guys #its been a blast

[misssophiachase]

Who are the nicest people on tumblr from the KC fandom I should totally talk too?

Hello anon! I’m so sorry for the long delay, I was seriously worried I’d miss out on some people, so in advance please do not take it seriously if I forget some (my memory is the worst). 

So here goes, the absolute bestest (yes, it’s not a word but i heart it) people you will ever know and the reason why? They all know how awesome Klaroline is! Some may be active some not anymore but they are all amazeballs. 

@3tinkgemini @austennerdita2533 @accidental-rambler @aussyangel @arrenemris @accio-lo-ki @ashleigh-jewitt-xx @beautyqueenforbes @buckybarsn @brinnuh87 @babyklaroline @bellemorte180 @carolineforbae @childoftimeandmagic @clerdekattt @cupcakemolotov  @clichefangirldreamer@dashingqueen @denielapple @delightfullysunny @dontbeallupinmyfriesdawg @eriberry89 @eils-blog @eliliyah @eternityofrose @ferrylis @goldcaught @gooddame @galvanizedfriend @garglyswoof @ggirlxoxoa @ginnyforbes @helpfulfairy @hairzier @hybrdkiller @hellsbellschime @howeverlongs @hybridtunnelvision @highgaarden @hurricanesandheartbreak @itsnotacrimetoloveyou @iart1992 @idiot--wind @immortalpen @jomosfamilyjewels @joey-prue @javagirlsd77 @jennymorales48 @just-orson @katiesfav @katejgecko @katieb373 @klaussgifs @kiaraalexisklay @kickassfu @kittykyky11 @kjsama @klarobass @klarolinemag @klarolinedrabbles @klarolinesbuttons @klavscaroline @klarolinefanficdirectory @klarolineshippersclub @klarolineepiclove @kalijah-addict @klarolineagainnaturally @livingdeadblondequeen @lilacsandorangeblossoms @labime @lynyrdwrites @lalainajanes @laufire @lbeartakestheworld @lclrgsl @lunaamikaelson @misskathgifs @marvelouskatie @michelle--blogs @makemeamilkshake @my-light-into-the-darkness @meet-the-girl-who-can @megansarah11 @missnmikealson @missjewelsart @mrslackles @mscaroline-forbes @nobloodywinds @nemesis729 @nottobemini @ohheysweetpea @ours-is-feral-love @parallel-outlines @princess-of-the-worlds @padmcdala @paigemarie007 @persephonesdarkness @poe-damn-son @queencherylblossom @queencarolinemikaelson @romanoffsbite @realynn8 @recyclingss @soothingheart @strongbeautifulfulloflight @supremeuppityone @skyla71 @she-walked-away @swinty81 @sekretny13 @shelikeshummingbirds @slstmaraudersjple @stassisays @targaryenkaz @these-dreams-go-on @tnapki @toklarolinetvd @trueromantic1 @thetourguidebarbie @untiltheendoftimeblr @witchergeralt @wanderlust-in-nyc @waitingforbrilliance @wintersquares @xxafterthestormxx

Again, I’m so sure I missed some but here’s my suggestions. Some might have left but I’m sure they still completely adore Klaroline which is the most important thing!

#loveliest of lovely people #klaroliners for life #thanks for the message #nonnie

[klarolinevalentines]

KLAROLINE VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT EXCHANGE GIFTER REVEALS!

It’s time to unveil the identities of the Gifters for the 2018 Klaroline Valentine’s Day Gift Exchange!

Apologies for the delay in getting these out, unfortunately real life and some unwanted technical glitches didn’t make things so easy.

Before we do the reveal, we’d like to thank everyone who participated. So many wonderful and talented members of our fandom took the time to create amazing works to share with us. Thank you all for joining us in making this event such a success!

Please remember to leave these amazing gifts kudos or comments, likes or reblogs because their authors put in a lot of work and effort to create them!

And now...Drum roll please....here’s what you’ve been waiting for!

@itsnotacrimetoloveyou/coveredinthecolors wrote a drabble for @3tinkgemini

@carolineslove/captndevil wrote a drabble for @thetourguidebarbie

@backtothestart02/backtothestart02 wrote a drabble for @ashleigh-jewitt-xx

@brophigenia/brophigenia wrote a drabble for @austennerdita2533

@childoftimeandmagic/writerwithagoal wrote a drabble for @klarolincs

@thatsanotherlovestory/thatsanotherlovestory wrote a drabble for @backtothestart02

@laufire/laufire wrote a drabble for @brophigenia

@that-wandering-belle/missingstars89 wrote a drabble for @carolineslove

@goldcaught/melsbels created an aesthetic for @itsnotacrimetoloveyou

@garglyswoof/garglyswoof wrote a drabble for @cupcakemolotov

@klarolineagainnaturally/klarolineagainnaturally wrote a drabble for @littlebirdofthenorth

@ours-is-feral-love/Tonight_At_Noon wrote a drabble for @garglyswoof

@princess-of-the-worlds/princessoftheworlds wrote a drabble for @joey-prue

@lclrgsl/llgf wrote a drabble for @klarolineagainnaturally

@supremeuppityone/UppityBitch wrote a drabble for @klarolinedrabbles

@3tinkgemini/3tinkgemini wrote a drabble for @laufire

@cupcakemolotov/Cupcakemolotov wrote a drabble for @lclrgsl

@withyouandthemoon/withyouandthemoon wrote a drabble for @lynyrdwrites 

@thetourguidebarbie/Angelikah wrote a drabble for @goldcaught

@misssophiachase/misssophiachase wrote a drabble for @that-wandering-belle

@klarolinesbuttons/venomandchampagne (sushibunny) wrote a drabble for @princess-of-the-worlds

@austennerdita2533/Austennerdita2533 wrote a drabble for @thatsanotherlovestory

@ashleigh-jewitt-xx/Ashleighxx wrote a drabble for @ours-is-feral-love

@littlebirdofthenorth/dani_grl82 wrote a drabble for @supremeuppityone 

@joey-prue/Joey-Prue created a gif set for @misssophiachase

@klarolincs/bigbvdwolf wrote a drabble for @klarolinesbuttons

@klarolinedrabbles/klarolinedrabbles wrote a drabble for @withyouandthemoon

@lynyrdwrites/LynyrdLionheart wrote a drabble for @childoftimeandmagic

And there you have it! I hope you loved your wonderful gifts, and remember to let your gifter know just how much you love their gift! 

- Your Klaroline Valentine’s Day Gift Exchange team. 

#klaroline valentine's day exchange #kc vday #gifter reveals

[austennerdita2533]

klarolinesbuttons replied to your post “Tyler appears in the last 2 minutes of the episode for Damon to eat...”

after he basically told damon to kill him in some laughable bid to save damon's soul or something

Haha right? It was so freaking random, too, because Sybil was toying with his mind from her UV-lighted bed 1 second before Tyler appeared. Almost seemed like a dream sequence, tbh.

scifikimmi replied to your post “Tyler appears in the last 2 minutes of the episode for Damon to eat...”

Wait they killed tyler?

It’s extremely possible, yes. He appeared at the end of the episode to try and “reason” with Damon. To get him to fight against Sybil for what he wanted...or just to give up. And then, we just saw Damon tear into his neck and the episode ends. So idk? He may be dead haha.

#klarolinesbuttons #scifikimmi #the loveliest of lovely people #tvd spoilers

[klarolinesbuttons]

letitsnowbarry >>> klarolinesbuttons

back again :)

#letitsnowbarry #klarolinesbuttons #url change #pass it on

[klarolinesweetswap]

Sign-ups for the Klaroline Sweet Swap Gift Exchange end TOMORROW, August 26th at 11:59pm ET!

I’m SO EXCITED because Sweet Swap already has the most sign-ups of any of the kc exchanges so far and i’m fucking b u r s t i n g!!! Like, i’m THRILLED that so many people want to participate. This is exactly what the fandom needs after that garbage finale and it makes my heart warm <3333 

I hope that if you’re considering signing up you choose to do so! This should be really fun :)

The timeline:

Sign-ups: Aug. 13 - 26 Assignments Out: Aug. 28 Assignments Due: Oct. 28 Gifts Revealed: Oct. 31 Gifters Revealed: Nov. 3rd

That means you get two months to complete your gift, so if you’ve never done writing, gif/graphic/aesthetic creation, or video editing, this is a great way to experiment with things you’ve never tried! If you’re nervous about writing or media creation, you could also design a playlist for someone, and share all your klaroline love through music.

For more information on what kinds of gifts you can request/create and the specifics of the exchange, please read the new rules (they’re a little different than the KC Mag exchange, but mostly the same stuff). If you have any questions, you can put in an ask!If you want to sign up, you can do so here.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions! I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with <3

- Angie (thetourguidebarbie)

**Note: This exchange is not run by anyone on the Klaroline Magazine team (other than me, though I didn’t help out with the last exchange they did), but I want to toss out a thank you to everyone who helped out with the original exchanges, especially @klarolinesbuttons, who created a baseline for some of the content I’m using.

#klaroline #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline drabbles #kcedits #kcedit #klarolinesweetswap