Hello everyone. This is my first AU/AH Klaroline fic, so please be gentle. I wrote this for my lovely friend Tanya, who is celebrating her 23rd birthday today. Tanya, I hope you like it. :)

Thank you Nicole for making the beautiful cover and thank you Caryn for proofreading the chapter. You both rock.

This fic will probably have 5 chapters, I have it lined out already although not written yet. It's rated M, although not this chapter yet. But definitely later. I hope you like it.

The start and premise is losely based on The Gamble by Kristen Ashley. Enjoy!

Birds of Feather

Chapter 1

September has already arrived, yet it was still quite warm outside. Caroline swore and opened her car windows completely. She just had to have gotten a car without a functioning air-conditioner, just her luck. She looked at the clock and realized she was already thirty minutes late and Caroline was never late. But it wasn't her fault really, her luggage got misplaced, put on another belt, and after she found it, she was already ten minutes over her timeline. Then she got to the car rental and the car she ordered broke down a day before and she had to get a new one – whose air conditioner didn't freaking work. To make matters worse, she went groceries shopping, because you see, she was here on vacation and she booked a quiet cottage in the middle of nowhere and shops and markets weren't close, so she decided to buy a lot of food and bring it with her. But then there was a line in the supermarket, which made her even later. Now, she was fuming because some groceries were a little temperature sensitive and she didn't want them to go bad. On top of it all, she felt like she was coming down with a cold, which was ridiculous because it was still freaking summer.

Caroline let out a deep sigh.

She was also worried about the caretaker. He would come up to the cottage only to hand her over the keys and show her around, then he would go back to where he lived, which wasn't close and she felt really bad. Thankfully, she memorized the directions on the plane, so she didn't have to stop and ask around. She hated it when her plans didn't go smoothly.

Caroline wondered if Tyler noticed she wasn't home – or at his place – anymore.

Caroline and Tyler both grew up in Mystic Falls with their mutual friends. Then they started dating in the last year of college and everything was great. That was two years ago and how things have changed. Caroline moved to Washington with him, because Tyler wanted to pursue a career in politics. She had a degree in interior design and was fine with the move. They were happy and in love and nothing could change that. How wrong she had been. The first months were amazing, they moved in together and it was probably a second honeymoon stage. Everything was perfect. She opened her own shop and Tyler used his father's connections to climb up the ladder. Then with time he started working more and more, they saw each other less and after a while they stopped sleeping with each other. Caroline wasn't one to keep quiet and she confronted him about it. He only asked her to be patient that work was important to him and he couldn't be with her all the time when he had to focus on their future.

She tried to understand and support him. Neither of them had many friends and Caroline often found herself missing her old friends, from Mystic Falls. They kept in contact but they didn't see each other much. Her only friends in Washington were her two employees, but she didn't consider them real friends, because they worked for her and always held back. She was lonely and more often than not miserable. Often she lay awake late at night, thinking about their relationship and their future.

She was patient but her patience had run out when she found lipstick – so cliché – on one of Tyler's shirts one night. She yelled, she accused but he didn't fight back and that was when she knew their relationship was coming to an end. He didn't even care enough to fight for her. She broke it off and he let her go.

That was five months ago and from then on, everything went downhill. Her business suffered because she couldn't concentrate, she still lived with Tyler because she hasn't found a new place yet and she hated that. Thankfully he was almost never there and when he was, she went out of her way to not cross paths. She hurt every day, because of Tyler, because of time lost and because she didn't know what to do – did she want to stay there, did she want to move back, she didn't know.

One day, about two weeks ago, she woke up and told herself to put herself together already. Enough was enough. Tyler wasn't even bothered, so he definitely wasn't worth her tears. She needed some time completely to herself and make new plans, decide what she wanted to do and how she wanted to do it. She couldn't stay there anymore, and so she decided to go on a vacation.

Caroline used her planning skills and looked everywhere, until she found a town not that far away from Mystic Falls. She wasn't ready to go back home but it felt good to be in the area. Not that it was that close. One day she came across a website with different vacation places and when she saw a lovely cottage that was less a cottage and more a big house in the middle of the woods, she couldn't believe her luck. The price was not that much and she read the house was actually owned by a man who occasionally lived there but more often than not he was away on business and to help with expenses he rented it out.

Caroline called the next day and got a hold of the owner's brother and made all the necessary arrangements. She booked the place for a month and decided to go there and let the rest of the world go for a while. The scenery on the pictures was beautiful – a lot of trees, a lot of green and several lakes. She would go hiking and maybe even swimming and would just be a recluse for a while, getting her life back on track and then decide what she wanted to do.

She was getting closer to the house, she was sure and it was a good thing because her car started making weird noises.

"Please, just a little bit more, you can make it, come on," she cooed the car. All she wanted in that moment was to arrive already, put her groceries away and take a shower. Then take some cold medicine and go to bed for two days.

After five more minutes, she finally arrived and it was beautiful. The house was surrounded by trees, there was no noise just quiet and her breath was taken away. She grabbed her purse, exited the car and slung her bag over her shoulder. She'd get the suitcase later. She went to the truck and took as many grocery bags as she could by the handle. She was tired and high heels were not the best decision she could have made for travelling.

Caroline hit the wonderful wooden porch but didn't get one step across before the glass front door opened and a man stood in its frame. She only saw a silhouette.

"Hello," she started nervously but when he didn't say anything, she just continued. "I'm so, so, so sorry I'm late. I couldn't find my suitcase at the airport and then there was a line at the grocery store and the car I rented broke down yesterday and I had to be given a different one," she hastily explained. She babbled when she was nervous.

Caroline expected him to say it was okay, that it didn't matter but she was in for a surprise. Or two.

First, the man stepped forward and she could see him clearly for the first time. He was shirtless, only wearing black pants, and sweaty. She gulped down and tried to not eat him up with her eyes. Because he was toned and his chest was amazing and there was this tattoo she really wanted to see better. He was tall and his hair was blonde and a bit curly. His eyes were piercing blue, his jaw strong and his mouth was pure sin. He was also a couple of days away from a shave.

She tried not to stare, she really did, but she couldn't help herself. It had been a while since she last saw such an attractive man and for a few moments she even forgot about her own name.

The second surprise came when she actually took into account the pissed off look he had on his face.

"What the fuck," he let out in a British drawl and Caroline blinked, then focused but just ended up staring surprised.

"Hmm," said Caroline, not knowing what to say. Was he pissed she was late? This day couldn't go any more wrong. "Mr. Kol Mikaelson?" she asked.

"No," was all he said.

"Well," Caroline started, really not knowing what was going on. She looked back at her car and then back at him. She was definitely in the right place, she remembered the house from the pictures. They didn't do it justice though, because this was a thousand times more beautiful in real life.

"I…," she tried again and gave up. Then she pulled herself together, straightened her shoulder and spoke, "I was expecting Kol Mikaelson."

"He's not here," said the man again.

Well, duh.

"Are you here to give me the keys?" she asked.

"The keys to what?" He sounded annoyed and frankly rude. She has had it with this day.

"The house," said Caroline, rolling her eyes.

He just stared at her for several seconds and then muttered, "Shit." Then without anything else, he walked back into the house.

Caroline didn't know what to do, so she stayed outside for a moment but when nothing happened, she followed him. She closed the door behind her and just took in the interior. Since this was her domain, she looked at everything critically but couldn't find anything to complain about. It was beautiful, wooden and light, rustic and somehow still modern.

To the left was probably a bathroom and stairs to the first floor. On the right was the kitchen, big and spacious and quite modern with a bar. She'd take a closer look later. She put down her groceries, coughed and wiped her nose. She felt lightheaded for a moment but that was probably from the traveling.

Caroline wandered into the house, suddenly coming into the living room. It was vast and gorgeous; there were big windows everywhere, a huge couch and an armchair with an ottoman in front of it. A rustic table was in the middle and there were lamps on several furniture pieces. Works of art decorated the living room. There was also a fireplace and several logs next to it, although it looked like it hasn't been used in a while.

"You got any paperwork," asked the man rudely.

She hadn't noticed him before. He was standing in the far corner, behind a small counter, dialing a number on his phone, looking at some notes. How she hadn't noticed him was beyond her because he was a man that didn't go unnoticed. Plus, he was still shirtless.

"Yeah, sure," Caroline said and pulled out the reservation confirmation and the voucher. "Is there a problem," she asked.

He ignored her but took the documents from her hands.

"Kol," he said into the phone. "There is a ….," he looked down at her papers, "Caroline Forbes here. And she wants keys."

Caroline waited for Mr. Mikaelson to confirm her reservation and to tell the man to get lost. She wanted a shower and a warm bed. The lightheadedness came again and she gripped the counter in front of her.

"No shit, idiot," he barked into the phone. "You royally screwed up." And he hung the phone up and tossed it on the counter, without ever saying goodbye. Rude.

He looked back at her, "Kol screwed up."

"I think I'm beginning to get that," Caroline said sarcastically.

He let out an annoyed sigh. "Look, there is a hotel not far from here, about 15 miles."

She just looked at him quizzically. No way.

"I made a reservation," she put her food down.

"Yeah, but Kol fucked up," he repeated.

"And I brought groceries, a lot of groceries and I prepaid everything." This was so not happening.

"You'll get a refund," his eyes darkened.

"A refund? I don't want a refund. I've travelled here from Washington and I paid for a month and I'm not going anywhere." She was determined and she wouldn't back down.

"Listen," he said louder this time. "There was a mistake. I'm here."

"I got that too. But so am I," she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air but then quickly grabbing the counter again.

"You are. But this is my house. I live here," he tried again, running out of patience.

"Huh?" She was confused and then it hit here. The information about the owner living there when he wasn't away on business. No, no, no.

"I own it, I live here. So you cannot stay here." He said slowly as if she was a child and needed to be explained everything in small words.

"I don't understand," she said slightly defeated.

"I'm speaking English," he mocked her.

"God, you're an ass," huffed Caroline. "I just can't believe this. I came all the way here, everything arranged and then you're here." She was livid.

"Well, yeah. You'd better go, it's getting late. And you'll get a refund." He stood there all regally, awfully full of himself.

"Ugh. A refund? Who is gonna pay for my place ticket? Who is gonna pay for my hotel? I spend days picking my destination and my accommodations. I travelled for hours and I'm tired and hungry and I didn't get to enjoy this place at all. And now you're telling me I have to go, to a hotel no less. I hate hotels." If there was one thing Caroline was good at, it was rambling. Especially when she was angry.

"Listen," he interrupted her.

"No, you listen. I've had it. Everything that could have gone wrong today went wrong. And on top of it, I think I'm coming down with a cold and I'm this close to passing out." She showed him with her fingers how much.

Then she stomped somehow dramatically and turned around. She walked out of the house. Fine, so she wouldn't stay there. Not that she wanted to anymore, with that bastard inside. Because no matter how hot he was, he was really rude. She left the groceries and only took her bag and purse.

When she opened her car doors, he was suddenly behind her and slammed them shut.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked annoyed.

"You're coming down with a cold?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" she spat back. "Forget it."

"Come back inside, we'll work something out, just for tonight." He offered.

Was he crazy? She couldn't handle the mood-change, it was giving her a whiplash. She was so not staying with him.

"Thank you, but no thanks," she snorted. She didn't even know his name and he was such a jerk.

"Come on, don't be all high and mighty. Come inside, I don't want you to pass out behind the wheel. It's a while to the hotel. You can sleep on the couch." He smirked.

"I'm not sleeping on a couch," Caroline jerked her head towards him. "Let go of the car." He was standing much to close and she could smell him. And he smelled deliciously. Ugh. And the blue eyes were way too magnetic.

"No," was all he said.

"What are you? 5? Let go of the car." Being upset and tired didn't help her. Gathering up all her strength she pushed him back and got into her car. But then the car wouldn't start.

"Come on, come on," pleaded Caroline. But the car wouldn't start and she could see the asshole grinning outside.

She exited the car and ignored him completely, then stomped back towards the house. Seeing red however made her not pay attention and she missed the last step and fell down and a second later everything went dark.

When Caroline woke up, it was completely dark outside. For a second she wasn't sure where she was, and then she remembered her vacation plans. Although she still wasn't sure where she was.

She was bundled warm under covers and she took a tentative look around. She was in a bedroom. The bed was under big windows, she could see a door to a hallway on her left and another door to a bathroom, which was slightly cracked. On her right was a small sofa with some clothes thrown over it and a bookshelf next to it. Then there was a wardrobe, a big rug in front of the bed and a flat screen TV on the wall opposite the bed.

She took a look under the covers and saw she was dressed in a white Henley and panties, no bra or anything else. Confused, she tried to remember what happened.

And then it all came back to her, her arrival, the fight, the obnoxious owner, and her fall on the stairs. She threw back the covers, ready to find the jackass but groaned when she got lightheaded again. She sat up slowly and noticed her suitcase, bag and purse by the bed.

She picked out a dress and lay it down on the bed and only took some fresh underwear with her and went into the bedroom. A hot shower would probably do wonders and she really needed to brush her teeth too. Then she would pack up, and get the hell out of here but not before giving that bastard a piece of her mind.

Caroline felt lightheaded and her nose was running and she looked like crap. She had a little bump on her head. Great. She also felt really hot but this needed to be done.

The fresh scalding water did help and she immediately felt better, although she still had to support herself by leaning on the shower wall. She wrapped herself in a plush towel and brushed her teeth. Her hair had been a mess before and she combed through it now, wincing a few times. She was still pale and therefore she applied some make up, she didn't want to look like a ghost. She put on the clean underwear, black panties and a black bra with a little pink bow and went back to the bedroom.

She stopped midway to the bed because believe it or now there he was, sitting on the sofa comfortably, with a smug grin on his face – the devil itself.

"What the hell?" she yelped and tried to cover herself. It took way too much energy.

"Oh, relax, sweetheart, it's nothing I haven't seen before," he chuckled, amused.

She blushed crimson red because she'd tried not to think about the fact that she woke up in his clothes earlier.

"Yeah, what the hell was that about?" she swallowed her pride and quickly walked to the bed and pulled the dark blue dress over her head and secured it with a thin brown belt. "What were you thinking? Undressing me? How dare you?"

"Well, love, it was either that or let you get even sicker. See, you fell and fainted and were shivering all over. Out of the goodness in my heart I carried you to bed but since you were completely damp an hour later, I had to change you. And two times more after that." The bastard was smirking.

Caroline wanted the earth to swallow her whole. She groaned, trying not to think about the fact he removed her bra and got familiar with her body. Who knew what else he did? She threw him a suspected look and he threw his hands in the air in defense.

"I didn't touch you. Do you really think that low of me?"

"Yes," she answered him although she wasn't sure she did. Was she supposed to be thankful? Probably, but all she was, was really annoyed. And so tired.

He sighed. "Look, you were sick and I didn't see any other options."

She suddenly remembered something. It wasn't a whole memory, but she remembered someone pulling her up, nestling her into him, giving her water or tea or some liquid and some medicine? She wasn't sure but she could feel hands on her hair, slowly stroking it.

"Did you give me medicine?" she asked quietly.

"Yup," he popped the p. "I found some in your bag."

"You went through my bag?" she was frustrated again. Was there anything he didn't do?

"Well, I didn't have any and you were sweating and shivering and with all you babbling about grocery shopping I figured you've probably gotten some meds too since you knew you were getting sick. And I was right. So, stop complaining." He stood up.

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, avoiding thanking him.

He looked at the watch on his hand. "About 15 hours."

"What?" she exclaimed, not expecting that. She still didn't feel well so she sat down on the bed.

"You were completely out, it was no fun, really," he said.

"I'm gonna go now," Caroline said.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." He shut her down.

"Look, …," she realized she still didn't know her name and he took her clothes off. Ugh. "I don't know your name."

"Klaus Mikaelson, not at your service," he said smugly.

"Look Klaus," she started. It was a weird name but somehow it suited him perfectly. "I need to go. Thank you for what you did," Caroline swallowed her pride, "but I have to go."

"You need food and some medicine and then probably some more sleep. You're probably still running a fever. You're not going anywhere, love." He insisted.

"But," she started. He didn't let her.

"Lie down, I'll get you some food and medicine." And with that he walked out of the room.

Annoying bastard. But she really didn't feel good so she lay back down, on the covers. And she noted the covers were fresh, so he must have changed them while she was in the shower. He was right outside the bathroom the whole time. Great.

"Bring me some coffee," Caroline yelled after him. She desperately needed coffee, it would help her think and make new plans for the next four weeks.

"Caroline," someone was shaking her arm gently. "Come on, love, wake up."

"What?" she murmured.

"Come on, sit up and open your mouth, then you can sleep some more," a familiar gravelly voice muttered.

"My head hurts," Caroline complained.

"I know."

"My eyes hurt and my whole body hurts," she continued.

"You've got a fever. Come on, time to take some medicine." He helped her up and popped some pills into her mouth and handed her a glass of water. She couldn't hold it so he held it for her. She drank a little, then coughed.

"Go away," she said annoyed.

"In a minute. Let's get you back under the covers." He put the glass on the nightstand and lifted her up effortlessly. Caroline pressed her forehead into his neck and it felt so nice and cool.

He pulled the covers back and laid her down.

"Tired," she murmured.

"That's what you get for getting out of bed and taking a shower before you're well." Klaus chuckled. Before he even got to the door she was fast asleep.

When Caroline awoke the next time, she actually really felt better. She felt her forehead and didn't feel hot anymore, the fever probably broke. Her throat was still dry and raspy but her nose was better, albeit red. At least it felt red.

"Oh my God," she muttered embarrassed.

She slowly got out of bed and noticed she was wearing one of Klaus' T-shirts again. She sighed. At least she had her bra still on this time around. She paddled into the bathroom and cleaned herself up, too tired to shower properly, so she just washed herself with a cloth, brushed her teeth and put her hair in a sloppy bun on top of her head.

She felt human enough now. She just put on a long shirt that reached past her thighs and some tight underwear shorts, too tired to dress properly.

Caroline walked out of the room and to the railing and then proceeded downstairs slowly. She didn't see Klaus anywhere.

She looked around and took in the surroundings again. There was fresh coffee brewing in the kitchen and she found a cup and poured herself a large dose. She opened the refrigerator adding some milk and saw her groceries all stored properly. At least he had managed that. She felt a little bad immediately because he had let her stay and took care of her while she was sick.

She drank her coffee looking out the giant windows. She stepped outside through a glass door and took a deep breath of fresh air. There was a light breeze and it felt wonderful. A lot of grass was behind the house and a forest surrounded it. It was peaceful and magical and she was a little sad to leave.

Her stomach was still too queasy to eat and she decided to skip breakfast or lunch, she didn't know what time it was. She looked around for a clock and saw it was eleven thirty.

Caroline walked back upstairs and packed her things. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but wasn't sure if her car would work. She'll cross that bridge when she came to it.

She dragged the suitcase and the bag to the staircase and tried to carry them down but lost footing and the suitcase stumbled down the stairs. She caught herself. Too close. Maybe she should try to eat something.

"She lives," came a sound from below and she nearly lost her footing again.

"Geez," she exclaimed. "Do you want me to get a heart attack?"

He didn't reply but noticed her suitcase. "And just where do you think you're going?" he asked angrily.

"Home," Caroline muttered.

"You're too stubborn for your own good. Take a day or two to get strong again. Now come and eat something." He turned around and walked into the kitchen.

She went after him. "I don't want to impose anymore," she said. "And I'm sorry." She was mortified.

"What are you sorry for?" he asked, not commenting the first part of her statement.

"Getting sick," she clarified.

"Did you get sick on purpose?" he asked.

"No," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, then don't apologize." He walked to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. She had left her own upstairs and regretted that immediately. She could use one more cup.

"Klaus," she started.

"Sit down," he ordered.

"Are you always this bossy?" she muttered.

"Yes, now put your ass on that chair." He grabbed a plate and cracked an egg into a pan and added some bacon.

Caroline sat down. "I can't eat that, my stomach …"

"You need energy, ergo you need to eat." He said and continued to prepare her breakfast.

"Anyone tell you you're annoying as hell?" She asked.

"Yes," he chuckled and handed her a fresh cup of coffee which she grabbed greedily.

"Thanks," she said honestly. He just nodded and turned back to the stove.

Caroline observed him cook and had to admit it was an appealing sight. He was hot. She looked at how his back muscles moved as he worked and how his toned arms flexed when he reached for salt. He was wearing a black T-shirt today and she was a bit disappointed. She'd much rather observe his naked back. Those pants curved his ass quite nicely too. She sighed, he was wonderful when he didn't talk. Then she mentally slapped herself. What the hell was she doing?

"I really don't think I can eat bacon though," she felt sick just looking at it.

"The bacon's for me, you only get eggs and toast." He poured her a glass of orange juice and handed it to her.

"So, why are you here?" Caroline asked. He wasn't supposed to be here.

"I live here," he said as if that answered anything.

"Yeah, but Kol rented me the place," Caroline prodded.

"He's an idiot." Klaus put the eggs on a plate and set them in front of her. He handed her toasted bread – she had no idea how she missed him making it.

He leaned back on the counter and popped some bacon in his mouth. "I was supposed to be gone two more months but a contract fell through and I returned earlier. I might or might not have forgotten to mention it to Kol. Although he is suppose to check with me before he rents the house."

Now it made sense. "And what do you do?" Caroline asked interested.

"I'm an architect, own a business. It's why I go away for long periods of time, doing projects and stuff. I'm free for the next two months though and then it's off again." Klaus explained.

Caroline just nodded. She ate a little, very slowly. The food tasted great but she almost threw up in her mouth a few times. She managed to eat half of it though.

Uncomfortable with the silence she talked. "I'm an interior designer," she explained. "I have my own business too but needed a break from everything."

"Mhmm, great. Look, you need to rest today," bossy Klaus was back.

Caroline nodded. She planned to do a lot of resting. Once she got to a hotel, she'd sleep for two days.

This was easier than he thought. "Good. I'm gonna be gone today, so do what you want. Sleep in bed or lounge outside, read or do whatever you girls like to do, just take it easy."

"Wait, what?" Caroline asked. "I'm not staying here. I'm leaving, going to town. Gonna stay at the hotel you recommended."

He was wrong, he should have known better. She was not easy to deal with. "Don't be stupid. You can stay here. If you need the password for the computer, it's hummingbird."

"What?" Caroline asked.

"Hummingbird, two Ms," he grinned.

"Two Ms?" she asked confused.

He nodded and started walking away. "See you later."

Before he reached the front door, he added, "And your car doesn't work, so you can't go anywhere."

He shut the door behind him and Caroline just stared at it for a few more minutes.

Thanks for reading.