Okay so here's a short excerpt from my new story. And yes I will finish Political Persuasion, it still has about six chapters to go but I felt like doing something else as well now I've finally finished Saving Caroline. I'm not sure how long it will be but your feedback would be great

Keeping up Appearances

Chapter 1: Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

24 December 2014 12:01am: Indianapolis Airport

"What do you mean my flight is cancelled?" Caroline asked the girl at the check in counter desperately. "It's bad enough we had to make a stopover on the way."

When the captain had made the announcement over the intercom they had to land in Indianapolis between New York City and Chicago due to inclement weather she wasn't happy. After waiting impatiently for a couple of hours she had gone to the airport staff hoping they could shed some light on the situation.

"Exactly what I said. The snow storm has grounded all flights in and out of Indianapolis tonight."

"Mmmmm." She muttered thinking through her options. "So does that mean you can get me on a flight to Chicago in the morning then?"

"I can't make any promises." She said noting Caroline's displeased expression. "Even if the snow storm has passed there are other issues to consider, not only are we way behind in the flight schedule there are a number of safety hazards, including ice on the runway."

"Great so if I can't get out of here how exactly am I supposed to get home for Christmas?"

"Excuse me." A crisp British accent interrupted pushing his way to the front and standing next to her. "I really need to get to Chicago, when will the domestic flights be resuming?"

"Who do you think she is the weather woman?" Caroline asked in annoyance at his interruption even though she had been asking the exact same thing a moment earlier. "You see there's this thing called a line and you're pushing in right now." She said finally looking at him for the first time. She faltered slightly his crimson lips, dark blonde hair curling over his ears and deep blue penetrating eyes distracting Caroline from her point.

"Are you done?" He asked looking unimpressed as she stood there open mouthed. "Good. You know you're much more attractive when you're not complaining, now about my flight."

"No wait your turn." She shot back his arrogant attitude only adding to her bad mood. "Is there a bus or train service to Chicago tonight?"

"Those services have ceased tonight as well due to the bad weather." She replied batting her eyelashes at the annoying stranger to her left.

"Now if you've finished talking let's get back to me." He said sending the girl behind the counter his most dazzling smile.

"Is there somewhere I can hire a car at least?" Caroline interjected figuring that was her only option at this stage, even if it was still about three hours drive away. At least then she might just make it for Christmas and would still remain in her mother's good books.

The girl, whose patience was clearly wearing thin, gestured towards the hire car counters across the other side of the airport her eyes firmly trained on the conceited Brit.

"Gee thanks." She snapped shooting her neighbour at the counter a glare before stalking off in search of a car.

In the process of storming over to the counter Caroline lost her balance momentarily, her black louboutin falling off and sliding across the airport floor. She cursed thinking what a bad couple of days she'd been having.

"Wow you're just a ball of rage." A recognisable voice chuckled from behind. She closed her eyes momentarily trying to block him out. "Oh come on love no need to be like that."

He was bent down on the floor holding her shoe upwards, the scene reminding her of something out of a fairy tale. "Don't call me love."

"Why not love?" He replied cheekily.

"Give me my shoe."

"I can put it back on if you like?" He grinned. "Wasn't there a story that ended like this once?"

"I'm perfectly capable of putting on my own shoe." She snapped grabbing it from his outstretched hand.

Caroline turned away busying herself with putting her shoe back on and trying to get rid of the healthy blush on her face which this mysterious stranger had caused. He was certainly annoying but there was no denying he was gorgeous, his accent just making him that much sexier.

She turned around noticing he was nowhere to be seen. She shrugged her shoulders and continued on towards the hire car counters hoping she could get out of this nightmare sooner rather than later.

"Hello?" She asked before noticing that the counters were all empty, a sign was perched on the top which she began to silently read.

"All hire cars are unavailable until further notice due to inclement weather." A loud British accent read his breath tickling her ear. She turned around attempting to swat him out of her personal space.

"I can read you know." She drawled.

"Just checking, sometimes with blondes you never can be too sure."

"Yeah you'd know about that wouldn't you?" She shot back before walking away.

"Touché." He laughed. "So how about a drink, given we're stuck here for the night? I might even buy you one if you're lucky."

"Way to make a girl feel special." She muttered stalking away in desperate need for a hot shower and a clean bed. She spied the airport hotel sign across the street thinking that was her best bet tonight.

"I'll have you know women can't get enough of me." He said following Caroline outside as the cold air and snow hit her with blunt force. She shivered thinking how unsuitable her attire was for the weather. She had rushed straight from work in her black skirt suit and only had a white overcoat to fend off the cold air.

"Yeah I'm sure." She groaned. "Although funnily enough it's not something that interests me in the slightest."

"Well we do have all night. Come on if you don't want a drink I'm sure there's other ways we could occupy ourselves." He said and she could tell he was wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Don't you ever give up?" She shouted over the wind wheeling her suitcase into the entrance of the Airport Hilton, a layer of warmth from the heating providing some much needed comfort.

"That's not my style love." He grinned joining her at the front desk. She shook her head in his direction but she had to admit she found his rosy complexion from the cold slightly adorable. Caroline was wondering if this guy could ever look bad.

"No I'm getting that." She said dismissively then greeting the receptionist. "Hi, I'm here for the night and was wondering if you had a room available?"

"We are pretty full given the airport shut down." She said typing away on her keyboard and consulting her computer screen. "Looks like we have a standard queen room."

"Great I'll take it." Caroline and Klaus said at the same time. She turned around and looked at him curiously. "What is it with you and pushing into lines?"

"Oh so you're together?"

"No."

"Yes." They both said in unison.

"Um." She looked between them her confusion evident.

"No we're not together." Caroline explained. "And I would love to take that room." She rummaged through her handbag for her wallet to organise the payment hoping he would disappear as quickly as he arrived.

"So do you have anything else available?" Klaus asked peering over Caroline's shoulder.

"I'm sorry sir that was our last room, we're now fully booked." She explained sympathetically.

"So what am I supposed to do then?'

"Well it is Christmas maybe they can find you a stable out the back somewhere." She shot back grabbing her key from the receptionist.

"Oh come on where's your Christmas spirit scrooge?"

"I think I lost it somewhere between New York and Chicago." She replied. "Or maybe it was when you appeared."

"Has anyone ever told you how abrasive you are sweetheart?" He asked raising his eyebrows.

"Has anyone ever told you how arrogant you are?"

"All the time love, I wear it like a badge of honour." He laughed. "Oh come on let me buy you one drink? It's not like we're going anywhere and it is Christmas after all." Caroline could feel her resolve slowly fading and had to give him credit for his persistence.

"One drink." She said leaving her bags with the receptionist and following him into the hotel bar. For Christmas Eve it was fairly busy no doubt due to all the flight cancellations. The room was dimly lit, its dark wood panelling adding to the ambience as well as the sole pianist whose music was twinkling softly.

They sat down by the window, Caroline with her arms firmly folded and Klaus with a triumphant grin on his face. "So now you've got me to agree to a drink, what exactly do you want?"

"Well that was a very loaded question." He smirked. "I could tell you but it might not be very G rated."

"You don't even know me."

"No I guess I don't but that's the point of the drink so I can get to know you." He said gesturing to the barman.

"What we have a five minute conversation then you don't have to feel bad for sleeping with a stranger?"

"Hey I never said anything about sleeping together." He baulked. "Unless of course you're willing to share seeing as I'm homeless for the night."

"I don't even know your name."

"Exactly why we're having a drink." He said looking at the approaching waiter. "What kind would you like?"

"Grey goose martini. Dirty"

"A grey goose martini, dirty, for the lady." Klaus smirked at her choice of words. "And I'll have a Glen Fiddich neat."

"So now I know what you like to drink how about a name, your age or perhaps a bra size?" He teased.

"You are unbelievable!" She scoffed.

"And you are extremely wound up." He shot back. "It was only a joke although I'd take a guess at a 34A." She went to get up before he touched her arm lightly looking at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry." He murmured gazing up at her with his soulful blue eyes sending her into a trance. She faltered wondering just what this arrogant arse was doing to her.

"Sure you're sorry." She relented sitting down.

"I am although given your reaction I think I was on the money. Don't worry I won't tell anyone love."

"You are unbelievable."

"Why thank you." He smiled as the waiter placed their drinks and a bowlful of peanuts in front of them. He grabbed one shelling it quickly and placing it in his mouth. Caroline could feel the blush starting to creep up her neck, how did this guy even make eating a peanut sexy? "So I'm assuming you have a name?"

"Yes actually I do have one of those."

"I asked for that didn't I? He grinned. "Well to get the conversation going I'm willing to start, I'm Niklaus Mikaelson, but I'll let you call me Klaus."

"How kind of you." She said taking a sip of her martini, the strong alcohol burning her throat momentarily. "I'm Caroline."

"Just Caroline, like Madonna or Cher?" Klaus teased.

"It's Forbes, Caroline Forbes."

"Now that wasn't so hard was it? It's okay you can talk to me, I don't bite."

"I think that's debatable."

"Has anyone ever told you how highly strung you are?" He asked holding the glass up to his crimson lips. Caroline shook her head trying to get the untoward thoughts out of her head.

"Even if they had told me, why do you think I would choose to discuss it with a complete stranger?"

"Hey we've known each other for almost an hour now; I think that definitely takes us from strangers to acquaintances at least. Give it another hour and who knows where we'll be?"

"Do you ever give up?" She shot back blushing slightly at his meaning.

"No. Oh come on I'm trying to get you to loosen up love."

"You still continue to call me love even though you know my name." She objected.

"I just like to rile you up, honestly Caroline it's far too easy." He laughed. "Ever since I met you it's like you've had this stick up your arse, please tell me this isn't normal behaviour?"

Caroline didn't like where this conversation going. It seemed to be getting too personal and given she had just met Klaus it didn't seem right. Although for some reason she cared what this arrogant stranger thought of her.

Caroline wasn't this high strung all the time, the last few days had been trying to say the least and she was fairly certain the reason behind her increasingly bad mood.

"What's his name?" He prodded.

"Which one?" She snorted finishing her drink in one go.

"Woah there's more than one, I knew you were my kind of girl and this definitely deserves another drink." He held up two fingers to order another round.

"If you're going to tease me then I don't think I want to share."

"Oh come on I didn't mean to upset you." Klaus said sweetly making Caroline look at him curiously. Who knew this guy could be kind of sincere. "It's okay if you like we can just talk about me instead."

"Puh-lease." She replied rolling her eyes. "Okay fine it's not like we'll ever see each other again." She grabbed her second martini and took an extra big sip. "Sam was the guy I was going out with for five months until a couple of days ago when he kindly broke it off."

"So this Sam, who sounds like an idiot by the way, broke up with you and you're upset because you thought you loved him?"

"No I couldn't care less about him." She said knowing her feelings were never that strong towards Sam, he'd been nothing more than a temporary distraction. "He was supposed to be coming home for Christmas with me."

"And you're upset because you have no boyfriend to show off to your family?"

"No I'm upset because…"

"Because?' He asked sitting on the edge of his seat. "You're really going to have to help me Caroline I'm not good at guessing games."

"My ex-boyfriend will be there with his girlfriend." She groaned. "The girl he cheated on me with to be specific."

"Why would you choose to hang out with that bastard at Christmas if he cheated on you?"

"Because he's now with my cousin." She said realising how tragic her life sounded so finished the rest of her drink.

"Wow! That I was not expecting." He said shaking his head. "So family get togethers must be fun at the Forbes household."

"That's an understatement." She mumbled gesturing to the bar for another drink.

"So why does your mother let them come to Christmas if they did that to you?"

"Her and my auntie are very close so it makes things difficult, I'm planning on spending a lot of time on the other side of the room this year. Trust me if I could skip it I would but my mum wouldn't be happy."

"He's an idiot, they both are."

"Yeah but if I still had the second idiot then I could at least make the first idiot jealous, if you know what I mean?" Klaus laughed despite everything.

"Sorry. Look you don't need some guy to make another one jealous. From what I can see by looking at you he's already going to regret that decision."

"Wow do you actually have a heart buried in there?" She asked taken aback by his genuine tone.

"I just think you're hot." He replied deadpan making her slap him playfully. "No I'll admit it's been known to come out every now and again on special occassions, just don't get used to it love."

"I may have misjudged you slightly even if you do have a tendency to push into lines and speak your mind all too often." She said sipping her third drink. "Either that or I've just had too many martinis."

"Yeah I definitely think it's the second one." He joked.

"So how about you?"

"How about me what?"

"What's your story Klaus Mikaelson?"

"Well I think that might take a while." Klaus said quietly his initial bravado gone and suddenly self-conscious around her.

"So why are you going to Chicago? Do you have family there?"

"No just work."

"You're working on Christmas?" She asked incredulously.

"Guilty."

"Wow that's either really dedicated or just really stupid."

"Tell me what you really think." Klaus chuckled.

"Well if you have to work on Christmas then I might consider letting you share my room, on the floor of course." She clarified. "I'm just not that kind of girl."

"Oh really?" He asked cocking his left eyebrow. "Well given I have nowhere to go I'll take what I can get."

"Excuse me sir?" He looked around faced with the girl from the front desk. "We've had a vacancy come up if you're still interested in a room."

Caroline felt almost disappointed they wouldn't be rooming together even though she had no intention of crossing the line after knowing him such a short time. He looked at her and Caroline could swear she saw the same disappointment flashing in his eyes.

"Uh yeah that would be great, thanks."

"I guess I should really get to bed given it will be an early start." Caroline said reluctantly. "Thanks for listening though, I appreciate it."

"Well what else was I going to do while I was stranded in Indianapolis?"

"Gee thanks." She said her voice laced with sarcasm. "Well I'm going to get going, but good luck with work and everything." Caroline took one last look in his direction and walked towards the lift realising it would probably be the last time she saw him.

She had been so angry for the past few days and all it took was one conversation with a stranger to make her feel half human again.

"Merry Christmas Caroline." She turned around taking one last look at his gorgeous face.

"Merry Christmas Klaus."