A/N: Hello! Here I am with a new story! I hope you like it!

Special thanks to Jacqueline (carolineforbesisawesome) for the idea for this fanfic!

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Sleeping on the floor wasn't the worst part. No, she got used to it. She learned which stores disposed cardboard boxes the most so she could improvise a bed.

The cold was bad but not the worst. She learned that the air coming out of the subway was always warm, so she would sleep down the stairs by the entrance once the employees had locked the place up at night.

She didn't need to do that every night. She had a map with her where she marked all the refuges for homeless people, specially the women's shelter. They offered a bed, food, and a roof. But getting a bed there was a matter of luck and most women there had children with them. How could Caroline sleep knowing she was in a bed someone else needed more? She rather sleep on the street.

Searching the dumpsters for food, that wasn't the worst either. Yes, it was hard at first -it still is- but when you haven't eaten in three days, you don't really have much of a choice. Caroline was smart about it. She would wait outside the restaurants and dinners for the leftovers. Sometimes people would surprise her by handing her a paper bag or tray of food and a bottle of water, maybe even a little cup of pudding. Caroline had no doubt there were still good people left in the world.

The worst part, the part she hated the most, was begging on the streets for money. People could be incredibly rude or cruel to her. She tried to be understanding, those people didn't know what it felt like losing everything. So in the end, that wasn't the worst, not to her at least. It was when someone looked at her pitiful that really broke her down. She used to be so much more, so independent and strong...

Perhaps she wasn't a strong as she thought she was, maybe things just were a lot easier before. At least back then she wasn't alone... Don't get her wrong, during all the struggle she met good people at the shelters. There was Bonnie Bennet, a girl in the same conditions as her, and Stefan Salvatore, a guy from a wealthy family, still trying to find his place in the world who spent his time helping at the shelter. They were her guardian angels. But there was a hole in Caroline's chest that no one could fill in.

That wasn't particularly good, she barely made a few dollars, but luckily she managed to get some food outside a store. The sun started to go down and she found herself sitting on the door steps of a big, fancy building (an investment services company, for what she gathered, named Mikaelson and Son's). As she nibbled the small sandwich in her shaky hands, a breeze blew past her and she trembled. She couldn't help but sigh as she knew what this meant. Living on the street was hard enough, add the cruelty of a cold winter and you have an actual life threatening situation in your hands.

She moved higher on the steps, wanting to hide against the wall and shelter herself from the cold. It was too late to go to a refuge, they would all be full by then. She put the little bit left of her sandwich inside the paper back and wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them to her chest in an attempt to keep herself warm.

The door behind her opened and she heard a voice.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Caroline turned her head and looked up to see a very handsome man in a suit glaring at her.

"Um…" She barely managed to hum.

"I don't want people like you sitting here. Leave!" He ordered.

Caroline frowned, but she knew better than fight people like him. Instead she got up, grabbed her old backpack and walked away.

"Bloody hobbos, they're everywhere." The man grumbled as he watched her leave.

"Was that really necessary, Niklaus?"

Klaus turned to see his brother Elijah looking at him while putting his coat on.

"Don't give me that look, brother. We wouldn't want our costumers to see those people sitting by our doors, it's unpleasant." Klaus explained. "Besides, they'll think we do charity, something we clearly don't."

Elijah sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not interested in continuing this conversation. We're late for dinner." He said and watched as Klaus' face dropped.

"Of course, how could I ever forget our weekly dinner with our father." Klaus spat. Dinner with Mikael was torture. He would rather having his hands stabbed with forks to the table than spending time with a man who hated him –and Klaus hated back. While to the rest of the world the Mikaelson looked like a happy, wealthy family, behind closed doors things were far from perfect. Klaus was conceived during an affair and Mikael never let him forget that he was a bastard. He forced Klaus to have dinner with him every week with the excuse of "catching up" and talking business.

Elijah patted his brother's back sadly and walked outside with him towards the black shiny car that waited for them. He loved his brother, even if he was just his half brother, but he didn't know how to help anymore.

They arrived to the famous –and for extent, expensive- restaurant shortly after to find Mikael sitting at their usual table.

"You're late." He accused, skipping the pleasantries.

"Forgive us, father." The ever polite Elijah said. "There was a lot of work to do today."

"I surely hope so." Mikael replied. "I didn't trust the two of you my company for you to laze around." He added. There was always poison in his tongue, making him feared but unloved man.

Klaus bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything back and instead lifted his hand to the waited.

This would be a long night and he needed a drink.

Or five.

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Caroline tried to keep her hands warm by blowing on them, the temperature dropping more and more as the night went by. She managed to make a little shelter with boxes in the corner of an alley, but it wasn't enough to keep the cold out.

She sighed sadly. This wasn't the first time she found herself in that situation, but that didn't make it any easier.

There was a little whine coming from outside the box an then the sound of something scratching the cardboard. Caroline poked her head out and found a dog, all skin and bones, looking at her sadly. Caroline's heart ached for it, specially when she noticed how badly the dog was shaking.

"Are you cold too?" She asked. The dog whined again. She reached out to pat its head, but it stepped back. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." She said. Realizing that the dog was probably hungry, she patted her pockets and found the paper bag with what was left of her sandwich. It was all she had, but once again her heart gave a little tug and she found herself giving the little piece of food to the animal. She just couldn't help herself as she heard her mother's voice in her head.

"Be always kind, sweetie. The world is a cruel place as it is, it's up to you make it a little better."

Five drinks turned out to be eight, and once again, Klaus stumbled his way to the building, cursing at Mikael and his ability to get under his skin.

He hated that man. He hated him with such a blind passion that he didn't realize he was being followed.

Suddenly a hand tugged him by his arm. He turned around and was pushed against a wall.

"Give me your wallet." The man standing in front of him said. "Your phone, your watch. Everything." He added while pulling out a gun.

Klaus opened his eyes widely, feeling a lot more sober all the suddenly. Perhaps he should've accepted Elijah's offer to go home in the same black car –at the time, he decided he could use the fresh air-.

He started patting his pockets in search for his wallet –no black American Express was worth being shot- when suddenly the man was turned around by a small hand and then another hand closed in a fist punched him in the jaw. The petite blonde snatched the gun from the man's hand and in a skillful movement she unloaded it.

"What the…" The man moved towards her ready to strike, but she stopped his fist, spun around to his left side and elbowed him hard on the ribs. Klaus heard as he left a pitiful groan before the blond twisted the man's arm and pushed him away, making him stumble and fall on the ground.

Defeated –and clearly embarrassed- the man scrambled away into the night.

Klaus turned to look at the blonde girl with wide eyes.

"How did you do that?" He asked in awe. Caroline hesitated for a second before shrugging.

"My mom trained me. It's one of the perks of being raised by a Sheriff."

Klaus took a moment to pull himself together. Someone tried to mug him and he was saved by a girl. A very fragile looking girl, but still strong enough to bring down a grown man. That's not something you see everyday.

"You shouldn't have done that, he could've hurt you."

Caroline arched an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

Yes, he should be, but the words "thank you" among others –like "please" and "I'm sorry"- weren't in his vocabulary. He quickly straightened, not used to someone speaking to him like that.

"I'm just being a good citizen." He defended himself.

"No. I'M being a good citizen. You're just rude." She turned around and started walking away. "You're welcome anyway."

"Wait!" Klaus found himself calling out. When Caroline turned around, something clicked I his head. "Do I know you?"

Caroline pursed her lips.

"Not really, no. But you did kick me away from the spot where I was sitting earlier today." She explained. Klaus remembered the blonde girl and frowned.

"Why did you help me then?"

"Because I'm a good person and I help other people, even if they're arrogant asses who don't deserve it." She replied with her chin high.

She did help him, but she also looked like she had some fire in her. He was impressed.

"I'm Klaus." He introduced himself while taking a step away from the wall. Caroline eyed him closely for a moment.

"Caroline." She said eventually.

"Caroline." Klaus repeated, tasting the way her name rolled off his tongue. "Allow me to return you the favor."

She tilted her head curiously.

"How?"

"I don't know. Tell me, is there anything you need?"

"I live on the street." She said annoyed. "There are a lot of things I need, but I doubt you'll give me a house and a job out of the kindness of your heat." Klaus clicked his tongue in his mouth. Buying her a house and getting her a job wasn't actually that hard, and to him that was just little money, but buying a house to a stranger wouldn't be crazy? "Thanks for the offer." Caroline continued. "I didn't do it because I wanted something in return anyway." She added while turning back around and walking away. This shocked Klaus.

Everyone always want something in return…

"Perhaps I could offer you a place to stay tonight." He said as he followed her deeper into the alley.

Caroline turned and gave him a funny look.

"You could be a serial killer."

"I promise you love, I'm not."

Caroline rolled her eyes.

"That's what a serial killer would say."

"Does it matter? Clearly you can take care of herself. I would get a broken rib or something worse before laying a hand on you." He saw her lips turn into a tiny smirk, she was clearly proud of herself. "Besides, tonight the air is cold and the temperature is supposed to drop even more." He added. Something changed in Caroline's eyes then.

She was cold and had nowhere else to go, but the cardboard box she put at the end of the alley where she would probably wake up the next day with fleas. After a moment of deep thinking she sighed.

"Alright. But no funny business." She said. It wouldn't be the first time a man offered her something in return for some sort of "favor". Klaus shook his head and extended his arm to the end of the alley.

"You have my word."