Day 1 - Crossovers/Fusions

Josh and Donna are sacred to me on The West Wing, but there was always a part of me that really wanted Donna to stay with the cute photographer. I wanted to avoid the complicated international backdrop and life-threatening circumstances, however, so this happened. Happy AU Week!

"You're with the American delegation, then?"

Surprised, Caroline turned to find a handsome man had taken the barstool next to her. The British accent was charming, but hardly a clue as to why he was talking to her. "Yeah," she nodded, somewhat suspicious.

As a last-minute addition to the Congressional goodwill visit to India, Caroline's hotel room had yet to be arranged. The advance team was working on it, which left her to wait impatiently in the bar. No stranger to getting hit on, it was a bit odd to have such a familiar experience in an entirely different country.

"Klaus Mikaelson," he introduced himself. When she declined his hand with a sharp glare, he smirked in amusement. "I'm a photographer by trade, and I noticed the Secret Service detail surrounding your group. Americans abroad tend to attract international attention."

"Says the man pointing the camera," Caroline noted, sipping her glass of water.

"Fair enough," Klaus agreed. "But it pays the bills. Care to give a mate the inside scoop?"

Rolling her eyes, Caroline shook her head. "I don't really have inside scoop to share," she admitted. "I'm just an assistant, and I'm not really supposed to be on this trip to begin with. My boss pulled some strings."

His expression turned knowing. "Ah," he sighed. "The boss brought along a bit of pleasure to mix with work?"

Caroline gripped her glass, tempted to throw its contents in his face. "Excuse you," she spat. "My boss isn't even here."

Klaus smirked again, unconcerned. "You said you're just an assistant," he figured. "It seems odd to bring an assistant without the person to assist."

Opening her mouth to answer, Caroline realized she didn't have a good one. She couldn't explain that she wasn't important enough to merit a spot on Air Force One to Geneva, that was a disappointing fact she could keep to herself. She definitely wouldn't go into the specifics of her complicated relationship with Stefan, who she finally realized might be holding her back from greater career opportunities. Working in the West Wing was an incredible honor, but six years was a long time to worry about lunch orders.

She had been pestering Stefan for months to have more responsibility, but it was actually Bonnie who asked her to join leaders from Congress on their diplomatic trip to India. When the press secretary told her to get on a plane, Caroline wasn't going to say no.

"It's a special assignment," she finally told Klaus, if only to wipe that smug look off his face. "I'm reporting to the press secretary's office so she can be briefed on the events here."

"But you don't work for the press secretary," Klaus discerned with narrowed eyes. "Who did she nick you from?"

"I'm the senior assistant to the president's deputy chief of staff," she answered snottily. "And I'm also excellent at my job."

Klaus smiled more genuinely at that, tilting his head in admiration. "I have no doubt," he said. "So, you're supposed to report back what you see and hear about...what?"

Shrugging, Caroline glanced down to the bar. "India, I guess. The elected officials all have meetings set with Parliament and industry leaders, though they all have their own staffs," she answered, feeling somewhat like an extra thumb. "We have tours set all over New Delhi, but I'm mostly just baggage. All Bonnie told me was to keep her in the loop, but I'll probably be stuck bugging the staffers for details every night."

"It sounds to me like you're free to explore during the day, then."

"Let me guess," Caroline sighed. "I could spend my days exploring you?"

Dimples cut deep into his cheeks as he looked almost bashful. "While I wouldn't be opposed," he said with a wink, "I thought you might enjoy tagging along on some of my assignments. I freelance for the most part, few papers have Indian bureaus staffed full-time. It's up to me to find the stories and tell them with my photos."

"That sounds...grand."

"It's a living," he shrugged. "There's a lot more to New Delhi than your tours will likely show. Care for a deeper context to those reports you have to write?"

Caroline just stared, unsure what fairytale this guy walked out from and why he thought she was the damsel in distress he needed to whisk away for an adventure.

Clearly catching onto her disbelief, Klaus chuckled. "Take a chance," he dared. "I bet you've always dreamed of exploring the world with a handsome man on your arm."

"You don't even know my name," she pointed out. "How would you know anything about my hopes or my dreams?"

"I don't," he admitted. "But my hope is that you'll let me find out."

A giggle burst from her, but she couldn't stop smiling. "God," she gasped. "You probably hit on every blonde who sits in this bar. You're good, I'll give you that."

Sensing a losing fight, Klaus pushed himself off the stool. Still, he passed her a card with his name and number. "In case you change your mind, love," he said lowly, bowing slightly before taking his leave.

Her fingers traced the edge of the card as she watched him go. Caroline shook her head, the encounter seeming ridiculous.

That didn't stop her from tucking Klaus Mikaelson's card into her purse. It was always good to have a friend in foreign places. If anything, it made for a funny story to tell Bonnie.

A day. Caroline Forbes, whose infamous willpower managed to land her a job in the White House, lasted an entire day before calling some guy she met in a bar.

In her defense, that day sucked. The hotel never managed to find her a room, so she had to bunk with one of the Congresswomen, who was less than thrilled at sharing her space with staff. Her own irritation kept Caroline tossing and turning all night, fueled by unanswered emails and text messages to Stefan about her safe arrival and first impressions of India. The next morning was no better, when the delegation left her behind for their private meetings without a concern for what she should do in the meantime.

It wasn't until she tried to get a summary of those meetings that Caroline gave up her official duties. The staffers were rude, smug, and otherwise less than helpful.

At least she knew where she could get similar service with a prettier face.

The phone finally rang in her ear, a sigh of relief escaping her after the ordeal of calling from the hotel phone. "Klaus Mikaelson," the familiar voice greeted when the line connected.

"It's Caroline," she blurted out, smacking her head in embarrassment when she realized he never knew her name. "We met in the bar yesterday? I accused you of hitting on blondes."

"Caroline." Her name rolled off his tongue like something to be savored. "What a pleasant surprise."

She scoffed. "Do you always give out your number assuming the girl won't call?"

"Do you always call the men who leave you their number?"

Sighing, Caroline's eyes ached with how hard she rolled them. "You know what, this was a bad idea," she decided, ready to hang up.

"No, wait," he said hurriedly, the earnestness in his voice just enough to keep her on the phone. "How may I be of service, love?"

"If your offer of showing me around the city is still good-"

"It is."

Caroline bit back a smile at his quick response. "My schedule is empty until a diplomatic brunch at the embassy tomorrow morning," she explained. "I'd really like to get a glimpse of the real New Delhi before then."

Klaus went above and beyond that glimpse. Over the next week, he took every opportunity offered by a gap in her schedule to show her sites beyond the tours set up by the government. Together, they explored markets, spoke with citizens, ate in hideaway restaurants, visited neighborhoods and temples. He hid nothing from her, made sure to show the rougher facts among all the beauty abundant in the city.

Energized by the experience, Caroline's emails back home grew longer and more detailed. Each message was carefully crafted to faithfully describe what she saw, how she felt, what it all meant to be in New Delhi. Even as she trudged up to her hotel room, her fingers buzzed with the need to write down every bite of the dinner she just ate.

"I should have taken some of that curry to go," Caroline moaned, clutching her stomach. "I'm going to be dreaming about it for weeks."

Licking his lips, Klaus seemed to ponder his next words. "You could always stay," he suggested. "You wouldn't have to dream about the curry if you could just order it."

Caroline scoffed as she let them into her room. A week of the photographer's constant presence hadn't been so bad after all, and she wasn't ready to say goodnight. Still, that didn't mean she was ready to put down roots across the world. "I live in Washington, where I have a pretty good job," she pointed out. "For some reason, I don't think assistants get to take extended vacations with charming Brits."

"We'll get back to the charming Brit part in a moment," Klaus joked, placing his hands firmly on her hips. She raised her eyebrow at the clear breaking of their understood 'no touching' rule, but she didn't push him away either. "But I don't think you like your job as much as you say. I've seen the intensity of wanderlust itching under your skin, and it's such a beautiful quality."

"So?" she drawled, shrugging. "I can travel once I finish out the president's term. Stefan needs me-"

"Are you really telling me you'll be perfectly content going back to your desk job, with a boss who consistently devalues you and your goals?" Klaus squeezed her hips, ducking a bit to keep eye contact with her when she tried to look away. "Sweetheart, I watched you come alive when you stepped outside your strict schedules and outlined assignments. You've barely scratched the surface of what you can see in this world, and you hunger for more. You deserve more."

Choking out a laugh, Caroline tried to squirm out of his grip. "I'm an adult, Klaus," she sighed. "I have bills to pay, a career to think of, and people who rely on me. Not everyone can live their life out of a suitcase, coming and going as we please."

"If you could," he posited, leaning his forehead against hers, "would you want to? We could go anywhere."

"You've known me a week," she said hysterically. "Now, you want to run away together?"

Klaus hesitated at that, giving her enough room to escape.

She didn't go far, though, moving to hold his hands. "Seriously, Klaus?" she asked. "This is all very romantic, but happily ever after was always too vague an ending for my tastes. I need a plan, I need stability."

"I have plans," he defended. "They're recent, sure, but they're still plans. Love, this week with you has been unlike anything I've been able to do by myself. My career has been floating from one place to the next, discovering the world as I go. Now, all I want is to show it to you. To share it with you. You can write; we'll go everywhere. Rome, Paris, Tokyo."

"This is crazy," she answered, shaking her head.

Raising his hand to her cheek, Klaus tilted her face toward his. "You leave in two days," he admitted. "I figured crazy was my only option, rather than to face the reality you'll be gone as quickly as you came into my life."

Caroline pushed herself up to meet his lips with hers, their first kiss in a week fraught with tension. With a sigh, she pulled away. "Then let's make those two days count," she offered, tugging on his shirt. "You can tell me all about the places you think I'd like, maybe send me photos once I get back to the states."

Sadly, Klaus tried to smile as he leaned back in to kiss her. "I guess that's fair."

The drive to the airport had been torture for Klaus. His time with Caroline wasn't nearly enough, and he had pulled out all the stops in hopes of convincing her to stay. He felt ridiculous pushing the issue when she was clearly set on returning home, more so considering her valid points.

Still, it seemed more wrong to let her go without a fight.

Klaus was sure she wanted more out of life than to be someone's assistant, especially not for that dunce of a boss who barely managed to listen to her when she asked for more responsibility. She had thrived wandering the city, and his heart nearly broke when she laughed at his offer to see more of the world. He was a grown man who could handle rejection, but something about Caroline just fit.

"I could go with you," he tried, gripping her hand a bit harder at the security gate where he would have to leave her. "The U.S. isn't as lucrative for freelancing, but there's always a political scandal to stumble upon."

"Klaus," she sighed. Tears filled her eyes, and she squeezed his hand right back. "I don't want to tie you down, it wouldn't be fair."

He shook his head. "I don't want to say goodbye."

"Then don't." Smiling through her tears, she raised their hands to kiss the back of his. "Maybe in a couple years, we'll meet again on one of my travels."

"On top of the Eiffel Tower," he joked weakly.

She beamed. "It's a date," she promised. "As soon as the president leaves office, I'll catch a plane to Paris and go straight to the Eiffel Tower. Just don't make me wait too long, okay?"

Wiping a tear from her eye, Klaus fought his frown. "We wouldn't have to wait at all if you don't get on the plane," he noted. "We could go to Paris right now."

"I have to get back to the real world," she groaned, clearly reluctant to leave. But if Klaus had learned anything in the short time he had known her, Caroline was too stubborn to give up on a plan. And her plan took her home to Washington, D.C. "I'm glad I met you, Klaus. It's certainly been an adventure."

He nodded, words failing him. Instead, he pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. They stayed close for a long moment, but Klaus pulled back to let her pass through security. "Let me know when you land safely?"

"I will," she answered softly, slow to turn away.

Klaus watched her go, even waving pathetically when she looked back one last time.

A week. Klaus Mikaelson, who never let anyone or anything tether him to one spot for too long, fell head over heels in love in just one week with a woman he might never see again.

Needing to drown his sorrows, he headed to the hotel bar where they first met. If he was going to rub salt in the wound, he might as well order it with tequila and a lime. He wasn't nearly as sloshed as he hoped when he started to relay his woes to the bartender an hour later.

"She was beautiful before, when she was just a stranger in a bar," he moaned. "A mark, really. I was hoping for an easy story. Follow the American, a key principle in freelance photography. But she was so much more than that. I just- Why did she have to get on the plane?"

"Maybe she didn't," the bartender shrugged.

"Of course she got on the plane," Klaus answered miserably. "I love how hardheaded she can be, even when it hurts. She planned to get on the plane, so she got on the plane."

A small voice behind him interrupted. "She didn't get on the plane."

Whirling around, Klaus nearly lost his balance on the barstool where their story began. A part of him didn't want to believe she was real, that this Caroline standing in front of him was just a cruel hallucination brought on by alcohol and pessimism.

"Nope, the real me," she answered in an irritated voice. He hadn't even realized he spoke his musings aloud, but Klaus was thrilled to forget them in favor of pulling her close. "You really hit the tequila hard, didn't you? One hour without me, and you're hopeless."

Klaus buried his face in her neck. "You have no idea."

Dear Stefan,

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I wasn't on the return trip from India with the Congressional delegation. Bonnie has all the reports she needs, and April is just qualified enough to pick up where I left off in your office. You'll be fine without me, I promise.

It's been an honor and a pleasure to serve the president, but I'm ready for something more. I have a world to discover.

Thanks for everything,

Caroline