After the dinner with Klaus Bill decided that he and Caroline need a day to try, and reconnect. That how he found himself taking a day off from work, and allowing Caroline to skip a day of school. It was also how he found himself in a mall desperately trying to buy his daughters forgiveness; Caroline was not having it.

Bill hated malls. He hated everything about them. They were crowded, and loud, and the teens got on his nerves. The teens were nothing compared to the stay at home moms who seemed to zero in on him. It was like shopping with your daughter was a red flag. Not that Caroline was any help. She thought it was funny. He was desperate to get them home once they had lunch.

"Caroline I know that you are upset with me, and I know that part of it is my fault, however, you must understand how it looked. We came home to find you on sleeping a grown man when you were in charge of your little sister."

"Nothing happened." Caroline pleaded. "Besides you wouldn't even let me explain. You just jump to a conclusion."

"No father wants to come to the realization that their daughter is sexually active by witnessing it." Bill was quick to rattle off.

"First nothing happened," again Caroline protested her fathers characterization of the events of the night. "Second not sexually active. Third, and again we didn't do anything. Klaus and I are just friends." Caroline was quick to both define, and defend her relationship with Klaus. Not that they had a romantic relationship, yet, even Caroline was self aware enough to see that they were on the verge o becoming something more sooner rather then later.

"I know that, and I am sorry that I made feel so disconnected from us that you ran away. I just wanted to keep you my little girl a little while longer."

"Here's the thing dad. I'm not a little girl, and haven't been one for a very long time." Caroline softened her tone when she took in the appearance of her dad. He looked defeated at that deceleration. "I'm seventeen. In another year I will have graduated from high school, and will be in college. You need to start trusting me to make my own choices."

"I've missed so much of your life. But, to just get you back; it almost felt like we were being given a second chance. That I was being given the chance to be the father that you always should have had." Before Caroline could even respond that Bill made the choice to not be super involved, and that he became less involved once her got another daughter Bill continued. "I know that I have to take responsibility for my choice of not demanding to take more of a part of your childhood. I left your mom to raise you, and now I'm paying for it. I also know that there is nothing that I can do to make up the years that we lost. I'm just asking that we take advantage of the years that we have been given. Do you think that you can try?"

"I can do that, however, I need to be treated like the person that I am, and not the daughter that you assume me to be."

"That's fair, and I can do that too. So here is what I purpose," Bill was in full lawyer mode, "your punishment for having a boy spend the night, and yes that is a house rule, you will start behaving like a typical teenager. I want you to try and get back to normal. Well lets call it your new normal. You were on the cheerleading squad in California, and I think it will be a good idea you do that here. I talked to the school, and they will be happy to have you. Next I want you to join the Miss Mystic Fall Pageant that is coming up."

"Dad, come on. I have no chance of winning. I just moved her." Caroline groaned. She wasn't in the mood to play Barbie doll.

"You are a part of two founding families Caroline. It's expected. Besides think of how it will look on a college application? All of the charity work, and community involvement colleges love that stuff. I also think this will be a good way for you to get together with some of the other girls in town; make friends."

Caroline rolled her eyes at her father. Her father was always pushing her to spend more time with Elena. While she liked Elena just fine, she preferred to spend timer with Rebekah. Rebekah reminded her of her friends from back home. "First I have made friends; Rebekah thank you very much. However, fine I will run in the pageant. Is there anything else?"

"Thank you, Steven and I will even help you. We'll make a family project. Hey make you can volunteer at the hospital, and I have connections with the sherif's office you can help out there. There are also some beautification events that we can take part in." Caroline could see how excited her dad, and decided to give it an honest try. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

When they got home Bill told Steven all about his day with Caroline, and Steven being Steven saw right through Bill. "Don't think I don't know what you are doing. You are hoping to keep Caroline so busy that she will forget about Klaus. It wont' work."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Bill smiled to himself as he snuggled into his pillow.

"Just remember that I told you so." Steven kissed his husband and climbed on his side of the bed.

As it turned out Steven was right. The first community clean that the family signed up for saw Klaus joining them at the last minute along with her his sister, and younger brother Kol. Caroline reasoned the more people in their group the better it would look. It didn't escape Bill's notice the way that Klaus and Caroline flirted with each other. The consistent touching, the light teasing, and their obvious playfulness.