I do not own The Vampire Diaries or Pretty Woman

He leans against the cool railing and takes a long drag from his cigarette.

Despite the fact he has class in fifteen minutes, Klaus is in no rush to get there. He cocks his leg up against the railing and watches as students run toward the large double doors, speeding to get to their classes. Yet here he is, taking his time; breaking the rules.

"Wow, is this where all the kids hang out?"

Klaus looks up at the foreign voice and blinks at the grinning blonde. She fishes in her purse and pulls out a packet of cigarettes, putting one between her lips she fumbles around her purse for a few more seconds before looking hopelessly up at him.

"You got a light?"

Klaus nods and pulls his lighter from his pocket, extending it toward her.

She takes it and lights up her cigarette, handing it back with a smile and exhale of smoke. "Thanks," she mumbles. "I've got fifteen minutes to get to my next class, and this day has been hectic enough."

Klaus just blinks again at the curious blonde and takes another drag.

"Oh, sorry, am I talking too much? I tend to do that, I hate awkward silences, they're just too tense, y'know? Anyway, I haven't seen you here, are you new?"

Klaus nods. "Just started," he mumbles.

The blonde grins. "Ah, foreigner. England, I presume? That's a long way from home."

"Yes it is."

The blonde checks her watch and growls, throwing her cigarette on the floor and stamping it with her heel. "I gotta jet. Thanks for the light!"

Klaus watches with a smirk as the blonde runs off, clutching her bag to her hip and joining the crowd as they push through the doors. He glances at his watch and flicks his cigarette away, walking and leaving it to burn as he takes his steps to follow them.

XXX

He's sat beside a couple, it's infuriating. Their blushing smiles and the flick of her brunette hair every time he leans and murmurs into her ear, leaving her giggling and pushing him away with a flimsy hit to his shoulder.

Klaus snorts and pulls his pencils out from his bag, setting them aside his sketchbook.

Of all his favourite classes, someone had to ruin it somehow.

The door opens and the handle slams against the wall as the lecturer rushes in and throws her purse on the desk.

"Sorry I'm late guys, you know how it is!"

The brunette girl beside Klaus giggles again and he cringes.

He looks up at the lecturer and blinks twice as he takes in her features - beautiful, blonde, summery like her dress - and oh, God is that the girl he gave the lighter to earlier? Correction: is that the lecturer?

Great. He was caught smoking on his first day, by his art lecturer, who he was stupidly ignorant and silent to, and who probably spent the past five minutes complaining to the Principle about students smoking in out of bounds areas - in his defence, she was there too! And she encouraged it.

The lecturer turns from the board where she has jotted her name in curly handwriting and Klaus squints under his glasses.

Caroline.

"So most of you guys know my name by now, I'm Caroline - Ms. Forbes is my mother, so let's not even go there with that one - but it seems we have a new student joining us today." She takes a break and looks down at a piece of paper on her desk. "Niklaus Mikealson?"

Klaus can almost feel the blood rush to his face as she scans the room and finally drops her eyes to his as he raises his hand.

"Yes, ma'am."

Caroline seems utterly confused for a moment before she braces herself and beams back at him. "Welcome to America, Niklaus. Please, call me Caroline - no formalities here, we're a big crazy family."

"Then I insist you call me Klaus."

The class sniggers at the seemingly snorty remark but Caroline's smile only grows as she nods.

"Of course," she says softly before turning her attention back to the rest of the students. "So our topic last week was on American history, drawing or painting your favourite part of our past. Some of you did great - but let's just say I think you'll be needing a few more History lessons with Alaric if he sees the others."

The class chuckles in response to her witty remark.

"This weeks topic is different. Draw me something, paint me something or make me something of your own choice - but be responsible, please. I don't want a desk full of genitalia. That means you, Mr. Salvatore."

Klaus turns to his side where the dark-haired boy grins back at Caroline and sends her a wink, the brunette giggles quietly beside him.

Klaus rolls his eyes.

"You have this period to get your ideas together, present them to me, and if you're ready - go right into it, this is only a prep lesson, tomorrow is where we get serious. So if you're ready, get your gear together and show me what you got."

The students around Klaus begin to stand and move around the room, opening cupboards and pulling out paints and pencils and charcoal. Klaus stays in his seat and pops the cap off of the pen beside his sketchbook. He starts to idly jot down ideas.

Fifteen minutes later and there's already a rough five sketches of possible designs and textures he's using. He looks up to see Caroline at her desk, seemingly sketching her own thing. He smirks for a moment and looks down at one of the sketches, a woman sitting on the steps, laughing into the air with a cigarette hanging from between her fingers. He sketches her brunette, but all he sees is the laughing, confident blonde that is his teacher.