"When Rebecca told her his place was remote, she wasn't kidding. Caroline had been hiking for close to an hour and was beginning to wonder if she had taken a wrong turn. Coming over yet another hill, she finally saw it. The sun glinting off the tin roof caught her eye first before focusing on the modest cabin below that looked nothing like what she imagined it would. Although, if the rumors she'd heard over the last few years were true, Klaus had changed. But it was 25 years since their interlude in the woods and Caroline had changed too. She'd traveled around the world a couple of times. Afterwards, she found it hard to remember who she had been back in high school, back in Mystic Falls. She cringed at those memories mostly. It took her years to discover herself. To figure out what she needed in life, what she wanted. Discover her own worth. So here she was, showing up at his door step, hopeful.
"New Orleans was a never ending disaster. Klaus just couldn't be there any more. He hated who that city turned him into, cringed at the memories of his behavior. He was a shell of his former self there and he couldn't do it any more. Once Hope was grown and off on her own he took the opportunity to leave. Thought maybe Rebecca had the right idea about being independent of each other. No family to judge or ridicule. No expectations to live up to or fail trying. Just him. He decided somewhere secluded would be a nice change. He yearned to get to know his wolf and live freely as such. He spent hundreds of years trying to free this side of himself and now he wanted to revel in it.
That's how he ended up in the mountains of Canada. At least two hours from any sort of civilization, but he could be in a town in 30 minutes if the need arose. He built a cabin with his own two hands. The satisfaction that came with that accomplishment surprised him immensely. He spent most of his days running as his wolf and hunting. The feeling of being free this way was exhilarating. Every time he inhaled the fresh air it felt like 100 years of misery and carnage was lifted off his shoulders. He didn't have to be the villain here - everyone's scape goat for all their sorrow and misfortunes. He didn't have to be anything. He was just Nik again.
Caroline began walking faster towards the cabin, sunset was upon the mountain and she really didn't want to get caught out here at night. While she was sure she could take on any animal that attacked, she didn't relish the idea of fighting an enormous grizzly bear. Arriving covered in bear blood and fur was so not what she envisioned for her reunion with Klaus. As she got closer, she was able to appreciate the beautiful simplicity of his cabin. It was a traditional log cabin. A meticulously carved wood door was centered in the front, flanked by a window on each side, and a porch that spanned the length of the house. A stone chimney climbed the right side of the house and had smoke billowing out the top. There were lights on inside but she didn't hear any movement. She stepped onto the porch, took a deep breath, and knocked. It was now or never she guessed. Her stomach was doing summersaults as she waited for what felt like an eternity. In reality, less than a minute later, a bearded and shirtless Klaus ripped open the door with a look of shock on his face.
"Caroline." His voice sounded rough, like it hadn't been used it months. He cleared his throat and just stared wide eyed at the blonde in front of him. A slow smiled spread across her face as a feeling of wholeness flooded her body at the sight of him.
"Hey," she answered.