After that terrible, stupid, senseless ending all I cared about was writing a finale with Klaus alive and Klaroline endgame. It's not perfect but it made me feel so much better. Hope it does the same for you.
Caroline's hand flew to her mouth as she watched the two brothers face each other.
The street was completely deserted except for them, a weak moon shining down, and even if she was some distance away, her perfect eyesight made her feel like she was just a step away from them. Her eyes filled with tears as she saw the love they had for each other clearly written on their faces a second before they staked each other. She gasped out loudly as she waited to see what would happen.
She didn't know.
Elijah hadn't been sure…
The brothers kept looking at each other then she saw Elijah's body start to take that grayish tone she knew well but her eyes stayed focused on Klaus. She saw him frown as his brother's now dead body fell to the ground. Obviously confused, he took the stake out of his chest and staked himself once more, harder than his brother's jab had been. He fell on one knee next to his brother but he frowned as he realized that what was supposed to happen to him, hadn't.
"Elijah?" She heard him call his older brother's name. "Elijah!"
With one swift movement he took out the stake from his brother's chest and on seeing Klaus pointing it towards his own, she vampire sped from her hiding place to him.
"NO! Klaus don't!"
"Caroline…."
"Klaus….don't…"
"What happened here? WHAT happened? Why is he…? And, and me? Why am I not…."
"Klaus…" She kept taking tiny, slow steps to reach him, her arms out stretched in front of her, fingers wide as if trying to calm down a scared animal. His eyes were huge in his face, confused, worried…scared and full of tears as they kept going from Elijah's lifeless body next to him to the white oak stake in his hand and then her…
"What happened?" He asked again.
"I…he gave you a normal stake and used the real one only on himself."
He shook his head a few times at her words, "No, he said…I saw him break the stake in two, I saw him….why would he…no…"
She took another small step closer to him, hunching down, "He wanted Hope to be with her father, to have you with her, he wanted you to live your life with her, he wanted…"
"NO!" He interrupted her, "What the hell do you mean? That's not possible; the darkness is still inside me…"
His voice faded as he saw her slowly shake her head.
"I don't understand…" He repeated.
"When he told you that Freya had given him some of the darkness so you could function…he took it all…left you just enough so you wouldn't realize…"
"How?"
Her eyes widened. "Don't know exactly…my daughters helped him, their magic…they…rekindled it…made it still…usable…for Freya…"
"No! No, this is all wrong!" His face was contorted in dozens of emotions all at once. She watched them all, disbelieve, confusion, pain…anger. "He had no right to do that! No right to die for me, I didn't want him to, didn't ask him, he wanted to die with me, he said, WITH ME! Not like this, it's not right, it's not…"
Her hand slowly reached his and took the stake from his hand and put it behind her on the ground.
"It's what he wanted-"
"But it wasn't what I wanted!" He growled, "I wanted to be the one to die for my daughter. I wanted to…why didn't he let me, how could he…he lied…"
She sighed softly. "He wasn't sure it would work, he thought you could find out and stop him…"
Again Klaus shook his head at her, "Of course I would have stopped him! He said, he said goodbye to our siblings, he said…"
"I told you he wasn't sure if his plan would work…"
Suddenly he turned a heavy scowl on her "Wait! Wait a minute! How do YOU know all this?! Why are YOU here?!"
She closed her eyes. She knew this was coming. "He called me, he told me what he was planning, but he wasn't sure it would work…said that if it did, you would need me here…that I had to be here."
"You KNEW?! You knew everything and you didn't tell me?!"
"He wouldn't let me!"
"He wouldn't let you!?" He parroted incredulously.
Her shoulders sagged in a little, even to her that sounded like a really lame excuse.
"He knew that if I told you, you would stop him and he wanted you to live-"
"He had no right! You had no right!" He thundered as he suddenly got up and with a fastness that even her eye didn't register, hit the nearest tree so violently it toppled to its side. He then looked up at the dark sky and screamed like a wounded animal.
In a blink of an eye, he was back next to his brother's body, tears still in his eyes. "Why would he do this? Why would he leave me alone…?"
"Klaus…" Her own eyes filled too at seeing his pain.
"You should have told me! You should have come to me!" Through the tears, his eyes stared angrily straight in hers.
"I told him…"
"You were supposed to tell me!" He shouted in her face. "You stood there, saying good bye to me, when you knew all along…"
"I did not!" She denied vehemently, "I told you, even he wasn't sure! He wanted to save you but he didn't know…I didn't know…"
He put his hand gently on his brother's chest, "Elijah..." Then his hand fisted on his brother's jacket.
"Klaus…"
"You should have told me!" He repeated for what seemed the hundredth time. "Go away!" He ordered her abruptly.
"No!" She gasped and shook her head. "Don't-"
"I said go!" He turned his angry eyes on her once more. "I don't want you here…"
When she still didn't move, he roared, "Leave!" and turned his face away from her.
She pressed her lips together to stop from saying anything else and started walking slowly away. After a few steps she stopped and turned to look at him again, hoping he would call her back, but he stayed with his hand on Elijah, head bent.
Three loud, strong knocks on her hotel room door made her sure of who it was even before she opened it. The funeral was over then. She took a deep breath in and prepared herself.
Klaus was dressed completely in black. A black shirt, tie and suit. Her breath caught in her throat. She had rarely ever seen him look more devastatingly handsome or more…exhausted. Her heart went out to him, he looked…spent, his shoulders bent inwards. His hands were both in his trousers' pockets before he took one out and took off his dark sunglasses. He frowned at her as their eyes met. She lowered her eyes, maybe she was only imagining things, the anger in his eyes looked very much alive.
She took another deep breath and motioned with her hand for him to come in.
"Just do it," she said as she closed the door behind him when he did, "have your say."
When he just frowned deeper at her, she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Isn't that why you're here? To accuse me some more? Blame me some more, make me feel more guilty than I already do?"
"You feel guilty?" He asked in a clipped tone.
"Of course I do! You think this was easy for me?!" She asked pointing at herself, "I know exactly how much you loved Elijah…even if I hadn't seen what you did for him back in Paris, to protect him from enemies he didn't even remember…when he didn't even remember you!"
"Then how could you?!" He asked pain mixing with the anger in his eyes, "How could he betray me so? How could YOU betray me?"
"Stop it!" She yelled back, a sudden anger filled her and before she knew it, she was shouting at him. "Stop making this about yourself!"
"Excuse me?!"
"You heard me! This isn't about you! This isn't about how mad you are at your brother, at me, at how unfair this is…this is about Elijah and about the gift he gave you! Yes! A gift! " She took a deep breath to calm herself a little as he just stared at her with parted lips, "He gave you your life back, or a new life if you prefer! He wanted you to have a life with Hope, to be there for her, to watch her grow, he wanted you to live, he wanted the man he knew you could be…to live…he spent a thousand years looking out for you, advising you, trying to help you become the man he knew you could be…here," Her finger went out and thumped at his chest. "He knew you had the ability to be better, to love…and be loved. Because yeah, guess what Klaus, you are loved, by your siblings, by your daughter, and…and Elijah, he wanted you to have a chance at that, he wanted you to live your life without all that darkness that has always been in you…he finally saw that man in you, he saw you at peace, and he didn't want that man to die!" She huffed, completely out of breath after her tirade.
"How do you know all this?" He asked in a quiet voice.
"Because he told me…back in Mystic Falls, he thought it so ironic that the man he strived for a thousand years for you to become was going to die just when he was finally here! I guess…that's when the plan to take your place took root in him."
He just stared at her again for a long moment before turning his back to her and walked towards the window behind him. He put his hands in his pockets once more and just looked unseeingly through the glass. There was no mistaking the exhaustion now. Shoulders down, his face drawn. They stood there for long moments, him looking out and her behind him looking at him.
"What if I fail him?" He finally asked his voice barely above a whisper. Slowly he turned and sat on the edge of the window sill, his eyes glued to the carpet. "What if I fail this…life he gave me? What if at the first obstacle I go back to my ways…they have always proven effective, easy…who would stop me? Who would rein me in if he's not here…what good would his gift do then?"
She walked to him and crouched near his legs so she could look him in the eye. "The fact that you're afraid of disappointing him is already a good indication you will not! And Hope will rein you in; just the thought of her, of being better for her will stop you from something too crazy…I mean it's not like Elijah was expecting you to suddenly become a saint…" She gave him a small smile which he didn't return, and she added with a small sigh, "I'm afraid your terrible temper will always be your trademark…but I don't think anyone who cares about you would want you too different…we're used to it, it's what makes you…you."
He kept staring at her, his eyes studying her intently and then his hand slowly went up and he touched his knuckles to her cheek in the softest touch and she smiled at him again and again he didn't return it. She could read the pain clearly in his eyes, the tenderness she always saw for her since they had re-met in Paris but then all of a sudden his eyes took on a stricken look. He abruptly lowered his hand and got up.
"I have to go." He said as she straightened up. A second later he was at the door.
"You can't just leave…talk to me!"
He turned to look at her. "You wouldn't like to know what I'm thinking."
She took a deep breath in. "Tell me anyway…I knew this could happen when I accepted to help Elijah and hide it from you, I told your brother you wouldn't forgive me, that it would be decades before you even talked to me again…if ever…"
"And what did he say to that?"
"He said..." She squared her shoulders, and continued. "He said, Niklaus is no fool. But he is very stubborn and proud…he will need time to admit that I did the right thing…even if in his heart he will already know I did."
He barked a mirthless laugh. "He thinks he knows me so well?! The right thing? The RIGHT THING would have been if he had stayed with me, if he hadn't chosen me over himself, if he hadn't…
"Loved you that much?" She whispered softly.
His mouth opened to say something harsh again but no sound came out, his eyes widening as he took in her words. He took a broken breath inside as he took a step back and his back hit the door behind him as if her murmured words had physically hit him. She could see the moment the fight, the anger left him as his eyes welled up with tears and he hit the door with the back of his head, and stayed there just staring at the ceiling.
Slowly he closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Okay, Elijah...you win." He murmured from between barely opened lips.
"Oh Klaus…" Her eyes filled up too and her hand itched to reach out and touch him, comfort him...but she didn't know if he'd want her to. After a long moment, where she forgot to breath, his hand went up to his face and he wiped his tears and then with a shuddering breath, moved away from the door. Still looking up he added, "And I'll make the most of it, I swear, I'll honor it, every day." His eyes suddenly looked down at her, his eye lashes still wet from his tears, but a strong, intent look in them.
"Do you still want me to chase you around for a few more centuries?" He asked, his eyes intent on her face.
"W-What?" She asked completely bewildered. She didn't know what she expected him to say but that was certainly the furthest one from her mind.
But his eyes stayed glued to hers, calm but very serious. "Last time we talked, when we thought I was…you said that if I…you would have let me chase you for a few more centuries…is that what you still want?"
Her eyes widened and her lips parted in surprise…Had he gone mad?
"I'm not crazy you know?" He said with a little smile, almost as if he had just read her mind, "It's just that suddenly everything is so clear...so..."
"Is that what YOU want?" She asked, her eye brows flying up.
"No." He answered promptly, "but if it's what you wish, then I'll do it, I'll wait…for you, however long it takes."
Those words made her breath break in a hard gasp.
"Honestly…" He went on, "other than watching Hope grow into the wonderful, strong woman I know she will be…the only other thing I want to do is…be with you…"
Another gasp caught in her throat at the way his eyes were looking at her, shining.
"I've been in love with you since the night of your eighteenth birthday, Caroline…and one glance at you in Paris was all it took for me to feel exactly the same way I did in that room, but I'm willing to wait…until you want…until you're ready…if you want me to chase you for a few more centuries…I'll do it, I-
Suddenly her lips where on his, her arms around his neck as she kissed him gruffly, desperately, nothing like the sweet gentle kiss they had exchanged two days ago. He returned it just as desperately, his arms wound tightly around her waist as he lifted her off the floor to deepen the kiss, a groan coming deep from his throat when their tongues touched.
When they finally had to come up for air, she hid her face in his neck, "No more chasing…" she said, her mouth muffled against his neck, "…the only place I want to run to is right here in your arms." As she said the words her arms tightened even fiercer around his neck. Her body so close to his, she actually felt the somersault his heart did at her words before starting to beat even faster than it already was. His cheek pressed to her head, she felt his lips on her hair before he asked,
"Are you sure?" and slowly pulled her away from him to look at her, "because I'm not going anywhere you know…if I didn't die this time, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be around forever."
"Promise?" She asked softly before finally looking in his eyes and gave him a little tremulous smile.
"I promise." He finally returned her smile as he leaned down to gently kiss her on the lips. "It's true, isn't it?" He asked her with an astonished sigh, "this life is his gift for me…it's how much he loved me…and I want to make every moment count...for him."
She nodded and bit her lower lip as she watched him come to terms with it, accept that he was worth his brother's sacrifice.
More tears followed the track of the first one on his face, and he hugged her as if to hide them from her.
She tightly hugged him back, the way she's been aching to do since he had come in the room. "You scared me a moment ago…the look you gave me, I really thought you would leave and I wouldn't see you again!" He let out a sad sigh and took a step back to look at her before softly asking, "Remember when I told you that somewhere, there was a way, I could have everything I want, all at once?"
"Yes."
"My brother's gone…and so I know that with him out of the picture that's never going to happen now…ever…" he closed his eyes for a moment. "But, over there, I felt…" he said, pointing with his hand at the window sill, with a sad smile, "This…" He went closer to her again until their foreheads touched and he breathed her in. "This is the closest I'll ever be to that somewhere…"
"Klaus…" She said his name, almost in awe.
"And it felt…amazing…but also…I felt unworthy." He shook his head in frustration as he tried to find the words. "Why should I have what I want…when he's gone…Why do I get to be…happy…" he frowned as he said the word, like it was a foreign word he didn't understand, even as one tear came down his cheek.
"You felt guilty…" Her hand gently stroked his face, "You thought you didn't deserve it…"
He nodded even if hers hadn't been a question. "And then your words…it's what he wanted for me, it's why he wanted you here…It would be undeserving of me if I didn't honor that." His voice broke again. "Forgive me." He said as he cupped her cheek in his palm, "I'm so happy by what you told me…but I'm also so…sad, broken…I'm…alive, I'm whole but it's like someone tore away pieces of me I'll never have back…and maybe I'm not even making sense but…"
"It's okay…it's okay." She said as she gently took his face in her hands and wiped away the tears with her thumbs. "You're making sense to me. You're grieving, and I'm afraid it's a pain that will remain in your heart, a part of you…" She kissed his soft lips and again noticed the tiredness etched on his face, "You look completely exhausted…what you need right now is to rest…"
"Rest?!"
"Yes." She answered, with no regard to his frown, and she took his hand and walked him to the bed. "Do you even remember the last time you slept? I bet it was before this whole thing with Hope started."
She sat him down on the bed and standing in front of him, started loosening his tie, "Take off your shoes." She ordered as she put her hands on his shoulders under his jacket and pulled his suit off.
The fact that he took off his shoes without a single protest, showed her just how tired he was until she saw a certain glint in his eyes.
"You need to rest." She repeated sternly, and seeing she meant it, he frowned again,
"Come on, lie down," she pressed his shoulder towards the bed.
"I'm not one of your students." He grumbled even as he obeyed and put his head on the pillow.
"You think I tuck in any of my students?" She said in disbelief, "not even my daughters let me do that anymore."
She loosened his tie a little more, "Just rest for a while…it will do you a world of good…everything else can wait."
"Stay with me?" He asked softly, as he took her hand in his.
She smiled and after a moment, nodded. Took off her shoes and went round the other side of the bed and climbed next to him.
"Scoot closer." He said as he opened his arm and slid her to him until she was attached to his side.
He entwined his fingers with hers and kissed her knuckles before putting their hands on his chest.
His other arm curled around her body, with his hand splayed on her back to keep her close.
She put her head on his shoulder and felt him shake his head.
"Me and you, finally on a bed…and we are really going to sleep?" He asked with that arrogant tilt in his voice, she hadn't heard in a while.
She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, as she put her chin on his shoulder and looked at him.
"Well, you were willing to wait a few centuries for me, I can wait a few days-"
"Days?!" His eyebrows shot upward. "Make that hours!"
Her smile opened wider, and feeling a blush starting to cover her face, put her head on his shoulder again.
"Caroline?"
"Go to sleep."
He sighed and for long minutes, there was only the sound of their breathing in the room.
She rubbed one of his fingers with her thumb and then gently called his name, "Klaus?"
"Yes?"
"Can I tell you something about your brother?"
"Of course." He answered immediately.
"This will sound weird…" she said with a sigh, "Maybe it can wait…"
"Tell me."
She didn't look up at him, she had a feeling, it would be easier for him that way.
"When we talked…when he told me what he wanted to do…he was…" She stopped and he squeezed her hand against his, "he sounded hopeful…I know that's a strange word to use, but it's true." She kissed his shoulder. "It's like he was looking forward to what…he'd find…where he was going…"
"Hope said something similar at the funeral, this afternoon."
"She did?"
"Yeah," She felt his face in her hair as he took a deep breath in, "she said that she was sure, that wherever Elijah was, her mother was there too…and that they were dancing together…"
"That sounds wonderful."
She felt him nod against her hair before kissing her head.
Silence fell between them again. She felt his hand relax even if it stayed on her back. She realized she was quite tired too as she felt her eyes grow heavy as Klaus even breathing relaxed her even more. Suddenly her eyes popped open and she got her head up from his shoulder.
"Klaus?"
"Mmm…"
She couldn't help the little smile on her face and she bit on her lower lip as she looked at him. She realized she'd never seen him sleepy before and her smile grew bigger thinking of all the versions of him she never saw but would now discover.
"I love you." She whispered to him, her eyes mapping his face lovingly.
His eyes opened at her words, "What?" He asked his eyes searching hers.
"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up…"
"With those three words you can wake me up anytime you want…but you don't have to say them if you don't…
Her stern look stopped him from continuing. "You think I would say them if I didn't mean them?"
His eyes lit up at her words. "I just…"
Her free hand went up to trace his cheekbone softly with her fingers. "All those years ago, back in Mystic falls, I saw something in you, from the start, that the others didn't. They told me very clearly that they couldn't understand how I could see good in you…but I did," She smiled fondly at the memories, "I did…and I couldn't help…care for you even then. So, this Niklaus Michaelson," she pressed a kiss on his shoulder. "This Klaus, I'm proud to say I love."
The hand on her back went up to cradle her head and he pulled her in for a long, breath-taking kiss.
"Sleep." She mumbled against his lips.
He sighed even as he let out a little laugh, "You're mean." He muttered but still put his head on the pillow again.
Her head went back to his shoulder, even if she was tempted to kiss him again and forget all about sleeping at all. Closing her eyes instead, she smiled remembering very well that the wait would be totally worth it.
Hours later, the room completely in darkness, Klaus stirred in his sleep, his head moved on the pillow and his nose got lost in soft, sweet smelling hair. He smiled, before breathing her scent in and planting a soft kiss on her head.
Her fingers squeezed his for a second before letting go again and he realized they hadn't moved a muscle in hours. Hands still entwined on his chest, his other hand cradling her waist and her whole body still attached to his side.
With a soft sigh, he looked up in the dark. "Thank you, brother." He whispered before closing his eyes again and going back to sleep with the love of his life in his arms.
THE END.