A late fall drizzle fell on the forested grounds of the Mystic Falls cemetery as a woman in a red pea coat wove her way through the tombstones. She clutched a yellow rose in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other. A faint smile touched her lips as she ran her fingers over several of the names engraved in stone.

Gilbert, Lockwood, Bennett, Forbes…. Here he is.

She laid the rose gingerly against the tombstone, then plopped down with a soft thump on the grass. "I'm gonna miss you, Matt," she sighed as she downed her first shot of tequila. The liquor burned in her stomach and she traced the inscription written below his name: Beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

Another shot of tequila and Caroline found herself thinking of the last moments she and Matt had spent together. They were sitting at his kitchen table, sipping coffee and pouring over old photographs.

"I remember your wedding," Caroline laughed. "There was a lot less gray in your hair back then."

Matt chuckled, deepening the creases that had set in around his eyes and mouth. "And a few less pounds around the waist, too. But, that's what age will do to you."

He smiled as he said it, but Caroline couldn't help but feel a small twinge of hurt. "Do you ever wish it would have been different?" she asked. "That you'd turned out like the rest of us weirdos?"

"Nah," Matt said, scratching the back of his head. He scrolled to a picture of his youngest grandchild, Ella, at her ballet recital. "They were worth every bit of it. Wouldn't trade 'em for the world." He looked at Caroline with a twinkle in his eyes. "You don't have to feel guilty for not wanting the same things, though."

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on, Care. Don't pretend that you haven't been holding yourself back all these years." Caroline attempted to protest, but Matt held up a hand. "You haven't seen a pattern in where you've been for the past 50, 60 years or so? New York, Chicago, Boston, that stint in Orlando. Far enough away to be on your own, but always within reach of home."

"That's not fair," Caroline finally interjected. "There was college, and my journalism career, my time in advertising, grad school, law school…"

"Excuses. All of those were excuses to keep you busy while you watched over us." He closed the laptop and took her smooth hand in his leathery ones. "You did your job, Care. After things in Mystic Falls finally settled down, Jeremy and I both got long, happy lives with the people we loved. You kept us safe, watched us get old. Now you can finally let yourself be free."

Another shot of tequila scorched her insides, causing a light, cloudy feeling to settle over her eyes. "I should have told you then, Matt," she said to the evening air. "I never felt trapped. You were always my anchor, never my cage." Tears bubbled out of her eyes and mingled with the light rain. "You were my tie to everything that was human about me. The life I had planned out, the family I thought I'd have. But you were right. Dammit, you were always right." She laughed through her tears now. "That was the life you needed and the one that I kept trying to make myself want."

She stood, extending her bottle in a sloppy salute. "Here's to you, Matt."

Half a bottle of tequila and a short walk later, Caroline was sitting atop a large cliff, watching the sun set over the trees. The golden twilight bounced off her curls and made the blurred edges of her vision shine with a soft glow.

"When was the last time I really felt alive, huh?" she asked aloud. "I've spent the last half of a century living without…"

"Perhaps the word you're looking for, love, is 'thriving'?" a familiar voice intoned.

Her heart shuddered involuntarily at the sound. "Go away, Klaus. I thought you had a city to lord over, or enemies to terrorize, or something."

He sat down and grabbed the bottle from her hands in response, taking a long drag of tequila.

"And what happened to walking away and never coming back?" Caroline asked angrily as she finally turned to look at him. "You promised! If you're here for an "I told you so" moment, or to rub it in my face that life in Mystic Falls wouldn't be enough, you really picked the wrong time. Matt just died and – "

Klaus set the bottle down and slowly slid his fingers over Caroline's palm, lacing their fingers together. Maybe it was the tequila making her slow to react, but Caroline sat staring at their entwined hands without an attempt to break free. What the hell is he doing?

"It's been 67 years since we first met," he said at last. His eyes lingered over the horizon as he brought the bottle to his lips again. Caroline quickly snatched it from him and took another gulp, making Klaus chuckle. "67 years should hardly be an instant in my life, yet it has been the longest, most torturous span of time that I have ever felt." He looked at her at last, his eyes burning in a way that sent heat rushing down her spine. "And to answer your question, yes, I did promise to walk away and never come back. But that was a promise I made to a girl struggling to find her way in the world amidst a sea of chaos and heartbreak." He reached out and stroked her cheek gently. Still, Caroline did not pull away. "The woman who sits before me now is not that girl. While she does have the same magnificent blue eyes, she is stronger. She has endured endless pain and suffering, but has managed to protect the ones she held most dear. She is a phoenix that is rising from the ashes of the girl she used to be."

Klaus blurred before her eyes as Caroline's head swayed momentarily. Why are you here? What are you saying? How the hell do you know what I've been doing? She tried to voice her questions, but the words felt heavy on her tongue and couldn't find their way out. Instead, she let her head tilt forward and sloppily planted a kiss on his lips. Even through her drunken haze, the contact of his lips on hers lit the flames of a deep ache she hadn't felt since…

Klaus returned the kiss, but pulled away quickly. "Come on, love. I've something important to discuss and we need to get you sobered up."

So he's managed to hold onto his heart for all of these years after all. Caroline's thoughts trailed off as she felt Klaus' arms scoop her up. She let her head rest against the crook of his neck and allowed the pull of alcohol to drag her into sleep.

Hope you enjoyed reading so far! :) Right now I'm planning for this to be the set up for the second part, which will certainly contain some smut. Please let me know what you think!