Caroline tried her best to stay busy. She had cleaned her entire house, gone through all of the junk that the twins and Alaric had acquired throughout the years, and even premade dinners for the entire week. None of that kept her mind occupied enough to ignore the thoughts that had been buzzing around her mind the entire day.

"I intend to be your last, however long it takes…"

The words he had spoken to her so many years ago seemed tainted. In a few hours, Klaus Mikaelson would be dead. He would never get the opportunity to be her love at all, let alone her last. Caroline couldn't put words to what she was feeling. She had always known there was something between them. In the back of her mind, though she would never admit it, she liked that open option. In another time, another life (they had infinite, being immortal and all), she could have Klaus. For whatever reason, she had let him leave a mark on her heart. The timing was never right though. Caroline could never be with someone like Klaus, especially with everything that she had been dealing with. But seeing him this year...He was different. Caroline assumed it was his unconditional love with his daughter. It knocked down the wall between the mighty Klaus Mikaelson and the fragile man he really was. Caroline had been the only one in Mystic Falls to see that side of him. Having Hope brought down his defense mechanisms. Just when Klaus was becoming the man Caroline always knew he was, her time with him had been entirely used up. Caroline could never explore what might have been between them. The thought made her sick.

It was entirely infeasible that a supernatural world could exist without him in it. Klaus always made it through all of his endeavors, no matter the cost. The old Klaus would do anything to save himself and his family. That gave Caroline a brilliant idea: What would Klaus do? Without even registering what she was doing, Caroline found herself behind the wheel of her car. As her hands held the steering wheel tightly, Caroline silently prayed she made it to New Orleans before it was too late.

Despite everything, he still had his pride. The great Klaus Mikaelson would not die undignified. As Klaus wandered the New Orleans streets, he let his mind travel, wondering what would become of everyone when he was gone. With a pang of sadness, Klaus realized that most of their lives would be greatly improved without him there.

Klaus took a seat on a bench, just taking in the surroundings. He had never felt so connected, so physically alive in his city. He supposed that's what morality does. This reminded him of a conversation he'd had a long time ago.

"So, there's not one time you wished you were human?" Klaus remembered looking into Caroline Forbe's beautiful blue eyes as she squinted at him in disbelief. That was one thing he was sad about. Caroline was truly the most exquisite person he'd ever met. He knew if he had just a little more time, he would have been able to explore their chemistry much further… His train of thought was interrupted when a blur of blonde hair sped up to him, taking a seat next to him on the bench.

"Klaus," her airy voice breathed.

"Hello Love," Klaus replied, a grin creeping onto his face.

"I couldn't- I mean I can't-" Caroline muttered, trying to collect her thoughts. "You can't die. Not yet." Caroline signaled to her left and Klaus' face changed in surprise. Freya walked into view, along with a vampire he recognized as one of Gretta's goons. The vampire had vervain soaked ropes around his wrists and mouth.

"What is this?!" Klaus stood, unsure of what was going on.

"I couldn't let you die…" Caroline didn't meet his eyes.

"Well brother," Freya said smugly. "You're uh friend Caroline came to me about an hour ago and we thought up quite a brilliant plan. There's no reason why it has to be you who dies with the dark magic. We figured it should be someone who deserves it. We're going to save your life." Klaus felt like he'd been punched in the stomach, the wind leaving his throat.

"Just get it over with before he can put up too much of a fight," Caroline told Freya with a nervous smile.

Hope was in her bedroom, listening to music and painting. She was trying desperately not to think about her father, because the thought of being an orphan was simply gut-wrenching. She stifled a choke as the tears in her eyes spilled over and she began to sob. Once she quieted down, sitting up slightly, Hope heard something downstairs. Since becoming a wolf, her hearing had improved quite a bit and she focused in, listening to an oddly familiar voice.

"Why hasn't he woken up yet?" the voice asked urgently.

"I'm not sure," Aunt Freya replied. "It's only been a couple minutes. I've never done this before, but I wouldn't start worrying yet."

Hope opened her bedroom door and looked down at the compound. Mrs. Salvatore was standing over… Over her father's body! Without even taking a beat, Hope bounded down the stairs to figure out what was going on.

"Hope!" Freya said in surprise.

"What's going on? Is he..?" They all knew what she was asking.

"I hope not. We transferred the magic. Now we're just waiting," Caroline told her, giving Hope a reassuring arm rub.

"What are you doing here?" Hope asked the Headmistress of her boarding school.

"I- well, I came to save your dad," Caroline said, unsure of what to say.

"Why? What is going on? Why didn't we think of this sooner? This is all my fault-" Hope began hysterically when she was halted by a gasp for breath. Klaus sat up quickly, his eyes shooting open.

"Hope," he called, pulling her into his arms as she cried. "It's all right,

Littlest Wolf. I'm here."

Caroline's heart was pulled by witnessing this tender moment. Freya met her eyes and smiled warmly.

"Niklaus!" Elijah called, coming down the stairs. Rebekah, Kol, and Marcel followed quickly behind.

"I told you he was like a cockroach," Kol muttered, gaining an elbow to the ribs from Rebekah. Hope reluctantly let go of her father, allowing him to hug each of his siblings. At last, Klaus' eyes landed on Caroline. He took a step forward, placing a hand on the side of her head.

"I don't know how to thank you, Caroline." Her eyes softened at his touch and began to squint with her spreading smile.

"Oh, come on Klaus," Caroline grinned. She pulled his face to hers and smashed her lips against his. Her lips, soft as ever, moved against his with urgency. Klaus quickly pulled her waist until there was no space between them. Caroline felt her chest fill with relief feeling his lips against hers again. After a couple seconds, Kol began clapping, which brought them both out of their daze.

"Quite adorable, if you ask me," Elijah said, poorly hiding is smile. Hope looked at the ground, making a mental note to ask her dad about that later.

"Took you two long enough," Rebekah said with a laugh.

"Alright, enough gawking," Klaus told them, standing to the side of Caroline but not letting his hand drop from her waist.

"I think this calls for some more celebration," Marcel said, smiling down at Rebekah.

"Oh, come now, Marcelous. I've just evaded death. That's a typical day for us Mikaelsons." Klaus smiled his knowing glance.

Hope let out a giggle and pulled Klaus in for yet another hug.

The Mikaelsons really do know how to party, Caroline thought. Rebekah had been nice to Caroline, which was a new development. She supposed saving a brother's life can have that effect. Elijah was a gentleman, as always. Caroline had gotten to know Marcel, who she decided she really liked. Freya and Keelin were sweet as well. Hope, as expected, was quite awkward considering she was her student. Kol made a couple jokes about how Elena and Jeremy had killed him, but overall, he seemed to have gotten over it. Caroline genuinely didn't know how he'd come back to life, but she didn't really care much anyway. Caroline couldn't help but feel out of place as the family interacted. Without saying a word, she slipped away onto a balcony that looked out over the French Quarter. She could see why Klaus liked this city so much. It was quite beautiful.

"Care for some company, Sweetheart?" she heard behind her. Smiling to herself, she turned and looked into Klaus' eyes. As usual, they held just a glint of mischief, but the way he was smiling at her he looked as pure as honey.

"I suppose you'll have to do," Caroline replied, her voice dripping in sarcasm. She watched Klaus grin at her, moving next to her as they both looked out into the night. The stood side by side in silence for a while, the electricity between them growing with each passing second.

"Why did you-" Klaus started, turning to face her.

"Save you?" she finished. Klaus nodded. "I don't know. The thought of you being dead… I couldn't stand it. And…" Caroline began hesitantly. "You did say 'however long it takes'," she said, growing quiet until she was almost whispering. She looked deeply into his eyes, unable to look away. They seemed to grow bigger at her words.

"I did say that, didn't I?" he said, moving a step closer. They were practically nose to nose. "I meant it." Caroline took a breath.

"I don't know what… this is…" she began. "But I didn't want to let you go. The possibility of… us."

Klaus looked at her. This was probably the most vulnerable he had seen her since he'd met her years ago. She wasn't hiding their attraction with sarcasm or insults. She was letting him in. All of him. Without even thinking, Klaus pulled her face to his. He wrapped his hand into her hair to pull her as close to him as possible. She responded to his touch, angling her face to one side. She grabbed at his shirt collar, and him at her waist. It was all sensuality and tenderness. Klaus pulled back, drinking in the sight of her. She looked the same as she did when they met, of course, but he could sense her maturity, her wisdom. They shared another kiss, this time the urgency was gone and it was all passion. All sweetness. They'd kissed other times of course. In the woods of Mystic Falls. Klaus got butterflies thinking about it. That was all fire and lust. The second time they'd kissed was only yesterday, at the bar. That kiss had held some sadness and regret. While still sweet and sincere, it held nothing to the kiss they shared when he woke up a few hours ago. That kiss was the wordless bond they'd had all these years. It was an apology, a confession, and a relief. This kiss they were sharing now was different still. It told him that this wasn't an ending, as the others had seemed. This kiss was a beginning.

Caroline pulled away, her hand still resting on his face. He looked down at her, all dimpled showing, his curls unruly.

"Klaus," she told him. He looked at her intently, like he'd never seen her before. "I want this. I think on some level, I've always wanted this. I've put my feelings aside for too long. I don't know if I can do it anymore."

"I know the feeling, Love. Are you sure? Are you entirely sure you want this? That you want me?"

"Yes," she said, pulling him in for another kiss. And there it was. The start of their forever.

Being back in Mystic falls was about as weird as Klaus thought it would be. This was the first time he had been able to drop Hope off at school like a normal dad. He'd received a couple blank stares from students who seemed to recognize him (or had just heard stories about Hope's Original Hybrid father), which of course left Hope grabbing at her father's arm, muttering about how embarrassing this was going to be. Klaus laughed heartily, pleased that for once, his relationship with his daughter was normal. Of course, there were other reasons for Klaus' return to Mystic Falls. Caroline Forbes-Salvatore lived here. After their brief time together in New Orleans, she'd had to return home to run her school and parent the twins. Klaus didn't want to let her go, but she reminded him that Hope would be returning to school here in just a few short weeks.

"After all," she'd teased him. "You were willing to wait however long…" Klaus grinned at the memory. Now, entering the school, this was going to be the first time he'd seen her since then. The Salvatore house looked a lot like he remembered it, but there had been obvious renovations and redecorations. Hope led him to her room and they began to unpack her bags for this school year.

"So, I've been meaning to ask you," Hope said, a very Klaus-like grin on her face. "What's the deal with you and Caroline?" Klaus looked up, casting a glance at her.

"What do you mean?" he countered, knowing that Hope was much too similar to himself to let this obvious attraction go unnoticed. He'd been waiting for her to ask him about it.

"Oh, come on!" Hope exclaimed, throwing her arms to her side dramatically. "You're like totally into her… She kissed you! I mean," Hope looked at her feet, blushing, "the compound doesn't really hide sounds very well. I'm very aware of what you guys were doing when she was in New Orleans for those couple days." Klaus' jaw dropped in surprise.

"We are not discussing this right now," Klaus replied, pointing at her sternly, but he couldn't help chuckling at her candidness.

"How's that unpacking going?" they heard from the open doorway. Turning, they saw none other than Caroline leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. Her face adorned a knowing glance, her blonde curls effortlessly framing her face and shoulders. Klaus felt his heart drop to his stomach. She was truly a sight.

"It's going just great, Mrs. Salvatore. Right, Dad?" Hope said with a plastered on smile, elbowing her starstruck father.

"You know what?" Klaus began, opening his arms. "We're almost finished. Mind if I talk to your Headmistress for a moment?" Klaus looked at Hope expectantly.

"Oh no. Take your time," she said, giving a shrug. She smothered a laugh by looking at the ground.

"I'll take you to my office, then Mr. Mikaelson," Caroline told him, gesturing him to follow her.

"I won't be long," Klaus told Hope as he walked out the door. "Don't talk to any boys when I'm gone!" Hope laughed.

"Have you seen the trolls that attend this school? Oh, I would never!" Hope watched them leave. As weird as this all was, she couldn't help but think that this was the happiest she'd ever seen him.

Caroline led Klaus into the familiar office he'd been in once before. As soon as he was inside, she quickly shut and locked the door.

"How long are you staying in Mystical Falls, Mr. Mikaelson?" Caroline asked over her shoulder as she walked over to the large windows, throwing the curtains shut. Klaus raised an eyebrow at this.

"I was planning on staying indefinitely. I want to be close to Hope, now that I finally can," he explained. Caroline stalked closer to him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He responded by pulling her close, wrapping his arms around her. "And I quite enjoy the company available here," he purred.

"Is that so?" Caroline whispered, leaning in for a kiss. Klaus happily obliged, placing his mouth against hers. "Where will you stay?" she asked him when they finally broke apart.

"I could fix up my old mansion," Klaus smirked. He left her arms and took a seat on one of the chairs facing her desk.

"That thing needs a lot of work," Caroline informed him. "It's been empty for years. It's a good think you know someone with excellent home improvement skills." She moved closer to him, but something in Klaus' eyes told her stay in place. His joking nature had turned serious.

"Caroline," Klaus said, quickly standing up and coming up to face her. "I'm not dying anymore. You don't have to take pity on me. You don't have t-to do...this," he gestured to the both of them standing face to face. He took a breath, meeting her gaze. "You've always known, I guess I didn't really keep it a secret, that I had feelings towards you." He moved away from her, becoming flustered. "I mean I bloody had to vow to stay away from you for you to admit any mutual feelings towards me at all! If this isn't what you want… I understand. I know I'm not an easy person to love," Klaus muttered the last part, not meeting her eyes.

"Klaus, look at me," Caroline demanded. He looked up at her. She was radiating confidence. "I'm not naive little Caroline anymore. I know what you are. I know you're an awful terrible person who, to this day, frightens me." She laughed a little. "But I also know that you are an amazing dad, a caring person who deep down, just wants to be loved." Klaus couldn't quite wrap his head around what she was saying. She leaned up at him and said, "You're finally the man I always knew you could be."

Something warm inside Klaus was filling his chest. Caroline's burning gaze, her beautiful face, bore into something deep, deep inside of him. He couldn't help himself. Klaus sped at inhuman speed and slammed Caroline against the office wall, kissing her so deeply, that the area between her legs began to hum. She pulled back, still holding his face in her hands.

"I want this so bad. I want you."

They couldn't get each other's clothes off fast enough for their liking, but Klaus made a mental note not to rip any of her outfit since she was still at work. Soon, Klaus was leaning over her on her desk, pushing papers that went flying towards the ground at their urgency. Caroline pulled his face down and began kissing along his jaw and his neck. Klaus slipped her underwear off and began massaging her.

"I need you now. I can't wait any longer," Caroline moaned, breathlessly. Klaus was raging hard and quickly unbuttoned his pants.

"You are truly a vision," Klaus murmured. He slowly inserted himself inside her. She was ready for him, wrapping her legs around him to pull him closer. They began kissing with a fire that seemed to envelope their entire beings. Klaus watched her arch her back and squirm in response to his thrusts.

"Yes!" Caroline whimpered, scraping her hands across Klaus' back. He responded by placing a hand on one of her exquisite breasts and giving it a good rub.

"I need you closer," Klaus growled, quickly re-positioning them so that he was only an inch from her face. He felt her hot breath against his face and began quickening his pace. That seemed to cause her breath to quicken. She pulled her face to his and began kissing him, her tongue taking over his mouth.

"Don't stop-," Caroline moaned, so close to finishing. Klaus put a possessive hand on her neck, holding it lightly.

"Hold out, Love. I'm not finished with you yet."

They locked eyes as and he pushed harder until Caroline writhed under him, letting out a whimper as she climaxed.

"Klaus," she whispered into him as she came. That took Klaus over the edge. He himself finished and slowly removed himself from her. He leaned onto the desk, still partially on top of her but holding his weight with his arms.

"You are the most beautiful creature I've ever had the pleasure to see," Klaus told her, giving her forehead a kiss. Caroline's insides turned to jelly (if they weren't already enough!) and she beamed up at him. She ran her hands through his curls.

"I'd better get back to work. This school's not going to run itself. And we might want to stay inconspicuous considering you are the parent of one of my students," Caroline sighed, standing to put her clothes back on. Klaus grabbed her waist and pulled her close for one more kiss, but reluctantly got dressed as well. "Don't pout," Caroline demanded. "You're staying in town. There's plenty more where that came from."

Klaus' head swam. He could get used to this.

This is my first Klaroline fic, but I love them so much! I hated the TO finale, so I thought I'd write my own! :) Leave a review to let me know how I'm doing or if I should continue this story. Thanks for reading!