Klaus watched from a balcony that over looked Bourbon Street as Caroline made her way through the quarter, dressed in a tight low cut navy blue dress that hugged her curves in all the right places his mouth watered. In the almost 8 years it had been since he had last seen her, he hadn't forgotten exactly how she had tasted, exactly how her body had felt under his hands. It took everything in him to sit atop his perch and not rush to her side, but after all a promise was a promise. She was exactly how he remembered her, absolutely stunning, beautiful with a smile that could light up an entire room. It was no wonder that the Mystic Falls lot had always used her to distract him, after all this time he couldn't pull his eyes away from her. Although he had kept his word, and never returned to Mystic Falls, it didn't mean that he had not kept tabs on her life, mostly through Rebekah who occasionally returned to Mystic Falls to check on Matt, or Mayor Donovan as it had turned out. After all Matt had not made Rebekah make some ridiculous promise about never return to Mystic Falls, and surprisingly Damon who in fact had been the first person who told him about Caroline's upcoming trip.

Damon had been as helpful as he was ever going to be. Especially when Damon's idea of information was a text message about 6 months ago that read "Hey vampire Ken...vampire Barbie is planning a trip. Want to guess where?"

Then another text message about two weeks ago that said "Our girls headed your way pre-graduation party. Don't let anything happen to them, and remember girls like flowers not hybrid bites"

When no one arrived Klaus had been ready to kill Damon for the obvious joke he had been playing, but he did has he had done with anything involving Caroline in the last 7 years 10 months 18 days and he guess about 5 hours since he seen her last, not that he was keeping track or anything, he did nothing. No response to any of Damon's witty text messages, nothing that anyone could use against him. They had no right to know that after all this time he still desired her affections. Rebekah had been the one to give him hope that Damon was not lying. This morning she walked into his art studio where he and his daughter had been painting.

"Hi button what are you working on" Rebekah had said as she leaned down to kiss her niece on the forehead, on the easel was a half painted flower, far more sophisticated than any 7 seven year old should have been able to do, an obvious talent she had gotten from her father.

"Oh that's beautiful; I am going to steal your daddy for just a second okay." Rebekah stood and waved for Klaus to follow her.

When they were outside in the hall, Rebekah smiled up at him and said "I thought you might like to know that I just got off the phone with Matt, and he said Caroline and Elena's flight should be arriving in the next few hours, oh and Damon said he was serious about watching them. In his words tell Klaus they are still just was much trouble as they used to be."

Rebekah left him then to spend the day painting, and thinking. Until this moment he hadn't been sure he would go looking for her. He had found a way to live with the absent space in his life he had once hoped she would fill. Caroline had become the voice in his head urging him to be better, but only in the last few years had it become a source of comfort instead of a painful reminder. Elena was coming as well, which meant any attempt he made to talk to her would be met with revulsion and hostility, and he wasn't sure he wanted to walk down that road with her again, not after their goodbye. He didn't want to spoil the memory of what had been a moment of perfection with further hatred, yet knowing all of this he still couldn't stop himself. So after reading his daughter a bedtime story, and leaving her in the loving and capable hands of Elijah and her mother, he had set out to find Caroline. Now here he was watching from a far hoping for a miracle.

Caroline stopped in front of a bar and waited for Elena to catch up she had been on the phone with Damon when Caroline had left to meet up with Kris. Kris's flight from California was delayed and she was supposed to be meeting them at the bar. Elena and Caroline had met Kristen Brown, at Whitmore in their second year when they had all pledged for the same sorority, they had bonded instantly. The fact that they had all been baby vampires trying to lead normal college lives had helped, but that wasn't what made Kris so special to both her and Elena.

Kris was the kind of friend you needed when you were on the path of self-discovery. As fiery as her bright red hair, she was bold, blunt, unapologetic, and had no problem telling people exactly where they could shove their opinions of her. Kris was witty, sarcastic, the life of the party, she was brutally honest all of the time and she always said the things everyone else was too afraid to. Caroline and Elena had always been home for one another, comfort, the friend you ran to when you wanted to hide away and not face things. Kris was the polar opposite, she was the friend you ran to when you wanted someone to hold a mirror up to you and make you face you the problems you would really rather not see.

If Caroline was being honest Kris basically reminded of female mixture of Klaus and Damon, without the serial killer tendencies, not that she hadn't killed anyone she just didn't do it regularly. And if she was being soul baring honest, that might be part of the reason why Caroline loved her so much, in a time when she was avoiding everything Klaus related especially this city she was now standing, it had been her way of keeping him in her life. Having Kris around was like having Klaus there, well except for the messy romantic attachment stuff, sometimes when Kris talked she could hear Klaus's humor, and Klaus's advice coming through.

"Hey babe" Caroline heard Kris say from behind her. Caroline spun around and hugged her best friend.

Smiling from ear to ear "Hey" Caroline replied.

In true Kris fashion she stood there with one hand on her hip; in a backless sultry green dress with none other than her trade mark low top Chuck Taylor Converse on her feet. It was an odd combination Caroline could never begin to understand but Kris pulled it off every time.

"Where's Elena at" Kris said looking around.

"Damon called, she will be here in a minute, have you checked your email?" Caroline asked

"Not in the last three minutes or so, they said it would be posted by 9 right?" Kris smiled pulling out her cell phone.
Caroline gave a frustrated huff "They need to hurry up, we can't get this party started until after the post, and I need a drink like now"

Kris raised an eye brow " Antsy much, it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that we are in New Orleans would it?"

Caroline gave Kris the death stare and then immediately started scrolling through her phone. She let out the world most exhilarating scream "It's up it's up"

"Dude nice subject change but don't think we're not talking about this later" Kris smiled immediately looking at her phone and letting out the same exhilarated scream.

Together the two women grabbed onto each other and started jumping up and down, laughing, screaming, they looked two crazy teenagers. It was the moment they had been working for, for 8 years their doctoral dissertations had been accepted. Caroline was now Caroline Forbes PhD. While Kris had earned her doctorate in Micro Biology, Caroline had earned her in Communications/ Journalism.

"Let's get a drink, after you doctor" Kris laughed

"Oh no after you doctor" Caroline laughed back.

From behind them they heard Elena say "Wait a minute who's a doctor"

Both women turned smile and said "Why you are doctor"

All three women hugged each other and walked inside the bar.

From his perch Klaus smiled with pride, she had done it. His beautiful Caroline now held a doctorate in communications/ journalism. Maybe he should take Damon's advice and send her some flowers to congratulate her. If he could pull it off without being seen he knew would attend the ceremony, to watch her in her moment of glory. This moment should have been enough for him, he knew he should walk away now but he simply couldn't. As it always was with Caroline for him, a little wasn't enough, he need to know more about her life. Where was she planning on working, was she returning to Mystic Falls, and the thing he secretly feared most had she fallen in love. He entered the same bar through a back entrance, he choose a table just close enough that he come hear every word they said, but deep enough in the shadows that they wouldn't know he was there.

Elena, Caroline and Kris were already on their second double shot of whiskey.

"Dude I can't wait to ask some guy if he wants to play doctor" Kris joked

"Really you get a PhD, and that your first goal" Caroline laughed

"Oh come on Care you know she been waiting to use that line since she entered the doctoral program" Elena laughed.

Kris smiled and nodded "Hey a girl wants what a girl wants"

In true Caroline fashion she had taken college by storm. She had done it all, earned her bachelors , masters and her PhD. joined numerous students activities, was the head of at least four committees, pledge at a sorority, become sorority president, did every bake sale, every sorority trip, except for one. Last year when her sorority sisters had planned a Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans she had faked sick which for vampire was pretty hard to do. Elena and Kris had chosen to miss the trip as well. To show their support for something they knew she wasn't ready to take on yet. She had let every fear she kept locked away get the better of her, the fear of seeing Klaus, the fear of not seeing Klaus, the fear that Klaus hadn't moved on, the fear the Klaus had moved on, it was a never ending cycle. She hated feeling trapped by her own fears, so when Kris had suggested New Orleans for their doctoral celebration she had agreed, in her heart she knew it was time to stop letting her fear control her.

Kris pulled an envelope out of her purse and said "Okay girls are we ready"

"Oh God you brought it" Elena and Caroline said together.

"Of course I brought it rules are rules, plus it can't any worse than the game gave they us for our masters celebration trip in Cabo" Kris devilishly smiled.

Elena and Caroline gave Kris a doubtful look.

"Oh come on former cheerleaders where's your team spirit" Kris said sarcastically, then her voice became serious " This is our last college hooray guys, we can start being mature adults tomorrow, but tonight we are three woman who just became doctors, what's the point of living forever, if we don't celebrate these moments"

Elena raised her shot glass "To our last college game let's hope they took it easy on us" they all downed a shot as Kris unsealed the envelope and began to read out loud.

In accordance with our traditions whenever our sisters gather in celebration, whether it's a sorority trips or graduations (bachelor masters or PhD) a game must be played on the first night of your trip. Below are the rules set forth upon you by your sisters.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. - Dr. Seuss

Caroline, Elena, and Kris
Let us begin by saying how incredibly proud we are of the three of you. CONGRATS on becoming doctors. We know you will all do great things and change the world. Remember we love you, sisters forever. Here are the rules for your final game.
1) If a sister says the word doctor or graduation. She must take a shot.
2) If a sister bring up an ex. She must take a shot
3) if a sister excuses herself to use the bathroom. She must bring back a round of shots for the table.
4) If in a place where karaoke is held each sister must sing a song chosen by a stranger, if there is no karaoke each sister must randomly burst into song chosen from another sister's playlist.
5) If a sister is a former cheerleader. She must randomly complete a routine at some point during the evening
Kris stopped reading and burst into laughter. "The two of you have fun with that one and this next one must have been a Claire rule.
6) Any single sisters must hook up with a guy of another sister's choosing. If a sister is in a relationship she must hand her phone over to another sister, and take a shot for every attempt her significant other make to contact her. She may not answer the phone at any point during the evening, however another sister may answer for her, as long as the sister answering ends every sentence with the phrase "in bed"
"Ya that's a Claire rule alright" Caroline agreed "So me and Elena choose for you, and you and Elena choose for me." They all nodded in agreement.

"Elena hand your cell over" Kris said Elena handed her cellphone over. "Oh and take a shot because you already have a missed call from Damon" Kris started reading again

7) If a sister is hit on, the first she must say is an impression of the Count from Sesame Street (one hahaha, the next guy two hahaha, and so on). Unless the guy is the one chosen by her sisters in rule 6.
8) If all sisters are invite to a different bar. They must go.
9) If a sister throws up at any point during the evening she is responsible for buying breakfast in the morning.
10) If a sister's drink sits empty on the table for longer than 2 minutes without ordering another drink, she must finish all drink on the table and buy the next round.
11) If a sister slips and falls during the evening she must get up and immediately do either the Hookie Pookie or the Chicken Dance.
Last rule.
As we send you three out into the world, remember you can do anything you set your mind to.
12) Each sister must do something she is afraid of.

Kris looked up confused "Something we're are afraid, where the heck I am I supposed to find a spider in this bar?"
Elena and Caroline laughed "l love that you're a vampire who's afraid of spiders"

"Dude it doesn't matter what I am, at the end of the day spiders are freaking creepy, I guess I could start planning my untimely death, I fear the day I can't hide the fact that I still look 17 from my family back home in California, but that like the biggest downer ever" Kris responded.

"Wait a couple of years until I complete my residence, it will make it way easier paperwork wise anyway" Elena said trying to be helpful.

Unlike Caroline and Kris who had earned their PhDs. Elena was now an MD. She planned to reopen her father's practice in Mystic Falls, and now that Matt was Mayor and Jeremy was the future sheriff and Stefan and Bonnie controlled the Founder's Council it was safe for her to do so. In a surprising move Damon had start nursing school so he could help Elena run the practice and achieve with her dream. A decision that had sent Jeremy and Bonnie running to the nearest costume store, to buy Damon a sexy nurse's outfit when they found out.

"What about you guys" Kris asked

Caroline just shrugged, she knew exactly what she feared most but she needed a hell of a lot more alcohol before she would admit it to herself or anyone else.

"I guess I could hand over the job of planning my wedding to Caroline, I fear the extravaganza she would come up with" the recently engaged Elena joked.

"Hey you know it we would be an amazing and flawless day" Caroline defended herself.

"True story" Kris said nodding "However if it an outdoor, we might to worry need to about her running off into the woods to have slutty wedding sex with one original hybrid that shall remain nameless"

Caroline pinned Kris with a stare that said she really wanted to kill her, and in that instant she could have a sworn she heard Klaus's laughter, but Kris capture her attention when she busted into song

"I think I love you
So what am I so afraid of?
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of
A love there is no cure for
I think I love you
Isn't that what life is made of?
Though it worries me to say
I've never felt this way"

When Kris finished she shrugged innocently and said "What rule number 4"

"That wasn't from someone's playlist so it doesn't count and you're the devil you know that right" Caroline said.
"Actually that song is on my playlist, so I think it counts" Elena laughed.

Caroline gave Elena a look that said she didn't believe her.

Elena shrugged "What I like the Partridge Family okay"

"Playlist or not it's appropriate," Kris laughed "And I am not the devil, I am the women that when I wake up in the morning"

"The devil says "oh shit she's up"" Elena and Caroline finished Kris favorite catch phrase in unison.

All three them of the burst into laughter.

"Whatever I am going to the bathroom" Caroline got up.

"Don't forget to bring the shots back with you" Elena and Kris said together

As soon as she was out of ear shot Kris turned to Elena " Where is this Klaus guy, are we sure he knows she here, and take another shot Damon just texted you"

Elena downed her shot " Trust he knows, there's no way my over protective fiancé let us plan this trip without calling him, and just to make sure I had Matt call Rebekah this morning to let her when we were arriving."

"Then where in the hell is" Kris asked with impatience in her voice

"I don't know it's Klaus he kind of does things on his own terms, but trust me he will show." Elena assured Kris.

"He better, if he's half as important to her as we all think he is then she needs him. I've watching her go from guy to guy over the last 7 years, feeling nothing more than momentary infatuation. She loves him I know it, you know it, Stefan knows it, hell I think even Damon knows it. She's spent that last 8 years trying to avoid something everyone already knows, hell if our lives were a T.V. show all the viewers at home would know they're supposed to be together. We just have you get her to admit it." Kris finished in a frustrated huff.

"I agree but we need to gently nudge her to her own conclusions" Elena said

Kris gave Elena a look that said Kris thought she was insane "Screw that noise, you have been gently nudging her for 2 years now, and it hasn't worked. If he shows tonight, I am pushing her off the cliff"

Of all the things Klaus had expected to hear tonight the conversation going between Elena and the red haired women he had never met was something he had never expected. He always thought Caroline's friends would something that kept them part, that she would allow their mistrust and hatred of him to overrule her own feelings. As much as he hated to admit it he was wrong. Apparently in the years they had spent apart thing had changed more than he could have ever expected. It was clear Elena was no longer the doe eyed doppelganger; he had once used to break the suppression of his werewolf half. He continued to listen to them talk, still unbelieving that a woman he didn't know and a women he had done awful things to were hoping he was going to show up.

When Caroline returned with shots, he watched them tense each other with harmless witty banter, and reminisce about college memories. They had gone to Machu Picchu sometime in their second year and ice skated in Rockefeller Center during their winter break in their third year. Celebrated their Bachelors Degrees and Elena's getting into medical school with their sorority sister on a night like this one in London, and their master degrees in Cabo. He couldn't help but smile at their memories, Caroline had gotten a chance to see parts of the world outside of Mystic Falls. The happiness in her voice, filled him with both joy and sadness, he caught himself wishing he could have been there with her, seen her face when she experienced the wonder of it all. He watched as Caroline and Elena completed a cheer routine from high school, he couldn't help but laugh. It was clear college had given Caroline the strength to not care what other people thought of her. However her capacity to love was still the same, the way she looked at her friends, let him know she loved them and thought of them as family. The light inside her that he had fallen in love with was still there, shinning brighter than ever.

As he watched them comply with every rule their sorority sister had given he still couldn't bring himself to walk over to her. Although her friends had it clear that she had some sort of feeling for him, it had not been her confession. He still had his pride, and he had already pursued her once and for one glorious moment won her in spite of herself, he would not do it again. He would not be her deep dark secret, the thing she hid from her friends and the person she hated herself for wanting. He had kept the promise he had made her, and would continue to keep it, for as long as it took her to come to him. There were many he things he was willing to do for her, but he was no longer alone in life. As much as college had changed her, the birth of his daughter had changed him. He now understood what it meant to truly love someone more than himself, to put some else's desires before his own and not think twice about it. Although he was still the big bad Klaus, and would do whatever he had to protect his home and family, he had built a life he was proud of and either she would be proud of him too, or stay out of it altogether. He could not stand idea that she would look around at everything he can accomplished, and still tell him he was unworthy of her love.

Caroline noticed that Kris eyes kept searching the room. "What are you looking for" she questioned.

"Oh nothing just waiting for your rule number 6, I keep expecting to him to walk through the door any minute now" Kris respond rising an eye brow at Elena.

"Alright I might be about nine sheets to the wind right now but I can still tell the two of you are hiding something, so spill" Caroline in a drunken hazily manor.

Elena and Kris looked at one another and shrugged innocently.

"Oh come on you two, I have known you both way to long for you try to hide stuff from me, Kris you have that look you get when you're dying to have an opinion about something, but are your trying to hold it in, and Elena you look more nervous than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs." Caroline drunken laughed.

Elena and Kris looked each other again. It was Kris who spoke first "Alright then miss ballsie" she paused for a moment then said" Klaus"

The laughter disappeared from Caroline's voice "Ya what about him"

"Well we are in the city he controls" Kris started

"And he knows your here" Elena jumped in biting her lip afraid of Caroline's reaction.

"It's Klaus of course he knows I am here" Caroline matter of factly stated.

"And" Elena pressed

"And what" Caroline asked the sound of the deflection in her voice

"Your feelings on that" Elena pushed again

Caroline shrugged with indifference.

"Oh that's it" Kris said in an impatient, almost demanding tone "What the hell Care we tell you that Klaus knows you're in his city and nothing"

"What do you guys want from me?" Caroline fired back the hostility in her voice rising.

"Oh I don't know how about some kind of emotion, scream, cry, laugh hysterically, and yell at us, something anything is better than this wall you have built up around yourself. Tell us you want to leave and never look back, or tells us you want to go find him. God Care don't you see what this is doing to you?" Kris pleaded.

"I don't want to talk about it" Caroline fired back

"That's the same answer you gave us the first time we missed this trip, I am sick of you running scared, face your fears or let it go but don't keep hiding" Kris voice turned harsh and demanding, so much like Klaus' s it made a shiver run down Caroline's spine.

"You don't get it you don't understand" Caroline was inches from her best friends face screaming. To an outside observer it looked like they were seconds away from a blown cat fight.

Then Caroline's voice broke and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I am the one who made him promise to stay away and never come back, I am the one who pushed him away, and I am the one that couldn't face how I felt. I have no right to show back up into his life. I have no right to show up on his door step. And say yes Klaus I love you, I have loved you since the moment we parted and the shit just won't go away. And yes I carry the drawing you gave me everywhere in fact it's back at the hotel right now. And yes I still have the shirt ripped because I can't bear to throw it away. And yes I know about your daughter and I am so excited at the idea of meeting her. And yes I am terrified that you don't love me anymore. And yes I am terrified you have moved on."

Kris and Elena sat there in open shock at the feelings Caroline had just admitted too.

Caroline took a long and deep breath and as she was wiping away the tears that were streaming down her face she said "And Klaus you might as well come out of the shadows. How could you think I couldn't feel you watching me, of course I could."

Caroline turned and watched as Klaus stepped out of the shadows and into the light. She looked up at him with a tear soaked smile.

"Hello Caroline" was all Klaus could bring himself to say.

Kris and Elena flashed to Caroline sides and wrapped her in a hug, and at the same moment each placed a kiss on her cheeks.

Kris laughed as she said "Damn babe that's the Care we know and love. That's how you complete rule number 12, so proud of you."

Elena smiled at Caroline said "I believe that's our que to be going, oh ya and Kris and I voted"

"He's your rule number 6" Kris finished Elena's sentence, and nodded in Klaus's direction.

And with that they were gone leaving Caroline alone standing in front of the man she was finally ready to admit she loved.

"You wanted a confession, and this time I meant every word"