One-Shot about how I wish Caroline would enter the Originals (Which inevitably needs to happen). Set after 5x11, Katherine's dead, Elena and Damon are together, no traveler drama, Nadia left after Katherine died, Stefan's doing fine.

Hope you enjoy.

Caroline walks into the Salvatore mansion, sighing softly, closing the front door behind her, and peers into the living room where she notices all of her friends seated on the sofa and armchairs. Damon and Elena cuddled up on the loveseat, with Stefan on the right in a chair and Tyler, Matt, Jeremy and Bonnie taking up the big couch to the left of the couple. The Blonde vampire enters the room and sits on the arm of Stefan's chair, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. She knew her best friend didn't exactly feel bad for Katherine's death but it was the fact that she had helped him before she died, she had tried to redeem herself in whatever way posssible and Stefan had forgiven her; now she was dead. She had proved to both Stefan and Caroline that she had a human side to her, one that feared, one that had mourned her daughter's death - for 500 years and now when she had gotten her back, it was her time to die -, one that had fallen in love with Stefan and had watched him fall in love with someone who looked exactly like her, one that had ran for five centuries wanting to do nothing more than, just, live.

The younger Salvatore sighs, shaking his head, turns to give his best friend a sad smile and she sent him a reassuring one back.

"Thanks for helping Nadia with her body, Caroline,"

"Don't worry about it Stefan, besides I don't anyone else would've been too willing," She says back glancing briefly at her ex-boyfriend, Tyler, and Matt. "And some might've made a run with the body to throw it in a ditch, just to spite her." She continues playfully glaring at the older Salvatore, attempting to diffuse the tense situation in the room, who smirks back.

"Actually, Blondie, I would've burned her body first and then I would-" He abruptly cuts himself off, when Caroline's glare turns deathly, but continues smirking at her smugly, as if he had killed her with his bare bands. Creep.

"I don't know why we're not celebrating, I mean, she's tried to kill all of us at least once, and in some cases she's even succeded," Matt says, earning a few nods, he continues " I get that Stefan and Caroline have some sort of weird mourning going on over the bitch, for some reason that I can't understand, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy her death."

"First time a human's got something right, well done, Matt-y," Damon follows with a condoning tone " Let's celebrate." He announces pulling out his signature Bourbon bottle and taking a big mouthful.

"I'll take you home, Caroline," Stefan looks up pleadingly at Caroline, who stands up and pulls him along.

"Yeah, you two go on and have a good time mourning Katherine, take all the time you need," Damon says insinuating that they're going to have sex, receiving a "Son-of-a-bitch" from Caroline, which he catches over the closing door.

Both Vampires walk down down the street, as silent as the night around them. They keep walking in silence, until they reach Sheriff Forbes' front porch, each left to their own musings but both thinking about the same thing, rather, person; Katherine. Caroline plucks out her keys from her back jeans pocket and fumbles with it, not wanting to leave Stefan alone. He had just gotten over his PTSD and now was accepting that the love of his life, wanted his brother, not him. She feared that even though he looked like he was handling it all, it was really too much for him, and he would resort to doing something stupid, like drink from the vein again and that wouldn't be good for anyone.

"Hey, do you wann-" Caroline starts as Stefan does too.

"Hey, can I mayb-"

They both stare for a long second at each other and then burst out laughing.

" I was going to ask if you wanted to stay a while and talk, maybe?" Caroline continues to glide onto the porch swing, when she recieves a nod from the younger Salvatore. She had been right, he was holding a lot in but he didn't want to anymore. Caroline is the only person he can talk to about this, and if she had a problem, he would be the only one she would talk too. Because they're so alike, they don't judge the other for their mistakes, they don't interrupt when the other persons venting and they both offer unconditional support for whatever problem they have. Maybe that's what allows them to be best friends and so trusting with each other; their acceptance and compassion.

So she listened. She listened to him speak about how he loved Katherine so much at a time in his life, and how he felt betrayed after his transition, and all of those years of trying to forget her and her devouring love and he finally did; with Elena. Everything that's happened since she took the cure, how he felt that a sliver of the love he once held for her, forced him to help her and when she died, that final sliver of love did too. At one point he even shed a tear and all she did, althrough his speech, was rest her hand over his. Stefan wipes the back of his free hand over his face and chuckles, softly,

"I feel so free, y'know?" He looks over at her and for the first time since they had laughed earlier on the porch, he smiles, and looks to stare at the night sky stretching before them.

" I don't have anything holding me back, anymore, Damon's happy, Elena's made her choice once and for all, and Katherine's gone too; and now I can finally move on. I am free." He splits the last sentence up to pronounce it individually and she can't help but smile as she see's he genuinely means it. She's happy for him, if anyone desrves freedom it's Stefan Salvatore, but cant help but envy him for it. Freedom is everything. And if Caroline was free, Mystic Falls isn't where she would be, a city in Louisiana however...

Caroline shakes her head to clear the thought and squeezes his hand encouragingly.

" I'm glad. You deserve it, after 160 year," She can't even comprehend how someone could've been so bound by something for that long. "You, Stefan Salvatore, deserve this," she repeats. He smiles, for once wanting this for himself; it felt so great.

"Now, we just have to find you, my vampire protegee and friend, the same thing," He voices his thoughts, wanting her to experience the same feeling as he is feeling. But before he can go on, they both hear a rustling in the woods close to Caroline's house and tense up. After the Katherine situation, they should've known that Mystic Falls wouldn't last long without a new villian threathening everyone. Suddenly, a breeze blows on the pront porch and appears the Original Hybrid.

"Hello, love,"

"Klaus," Caroline gasps, slowing standing up, makes her way infront of him, and stops until he takes her hand in his. That simple touch makes her remember all that she has been trying to forget up until now; his simple caress, the dances they'd shared, his sweet nothings and promises to show her the world whispered in her ear, the few and inbetween moments they'd shared in his time in Mystic Falls. She remembered how much she had missed them. And for once didn't feel guilty. Seeing Stefan basking in his newfound freedom, made her crave it, too; crave him.

She blinks, as if shocked by reality, remembering they weren't alone; Stefan was there, too. He always did that too her though, made her forget that they weren't ever alone. Stefan, bless his heart, understood, like always, and walks by them, stopping to pat Klaus on the shoulder.

"Welcome back, man, for however long your here,"He says, as Klaus smirks back at him, "Guess we can try the 'Rekindle-our-90-decade-old-friendship' thing for real this time" the Salvatore leaves smiling, with a shocked hybrid behind him. Shocking Caroline even more, when he says

"It found you, Caroline," She barely heard as he sped of into the distance, refering back to what he was going to say about her freedom, before it interrupted them.

"What was that all about, love?" Klaus asks as he leads caroline back onto the porch swing, but she shakes her head and nudges her head towards the front door. He smiles and follows in after her, as she opens the door, and settle onto the small couch in her living room. Once again he repeats his question regarding Stefan, she replies, chuckling,

"He's found freedom in Katherine's death and is gonna give it his best to be happy, for once," she says making a grand gesture of fisting her left hand, that isn't pouring the bourbon, and raising it in the air shaking it rigourously as she speaks of him. He lets out a hearty laugh at her joy, he's missed her between trying to regain his kingdom and trying to make his dysfunctional family work again; truly missed her.

"Well good for him, love, he needs it if he's anything like how he was when I left"

"That's what I said!" She exclaims, happy to have someone join in her joy. To be honest, she wouldn't have cared if he had said the opposite and they had argued for the rest of the night, screaming at the top of their lungs, as long as it was him. He had been gone too long. That reminds her...

"Not that i'm not not happy your back, or anything, more indifferent than anything really," She teases as he starts to smile in between, "But," she draws out. "Why are you here?" continuing teasing in a playfully snarky tone.

"Oh, have a heart, sweetheart. You're killing me here," He exclaims dramatically placing his left hand above his unbeating heart, whilst the other grips the tumbler of alcohol, they both share a laugh and slowly the easy atmosphere dies down and disappeares completely.

"I actually came here to see you," he answers staring right into her eyes, which automatically stop her from looking away, " I used Katherine's impending death as my excuse to leave New Orleans for a bit," She knows why it hurts, now, so much that he had to have an excuse to come and see her. She didn't want to be a secret he kept from his siblings, his only family.

"Oh. You need an excuse to come see me, now?" she questions unable to hold it in.

"No."

"You must know Caroline, that I have many, many enemies that I have accumilated during my very long time on this earth, some of which you and your friend's used to be a part of," he says in what would've been an uncharacteristically soft tone. But for Caroline and Caroline only it was the 'Special voice', as she liked to call it, that he reserved for just her.

"One of the more powerful enemies of mine lies in New Orleans, and we, my siblings and I, are on the brink of war with him and the army of Vampires and Witches he has; So if he were to find out that I took time, in the middle of an impending war, to visit a 'friend'" He puts emphasise on 'friend', both of them knowing and not denying his feelings for her.

"then, sweetheart...then, he would know what you mean to me and it would be bad news for both of us and more importantly, I would have to tear his pathetic excuse of an army down that much quicker." he pauses for a second, almost, thinking to himself, "Can't have anyone hurting you, now can we?" he looks back up at her, taking away her breath.

If six months ago he had talked about tearing apart an army and how much he cared for her, Caroline would've scoffed and been disgusted both at the same time whilst brushing of his lame pick up lines as some sort of ploy to get to her friends. But now, things were different; She knew he genuinely loved her and would do anything to protect her. Honestly speaking, she would do it for him, too. Now, she would do it for him, too; And she wasn't scared anymore.

Freedom.

Stefan's gleeful voice and smile when he talked about being free, filled her head. She wanted that, too.

She knew only this man on her small, dingy couch, drinking her cheap bourbon, in her mothers small house could give her that.

And she was going to take it.

Gulping down the rest of her drink, she smacks the glass down on the table, pulling Klaus out of his thoughts and making him look towards her, worried. She pulls the glass out of his hand, shocking him further, and plops herself on the left to him. Exhaling once loudly, and grinning like an idiot, she turns around to face Klaus at vampire speed and throwing her arms around him, she pulls him to her; kissing him fully.

Poor Klaus.

Never saw it coming.

But he reacts quickly, kissing her back, but putting an end to it just as quickly, not understanding.

"Not that I mind sweetheart," He says hoping to prompt an explanation, which he succeeds in doing.

"You're my freedom." She laughs as his face further twists in confusion. " I want to meet them," she continues on, ignoring his questions completely now, "Your family, I mean." His eyes twinkling with what seems like, hope? Love? But he crushes it shortly, after. He's used to her rejection, after a year of it, anyone would be. But like always, she spots it, and unlike she's done in the past, Caroline doesn't ignore it. Gently moving his hair from his face, she places her right hand on his cheek and forces him to look at her when he turns away.

"I wanna meet them, and I hope your offer still stands from graduation, to have me with you in New Orleans; Because i'd love to accept." Her voice so soft at the end, even he couldn't doubt her. Not now.

"What about your friend's? Tyler?" He was wary of swaying her decision but if it could be swayed, then she still wasn't ready for this step. He hoped she wouldn't be swayed this time.

"My friend's are happy, and have their own lives. They have each other and can handle whatever is thrown at them. Besides, if they need my help, they can call." She continues when he lets out a tense smile, still wary. So she reassures him for sure. "I know Tyler came after you, and I broke up with him before that. You choosing to let him go, to let him live even though I'm sure you knew somehow we'd broken up, proves more to me your feelings than any declaration could've." This stuns both of them. He feels like he can explode, every ounce of his self-control is being tested to stay still, but he somehow manages. Maybe it'll be worth it.

"How long would you like to stay, sweetheart?" he wants to ask her to stay forever, but he doesn't want to push his luck tonight of all nights.

"How does forever sound?" She says and can't help the tears welling in her eyes, 'this is what Stefan felt, isn't it?' She thinks to herself. It was amazing.

He gasps. As the Original Hybrid he's lived a millennia but rarely ever has been caught off guard and somehow this peppy, nineteen year old, baby vampire manages to always surprise him.

"Not long enough, love," She lets out a shaky laugh as a he gets those words out. Even though she knew all this time that he loved her, she couldn't help but anticipate rejection, he was a thousand years old and had seen many beautiful women as he would continue to do with or without her, not to mention all the times he had been rejected by her; he could've done the same to her. Wait. 'Was this how he had felt all those times he had asked me out?' She thinks, much to her horror and shock 'And how must he have felt after I said no, so spitefully?' she wonders about how the rejection might have felt and winces quitely enough for him to miss. Not pretty. She looks up at him and see's his almost child-like happiness, 'wow' she thougt, he looked so...human, could anyone believe that he was the same sadistic hybrid he went around flaunting to be? Because she certainly couldn't. 'I made him feel like that' she thinks cheerfully, and laughs loudly this time. He looks at her questioningly, she shakes her head at him.

"Nothing."

She smiles at him as she decides 'No more hiding and half-truths, I'm gonna do this right, if it is going to be forever.' It was strange because at the same time he thought to himself 'No more hiding, Niklaus, you'll be strong for her and will make love your strength. Forever.'

"I love you"

Is the last thing that resonates through the living room, as two immortal beings make a vow to each other with those three words, simultaneously.

Always and Forever.

Klaroline