Always You…Continued

…An hour has passed, maybe more, maybe less..she doesn't care. The party down stairs had been taken elsewhere a while ago, the vamps in the building obviously tuned into what was happening and kindly helped to vacate the premises of all living and breathing.

She sits up slightly on the bed her head resting against the wall, her curls falling around her shoulders and messy up top from hands and fingers, soft and both hard surfaces. She smiles at the memory, and touches a finger tip to her lips, she huffs out a deep sigh and crosses her bare legs on top of each other in front of her. She shuffles her recently reinstated sun dress back in to place, pulls down the hem a little and readjusts the straps on her bare shoulders.

She tries, tries really hard, not to look to her left. She fights the feeling for a long time, but really who is she kidding, with just a moment's hesitation she slowly turns her head and looks down. The creases in the sheet are still prominent, she traces a finger gently over the linen trying not to disrupt the shape, it's still warm, the scent is still in the air, him, his scent. She sighs and closes her eyes, but she knew he wasn't there, she knew he had to go. She pushes her fingers on to her forehead and up into her hairline where small, short but sweet departing kisses were left. She remembers the sound of his voice, the low rumble, regretful and sorrowful, explaining why he had to leave so suddenly, adding on the end his hate and disregard for his family. She knows it not true, he knows it too, as callous and evil and utterly terrible he can appear, can be..has been, he does have a heart that is perfectly able to do more than just beat and pump blood. He is capable of love, he loves her..he's in love with her, she knows and he's known it for a long time, though only one of them has been able to admit it.

And, and she, does she? She lo.. "No" She shakes her head out of her thoughts and makes herself jump a little and sit straight up. She rubs her eyes open and looks back to where she was staring at before, she wasn't trying to avoid an empty side of the bed, her eyes glance up to the beside table to the offending object. The reason why she was avoiding looking this way, the reason her fingers are itching to reach out and touch. Unwillingly she allows her arm to snake out and grab her cell phone resting just on the corner of the wooden table top, her fingers stretch out further wanting to go further but she stops at the phone. "Come on Caroline" She scolds herself. She brings her phone up to her face and unlocks the screen with the swipe of her fingers. The notification bar pops up telling her of a couple missed calls and several unread txts. She scrolls down;

Elena: We're at The Grill...thought you'd need space…call me when your done ;) x

Bonnie: Oh My God Caroline…is it true? X

Stefan: Text or Call if you want to talk Caroline.. I hope you know what you're doing…Stefan x

She glides her thumb over the screen, reading the same generic stuff. "Elena, Bonnie, Bonnie, Matt, god Bonnie would you chill.." and then she gets to it, the name she was both hoping and dreading to see, the name that makes her stomach flip.

Klaus: Parting is such sweet sorrow my love ;)..

"God I can even hear you saying that out loud" She allows a small grin before continuing reading.

…I hope you have taken the time to consider my offer, you know when and where. Please think about It Caroline...

She bites her lip, she doesn't understand how well she knows him, gets him. There's no kisses on the message, there doesn't have to be, they're a little beyond noughts and crosses on a text message now. It's plain and clear and says what has to, not many words but the meaning literally jumps from the screen like a story book. She locks the phone and throws it onto the bed by her feet. "This can't be happening to you Caroline, what do you do? What do I do?" Without allowing another thought she picks up the envelope that was left lying on the wooden surface. It's white, clean and crisp and feels cool between her fingers but she can still feel the warmth of the touch that was left on the paper last, the person who left it there for her, the one who is offering her nothing she should want but everything she needs. She unfolds the paper and pulls out its contents, she knows what it is, he told her in not so many but just enough words. She takes a deep breath anyway as her eyes flit across the words printed on the small card.

This Rail Card Gift Voucher entitles the receiver an all round, return journey to New Orleans. Please book your seat and departing information, on our online travel service with the information provided below…

She stares at the card for seconds, minutes, turning it over her fingers. "Arrgghh, Oh my god" With a huge huff of breath she stuffs the card back inside the envelope, she can't think anymore. With vampire speed she collects the rest of her belongings, checks herself in the mirror and heads down stairs to find her purse. The House has been left in true party style…a complete mess, she doesn't even notice, with a flick of her hair and re-appliance of lip stick, she finds hers purse on the counter in the kitchen and deposits the envelope inside, and then she's out the door whilst quickly sending a text to say she's on her way.

Elena is waiting outside of the bar, cell in hand when Caroline arrives.

"Hey I was starting to worr.."

"Hey, here's my keys, please go by my house tomorrow before my mom gets back and clean up, please oh my god I'll make it up to you so much, I'll clean up for 2 weeks straight way when we get back to our dorm.."

"C-Caroline wait what? Where are you go..?" The blonde cuts her off with a wave of her hand and turns on her heel.

"Somewhere I should have gone, a long time ago, something I should have done a long time ago..aahh" She lets out an exasperated sigh at the look her best friend is giving her. "I'm fine, everything's fine." It will be fine. "I'll call you" andwith a smile she's gone.

"Yes Elijah I'm leaving now, Thank you so much for waiting for me, It's much appreciated, though I didn't want to leave this soon at all actually to be quite honest.." Klaus all but growls into his cell phone, he rolls his eyes as he listens to his brother's smooth response down the line. "Yes well tell Reb.."

"Need a co-Pilate?" He's a vampire, a werewolf, a hybrid and lets not leave out he's an Original, and he almost drops his phone in shock at the sound of the voice he craves to hear, the voice who just a short amount of time ago was whispering, giggling, repeating his name. He ends the call with out further thought and slowly steps away from the open car door, towards her, his grin growing impossibly wider, eyes bright with anticipation. She smiles back and hands the envelope out to him whilst taking a step closer herself, he doesn't take it.

"You can have this back, thank you, but I won't be needing it." There's stuff to talk about sure, hell there's so much that needs ironing out but right now it's just him, it's her, it's them.

"I thought First class may be more appealing to you, and weren't you hosting some shindig.."

"Are you asking me to choose between this, you, and.."

"What would you say?" Without a blink he's in front of her, a quake of the lips and they would be brushing together, noses rubbing. His voice is rough and needy, raw. They're gazes bore into each other, marking territory and claim staking. The card falls from her light grasp and drifts to the gravel by their feet, her foot gently rubbing against his and her hands now empty grabbing onto his broad heavy shoulders for balance.

The words are left unspoken, un-needed between them as the she leans in and closes the gap.

You..always you..