A/N: This was an unplanned chapter, but a reviewer mentioned something about wanting to see it and I found a way to work it into the theme. This will, however, be the last one to connect to previous chapters as I plan to make all the rest stand alone one-shots. On that note, following this chapter, it's entirely possible that chapters will be about episodes that happened earlier and/or will completely disregard my own work, so Tyler could very well be alive in the next chapter. These ideas are basically just things that have popped into my head in random order. Thanks for bearing with me and I hope you enjoy!
Her nerves were getting the best of her as they crossed the Mystic Falls town line. When she left after her argument with Tyler, she fully intended on not coming back for quite a while. Her mom had understood her need to leave and she'd flat out refused to tell any of her friends in person, so her unplanned and entirely dramatic return would fully throw everyone. The only bit of consolation she had was in the unending support she received from Klaus. He was her rock in the storm and she wasn't sure if she could have even thought about doing this without him.
She was Caroline Forbes, she was strong. But that didn't mean that she always wanted to be. Sometimes it was nice to have someone hold her when she was upset and to be strong for her when all she wanted to do was collapse in on herself and never face the world again. As if sensing the tidal wave of emotion growing just beneath the surface, Klaus reached over and took her hand in his. He kept his eyes on the road but his concentration was elsewhere; rubbing slow circles over her knuckles and humming a low tune that he knew she liked. It was moments like this that reminded Caroline with stunning clarity of why exactly she'd left everything she knew to start a relationship with a thousand year old hybrid. He loved her and she loved him and that's all they needed really.
"Where are we going first, love?"
"My mom. She'll want to know I'm here and I really need to be the one to tell her the reason. She should be getting home now unless she has a big case or something."
He barely registered that she hadn't said 'my house' or 'home;' like she didn't belong here anymore and nothing here belonged to her. He almost smiled at the thought.
He parked in front of her house and shut the engine off, but she didn't budge from her seat.
"Would you like me to come with you?"
She was quiet, thinking. "No, I think I can handle it. But could you meet me upstairs later? I don't really want to try to sleep without you."
He was over the moon that she had come to rely on him when her strength waned. It was an experience he was fairly new to but it thrilled him all the more because of it.
"Of course love. I've grown rather accustomed to having you in my arms as well. I'm not sure I could even get a decent night's rest without you there."
She smiled a little. He was glad of the bit of light she still possessed, even in such a dark time.
"You'll survive this Caroline. And so will they. I can't promise that they will be understanding but they'll come around eventually. They love you, your mother loves you; and love allows us to put aside a great deal when it comes right down to it."
She smiled a bit bigger this time and wiped under her eyes at the unshed tears. He walked her to the door, his hand in hers the entire time.
"Call me if you need anything love, I'll be close." He kissed her forehead. "I love you."
She leaned into him for a moment, savoring the safety and peace she found there. "I love you too."
She waited until he was back in the car and driving off before she knocked on the front door, not wanting to freak her mom out by just walking in.
She could hear her mom slowly approaching the door to check and see who was there; and then she heard the moment realization set in when she picked up her pace and practically yanked the door off its hinges. Caroline grabbed her mom and hugged her as tightly as she could without hurting her.
"Honey, what are you doing back here? I thought you'd still be in New Orleans. Did that Klaus do something to you?" She flipped from caring-mom to overprotective-sheriff-mom in record time.
"No mom, it's not Klaus. He's been…well, he's been amazing actually. Can we go in and sit down? I have a lot to tell you."
Liz led her daughter inside, arm around her shoulders. They sat together on the couch and Liz took Caroline's hands in her own hoping to offer a bit of comfort.
Caroline took a deep breath. "Tyler's dead."
Her mouth was hanging open in shock, her eyes wide and shiny. Liz tried to ask how it had happened, but she just couldn't get the words out. So Caroline started talking and really didn't stop. In her anxiety and grief, she somehow found a way to distract herself from her emotions by focusing on the details of the night. She knew she'd have to reiterate the same story later for her friends, if she could still call them that.
Liz saw how deep the guilt ran within Caroline, her ever compassionate daughter. She did her best to simply comfort her. After all, Tyler didn't have any family left for her to inform. Liz's heart broke at the thought that the Lockwood line ended with Tyler's death; a fact she decided not to share with Caroline.
"I don't know how I'm going to tell everyone," Caroline spoke later, her head in her mother's lap and her eyes red and burning.
Liz ran her hand through her daughter's hair, much as she had when she was little and sought the security of her mother's touch.
"You'll tell them the truth. You'll be sincere in your grief. And if they find it in them to hate you for it, then they don't really know you as well as they thought. You can't change what happened, and neither can they. It's something that just needs to be accepted, moved past, no matter how painful. Your real friends will never truly leave you Caroline, I promise."
Caroline wanted to tell her mom all about New Orleans and the amazing time she was having with Klaus, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about something that made her so happy in light of everything. She excused herself to go to bed, texting Klaus on the way there to let him know he could join her. She walked into her room and was startled at the figure stretched out on her bed. When she saw who it was, she gently shut the door before whipping back around.
"Klaus!" She attempted to yell and whisper at the same time. "How long have you been here?"
"I never really left, love. I told you I'd be close. Didn't see much of a reason to lounge about elsewhere in this little town and I didn't particularly relish the off-chance of being seen. So I stowed away in your room and enjoyed being surrounded by you." He finished with that lovely soft smile that got him out of everything.
She sighed. "I'm too drained to be mad. Scoot over."
He obliged without a word and offered his arms to her as she climbed in. She was all talked out and he wasn't quite sure what to say. He just tried to make sure she was content for the moment because he knew what the next day would bring with it.
Unfortunately for Caroline, the next day did indeed arrive. She woke up, eyes still sore from her bout of crying the night before, and decided to take a shower and attempt to soothe her already racing thoughts and tense shoulders. She lightly kissed a sleeping Klaus on the forehead before gathering her things and heading to the bathroom.
Her mind was reeling with all the different ways her meeting with her friends could go wrong. Each scenario was more horrific than the last. By the time she was out of the shower and drying her hair, her nerves were entirely frayed. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed with Klaus and never leave. She returned to her room, dressed and as ready as she could be to face the day. She opted out of wearing any make-up, knowing she would probably just cry it all off anyway.
Klaus was wide awake now, simply waiting for her.
"You sure about doing this love?"
She shrugged. "Not really, but I can't exactly put it off. I've been thinking though; I know they probably won't be thrilled about it, but would you please come with me to talk to them? I really need you there." Her voice was stronger than she thought it would be, but it still came out somewhat dry and cracked.
"Of course I will. Forget the Salvatores and their grudge. Besides, if things take a turn for the absolute worst, I would rather be there with you anyway. Would you like to have breakfast before we leave?"
"Ugh, no. I don't think I could eat anything anyway. I'll text everyone from mom's phone and have them meet at Salvatore mansion. I'd get too many questions if I contacted them from my phone. Gimme a sec to do that and we'll leave."
An hour and a half later found the Mystic Falls Scooby gang rounded up in the Salvatore living room, fully expecting a briefing about a grisly murder from Sheriff Forbes. When they answered the knock at the door, they got something entirely different.
"Hi Stefan." Caroline said in an uncharacteristically small voice.
"Uh, Caroline…what are you doing here? Where's your mom?"
"The good sheriff isn't coming, dear Stefan. You get my lovely Caroline and me instead." Klaus answered as he sauntered into the doorway.
"Oh good, it's Klaus. Didn't we get rid of you?" Damon spoke as he joined Stefan at the door.
"Ah Damon, you know you'd miss me far too much." Klaus took Caroline's hand and led her past the narrow-eyed Salvatores to join the rest of the group. "Caroline has called this meeting, I'm just here for moral support. You would do well to hear her out entirely before passing judgment or spouting off something that I might make you painfully regret."
Damon and Stefan rejoined the group in the living room, reluctantly obeying Klaus's subtle command.
"I believe you have the floor love," he stepped closer to her, "you can do this, I'm right here."
She nodded to acknowledge him and then looked up to face everyone head on.
"Right, so, the text I sent from mom's phone mentioned a murder in Mystic Falls. That obviously wasn't true. The murder was actually in New Orleans…and I'm the one who did it."
A long pause…and then—
Everyone started talking at once, every question growing louder with each person's level of disbelief.
"Enough!" Klaus yelled. "What did I say about hearing her out completely? I know it's difficult for you lot, but do please contain yourselves. I'd hate to upset Caroline anymore by ripping out someone's throat."
The room quieted down, but the tension was still thick with unanswered questions and accusatory glares.
Caroline cleared her throat and spoke again in a somewhat smaller voice.
"So, I have been in New Orleans with Klaus for the past few weeks…obviously. I got in an argument and then an actual fight with Tyler before I left and he ended biting me. He found out that I really did have feelings for Klaus and I was going to see him to sort them out."
Damon snorted and muttered, "Knew it."
Klaus narrowed his eyes at him, but Caroline pointedly ignored him and kept on talking.
"Well, Klaus healed me and then we spent the rest of our time just…hanging around New Orleans. And it was great…amazing really. I loved every minute of it." She said this with a small smile at Klaus. He returned it and nodded for her to continue.
"One evening we went out and as we walked home, a pack of werewolves suddenly attacked us. It wasn't a full moon or anything, but still, there were a lot of them and they were strong. The worst part was…Tyler was leading them. I ran to call for help and Klaus was left to fight them by himself. When it was all over, Tyler was facing us alone. I gave him the choice to run and never look back, to forget me and forget Klaus. But he told me he couldn't do it and that he would never stop."
The room was silent. Elena had her hands over her mouth, shaking her head no. Bonnie's eyes were wide with unshed tears.
"Care…tell me you didn't." Matt said, his voice thick.
Caroline started crying all over again. She furiously wiped at the tears with shaking hands.
"I know saying I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cover it. But I had to. He was going to kill Klaus and me, and by extension almost every one of you here. I don't expect forgiveness, but I do hope you can understand."
Klaus reached out and took her hand in his, trying his best to be her lifeline. She couldn't take the looks on their faces any longer and dove into Klaus's arms to bury her face in his neck, wishing for all the world that she hadn't been the cause of so much pain for the people she loved.
He held her tight, one hand stroking her hair while he whispered to her, "Shh, love, I'm here, I'm here."
He glanced up, knowing at least he could expect some amount of levelheadedness from the Salvatores. "We'll be just outside. Come and get us if you have something to say. Think on all you've heard and think twice before ostracizing someone who's been nothing but a friend to each of you, even sometimes when you didn't always deserve it." With that, Klaus scooped Caroline up and flashed out the front door, doing his best to be well out of easy hearing distance but at least within earshot.
Klaus settled them down against a large oak and kept Caroline cradled close to him. He could feel his heart shattering for her. All the grief and guilt she'd felt over what happened was finally being let loose in every sob wrenched from her body. He knew no words of comfort would ease her pain and so he simply held her tight and let her cry.
She finally cried herself dry but it was still quite a while longer before she was able to speak. When she did, her voice was barely audible and like spun sugar in its fragility.
"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?"
Klaus thought a moment, knowing the damage he could do if he said the wrong thing, seeing as how he wasn't the biggest fan of her friends.
"If I know anything about those idiots," she smacked him lightly on the chest for that one, "it's that they're irritatingly moral. There's no doubt in my mind that they will forgive you Caroline, but unfortunately, their level of morality is slightly skewed; they will most likely take their time in forgiving you. Seeing as each of them somehow maintains their own self-righteousness despite the fact that the only remotely innocent one is the quarterback."
She laughed a bit at that, agreeing that Matt Donovan was indeed the only one who could claim that.
"My point is, love, don't take it too hard if they don't forgive you right away. Personally, I don't think you need their forgiveness, but I do understand that you still want them in your life, and so I will endeavor not to rip anyone to shreds should they attempt to lecture you about killing someone in defense of your own life."
"Well, I do appreciate your restraint. But don't forget, that was in defense of your life too. Even if mine wasn't on the line, I would do it all over again."
Klaus was stunned into silence. Caroline felt his body stiffen.
"Klaus?"
"Y-you would go through all of this grief…all of this pain again…for me?"
She turned fully to face him and cradled his stricken face in her hands.
"Of course I would. I love you Klaus. I would do pretty much anything for you, don't you know that?"
His eyes were soft, and just the tiniest bit wet when he responded to her.
"You are a marvelous woman Caroline. I only wish there was a way for me to show you that you mean just as much to me."
"Trust me when I say that you being here with me, through this entire mess, not to mention surrounded by people who pretty much despise you…"
"Thanks love," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, but it's kinda true. But still, you're here with me through all of that…and it means everything to me."
She smiled at him, as brightly as she ever had, and he couldn't stop himself from kissing her. Their moment was broken when the least irritating Salvatore approached them and loudly cleared his throat to get their attention. They lightly kissed once more before turning their gazes to Stefan.
"If you two are ready, everyone would like to talk to you." He smirked a little as he walked away, secretly happy that they had found something so special in each other.
Caroline stood and offered Klaus her hand to pull himself up on, which he then interlaced with his own. They walked leisurely behind Stefan, not all too eager to face the group judge-y stare.
To everyone's surprise, Caroline and Klaus walked into the mansion hands swinging together and small smiles on their faces.
"Okay, I'll say it. This is weird," Damon quipped.
Caroline leveled her gaze at him, but didn't lose her smile. "Get over it Damon, you won't have to deal with it for long. So, everyone come to a conclusion then?"
Elena stood up, the appointed spokesperson it would seem.
"Yeah, we have. We understand why you did it Caroline. You were fighting for your life…"
"And to protect someone you love," Stefan interrupted. That earned him a couple glares.
"Uh, right," Elena attempted to continue, "it's just…you killed someone Caroline…and not just some stranger. You killed Tyler. And I think it's going to take a little while for us to forgive that."
Klaus coughed to hide the chuckle that he could feel bubbling up. Caroline glanced at him with a smirk of her own. He was just so smart.
"I figured as much. Well, I told you what I came here to tell you. We had a small service for Tyler back in New Orleans; he's buried there under a tree behind our home, in case any of you wanted to…say goodbye or whatever." Caroline said, offering what solace she could.
She turned to Klaus, "You ready to go?"
Before he could answer, Elena spoke up again.
"Wait, you're not staying?"
"Uh, no. I don't really have much of a reason to anymore. You all are welcome to visit;" she heard Klaus growl a bit at that, "But, um, call first."
With that, she dragged her hybrid out the door and away from the people she used to consider her world.
Half way to the car, Stefan called out to them.
"Caroline, wait!" He jogged up to them, knowing that they wanted out of there as quickly as possible.
"Just so you know, not everyone is taking their time to forgive you. Personally, I don't think you need forgiven. I get why you did it and I also know how much pain you're in because of it. Damon feels the same way; he just won't come out and say it around Elena. I can't really speak for anyone else though."
Caroline stepped forward and hugged Stefan. "Thank you."
He hugged her tightly in return, then pulled her back to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. He let her go back to Klaus, but he wasn't quite finished yet.
"Klaus, I'd threaten you to make sure you take care of her, but I know you won't take me seriously. So just…take care of her, okay?"
Klaus reached out his right hand in a small gesture of friendship and respect. Stefan grasped it and shook it.
"With every ounce of strength and ability I possess, I will be sure that she is taken care of…rippah," Klaus said with a little smirk.
Stefan shook his head and turned around to walk back inside, glancing back once to catch the two lovebirds full on smiling at each other as they got into their car and left.
Caroline visibly crumpled a bit as they drove away.
"Ugh, I can't wait to get back home," she moaned, her head tilted back against the headrest.
"Neither can I love."
Caroline peeked out at him through one eye, he was grinning from ear to ear.
"What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing. I'm just pleased to hear you refer to New Orleans as home."
Caroline smiled. "Yeah, it's home. I've lived my entire life in Mystic Falls, and I always felt like my friends, my mom, were home. But New Orleans is different. I actually feel like I belong there. And that's not to mention all the people that have just welcomed me in."
"People?"
"Yes people. I've made some new friends. And I suppose having a wonderful, sexy boyfriend helps a bit too."
"Hmm, perhaps a bit," he replied with a conceited chuckle. "And who are all these new friends you have? You know I have to meet them, just to make sure we won't have any problems or anything."
"Right, well you're not allowed to go around killing, maiming, or viciously threatening them either. You have to be nice!"
"I can be nice!" He only sounded slightly offended. "Can I threaten them a little? Just a little bit?"
"Ugh, you're insufferable."
"Yes, but you love me anyway," he flashed her his best charming smile.
"Yes I do…but that's beside the point!"
They continued their bickering as they drove back to New Orleans, away from her past and toward their future.
A/N: Sorry for the somewhat cheesy ending and for the length of this chapter. The story got away from me a bit and then I couldn't find a good place to end it. But thanks for reading! Please leave a review!
