Hi Guys

So here is chapter three. There's not a lot of action but it kind of hints at some things to come so keep reading, and of course review!

Thank you to everyone for your support

Klaus sat in a truck stop bar off a highway attempting to drown himself in cheap booze and the blood of whatever bar fly happened to stumble in. It had been five days since he had left her and already he thought he was going to go crazy if this was what the rest of his life looked like. He had finally allowed himself to listen to her messages early this morning, after he couldn't for the life of him fall asleep. It had been a poor decision. If his resolve was starting to slip prior to listening, it was hanging by a thread when he was through.

The first had almost made him laugh, hearing how angry she sounded at him. He was proud of her too in a way. She didn't break down and he knew she wouldn't beg him to come home, but it had given him a sense of pride at how angry she was. How she would use this as an excuse to tell him what an idiot he was. It just affirmed how strong and completely unique she was. No one else dared talk to the Hybrid King that way save for Caroline.

The second one hadn't been so easy to listen to. He wanted nothing more than to listen to her words and allow them to convince him that going back to her would solve everything and that they would be fine. All it had taken though was a few memories of a millennium on the run to know better.

When cheap scotch and the blood of whoever was on the barstool next to him were no longer enough to keep the memories at bay, Klaus wandered back to his motel room and laid down, finally allowing the memories of Caroline to seep in. Maybe it was the message on his phone, but the memory he found himself replaying was another one where she had gotten angry with him.

xxx

London looked good, Klaus thought to himself. Sure it wasn't the adventurous, and dangerous spot it had once been but it was also cleaner, and more advanced, so that was something. As appealing as everything looked though, Klaus wasn't here to sightsee. Klaus was here for her. When Caroline had called him and asked for them to meet here, he had willingly agreed, both hopeful and curious as to why.

The request to meet wasn't as peculiar as it might once have been. Even after Klaus left Mystic Falls for New Orleans they had stayed in touch. She had visited him a few times for one reason or another, and he had in return met up with her when she finally started travelling. He had been at her University graduation, cheering as she received her degree. She had been at one of his art shows, conversing with critics about who the mysterious painter was who kept himself anonymous. The point was, over the years they had become friends in more than name only. Yes, they both silently acknowledged that Klaus was in love with her, more and more so as time went on, and they also seemed to have a mutual understanding that Caroline grew more and more attracted to him as the years passed, also coming to care for him as she did the rest of her friends, but both of these agreements were never discussed. They swept them aside for one reason or another, always managing to find an excuse as to why they weren't together. Klaus for one was out of them, and he felt that she should be too.

On every one of these meetings, Klaus held out hope that this would be when the subject would be breeched. That Caroline would finally admit what she felt for him and that Klaus would finally be allowed to give her everything she would ever want.

As he approached the restaurant, they were meeting at; he got a glimpse of her in the window. She looked different. Not her very self per se, but her look had changed. It was a little less small town and a little bit edgier, with her tight black pants and purple top, but she still had the same perfect curls and the bright face, smiling when she saw him approach her.

"Hi" she exclaimed happily getting up to greet him.

"Hello love" he replied kissing her on the cheek and inhaling her addictive raspberry scent. God he had missed her. It had been far to long.

They took their seats and just stared at each other for a moment; Klaus very intently, Caroline trying and eventually failing to hold back her grin.

"What?" She finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Nothing, I'm just admiring you, it's been sometime since I've seen you last. You look beautiful as always."

She gave him the same scoff he'd grown so accustomed to over the years but nonetheless turned back to look at him smiling.

"I um, wanted to see you for a couple different reasons." She said after a moment, straightening up, her face becoming more intent.

"Really?" He asked, brows quirking up in curiosity.

The waiter came to take their drink orders at that moment and Klaus was surprised when she compelled him to bring them their drinks and then leave them alone. She wasn't one to compel her way through life, and Klaus was wondering and also hoping a little about what was so pressing that they need not be disturbed.

"Yeah, Stefan wanted me to pass on a message he didn't trust sending over the phone." She said stirring the drink she had just been brought.

Klaus' face immediately turned serious at her comment. He knew what Stefan would be regarding. Over the last year there had been rumblings that there were witches looking for a way to open up the other side again. Klaus and Stefan had discussed it awhile back and decided to be vigilant but also felt that there weren't enough founding's for it to be more than a rumor. This meeting now had him thinking they shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss it.

"Apparently," Caroline continued, "there's a coven of witches who apparently found some artifact of that witch Qetsiyah's, which may or may not hold some type of clue but we don't know anything else. Bonnie's been looking into it and Elena and Damon are trying to track down where the coven is but Stefan thought you should be informed, because you know, these things tend to happen kind of fast."

"Interesting. And you trust the doppelganger and the brother, to find what we need?" Klaus had never trusted either one of them and was starting to think about sending someone else to handle this.

"Yes. I do." She responded adamantly, nodding her head. "One of us will let you know if we find anything."

Feeling as though there wasn't much left to be said on the topic. There was no point telling Caroline that he would look into it on his own, Klaus found himself smirking at her again, "And Stefan couldn't find the time to tell me this himself?"

Caroline and him locked eyes for a moment. The spark they had was definitely there and he knew she felt it.

"Well," she said seeming to shake herself out of a trance "like you said, we haven't seen each other in sometime and since we were both within the same continent, I figured we might as well catch up."

"Ah yes, and why are you in London Caroline?" Klaus asked the question innocently enough, but Caroline knew better.

Caroline had for a long time known that Klaus kept tabs on her, and knew what went on in her life, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction he was looking for.

"That's none of your business," she retorted trying to keep her voice playful when she began to feel…other feelings arising.

Klaus too was on the receiving end of other feelings. He had heard about two months back that Caroline and the mutt had finally ended things with each other after trying to make it work for years.

"On the contrary love," her statement angered Klaus. "I allow him to live because you asked me to. The fact that he lives and breathes, and that you have the option to be with him or to be here is at my discretion and therefore if you're away from him because he hurt you or because he's planning something again then that is absolutely my business."

Caroline stared back at him with a mixture of distaste and annoyance.

"If I were hurt or if Tyler were planning something I wouldn't be here."

"Again, on the contrary." Klaus knew this was escalating way too fast but him and Caroline were both stubborn and now that they had started, there would be no going back. "If history serves me right, you like my company best when you either need saving or when there's a plot in motion. Let us not forget your superb skills as a tool of distraction."

It was a stupid thing to say considering how long ago that had been and how much closer they had become since but if Klaus was being honest with himself he knew that when he heard news of her breakup with Tyler he had immediately hoped she would run into his arms. He thought her pride might keep her from doing it for a while but when he had gotten her call to meet here, he had kind of figured she was caving. Apparently not though, as she wasn't giving away anything.

"You know what? Caroline said gathering her things, "I came here because I wanted to see my friend, not to rehash the past that we have both already apologized for. If that's why you think I'm here then let me put your mind at ease, and leave." With that she threw a few bills on the table, got up and turned to leave.

Klaus sat there seething at the nerve of that woman for about five seconds before sense kicked in and he got up to chase after her.

"Caroline?" He called out seeing her walk down the street quickly.

He knew she could hear him and he tried again, moving quickly to catch up to her.

"Caroline come back here!"

When she turned the corner onto a relatively abandoned street, he took a chance and flashed in front of her, grabbing her arms so she couldn't get away. Caroline tried to turn but when it looked like Klaus wasn't letting her budge she stopped struggling and just glared at him, arms crossing across her chest.

Klaus was too frustrated to be amused by the angry expression on her perfect face so he lifted his hands higher up her arms gently trying to pry them apart. "Hey don't shut me out, talk to me. I'm sorry I assumed-

"You should be," she spat at him, but he was pleased her arms were loosening.

"I know. I was an ass, but I do want to make sure that you're alright."

When she didn't say anything he pressed on. "Are you alright?"

With a little less vengeance this time, she replied, "Yes, I'm good." And knowing now he had her back he gave her a smile that made her suck in her breath. The one she knew he saved only for her.

"Do you want to go back to the restaurant?" He asked hoping she wouldn't want to cut their meeting short because he had been an arse.

She shook her head no and his face fell before she looked back up at him with a small smile on her face, "Can we just walk for a little while?"

"Of course" he said offering her his arm. To his delight she took it willingly.

They walked in silence for a while, while Klaus tried to decide whether to push his luck or not by asking more about Tyler. Thankfully he didn't have to decide as she spoke for him.

"I ended it," she said suddenly. "We had been trying to make it work for a long time and it just wasn't anymore. I love Tyler, of course I do but I just felt like I had things to do you know? Places I wanted to go, people I wanted to meet and he, well at least right now he doesn't want that, so I ended it."

She wasn't looking at him as she said all this, so Klaus kept step with her as they wandered into Hyde park and stared ahead as he asked his next question.

"But you two have broken up before. Why is this different?"

"Because." She answered simply.

"Because…?" Lord this woman was frustrating.

"Because I can live without him, you know? Klaus didn't know but he was hoping she would elaborate. Thankfully she did.

"I actually came to the realization after I left him. At first I figured that maybe I would just take some time for myself, then I'd be placated and go back to him." She looked at him quickly to gauge his reaction.

Klaus just nodded so she carried on.

"Okay well anyway, there I am in the middle of Rome and I'm like oh my God. I'm here without the supposed love of my life and I'm totally completely fine with that. How is this possible? You're supposed to want to be with that person all the time and when you're apart you're supposed to miss them like crazy!"

"So you decided you weren't willing to live with someone who you could live without."

"Exactly! So as much as I love Tyler, and yes I am going to keep repeating that so you don't go do something I'll be mad at you for," he just smirked at that comment both of them knowing it would hardly take any provoking for him to find a reason to kill Tyler, "I decided I needed more, and please refrain from the "I told you so" I know is killing you not to say."

Klaus smiled again. "As long as you're aware I said this would happen years ago."

They continued on in silence for a little while, both admiring the beauty of the park at dusk until Klaus ventured another question, "So what now?"

Caroline stopped walking and turned to face Klaus, the smile now off her face. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I know you're waiting for me."

"I-

"Let me finish ok?" She rushed out.

He nodded at her so she continued.

"I know you want to be with me and yes, I'll say it, we have something but I just can't yet ok. I'm not asking for you to wait for me or to care about what I'm saying at all. I just, I don't know what I want right now and it would be a mistake to go from-

"Shhh love it's all right," he said holding onto her arms gently this time. "No one wants to rush you into anything. That's the beauty of eternity."

"Okay." She smiled at him again; Her beautiful, light, purely Caroline smile. They resumed their walking through Hyde Park, Klaus feeling perfectly content. No they weren't together yet, but at that point he knew they would be at some point. She was done with Tyler and she was figuring out what she wanted. It was only a matter of time before she realized it was him.

xxx

Klaus smirked in the darkness of his room, thinking of that day. At the time eternity had seemed like such a great thing. That at any point, she might show up at his door and he didn't have to worry about when that would be. Now that stretch of time was daunting, because she would never show up again. He had hidden that door from her but it was for her he reminded himself and it was with that disturbing thought that he fell into a troubled, lonely sleep.