Chapter 4

A/N: Hi guys! So, this update's a bit slower and has less events but it got out quicker and with a little purpose. I just wanted to clear out the air that right now we're venturing mainly into Klaus' POV so we won't really get to know what's going on in Caroline's head but in the chapters ahead, we will.
Right now this will be more of Klaus.
As for Klaus being too lovesick, well that will change. He'll always love Caroline but his love is tough love. So…
Enough spoilers. Enjoy! THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS AND SUPPORT ON THIS, BTW! LOVE YOU ALL.

Caroline knew exactly how it started but she didn't know how it came to this. Klaus had promised to cook dinner and well, she'd volunteered to help but he'd restricted her to the barstool, allowing her only to watch while he cooked.

She didn't know what had possessed her to pour an ice cube into his shirt when he had his back turned towards her but she knew that she definitely deserved the bowl of pesto sauce to be dumped over her.

However, she hadn't expected it and had retaliated by throwing the chopped vegetables his way which, unfortunately for him, included tomatoes.

Starting from there it had turned into a full fledge war until the both of them were soaking in their dinner. She'd showered and changed into her night suit while Klaus had gone to order pizza and change himself.

In the back of her mind she knew she should've been grieving. She'd just lost her husband not a month ago but she just couldn't stay sad or upset ever since Klaus had pled to her saying that Enzo wouldn't have wanted her to be sad. And honestly, ever since visiting Enzo's grave, she'd felt peace. She'd felt peace after so many restless days and agony filled nights.

She still cried. She still missed him, every day but she let herself feel joy too.

The joy of enjoying her best friend's company.

It was only after living with Klaus that she realized how much she missed the old times when she could freely hang out with him without any responsibilities and burdens on both of them. However, ever since she'd gotten married she realized what an awful friend she had been. She had never really been there for Klaus when he needed her - Hell, she didn't even know if he'd ever needed her or not - And right now when she had no one she could trust, Klaus was standing by her side as her constant.

Coming to the conclusion that she was going to help him and be there for him whenever she could, Caroline tried to smile and laugh again for his sake.

And by the looks of it, he appreciated too. He brought her flowers on his way back home and sometimes even brought her cupcakes and confectionary goods. She'd smile at him and then tease him that he was only trying to make her gain weight so that he didn't have to worry about his own physical shape.

"Guilty as charged, love" he'd reply as always.

It was only when Katherine came to visit and pointed it out for her that she realized that she was settling with Klaus. And that couldn't happen. He was her best friend and she didn't want to become a fulltime responsibility for him.

She only then realized that she must have been keeping him away from his own life. She was a widow with an injured leg, not him. He was a young, handsome bachelor guy with so many options.

And maybe because of her, those options were going away.

But she couldn't let that happen. Not to her best friend.

"I was thinking about going over to my apartment tomorrow" Caroline spoke up at dinner, like before, but casually this time. "To sort out some of the stuff" she added, offhandedly.

Klaus frowned. "I can send the housekeeper to do that for you, love" he offered, trying not to panic at her sudden demand to go.

"You know I'll never be satisfied until I do it by my own hand" Caroline joked with a chuckle. "Besides, it'll only take a couple of days" she said with a casual shrug.

Klaus' eyes widened and his grip on the fork tightened. "Days?" he inquired, in shock. "Sweetheart, why don't you do it later? You need to rest and I'm sure I can find some time to help you out too…" he suggested, already thinking of ways to make her stop.

"It's okay Klaus. I'm alright now. Even my leg doesn't hurt that much anymore" She replied, reassuringly. "Besides I'm sure you have work to do and it's not like you'd be able to help me out much anyway. That home is a mess that only I can sort out" she joked truthfully, knowing that to any outsider that place would seem like a junkyard but to her it was full of memories and recollections.

Klaus gave her a small smile but his mind was wandering off to other places. Where did this new idea come into Caroline's mind? She'd been fine for the past few days. Actually, everything had been going excellent and then suddenly, she was back on her I-don't-want-to-be-a-burden mode.

He wracked his brain for who might've put this idea in her mind and the only person who he knew could've done that was Katherine. She had been the only one allowed to visit Caroline and she lacked a filter so she was definitely Klaus' prime suspect.

"I'll drop you off tomorrow on my way to the office and then I'll pick you up on my way back" he told her, firmly. Caroline opened her mouth to object but he cut her off before she could. "There's no way I'm going to leave you alone over there for days Caroline so arguing would be pointless" he reprimanded her sternly making her frown.

When would he stop making her feel like a little kid who was stealing candies?

With a sigh, she nodded. "Fine"

Moving onto the pleasant part of the conversation, Klaus smiled at her. "Did you like the flowers I sent today, love?" he asked, eager to move on from the subject.

Caroline smiled back, gratefully. "Yes, they were beautiful. Thanks" she replied. "But I hope I'm not the only one at the receiving end of these beautiful flowers" she added, mischievously. "I mean there has to be some girl out there that's good enough for Klaus Mikaelson" she teased, probing him so he'd open up about his love life.

Klaus smirked at that. "There is" he told her, staring at her.

Caroline's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked excitedly. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked in an accusatory manner but before he could answer, she shook her head. "Forget that. Tell me, who is she?" she inquired, curiously. "Do I know her? Wait! Have I ever met her?" she wondered out loud, already mentally listing the possible girls in her mind.

Klaus smiled at her inquisitiveness and leaned forward to tuck her hair behind her ear. "She is a beautiful girl with a fiery spirit and those flowers are almost as beautiful as her" he whispered coyly. "She's the sweetest at heart and does what's best for everyone" Caroline could barely control her curiosity and just when she was about to ask him, his words deflated her. "And she's my best friend"

Caroline swatted him away. "I'm serious Nik" she complained, groaning. "You're seriously wasting all your time here with me. Look, I don't want you to sit home alone at a Friday or Saturday night because you're stubborn and pretending that no one's good enough for you and that you're happy alone" she ranted off, anxiously. "No one's happy alone" she murmured, shaking her head, as she thought of her own situation for a while.

"I don't care and I don't know how but you're going to go on a date tomorrow" she concluded stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Klaus opened his mouth and then closed it, unsure of what to say. Clearly her parents hadn't talked to her yet.

"How do you suppose I'll get a date on such short notice?" he asked, playing along with her.

Caroline shrugged and pointed towards him. "You're… you. Who wouldn't go out with you?" she asked, in an exaggerated motion and it made his ego swell with pride.

"I suppose it does help" he said, not even truly committed. "If it doesn't go well, you will owe me" he dared her, knowing that even if the date did go well he'd still say it didn't so she'd owe him.

She smiled at that. "Alright" she accepted his terms, nodding. They stayed silent for a while before Caroline burst again. "So do you have someone in mind?" she probed, curiously.

Times like this made him realize how similar she was to Rebekah. But as soon as the thought came to his mind, he brushed it off. Comparing Caroline and his baby sister didn't sit well with him.

He chuckled at her, warding off any of her suggestions. He knew exactly how he was going to spend his date time tomorrow.

"You can drop me off to my parents' when you're about to leave" she suggested, offhandedly.

Klaus looked up and swallowed hard. "Of course. Do you want me to pick you up right after I'm free or should I send the driver if I'm late?" he asked, hoping she'd want him to pick her up.

Caroline shrugged. "I think I might stay there for the night" she informed him and missed the look of complete shock on his face. "Katherine's going to come over too. Girls' night" she clarified, shaking her head.

"Oh" was all he said. "I'll come to pick you up in the morning then" he replied, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of her being away from him.

She smiled at him. "No. I'll tell Kat to drop me off. I don't want you to make another excuse to miss office" she teased, poking her tongue at him.

"Perks of being the boss" he pointed out, smugly.

"Technically Elijah has more authority. No?" she asked, thinking back to how Elijah always bit Klaus' ear off on the phone about work.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Technically sweetheart, I'm Elijah's boss but the only reason I allow him to push me around is because he is my brother" he said, feeling slightly competitive.

"Statements like this make me wonder if Kol really was adopted" Caroline retorted lightly, knowing that he was probably feeling jealous and competitive again. CEO of his own billionaire firm and yet he was still so unsure of himself.

"We still have our doubts" Klaus answered back, thinking how much more things would make sense if they found out that Kol really was adopted. Then they'd have to be less embarrassed about his antics in public as well.

They continued on talking, bantering until it was time for bed. Both of them went to bed thinking about how different their days had done.

While Caroline slept peacefully, Klaus was having trouble with even laying in bed. He wanted to march right up to Katherine and strangle her little neck for pouring these ideas into Caroline's head. Sure he had no actual evidence that she had said something to Caroline but he had a gut feeling that this was all her doing.

Knowing he wouldn't be getting much sleep any way, he threw the covers off him and grabbed his cell phone. Without a look at the time, he dialed a familiar number.

The line was picked up on the second ring. "Niklaus"

Klaus refrained from rolling his eyes. "Are you busy, Elijah?" he asked, wasting no time in polite chitchat.

"Yes but I'm sure you don't seem to care" his brother replied dryly. "What is it?" he asked, without further ado.

"I talked to Caroline today. She seems to be all set about going back. The problem is that she was fine when I left her and after that Katherine came to visit and I don't know what that incessant woman put in her mind but you need to tell Katherine to back off" he growled into the phone, careful to keep his voice down.

He heard a long, insufferable sigh from his older brother. "Perhaps it is time for Caroline to head back home" Elijah voiced, carefully.

"This is her home!" Klaus argued, heatedly.

"No. It's not." Elijah pointed out, firmly. "Not yet, anyway" he added, much to his brother's relief. "I had an interesting chat with her father the other day" he trailed off for his brother's reaction.

Klaus seemed surprised at the information but tried to keep the cheeriness out of his voice. "Oh?"

"Are you sure that this is what you want, brother?" Elijah asked, trying to be sure that his brother was happy.

"Yes" Klaus answered with finality, leaving no room for argument.

There was silence on the line for a minute before Elijah spoke again. "I'll speak with Katerina. She won't cause anymore inconvenience" he said. "Now if that's all, I'd like to wish you good night" he said before hanging up.

Klaus rolled his eyes before tossing his phone on the bed and walking out of the room to get a glass of water.

Just out of sheer curiosity and restlessness, he stopped outside his own bedroom and cracked open the door to see if she was alright. Maybe she was having a hard time sleeping as well. Much to his disappointment and satisfaction, Caroline was sleeping soundly curled up in the sheets of his bed.

Not wanting to disturb her, he left as quickly as he entered and went back to his own room. Temporary room.

Caroline resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Klaus rattled off all the situations or emergencies when she was supposed to call him. Was it just her or was he thinking that she was going to war?

"I'm just at home, Nik" she pointed out for the hundredth time, waving her hands around as she stood in the driveway of her parents' estate ready to say goodbye for the day. "There's no need to be worried" she added with a chuckle at his worried expression.

"Yes, well, I need to know that you're in good hands" he said, frowning, uncomfortable with still dropping her off at her parent's for the day. Why did she even want to come here? Those people didn't deserve her attention. "And you're not being serious about this" he chided, pointing a finger at her.

Caroline suppressed a giggle at his serious face before wrapped her arms around him. "You're such a baby" she joked, teasingly. "Thanks for dropping me off" she said with a smile. "Now don't keep standing here. Go to work and help Elijah out" she told him, waving him off with a hand gesture. "And don't forget your date tonight" she teased with a cheeky smile as she pulled back from him.

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her, playfully. "Call me if you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable here. Take your medicines on time. Not a minute late. Call me every hour so that I know not to come here and drag you back home" he rattled off, deliberately using home for his house which would soon be theirs. "And most importantly" he said as he cupped her face in his hands. "Keep missing me" he whispered with a cheeky wink before placing a kiss on her cheek.

Caroline stiffened only for a moment before relaxing and giving him a small smile. "I want all the juicy details of that date tonight, Niklaus" she said, deliberately using his full name to make him feel like he was a child.

"Of course. I'll be expecting your call then" he called out as he walked towards his car. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart" he said, waving at her as she gave him a thumb up.

He hoped her parents would talk to her today and convince her because staying away from her made him feel out of control and miserable and he wasn't sure how long he could control his feelings for her.

Just as expected, Caroline's parents found the perfect opportunity to talk to her when she ranted off about Klaus' mystery date at tea.

"I just can't figure out who she is" Caroline said frowning, oblivious to the obvious worry on her parents' face. "But… whatever! I'm just glad he's finally seeing someone" she admitted with a small, rueful smile.

How odd it was. She'd lost the love of her life for Klaus to start dating.

"Well, everyone needs someone in their life and its great that Klaus is seeing someone" Liz said, trying to be encouraging as she tried to approach the subject carefully. She placed a soothing hand on her daughter's knee. "What about you? Have you thought about what you're going to do now? How you're going to… carry on?" Liz asked, trying to be as gentle as possible with her words.

Caroline stilled for a few moments, unsure if she should be offended, upset, hurt or all at once.

Were her parents really so quickly tired of her? And she hadn't been here even one complete day. Maybe this would be here life now. Being a burden for everyone.

Well, almost everyone. Nik would never think of her as a burden.

"Don't worry mom. Enzo left the apartment in my name and I have a job so I won't become a fulltime responsibility for you guys again" she said with a chuckle, trying to cover up the hurt she felt.

Understanding her train of thoughts, Liz shook her head. "Oh… no! No. That's not what I meant" she tried to clarify but her husband cut her off.

"How exactly are you going to make ends meet with that job of yours? If you can call it that" Bill asked, sternly, taking up the job of stating the obvious while everyone chose to coward behind easy words.

Caroline swallowed harshly at her father's angry tone. Maybe she had been better off at Klaus'. "I'd been looking for other jobs too" she said, shaking her head lightly. Her husband had just died yet her parents didn't care for her grief. They only cared if she'd be able to wear Jimmy Choo at the next family function dinner or not.

"None of those jobs will help you" he told her, frankly. "You won't be able to survive like this" he said, his tone taking a gentler pitch as he thought of his little princess working so hard. He'd raised her to be a Queen, not a peasant working.

Feeling herself embarrassed enough, Caroline pressed her lips into a thin line and placed her mug back on the table. "I have some savings for now till my leg gets better and then I'll start looking for part time jobs along with my main so like I said, no need to worry" she told them, plastering a small fake smile on her face.

"Will you be able to handle two jobs?" Bill pressed on relentlessly. "Besides how are you so sure that you haven't lost your current job already?" he asked, shaking his head.

"I'll sell the apartment to get something smaller maybe. It's not like I need something that big anyway" she voiced feebly, knowing that everyone knew that was a lie. She would never sell off her apartment which was the last part of Enzo she had with her. "It'll keep me afloat till I find another job" she said as the realization hit her that as long as her husband was alive – Poor or not – he had been taking care of all her basic needs and necessities without anyone's help. But now that he was gone, her life had become everyone's concern.

Liz stroked her daughter's hair as she glared her husband for his thoughtless comments. "Sweetie, what your father means is that you don't need to worry. We are here for you. Whatever we have, it's yours" she offered sympathetically. "But you also know that money is not all that you need in life" Liz approached the subject carefully, knowing how much her daughter loved her dead husband and how much she despised being dependent on someone. "You're still young and so beautiful. You can find someone who will love you and take care of you"

Caroline's eyes widened at her mother's suggestion. "Stop, mom" she said, suddenly, moving away from her mother. "Please just… no. No!" she forced out the words, feeling tears clog in her throat.

"If you would just listen to me, sweetie…" her mother tried to intervene, trying to move closer to Caroline who was clearly more than upset.

"NO!" Caroline yelled out, loudly, standing up to walk away most probably. "You guys are insane if you think… It's not… not even a month" she hissed at them spitefully. "I love Enzo" she expressed, angrily.

Bill, however, was having none of it and grabbed Caroline by her arm before she could move away. "No. You loved him and now he's gone. He's dead Caroline" he spelled it out for her and watched as she broke down even further, more tears leaving her eyes than before.

"No. No. No" Caroline kept repeating as she fell down on the floor, on her knees, pressing her hands to her ears as she rocked unsteadily on her feet. "He's… no. I love him. I love Enzo" she repeated, miserably trying not to let the hopelessness of her life reach her. She'd been doing such a good job of keeping herself composed and happy for everyone's sake and they just had to go and remind her of everything.

Remind her of the truth and reality.

Suddenly, she felt hands hovering over hers. She looked up to see her father, kneeling in front of her taking her hands into his. "Caroline" he said, with the firmness yet the softness which made her attentive. "I'm sorry for your loss but it's just that. He's gone. Enzo is dead" he told her, as if she didn't know.

But that was the problem. She did know. She just didn't want it rubbed in her face every two minutes of her life.

"I know. I know!" she said, shaking her head, as sobs wracked her tiny frame. "Just stop. I don't need to hear this" she cried out in frustration and helplessness. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.

Bill sighed. "No, you do need to hear this" he argued, shaking his own head. "Not just for yourself but for us. For your mother and I" he told her and these words gave him her attention. "I'm old and I'm tired" he started tiredly standing up to pace the room. "I'm so tired of this life and I'm ready to go. I'm ready to move on" he said, at which Liz barely restrained a sob. "Your mother and I need to be sure that you're settled and happy before we can do that. We've always listened to everything you've said. We've always given you whatever you've wished for. You wanted to marry Enzo even when we knew that he would never be able to provide properly for you but we let you" Bill explained calmly. "For you" he added, looking at his daughter with pained yet adoring eyes.

"What do you want, dad?" she asked, resignedly, not seeing any point in arguing with him. "Do you want me to just disappear? Do you want me to go away?" she questioned, trembling. "I wish it would've been me. I wish that it had been me instead of him. Or at least we both wouldn't have made it. But I did. Okay? I survived and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that I'm such a burden to you" she yelled at him, feeling every bit of helplessness wash over her.

Liz gaped in horror at her daughter's words and sobbed harder while her father looked like he had been struck with her words. Physically.

"Do… do you honestly think that's what we care about?" Bill asked, stunned that she thought this way. "That we think of you as a burden?" he asked, broken.

Caroline felt a fleeting stab of guilt before she covered it up with her own sorrow. "That's what it looks like" she answered back in a small voice.

"How can you say that? After everything… after everything we've hoped for you to have in your life" he said as he sat on the floor, looking like a completely defeated man. "I want you to be happy and I need to be sure you're looked after" he admitted, frankly.

"Dad, I'm fine" Caroline reassured him softly.

Bill gave her a sad smile. "But how long will that remain?" he questioned, making her smile fell. "This world is a cruel place, Caroline. Ten years down when everyone around you is moving on with their lives then you'll remember my words" he said with a dry chuckle. "When Elena, Bonnie and Katherine will get married and have their own kids" he said and watched a pained look pass through Caroline's eyes. "Or when Klaus gets married and doesn't have time for you because of his wife and kids" it was a low blow but it had its desired effect on her as Caroline's expression morphed into one of alarm and horror.

"It's okay to move on, Care. Enzo would've wanted you to" she didn't need to look up to see her best friend Katherine standing by her side with her hand on Caroline's shoulder. After she had heard the conversation going that way, she wanted to strangle Caroline's parents but it was only when Bill raised the last point that she knew that they weren't entirely wrong. Klaus would move on and then Caroline would feel loneliness and helplessness to a new level.

"He would have wanted you to stay happy and content" Katherine said, sharing a look with Bill who blinked in gratitude for her help.

Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her senses.

"And Klaus seems to really care for you. It's like he's already in love with you" Liz chimed in, trying to be supportive.

Caroline's eyes bulged out and it was Katherine who slapped her hand to her forehead at Liz's blatant approach. "WHAT?"

Klaus sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. He had been working in his office since the morning and had practically buried himself in his work to avoid thinking about dragging Caroline back. It had proved as a good distraction until it was six in the evening and everyone had started calling it a day and heading back to their homes.

Of course, he had no one to go home to. As usual. So he simply chose to hang back and get back into his routine because he had been lagging behind ever since Caroline had moved over.

He could hardly stay focused on his work for long when he got a reminder text from Caroline about his so-called date. He'd lied, naturally, and told her that he'd be going straight from office to have dinner with his supposed date.

She had wished him best of luck so when his phone rang at approximately ten, he wasn't surprised to find his little blonde girl calling him.

"Sweetheart" he greeted with a smirk, leaning back in his chair. "How have you been?" he asked, desperate to hear her voice.

"Fine" Klaus frowned at her quiet tone and sat ahead, alert. "How was your date?" she asked, continuing on the conversation even though her tone was quiet and very suspicious.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked, ignoring her questions.

He heard her sigh. "Nothing, Nik. Everything's fine" she answered back and he could almost feel the strained cheeriness that she was trying to force into her voice.

He hated that. He absolutely loathed it when she pasted a fake smile on her face for everyone else around her.

And people bought it.

"Caroline" he said her name, sternly, gripping the phone in his hand too tightly.

"Everything's okay, Nik" she said, trying to reassure him and added a fake laugh for his expense which even made herself cringe. "As fine as it can be in the circumstances" she joked, or tried to. But he saw right through it.

"Caroline either you tell me what's wrong or I'm coming over to your parents' house right now and I don't give a lick if you want to stay there or not. You're coming back home with me!" he growled into the phone, in frustration and worry.

"Whoa! Calm down" she hissed into the phone. "I'll tell you. Just wait" she said and he forced himself to remain seated as he heard rustling sounds in the background. "Sorry Kat was sleeping. I didn't want to wake her up" she said, after a while.

"… Caroline…"

She sighed, knowing her distraction technique wouldn't work. She looked behind her shoulder to check if the door was closed and then looked down the balcony railing. "Can I ask you something, Nik?" she asked, softly. "And you'll be hundred percent honest" she demanded, pleadingly.

"Of course" he said, without any hesitance.

"First tell me how your date went?" she asked, trying to prolong the inevitable.

Klaus chuckled dryly as he looked at the papers in front of him. "Well, I certainly won't be expecting a call back. That's for sure" he said and it wasn't a lie. He hadn't gone out so he wouldn't get a call back for another.

"That bad, huh?" she asked giving him back a nervous chuckle.

"Who wants to go out with a man who's a workaholic and rarely has time for trashy television shows?" he continued on jokingly, not caring how miserable he sounded because it was true. No matter how many magazines made him seem like one of the most eligible bachelors the sad and bitter reality was that he was a heartbroken, workaholic who was desperately in love with a girl he could never have.

He couldn't even hold a proper, romantic conversation with any other girl if he wanted. So how could he date one?

"Well that's their loss" Caroline commented truthfully because she knew how great and amazing a guy her best friend really was. He was gem of a person and she was lucky to have him in her life. "So this means your date went horrible?" she asked for clarification.

"It means you owe me dinner, sweetheart" he answered back, smugly.

Caroline bit her lip before exhaling loudly. "How… how do you feel about me, Nik?" she asked, unsure of how to phrase her question. She wasn't sure what she was looking for in his answer, herself because she knew that he had this… affection towards her and certain possessiveness but she wasn't sure if it was like what her parents said.

It's like he's already in love with you.

Her mother's words kept ringing in her ears and she couldn't ignore them, no matter how hard she tried. And now that she focused on his actions, she couldn't distinguish if he was friendly or … in love with her.

"You're you, Caroline" he started, momentarily flabbergasted by her direct approach. Then again, Caroline Forbes was never one to beat around the bush for too long. "Gorgeous. Beautiful. Smart. Intelligent and so full of light" he admitted, finding words too less to describe how he actually felt about her. "Who wouldn't love you?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

It was like time stood still as he anticipated her to bash him and his pathetic approach.

Only she didn't.

"Do you love me?" her question came more unsure and confused than angry, unlike how he'd expected.

This was the moment of truth. He could say that no, he didn't. That he only meant it as a friend and he could still save their relationship but he was tired. Tired of hiding his true feelings from her. Tired of losing her to other men. Tired of losing her to his cowardice.

So he did the one thing that he never thought he would. "Yes" he answered back without any hesitance.

There was silence on the line before he heard her voice so soft that he barely understood it. "Ask me tomorrow" she demanded before hanging up and it was at that moment that he felt like he'd truly been given the biggest shock of my life.

Had she just… No. He couldn't be sure. But whatever it was tomorrow couldn't come fast enough.

Caroline turned off her cell phone and placed it inside the bedside drawer before huffing. She didn't know what came over her and she'd so eagerly demanded him to ask her again but she knew that she couldn't have said no anyway. Not after the vulnerability she'd heard in his voice.

At least that's what she kept telling herself as she lay in bed, unable to sleep.

Next to her Katherine groaned and looked up to see her best friend tossing and turning. "Can't sleep?" she asked, her voice croaked from sleep.

Caroline shook her head and gave her a shrug.

The brunette nodded before pulling the blonde close to her and embracing her. She pressed a kiss to Caroline's hair and pulled the blankets over them. "Everything's going to be okay Care" she murmured, reassuringly.

"I hope so" she answered back before reveling in the warmth and comfort her best friend provided and giving into the much needed sleep.