Author's Note: In case anybody was wondering, all the places I mention

here are REAL places. I tried to be as accurate as possible with

their location. I did research and everything haha.

Caroline sat in the driver's seat with her hand still on the key in the ignition. Millions of thoughts bounced around in her head, making her decision that much harder.

She thought about Tyler, and how she had been surprised at how little their breakup affected her. They had come to a mutual agreement that it was the best thing for them. Caroline was supposed to be off to college in two months, and Tyler desperately wanted a pack to belong to. There was just no way it could work out. Those were the exact words she told him.

She thought about the letter she left for her mom.

Mom,

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to college. At least not now anyway. I'm going to New Orleans to find Klaus. Please don't worry. Nobody is forcing me. I want to go. I love him.

And don't worry about college either. I'm a vampire, remember? I can go whenever. Time is the only thing I have a lot of right now.

I love you.

Caroline

P.S: Please don't tell Elena or Bonnie. They would flip. They think I'm getting an early start to moving into my dorm. You're the only one who knows where I'm really going. You should be honored.

She thought about how disappointed all her friends would be. Not Klaus. Anybody but Klaus, they would say.

But most of all she thought of Klaus.

She thought of the lazy half smile he gave her. Of all the drawings, and the promises he made to take her wherever she wanted. She thought of how important he had been in her life, and she hadn't even realized it. She thought of the first time he saved her life on her birthday, and how gently he cradled her as she drank from him.

But still, what she was about to do was crazy. After all, he could have moved on. Sure he had offered her a ticket to join him, but that was two months ago. A lot could happen in two months. She knew that better than anybody.

Caroline groaned in frustration and dropped her head onto the steering wheel. Without looking up, she reached for her phone and dialed her voicemail.

She heard that familiar voice she had grown to love so much, and she could just make out lively jazz music in the background.

"Caroline, I'm standing in one of my favorite places in the world, surrounded by food, music, art, culture… and all I can think about is how much I want to show it to you. Maybe one day you'll let me."

She made up her mind in that moment. She had to go to him. She had to try. Even if it didn't work out the way she hoped, she had to know that she did everything in her power to make it work. She wouldn't live an eternity filled with what ifs.

She turned the key in the ignition and drove towards the man she loved, away from everything she knew.

Klaus tightened his grip on the neck of the latest vampire he had discovered following him and looked directly into his eyes. "You lost me on Bourbon Street. You don't know where I am. Got it?"

"I don't know where you are."

"Good." Klaus tossed him aside with a flick of his wrist and left the alley.

It was a busy day. Summer was winding down and the streets were full of college kids out for their last hurrah before classes started again. He passed small crowds of young girls, and noticed that one of them looked like her. She had a petite build, silky blonde hair, and a bounce in her step almost identical to hers. But her blue eyes lacked the light and warmth in them that he so loved. Her laugh did not sound like music.

He walked to his car with a dull ache in his chest. It had been there since he last saw Caroline at her graduation, and he had learned to live with it. He knew that it would be there with him for as long as Caroline wasn't.

He spent the entire drive home thinking about her, remembering the chaste kiss he placed at the corner of her mouth before he returned to New Orleans.

Part of him hated himself for letting Caroline into his life, and in consequence his heart and mind as well. But the greater part of him loved it. He had never felt more alive than when he was with her. Everything seemed better. She made him doubt his belief that the world was a dark and cold place. How could it be when she was in it?

He fell asleep every night thinking about her. She was always in his dreams. Sometimes he dreamed of all the ways he would take her if he ever saw her again, and he would wake up sweaty and with a tension in his crotch that he would relieve by fantasizing about her. But most of the time, the dreams were sweet. He was showing her the world and all the beauty in it. She was happy with him, and he adored her. His favorite dream was one where Caroline sat in a rocking chair, feeding his child- their child. It was the one dream he cherished most because he knew it would always be that- just a dream. He already had a child on the way, but it wasn't hers. And he could never watch her belly grow, never hold her hair back as she suffered through morning sickness, never hold her hand as she gave birth.

He had to settle for Hayley instead. And he hated her for it. He hated her for not being the mother that his child deserved.

The phone rang, and heart dropped.

He held on to the stupid notion that one day Caroline would call him and say that she was ready. That she would go to him and they would finally start their lives together. He hoped it was her every time the phone rang, but it was never her.

"What do you want, Elijah?"

"One would think that you would be a little nicer to the bearer of such good news."

"What news?"

"A certain blonde vampire has come to town. She looks a bit lost. You should go see what she needs."

His breath hitched. "Where is she?"

"Bourbon Street."

He cursed himself for not staying and turned the car around, racing back to his love.

As Caroline stepped out of the hotel, she couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. She glanced over her shoulder, and could have sworn that she saw Elijah. She shook her head and started walking.

Where did you go to find somebody who could be anywhere?

"Stupid, stupid," she mumbled to herself. "You really didn't think this through."

"You shouldn't talk to yourself in public, love. People might think you're crazy."

She spun around and came face to face with Klaus. They were so close, their lips almost touched.

She held her breath and her pulse raced. She had spent the entire drive here thinking of what to say, but now she was at a loss for words.

"What are you doing here, Caroline?"

She didn't think about what she did next. She just followed her instincts.

Caroline fisted her hands in his shirt and pulled his face down to hers. Their lips met, and she felt Klaus jump a little in surprise. He quickly got over it and began kissing her. Softly at first, but soon with more passion. This was not at all how either of them planned their first kiss, but it was perfect anyway.

Klaus pulled away first, much to Caroline's dismay. He cradled her face in his hands and said, "As much as I would love to take this upstairs, we need to talk first."

Caroline's stomach dropped a little, but she nodded and slipped her hand into his, letting him lead the way.

They walked into Jackson Square, passing the St. Louis Cathedral, and into the Place D'Arms Hotel, right up to the check-in counter. Caroline could tell by the look on his face that he was about to compel someone.

"You will give me the key to the Valentino-Conti house."

"Yes, sir," the man replied. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a key which he dropped into Klaus' outstretched hand.

Caroline gave him a disapproving look, to which he answered, "It's for a good reason, love."

She just shook her head, and smiled. He led them around the corner, into a lovely house that exuded old French charm.

They sat on a surprisingly comfortable couch, and Klaus took both her hands, looking right into her eyes.

"Caroline," he breathed in deeply. "I'm having a baby…"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"With Hayley…"

"WHAT?!"

Why was he saying something so stupid? Surely this was a joke. And why would he bring Hayley into it? Nothing was making sense to her.

"I know it sounds like I've gone insane, but please, sweetheart, just hear me out."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I promise it'll all make sense when I'm finished."

She nodded and listened attentively to what he said.

He explained to her why he came in the first place, about Katherine's tip that somebody was plotting against him, about his one night stand, and how Hayley was pregnant. He told her about his power struggle with Marcel, and the witches that he was now involved with, everything. He grew more anxious with every word he said, half-expecting her to just turn around and walk out the door, and out of his life. But she didn't.

"…and I think that's everything."

Caroline just stared at him with warm, loving eyes. She took a deep breath, and said, "I don't care. We can figure it all out. I just want to be with you."

Klaus' heart soared and he kissed her with pure love and passion. He was the first to pull away again. Their foreheads touched, leaving just enough space for him to speak.

"I love you, Caroline," he whispered.

She kissed him again, deeper this time, all love and lust.

"I love you, Klaus."