Caroline sighed as she slipped her sunglasses off of her nose, glancing around the dark parking lot and rolling her eyes at several teenagers near the trashcans. She wished that they would stop trying to eat each other's faces, or at least take it home and not do so in front of an infant's clothing store, but she realized belatedly that would likely be too much to ask. So instead of complaining, she circled around to Hope's side of the vehicle and lifted her out, placing her in the stroller that Klaus had already grabbed. Strapping her in, she smoothed a hand over the baby's hair and smiled when Hope tried to grab for a handful of curls.

"Those aren't yummy, Miss Hope," she said softly, disentangling her platinum locks from between the infant's fingers. "Come on, let's go shopping," she said happily. Hope gurgled delightedly but had no other reaction to Caroline's excitement.

A meal out had led to a trip to the mall, and although Caroline had bought several things there, she wanted to buy more. She loved Hope as if she was her own daughter, despite the fact that she, at one point, could not stand the child's mother, and she wanted the baby to know how loved she was. Hayley and Jackson had been agreeable; Hayley even said that it would be great for Hope to get used to being alone with Klaus and Caroline, as the wedding would take much of her attention away from her child.

"Are you ready to go in, love?" Klaus asked softly, and she glanced up from the baby, smiling at the infant's father. Klaus had been agreeable and kind for the entire trip to the store, but she knew that he longed for their coming conversation. She also knew that he was ready to go insane. Then again, he was Klaus. The man should have been in a mental asylum before mental asylums existed. According to some of Rebekah's stories, he may have been the reason they did exist.

"Yes, I suppose," she said, smiling as Klaus pushed the stroller into the brightly-lit store. Rows of pink, blue, purple, yellow, and the palest and brightest shades of green imaginable surrounded her. She stared at the shoes, the headbands, bows, clothing, bibs, and blankets that lined shelves and hung from displays. Hope simply sucked on her pacifier, content to be in her stroller no matter how bright it was inside the store.

"You look out of your element," Klaus chuckled, and she spun around to look at him, beaming.

"I don't go into baby stores much. I have no reason to," she said simply, glancing around her at the pacifiers and bottles on a separate aisle. "What size does she wear?" she questioned, and Klaus glanced at her before bending down and glancing in the diaper bag.

"The sleeper says three to six months," he supplied, and she nodded, glancing around.

"Well, we'll get her three to six and six to nine. That should be enough to last for a while. Anyway, I'm sure Rebekah has a secret supply of clothing somewhere anyway," Caroline chuckled, shuffling through the racks and discovering some outfits she thought would be adorable on Hope.

"Really?" Klaus asked skeptically when she held up a white, lacy dress. It was precious to her, but Klaus failed to see the practicality of it. Perhaps there was none, but it was still precious.

"Girls wear five inch heels all the time, Klaus. It's more practical than that," she pointed out.

"I suppose you're correct," he conceded, although his smile and dimples showed he had no problems with being proven wrong, at least not by her. "Are you about ready?" he questioned.

She glanced in their nearly-full basket before she nodded. "Yes, although I need to look at headbands and shoes," she said, walking away towards that section.

Over five hundred dollars and thirty minutes later, Caroline carried Hope in her arms while Klaus pushed the stroller full of their bags. Hope had woken from her nap just as they left the store, which meant that she was up and upset about being awoken before she truly needed to be. She seemed content in Caroline's arms, though, which was all that really mattered to Klaus.

"Do you think they'll be awake when we get back?" Caroline asked, smoothing a soothing hand down Hope's back.

"Perhaps Elijah and Elena will be, but Hayley and Jackson most likely will not. They seem to be getting on quite well."

"They have to. Hayley wants to be a mother to Hope, and she can't do that safely if she doesn't marry Jackson. It's about as unfair as it gets, but that's still what has to happen." Caroline smiled at Klaus when he held open the door and allowed her to strap Hope into her car seat. "Thank you."

"Of course, love," Klaus said quietly, smiling as Caroline slid into her own seat. "Home?" he questioned as he, too, climbed in, turning the key in the ignition.

She glanced over at him, smiling. "Home. I like the sound of that," she whispered as they turned towards the place that had become their home so quickly.

A/N: It's short, about 100 fewer words than I try to aim for, but I hope you like it. Look for an update on 'Turning Back Time' in the next week or less. I hope you enjoyed it, and please remember to review! :)