Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.

A/N: Once again I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed! It means so much to me when someone takes time out of their day to tell me they like my work :) Now for chapter 9! P.S. Major fluff alert!

-xxx-

Caroline pulled open her front door for Klaus, stepping to the side and letting him enter. "Hello," she sang as she grinned ear-to-ear at him. Her smile faded when she saw the solemn look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Stefan stole my family," Klaus answered angrily, pacing the room.

Caroline didn't know what to say. She didn't know why Stefan did what he did or how to stop him. He was obviously still in crazy Ripper mode, so she had no idea how he was operating. "What are you planning on doing about it?"

Klaus stopped pacing and his grave expression sent chills down her spine. It wasn't an answer, but it was enough to let her know that she wouldn't like what he was thinking.

"No, Klaus. Whatever you're going to do, don't," Caroline warned.

"Well, it seems as though your friends only respond to violence."

"That doesn't justify what you're planning on doing." Caroline was panicking. Obviously he had some sort of plan in the works that wouldn't sit well with her.

"You don't know what I'm planning on doing," Klaus pointed out.

"You're right, but it's not hard to figure out that it involves hurting the people I care about." There was a pause as she let this sink in. Whoever he was planning on hurting to get to Stefan would most likely be someone who was important to her. "What are you going to do?"

Klaus was quiet again. He didn't want her to interfere if he gave his plan away, but he also didn't want to upset her.

"Damn it, Klaus! Answer me! Who are you going to hurt?" Caroline was clearly pissed off. She would be naïve to think he would give up his methods of plotting and scheming for her, but that didn't change the fact that she would try to stop him.

Fine, if he wasn't going to tell her, she might as well start guessing. "Is it Damon? Elena? Bonnie? Alaric?" She fired off a list of names, but he wasn't acknowledging any of them. "Jeremy?" she tried.
Klaus's fists balled at his side. He was growing more and more impatient with Caroline. Couldn't she just let him do what he has to do without trying to get involved?

His irritation seemed to give him away, because Caroline's hand flew to her mouth and she gasped. "Jeremy?" she repeated.

Klaus gave in. "As much as Stefan pretends not to care, he still loves Elena. Hurting Jeremy would hurt Elena, and hurting Elena..." He trailed off, not needing to explain further.

"Don't you dare," Caroline snarled.

Klaus moved closer to her, putting his face inches from hers. "No one can stop me from getting my family back. Not even you."

Caroline recoiled, but her glare was unwavering. "There are better ways to handle this," she said.

Klaus backed away and Caroline released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Then why did you come here?" Caroline asked.

"How would you feel about taking a trip to Paris?" Despite the previously tense atmosphere, Klaus gave Caroline a warm smile.

"I...It would be nice, I guess...but I just got back...and I'm really mad at you..." Caroline sputtered. "Maybe in a few months."

"How about today?"

"No. No way! I just got home! And you should want to stay in Mystic Falls since Stefan has your family now," Caroline argued.

Klaus had anticipated for her to be difficult, so he prepared to offer her an ultimatum. "Either you come with me to Paris or Jeremy gets killed. Take your pick."

Caroline was outraged. "Are you really doing this right now?"

"I'm offering you a choice, love. Do you want to save Jeremy's life or not?"

Caroline brushed past him and began stomping up the stairs to her room so she could start packing, but she whirled around to say one last thing before Klaus left. "You know, I got in a fight last night with Elena over you. Doing something like this isn't really helping your case." She turned around and continued heading to her room, Klaus following behind closely.

"Sweetheart, this is my only option," Klaus explained.

Caroline scoffed as she pulled a suitcase out of her closet and began throwing clothes in it. "Oh, really? You couldn't just have your little pissing contest with Stefan and leave me and my friends out of it?"

"It isn't about Stefan, it's about ensuring your safety."

"I'm perfectly safe in Mystic Falls. You don't need to kidnap me!"

"I've kidnapped you before and you got over it." Klaus smiled at her, but she wouldn't look at him.

"You weren't threatening Jeremy's life before." Caroline was in the bathroom now, shoving all her toiletries in a bag and tossing it in the suitcase.

"You're right, I was threatening your life. Now stop being stubborn and at least pretend that you want to go with me to Paris. You have to be a little excited," he teased.

"I think pissed off would be a more accurate description."

Klaus smirked, enjoying feisty Caroline. He leaned against her doorframe casually, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ouch," he said sarcastically.

Caroline zipped her suitcase up and whipped around furiously, getting in his face the way he had downstairs. He was smiling at her, which should've made her even angrier, but instead it just sent butterflies to her stomach. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him, as much as she wanted to.

Caroline grabbed his face in her hands, kissing him as furiously and as passionately as he had kissed her back in London. The memory of that night made all her nerves stand on end. She felt like a live wire. He kissed her back, surprised but enthusiastic nonetheless. She pulled back with a dissatisfied sigh, fearful that if they kept it up, they wouldn't be able to stop, and there were more pressing issues at hand.

He frowned when her lips left his, but his surprise at her outburst outweighed his disappointment. "You're not mad anymore?" he asked, breathless.

"I'm furious," she corrected. "But I'm fighting with Tyler and Elena and my mom already. I don't want to add you to that list. You're all I have right now," she said.
Caroline backed away after several minutes, grabbing her suitcase off her bed and wheeling it down the stairs. "So what time are we leaving?" she asked enthusiastically.

-xxx-

Caroline left a note for her mom explaining that she was leaving for Paris and that she would be safe. Of course Liz would never be okay with it, and she'd call Caroline the minute she came home from work and found the note, which was why Caroline couldn't tell her in person. Liz would be so strongly opposed to her leaving with Klaus, there wouldn't be any supernatural abilities capable of getting her to allow Caroline to leave.

Klaus regarded Caroline affectionately as she scrawled the letter to her mother, appreciating every perfect inch of her.

Caroline didn't need to look up to know that he was staring. Smirking, she said, "You're doing it again." She glanced up at Klaus's confused expression. "Staring," she explained as she set down the pen and approached him, wrapping her arms around his torso and leaning her head against his shoulder. They stood in their embrace for a good minute or two before she spoke up again. "You weren't really going to kill Jeremy."

Klaus leaned back, confusion coloring his features. Of course he was going to kill Jeremy if he hadn't gotten what he wanted.

Caroline sighed as if she were explaining it for the millionth time. "I don't doubt that you believe you would actually kill him, but I see right through you. If it actually came down to it, you wouldn't be able to go through with it."

Klaus glared at her. "What makes you say that?"

"You know that if you hurt any of my friends ever again, you'll lose me forever." Caroline shrugged.

"What makes you think that would bother me?"

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Klaus, you put your life in danger for me the other night. You attacked Mikael knowing there was a really good chance of you dying, just so I could live. As much as you hate to admit it; you care."

That pulled Klaus up short. Did he care that much for her? Did he love her? He never loved anyone like this before. Not since Tatia. He loved his siblings obviously, but did he love Caroline? It's true that he did almost die for her, but he hadn't really thought his actions through before attacking Mikael.

No. It was impossible. He didn't love her. He couldn't love her. He couldn't put himself out there to get hurt again. He'd vowed to himself that he would never love another the way he had loved Tatia.

But she isn't Tatia, the voice in the back of his mind said.

Of course the voice was right, but another voice came to his mind at the same moment. Family above all. It was something Elijah had always said. He couldn't let this girl take dominance over his family. Over his life.

But she wouldn't, the voice spoke again. The love you have for your family and the love you have for Caroline are different things. The voice was right again, but being the cynical person he was, he couldn't admit that he loved her, even to himself.

Klaus ignored Caroline's observation and untangled himself from their embrace. "The cab should be here any minute," he announced, leaving a very unsatisfied Caroline trailing behind him.

-xxx-

Their penthouse was smaller than the one in London since they didn't need to rent one with two bedrooms anymore, but Caroline found that she liked it better. The elevator opened right into the living area, which was a collection of cream colored couches and mahogany furniture. The plasma TV was smaller too, but Caroline doubted they would ever use it.

The kitchen was very similar to the one in London, with granite countertops and chrome appliances, but the cabinets were made of a darker wood. It opened up into the dining room (which Caroline also doubted they'd use), which also had a mahogany table and chairs. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung overhead, twinkling.

The bedroom was much more grand than either of the bedrooms in London, however. There was a giant bed (California king?) centered across from a window with a magnificent view of the city. The comforter was white with gold trim, as were the towels that hung in the bathroom adjacent to the room. It, too, was giant, with one of those tubs that were usually meant for honeymooners and a glass shower with so many settings, it gave Caroline a headache. There was no second floor, but the entire place blew Caroline away. She liked this room much better than the one in London, but that might've been because she had been determined not to like her visit to London due to the circumstances.

"This. Is. Amazing," Caroline exclaimed, beaming. She dropped her bag on the bed and went to stare out the window, taking in all the sights. She'd only ever seen the eiffel tower in pictures, but now that she'd seen it in real life, she realized the photos didn't do it justice. Especially at night, the tower lit up the sky like a giant Christmas tree.

Caroline felt a strong set of hands rest gently on her waist and a pair of lips brush by her ear. She smiled, resisting the urge to turn around. "Thank you," she said.

"It's my pleasure," Klaus replied, his cool, minty breath washing over her.

They stood like that for a while, neither one wanting to break away and lose the warmth of the other's embrace. For a split second, Caroline let all her worries fade away, and she just lived in the moment. In that second, there wasn't a fight between her and Elena, her and Tyler, or her and her mom. Klaus's family hadn't been stolen by Stefan, and the Mikael incident was just a thing of the past.
"I wish I could just pause time so we could stay like this forever," Caroline remarked. When Klaus was silent, Caroline turned around to face him. "How are you going to get your family back?" She had to ask. She knew he wouldn't hurt her loved ones, but he wouldn't just sit around and wait for Stefan to just hand them over.

Klaus sighed. "I'll probably try to negotiate with Stefan, if that's even possible. He's rather unpredictable these days."

Caroline burst into fits of giggles. "You're going to try to negotiate?" she clarified incredulously.

Klaus remained serious. "Would you prefer I harm someone?"

Caroline stopped laughing. "Of course not," she snapped. "I was just surprised. It's hard for me to imagine you trying to keep the peace for a change."

Klaus offered her a small smile. "You know better than anyone that I'm not all evil, sweetheart. You should try giving me more credit."

Caroline returned his grin, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him lightly. It was the scene from a movie—the paris backdrop, the romantic lip-lock... All that was missing was the cheesy music. Klaus wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, their lips still attached. He set her down playfully after a few seconds, tucking a strand of her blonde locks behind her ear.

"I promise you, Caroline Forbes, I will spend the rest of my life doing everything in my power to make you happy," he declared, going in for another kiss.

This kiss was less playful. Instead of picking her up and keeping his mouth lightly on hers, Klaus trailed kisses down her jawline and neck. Caroline shuddered with pleasure before bringing his face up and returning his lips to hers. She felt an aching in her core. She wanted him. No, she needed him.

Needless to say, their time in Paris was definitely off to a good start.

-xxx-

They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms, unable to sleep because of the time difference. It was six in the morning before they began to feel tired.

"Did you want to go out or did you want to sleep?" Klaus asked. He would do whatever she wanted, even if he felt like hell.

Caroline gave him an expression that said 'Are you serious?' as she rolled over and pulled the covers up over herself, closing her eyes and waiting for sleep to take her. She was asleep in less than a minute.

Klaus watched her for a moment, admiring how peaceful she looked. He was about to close his eyes and try to get some sleep himself when he heard her begin to talk.

"It's not my fault," she mumbled.

Klaus frowned. It didn't look like she was having a nightmare, but he couldn't be sure.

"He's good to me," Caroline spoke again, spiking Klaus's curiosity. He listened for more, and more came. "Elena, you're being unfair... Tyler, stop..." She began thrashing around, her words becoming more panicked. "Don't leave me," she cried.

Klaus couldn't watch for a second longer. He stroked her hair, trying to calm her down, but her nightmare continued.

"You're not good enough anymore, Caroline," Elena told her emotionlessly.

"No, Elena! Please! Hear me out! He's not evil, he's just misunderstood," Caroline tried to explain.

Bonnie shook her head. "All he's done is hurt the people we care about. Of course he's evil."

"And you're an idiot for thinking otherwise," Tyler added. "Everyone was right. You are a stupid, shallow, neurotic bitch. No one would ever put you first."

"No!" Caroline shouted helplessly.

Suddenly, the scene changed. She wasn't standing in the school hallway anymore. Instead, she was back at homecoming, but she was the only one there and the music was slow and entrancing.

"What the...?" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, she felt herself being whirled around, finding herself face to face with Klaus. He placed one hand lightly on her waist and she raised one of hers to his shoulder. They clasped each other's free hand and began spinning around to the music.

"We never got a chance to properly dance at the party the other night," Klaus mentioned.

"Well, it's good that we're getting a chance now," Caroline said with a smile. "Is this a dream?"

Klaus shrugged as they twirled around. "You were having a nightmare."

Caroline stood on her tiptoes mid-spin and planted a kiss on his stubbled cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?"

Caroline sighed. "Everyone was yelling at me and fighting with me about you. Bonnie, Elena, Tyler... I'm sorry if I kept you from sleeping."

"Don't worry about me, love. I've functioned on less sleep."

They danced in silence for what felt like hours. Caroline had eventually just wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder while he rested both his hands on her waist.

"Thank you," Caroline said. She chuckled. "I've been saying that to you a lot lately. But I mean it every time. My friends may not see it, but you can be the most wonderful person sometimes..."

"Don't give me so much credit," Klaus said, contradicting his earlier words about her not giving him enough credit.

Caroline simpered at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I don't know why you decided you wanted me, but whatever the reason, I'm glad you did."

"Why is that, sweetheart?"

"Because even though you should be the worst thing for me, I think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Caroline was pulled from her dream to see Klaus hovering over her, wearing a very serious expression. He opened his mouth and shut it a few times, as if trying to decide whether or not to say what he was thinking. She smiled in encouragement, which seemed to give him the boost he needed to tell her whatever was on his mind.

"I love you," he breathed, feeling relieved that he had finally admitted it.

Caroline's returning smile was breathtaking. "I love you, too."

-xxx-

A/N: Hope that wasn't too fluffy for you! Please review, I need them like oxygen!