Hello all! I'm glad that you all are still following this! Thank you for staying with me and being patient with me. So, I wasn't going to post this chapter yet. But after getting so many new people adding this to their favorites and following this, I just have to post this. I'm kind of chomping at the bit. This chapter actually turned out differently than I had originally intended, but I like the way it flowed out. I hope you enjoy this.

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Chapter Nine

"Rome, Paris… Tokyo … You… you're strong, beautiful. Full of light. I enjoy you… He is your first love I intend to be your last."

His voice still echoed in her ears, on each day that each line was said, his voice would echo the loudest. Even fifteen long years later, she could still smell him near. His cologne, the scent of paint, parchment, paper, pencils, charcoals, pastels… Even blood. She could taste his blood on her tongue. To see him, all she had to do was close her eyes and he would be there. Smiling at her like she was his only world, the only one that mattered. And she… she missed him. She missed everything about him. But, even though she missed him, she refused to lie to herself. For she knew damn well that when she did see him again, she was going to break his nose… and more than likely her fist in the process.

So much had changed. She had changed. And, she couldn't help but to wonder how much he had changed. She thanked God every day for the knowledge that if she was still here, that he was still alive and whole. He couldn't be daggered, and since they had lost Bonnie, no one on Earth could desiccate him. And so, she made her rounds to those three cities, hoping he would show up one day. Just, out of nowhere.

Some days, she didn't want to get up. She didn't want to breathe. She would go days, weeks even without any blood, then she'd collapse, and Bonnie's ghost would go running to Jeremy, who would then bolt from wherever he was to her rescue. He'd talk her back from the edge.

And here she was, standing in a city she never thought she'd be in, waiting for her friend to come and get her again. Because she could feel herself breaking again. It had been a month since she had fed, testing her control, waiting for the end to come. The sun was still up, another hour until dusk would come. And her fingers would not stay away from her daylight ring.

"Caroline." She jumped as her best friend's voice reached her ears and made her turn to face her. There, having come at her call was her oldest and still living friend, Elena Gilbert. "I came running when I got your message. Caroline… why New Orleans?"

"I… It's where they were happy last. I wanted to be happy again."

Elena's breath caught in her throat as she looked over her friend. She was in a grey Henley t-shirt, one that she knew from the paint stains was most likely a shirt that she had stolen from the Mikaelson house that had once belonged to Klaus. Elena couldn't say much though; she was in one of Elijah's old suits. It had been a spur of the moment thing, something to remember him by after five months of nothing. Having it tailored to fit her and not lose its Elijah qualities was difficult, but she had finally been able to manage it.

Caroline looked, lost. Her blonde curls now reached her waist, and hung in loose ringlets that only seemed to make her radiate even more light than she already did. It had been ten years ago that Elena contemplated doing the same thing that she knew Caroline was now.

She had been in England, had just rented a car and gone off driving. Without ever realizing where she was she had come across an old castle, and asking the villagers about it, had learned that it was called Mikaelson Castle. That it had been there since the late 1400s. That night she hadn't been able to sleep until she had gone up to that old castle and broken into it. What she had found had given her a momentary gleam of hope, for the place was rigged with electricity and in one of the studies there was a laptop still sat open. It had been locked, but was still on. Breaking the password had taken her another month, but when she had, finally putting in the family motto of "Always and Forever" she had been shocked to see that the website that was still up was the advertisement from Rose and Trevor to Elijah.

Shaking her head, Elena smiled softly at her old friend and walked to her. They were on one of the many balconies of the city. The French Quarter was a gorgeous place, and it made her smile as she remembered the conversation that had taken place between her and Kol all those years ago.

"Turn of the century New Orleans, now that was a fun time."

Caroline sighed as she dried her eyes and looked out over the town. Elena by her side again, in that suit brought back so many memories. Some were good, some bad, others just bittersweet. "I'm leaving tonight. I… there's too much of him here. I… I think this is where he was when he called me."

"Caroline, I am here in one of my favorite places in the world. Surrounded by culture, music, art. And all I can think of is how I want to show it to you."

"Then, we'll go. Where to now? Rome, Paris… Tokyo?" Caroline giggled at Elena's teasing, her voice trying to mock Klaus' accent was hilarious and downright murderous, but it served its purpose in making her smile.

"How about home?" Caroline whispered, almost afraid to say it too loud.

"Okay, we'll go home then."