Hey dolls!

I know this is long over due, but here it is.
I'll be honest and say that I struggled to write this chapter.
I had a major case of writer's block.
This may not be the best ending, but it was the only was I could fully part with it.
Here is the last chapter to this story.

Tons of thanks to my beta: klarolinedrabbles (Stephanie).
She has been very supportive from the moment she signed on to be my beta.
I am forever thankful for her help.

Thank you to everyone who has followed this stories and left positive reviews.

I hope you all enjoy.

:)


Chapter 11

"Shoot me." Caroline repeated.

Her eyes locked with Klaus and he was caught in a daze. She was crazy to stand in front of his gun. As much as he hated all the lies, accusations, and conspiracies, his body couldn't fight his emotions for her. He tried to will himself to pull the trigger. His finger hugged the trigger snugly and he was a quarter of a millimeter from releasing the bullet into her head, but he couldn't.

"Caroline, I swear -"

"Swear what?" She cut him off sharply. She bit down on her tongue to prevent her from blurting out words she would regret. This was her chance to explain-her only chance. "After you fired me, I started working undercover in Nostra Tueri, with the help of Katherine, Matt, and Bonnie. They're saving your siblings right now and they're on their way here." She paused to take a breath. She had no idea if the three succeeded and if they were on their way, but that was the plan. Thankfully, he still hadn't interrupted her. He just stared back at her with bewilderment overcoming him. "Damon wants me to kill you in front of him and he'll shoot Finn right after. I need you to go along with it."

She stared back him waiting for his response or at least a reaction, but nothing came. The silence consumed them and they were stuck in a standstill. They didn't have much time left. This had to work, it simply had to.

His gut screamed at him to believe her, but his head fought against it. His sister's words replayed in his head, You're in love with her, Nik. He shook his head as if to shake those words out. He knew for a fact that he wasn't in love with her-not yet at least. However, he'd be lying to himself if he denied that he was definitely going down that path.

From the start, Caroline captivated him. He fought off his attraction to her, but he reached a point where his body just desired to spend more time with her. Caroline was blunt, irrational, and at times unprofessional. But she always followed her gut, even when the rest of the world chewed at her idiocracy, including himself.

Taking a blind leap of faith, he swallowed the lump in his throat and retracted his gun, returning it to its holster. Caroline was surprised but relieved as she watched him. A smile ghosted her lips.

"What's your plan, Forbes?" He finally spoke, looking straight into her blue eyes, trying to remind himself that this girl was nothing if not passionate in everything she did.

"Distract him. Distract him long enough for the others to get here. Then at least we can have back up and stop Damon all together."

Reluctantly, he nodded at her.


Matt escorted Stefan Salvatore to the prison cells downstairs. Stefan made no fuss or run away attempts. He was smart enough to know it would be a waste of time. Elijah had the young Salvatore written down for an attempted murder on the Department of Homicide's Lieutenant. He paid a plethora of gratitude and respect to Donovan from the moment they arrested Stefan.

Once the Salvatore was thrown into jail, Elijah waited for Matt to meet him at the front desk lobby.

"Thank you again, Detective Donovan." Elijah thanked for what seemed like the millionth time.

Matt smiled at Elijah. "Don't worry about it, Lieutenant." His face changed to a serious expression. "We need to get you home."

Panic filled the Lieutenant's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It's Captain and Sergeant." He answered. "They're in trouble."


"I knew it!" Rebekah exclaimed, throwing her head back onto the back of her seat in the car.

Katherine had just informed her of Caroline's plan and how she, Matt, and Bonnie agreed to help to protect the Mikaelsons.

"I knew Caroline was innocent!"

Katherine nodded and pressed her gas pedal a little harder, pushing past the speed limit. She figured it was an emergency, with a legitimate reason. Besides, if the cops followed her then they can work as back up.

"Hurry up, Kat!" The blonde screamed at her.

Annoyed Katherine rolled her eyes at her best friend. Rebekah's bossy tendencies typically reached its peak when she was frustrated or anxious.

"I'm going as fast as I can, Becks!" She shouted.

Rebekah crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at Katherine's cousin passed out in the back seat. Elena still appeared to be unconscious. They handcuffed one of her hands to the door, just in case she woke up. With any luck, she'll stay unconscious long enough for them to stop Damon.


Finn slowly opened his eyes and attempted to stretch his arms and legs out, but discovered he was restricted in an awkward position. Panic fell upon him as he tried to wiggle out of his current state. His body still lying on the living room couch, but his wrists were handcuffed behind him and his ankles were tied together. Tape covered his mouth, stifling his groans for help. At first he thought his siblings - presumably the jokester Kol - had bound him in this position, but he wanted to believe Kol would never stoop so low. Besides, if it had been Kol, the young Mikaelson would sit down there to watch and laugh. Sadly, no one was around him. The captain lied there on the couch like a fish, all alone.

He tried to slip one of his ankles out of the tie, but the rope nipped at his skin, making it burn whenever he tried. Trying to escape out of the handcuffs was no use. The metal would only eat through his skin. It would be a wasted effort. Wanting to at least sit upright, he swung his legs off the couch as hard as he could while simultaneously forcing his upper body up. The first try was no use. He pushed himself as hard as he could each time. On his seventh try, he finally sat up with his feet on the floor and his hands and body still pressed against the backrest of the couch.


Where the fuck is she? Damon asked himself in his head as he searched the Mikaelson mansion for his blond accomplice. His dark eyes glowed with fury. She was making this a harder job for him. They were so close to being rid of outsiders and he wasn't going to let Caroline ruin it.

Damon was about to step onto the stairs to find her on the second level, when he heard something heavy clatter onto the wood panel floors behind him. The image made him grin with villainous satisfaction. Klaus was thrown on the floor, struggling to get up. Caroline had a gun pointed at the Sergeant.

The black haired Salvatore slowly clapped his hands as he approached the two. Caroline fought to compose herself and keep her features hard. She glared at Klaus pretending it was Damon instead. By now, Klaus had gotten to his feet and held his hands up near his head to surrender.

"I really didn't think you had it in you, blondie." Damon confessed.

"Shut up." She replied. "Where's Finn?"

Damon smirked that stupid smirk Caroline hated. "In the living room. After you." He gestured for her to walk before him, not trusting her holding a gun behind him.

Caroline cued Klaus to proceed toward the living room by cocking her head in that direction. Klaus walked cautiously down the corridor. His hands were held up at the sides of his face, which his palms up to surrender. He felt the sweat trickling down the back of his neck and onto his upper back. If anything went wrong, someone could easily get hurt. He tried to fight the thought away by composing his demeanor.

Finn's eyes widened with relief as he spotted his brother, but worry quickly took over when Caroline followed Klaus holding a gun and Damon slightly behind her. Finn tried to say something but the tape over his mouth made him inaudible.

Caroline still held her gun pointing at the Sergeant. Klaus locked his gaze onto Finn, forcing him to read his eyes. Finn looked back at his brother confused. Slowly, but unnoticible to Damon, Klaus nodded at Finn trying to signal his brother to trust him.

"Alright, Blondie. Here's your shot." Damon spoke, getting Klaus and Finn's attention. "Hurry up and be done with it."

"Gladly." She replied.

Unexpectedly, she turned on her heel and pointed her gun at Damon, while shouting, "Klaus, run!"

Klaus didn't waste a second, it was just as they had planned, Klaus broke into a sprint to run away from Damon, using the element of distraction. Damon's eyes darkened as Caroline's betrayal dawned on him. Finn mumbled something, which caught Caroline's attention. Meanwhile, Damon ran after Klaus.

Damon wasn't an idiot. He knew Caroline wouldn't shoot him unless he attacked her first so that she could declare an act of self-defense if ever brought into court.

"Fuck!" Caroline cursed under her breath as she chased after Damon and Klaus.

As much as she wanted to untie Finn, she had to stop Damon because she knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill Klaus. She advised the others to get here as soon as possible. With their help, Finn would be unbound and they would all be able to help.

Klaus' heart raced, thinking on where to go. He silently cursed that he didn't have his phone on him to call for back up. Thankfully, the Mikaelson's manor contained long hallways. Going into a room would be pointless. It would give Damon an advantage to corner him into a room. Caroline followed closely behind Damon, trying to make him believe that she was chasing after Klaus as well, but Damon knew the blonde's true allegiance.


Downstairs, Finn struggled to untie himself, but the rope ripped through his skin each time he tried to loosen the knot. Standing up will do him no good, except forcing him to topple over and feel like a fish out of a water tank.

Think! He yelled at himself in his head. There had to be some way to let himself loose.

When he was ready to lose hope, the front doors busted open and in came Katherine, Rebekah, Kol, and Bonnie. Katherine's speeding allowed her and Rebekah to arrive the same time as Kol and Bonnie.

"Finn!" Rebekah screamed as she spotted her older brother tied up.

The four ran to Finn. Katherine and Bonnie tried to cut through his rope tied ankles using their keys. Meanwhile, Rebekah ripped the tape off Finn's lips. The tear emitted a growl from his throat.

"Where's Nik?" Kol demanded.

"Find him!" Finn yelled, feeling out of breath. "Damon will kill him!"

Nodding, Rebekah and Kol split up and searched for their brother, while Katherine and Bonnie helped Finn. The keys didn't help, so Katherine had to fetch a knife in the kitchen.

"Hurry, Pierce!" Finn shouted.

"Ms. Bennett, grab my keys. They're hanging on the hook by the door. One of those keys will unlock these cuffs."

She nodded as she hurriedly ran to the door and grabbed all the keys that were there, unsure which one belonged to Finn.

"The one that has Sage on the name tag." Finn told Bonnie when he saw her return holding a bundle of keys.

She dropped the other ones and Katherine managed to return with a knife. Without instruction she cut through the ropes around Finn's ankles.

"The smallest key!" Finn yelled at Bonnie, which made her jump a little.

Finally having free ankles, Finn stood up and turned around, making his hands face Bonnie. Just as he instructed, she unlocked his cuffs using the smallest key. One of the benefits of being in a small town was to have all handcuffs designed to be unlock by a master key which only he and Lieutenant Elijah held.

"Ms. Bennett, call 911 for back up. Pierce, find out where the hell Elijah is!" Finn order them.

He left the two girls in the living room and ran as quickly as he could to find Damon. Each one of them carried the hope that nothing happened since no gunshots were heard. Everything was fine if only for now.


The hallway on the first floor was coming to an end. Klaus ran up the stairs, two steps at a time. He grabbed his gun and clutched it, debating if it was worth it to shoot at Damon. The Salvatore was at least eight steps away.

Gritting his teeth, he glanced back at Damon and shot at his foot. To his dismay, the Salvatore was quick on his feet and dodged the bullet.

Caroline had just reached the bottom of the staircase when the gun went off. She climbed quickly to catch up to Damon. She saw Damon's hand bringing his gun up. She had to stop him. She took one clean shot right through the back of Damon's left knee.

"Fucking bitch!" Damon grunted as he fell onto the staircase.

Caroline attempted to run past Damon, but the Salvatore wasn't ready to let her win. Just as she was about to past him, he wrapped his hand around her ankle and yanked her down, forcing her to tumble down the stairs behind him. Gravity fought against her and she landed all the way at the bottom of the steps. Not wanting to let Klaus escape, Damon mustered every ounce of strength to push himself back up. He limped up each step, favoring his dominant right leg. When he reached the top of the steps, he leaned against the closet wall. He caught a glimpse of Klaus running into the last room at the end of the hallway.

Ignoring the pain flaring through his left leg, Damon staggered to the bedroom. Right as he was about to make his turn into the room, Caroline reached the second-level and shot at Damon's shoulder, but missed. Her head throbbed and her body ached from falling off the stairs, but she needed to get to Klaus. He finally trusted her and she couldn't let him down.

Klaus ran into a guest room, but came to a dead end at the balcony. Damon stalked over to the balcony and stood on the opposite end of Klaus.

"Well, well, well," Damon said cynically, smirking at the Sergeant. "Looks like you're at a dead end."

Klaus blinked at Damon, trying not to let the Salvatore view him as weak. That is something he would never allow himself to do.

"So what… you kill me and my siblings. Then what?" Klaus questioned, to stall Damon.

"Then Mystic Falls won't have to deal with outsiders." Damon answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Klaus forced a dry laugh. "You must be really sick in the head, huh?"

Before Damon could answer, he spotted the deceiving blonde enter the room. She stopped at the door to the balcony, standing at mid distance between the two men.

"Look who joined the party," Damon said, sarcastically. "I knew you weren't capable. You're just a traitor to your people."

"Well I'm not the psycho here so I think I came out on top." She shouted, feeling her blood boil in her veins.

Damon shrugged his shoulders. Her words having no effect over him. He raised his revolver, holding his barrel to Klaus. The blood dripping down from his knee, felt warm on this chilly night.

"Shall we play a game of Russian roulette?" Damon asked, sardonically, with a mischievous grin.

Klaus was stuck at a stand still, raising his hands upward, with his palms facing Damon. The surrendering act only made the Salvatore laugh in amusement. Caroline eyed from the revolver to Klaus. She had to do something, anything.

"Don't shoot!" Kol and Finn shouted in unison as the two entered the guest room with Rebekah slightly behind them. Caroline glanced back and saw them carrying their guns.

Damon snarled as he realized Finn was freed and the other Mikaelsons were still alive. His grip around the revolver tightened.

"You mother fucking blonde bitch!" He yelled, glaring at Caroline. "You side with these people, over your family?!"

Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She watched closely as Damon's finger pressed down on the trigger. Running on pure adrenaline, Caroline ran toward Damon and tackled him down. The tackle was too powerful and caused Damon to stagger back unbalanced. The upper parts of their body tipped over the banister and their bodies made its way to meet the cold hard concrete below them.

"Oh my Gosh!" Rebekah screamed, running past her brothers and onto the balcony.

The bullet impaled Klaus' thigh, forcing him to fall down onto the balcony. Rebekah went to her brother and used her jacket to tie around his wound.

Kol and Finn peered over the balcony to check on Caroline. They landed awkwardly and haphazardly on top of each other. Hoping that there was enough life in them they rushed down to find out.


Two weeks later...

Caroline awoke suddenly to a constant beeping sound next to her. As her eyes adjusted to the florescent lights, she found herself lying atop a hospital bed with white sheets and a thin blanket. The beeping machine monitoring her heart rate came into focus.

Playing back her memories, she didn't remember when or how she got here. Who knows how long she's been here? That last thing she remembered was tackling Damon to save Klaus. Klaus!

Her heart rate increased as she tried to remember what happened to Klaus. Where was he? Is he alive? Rising from her hospital bed, she removed the IV injections and wires from her arms. The floor was cold as ice, but as Caroline tried to stand up her legs felt like jello. Her vision blurred and her knees gave in. Fighting her weakness, she tried to stand still, but she felt her body give in. Just as her face was about to plant onto the frigid floor, someone caught her.

The images of the person swam in her vision and she couldn't make out who it was. The person gently carried and placed her back onto her bed.

"Rest, Caroline."

Her heart swelled when she registered the voice. It belonged to only one man she knew.

"Klaus." She murmured. She tried to keep her eyes open to see him, but she couldn't. The longer she kept it open the more her head hurt from the dizziness. It was like a migraine of some sort, like a bulldozer trying to drill its way through the back of her skull.

She heard the hospital door open, but she fell into a deep sleep. Her unconscious state taking over her body.

"How is she?" Rebekah asked her brother.

Klaus stood at Caroline's side, holding her delicate hand in between his warm callous ones. His affectionate gaze at Caroline made Rebekah smile.

"She's doing better. When I returned from the restroom, she got out of bed, but I think her concussion is still running its course."

Rebekah walked closer to Caroline's bed. She admired this girl. Even when the odds were against her, she managed to save the day.

"She's a fighter."

Klaus brushed Caroline's hair away from her beautiful face.

"She is." He agreed. Taking a momentary glance away from Caroline he looked to his sister. "How are you and our brothers?"

"Oh, Klaus! You were the one shot, remember?"

He rolled his eyes, not wanting to be reminded about the wound in his thigh. If it hadn't been for Bonnie, the nurses would have never let him out of his hospital bed. He should be in a wheelchair at the very least, letting his legs rest, but he ignored it. The vicodin managed to fight off the flaring pain shooting through his leg temporarily.

"Damon's trial took place yesterday." Rebekah said, catching Klaus' attention. He looked to his sister expectantly. "He's sentenced to a lifetime in jail, with no chances of parole for the murder of innocent victims and the attempted murder of you. His brother is still in jail for the attempted murder of Elijah, which also earned him a lifetime in prison. Elena is sentenced to 50 years for serving as an accomplice."

"They were able to link Damon's ties to the murders?"

She nodded. "He's an idiot for keeping his plans written. He stashed it into the basement downstairs of the Salvatore house. Katherine and I found it when we were cleaning out the dead bodies in there. The plans were out in plain sight."

"The case is officially closed?"

"Elijah and Finn are working on the finishing touches of the portfolio before it receives the official 'closed' red stamp." She informed him.

"So…"

"So we're leaving for London two days from now. Finn purchased 6 one-way tickets and 3 round-trip ones."

The six were him, his siblings, and soon to be sister-in-law Sage. The three round-trip tickets got him in a stump. Katherine and Matt were offered to join them for a visit, but who was given the third?

"Bonnie will be joining us. You should have seen Kol begging on his knees to Finn and Elijah. It was hilarious." His sister explained.

Klaus showed a small smile at the thought of his brother, but then he pressed his lips together as he looked at Caroline sleeping at peace. The sound of her heart rate monitor put him at ease. It beat at a normal constant.

"Caroline will be out next week right?" She asked and he nodded in response. "Well, maybe when she gets out you can ask her to join?"

He grunted at his sister's suggestion. She was a girl who dreamed of unrealistic happiness for a man and woman.

"Rebekah, Caroline and I are not even dating. We haven't even talked about what happened that night yet. I thought she betrayed me, but it was I who betrayed pleaded and I didn't trust her, didn't even give her a chance. She's very strong-willed and I know I'll have to earn back her respect and trust."

She arched her eyebrow. "What then?"

"You said I'm in love with her, but you're wrong, Rebekah." He clarified. Since that day he's been sorting out his feelings for Caroline. He struggled to find a label for them. "I don't love her. I like her and I care about her-a lot. More than I had initially been willing to admit. I was an idiot for not acknowledging it before."

He reached for Caroline's hand and squeezed it. He'd give anything to heal her with his own two hands if he could. She got a concussion trying to save his life. She's saved his life twice now and he was eternally grateful to have met her.

Rebekah acknowledged that her brother wanted some time alone with Caroline. She quietly exited the room and shut the door behind her.

When he was alone, he cupped Caroline's soft cheeks and stroked it with his thumb. She's gotten so pale since she was admitted to the hospital. He worried for her health and demanded an update on her condition from the doctors and Bonnie every twelve hours. He bent over and pressed his lips to her soft forehead, while squeezing her hand.

"Thank you, Caroline." He whispered softly.

He pulled away from her and pulled the blanket up to cover her chest and upper arms. She needed rest and he went to stand at the window, waiting for her to wake up.


Caroline woke up groaning in bed, as she opened her eyes and adjusted herself in bed. Her head throbbed, but not as bad as the last time she woke up. The sight of Klaus approaching confused her. She had to rub her eyes to confirm that she wasn't hallucinating.

"Caroline?" He said, now standing at her bed side.

"Klaus?" She responded with confusion.

"Are you alright?"

It took her a moment to respond. Her eyes were adjusting to her surroundings and her brain was slower at registering everything.

"Yeah." She finally answered after what seemed like a long moment.

She sat upright on her bed and her vision was more clear.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two weeks now." He answered.

She wanted to ask him more questions, but the door opened and a doctor and Bonnie entered. Bonnie was dressed in her scrubs and the doctor looked familiar. Then she realized it was Dr. Henry. He was a close friend of her parents.

"Good." Dr. Henry said with enthusiasm. "You're awake." He walked to stand on the other side of Caroline, opposite of Klaus. "How are you feeling, Caroline?"

"I'm feeling better, Dr. Henry."

"That's fantastic." Dr. Henry was a doctor who loved to exclaim his excitement over a patient. It was cute at first, but then it got annoying over time.

He grabbed out a small device and flashed a light into Caroline's eyes, checking her eyesight and pupils. Then he went to her ears to check for anything unusual. Klaus and Bonnie exchanged a smile and watched Dr. Henry check on Caroline.

Dr. Henry removed his stethoscope from his neck and inserted the two pieces in his ear. One of his hands went to Caroline's shoulder to hold her up and the other hand held the end of the stethoscope to her chest, listening for her heart beat.

"Take a deep breath." He instructed her, which she did.

He moved the stethoscope to her back and ordered her to take another deep breath. The circular end of the stethoscope felt icy cold. It made her shiver a little.

Dr. Henry retracted his stethoscope and grabbed the clipboard from Bonnie's hand to jot something down before handing it back to her.

"This is probably the first time you're awake for me to tell you, but you were diagnosed with a mild concussion. From the looks of it, you're doing well, Caroline. Eyesight, ear drums, and heartbeat are normal." He informed her. "It doesn't seem like your speech, memory, or hearing are affected."

Caroline couldn't hide the smile creeping on her lips. She needed to hear good news.

"However, we will need to conduct cognitive, neurological, and imaging tests to verify your state. Sometimes a person may be acting and feeling well, but those areas may have declined in performance."

He grabbed the clipboard from Bonnie's hands again to check on something and then looked up to meet Caroline's concerned face.

"We'll perform the tests today. Bonnie will fetch you after you've had your meal."

Bonnie nodded and smiled at Caroline. "I've already told one of the other nurses to fetch you something hearty for breakfast."

"Thank you." Caroline thanked the girl. "And thank you, Dr. Henry."

"Don't thank me." He told her. "Sergeant Mikaelson here is the one hounding for us to make sure you're doing well, especially when you were unconscious."

Caroline's eyes met Klaus'. He tried to hide his modest smile, which made Caroline chuckle a little. Klaus was never a smiling man, but the few moments she saw him smile made her heart warm.

"We'll leave you two be."

Bonnie and Dr. Henry left the hospital room, leaving Caroline and Klaus all alone. Klaus' phone suddenly rang, breaking the momentary silence. He stepped away and faced his back to her, before answering his phone.

"Sergeant Mikaelson speaking." He answered, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Caroline wondered who was calling him. She wished he would face her so she could read his expressions, but his back remained facing her.

"Does it have to be at this moment?" He questioned the person on the other end. He grumbled shortly after. "I'll be there in twenty minutes."

He hung up the phone and released an exasperated sigh, while returning his phone back into his pocket. He turned on his heel to face her. His face was apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Caroline, but I have somewhere to be." He told her. "I'll be back by the time you're done with your tests. We have some things to discuss."

Before she could say anything to him, he was on his way out the door and she watched as he exited and the door closed behind him.


Klaus was waiting patiently in Caroline's room. He's been waiting for thirty minutes now and wondered how much longer she would be. In his head, he figured out what he should say to her. He should approach the topic cautiously and be sensitive to her feelings. He paced the perimeter of her room about forty-two times, unable to sit down calmly. He checked his watch and only twenty seconds have passed since the last time he checked it. He didn't understand why he was acting this way. Growing up, he had always been a man of composure. He could face killers and look them in their eyes, and yet he was nervous to speak to Caroline. He took a deep breath in and forced himself to stop pacing. He went to stand at the window and distracted himself by counting the amount of cars in the parking lot. When he reached the sixteenth car, he heard the door open behind him. He turned on his heel and Caroline entered. She was still dressed in her hospital gown and her hair was uncleaned and uncombed as it had been for the past week.

"Hi." She nearly choked, saying the simple word. She closed the door and walked forward, stopping a few feet away from him.

"How were your test results?" He asked.

"All clear." She answered. "I passed the neurological, cognitive, and imaging test. Their observations of me over the past weeks have showed no signs of inability or deficiencies. It took a lot of persuasion, but I convinced Dr. Henry to discharge me in an hour."

"That's great, Caroline."

Deafening silence filled the gap between them. Nervously, he shoved his hands into his pockets. Caroline bit down on her lip, thinking of what to say. She debated if it was worth it to fight with him. She was still in the hospital and from Dr. Henry's words, Klaus has been at her side almost always through her stay here. But then she remembered that he didn't believe her. He didn't have any faith in her.

Breaking the uneasy quiet, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest and said, "You didn't believe in me." Her accusation made him look down at her feet, unable to meet her eyes. "I told you I had nothing to do with Nostra Tueri and you chose to believe everyone else, but me!"

"They were my family, Caroline." He defended, still looking down.

"I get that." She replied. Her tone more understanding. "Trust me I get it, but I was innocent. I told you I'd take them down and even then you didn't believe me."

"You're right." His agreement struck her by surprise. She never expected him to agree with her. He always disagreed and turned her away. Rarely were they ever on the same page.

"You were right." He repeated. "I was wrong and I - I'm -" He released a breath to compose himself. He stepped closer to her, meeting his eyes with hers. "I'm sorry, Caroline. Please, forgive me."

"Forgive you?" She asked, hysterically now. She let out a derisive dry laugh. "Somewhere in all of this fucked up case I developed feelings for you. I tried to shake it off, but I couldn't. In the end, I ended up getting hurt because the guy I liked didn't have faith in me!" Her voice was breaking and her body shook.

"Liked?"

"Huh?"

"You said liked. Does that mean you don't like me anymore?"

"What?" He waited for her to catch up, and then, "I don't know, Klaus! I just know that I can't forgive you!" She sighed, trying to calm herself down and lower her voice. "At least not yet, not any time soon."

He nodded in respect. "Very well." He conceded. He waited a moment, wondering if this was the right time. The clock was ticking and he didn't have much time left. "I'm leaving for London tomorrow."

The news hit her in the face, like she walked into a wall. This was too soon. She wished she would of known that he was leaving tomorrow for another country, but then she wondered if she would have forgiven him right then and there with that knowledge. She shook her head, dismissing any what if scenarios. She had to accept reality. He was leaving for London in less than twenty-four hours and without a single clue as to where that left them.

"Take all the time you need, Caroline. When you're ready, contact me. I left my contact information on your bedside table."

Standing still, Caroline didn't know what to do. She blinked, thinking it was just her imagination playing a trick with her. But he was still standing at the same spot with a sullen expression. This wasn't how she imagined this would go. A part of her thought that they'd get the opportunity to work back to where they were before all this Nostra Tueri crap. However, another part of her knew that it was a bit far-fetched.

Klaus proceeded toward the door and Caroline remained immobile. He stopped at the door. His hand unable to reach for it before doing one last thing. He turned around and grabbed her hand. Tugging on her arm, he forced her to face him. Before she could react, his lips crashed onto hers.

Hips lips formed perfectly to hers. She opened her mouth, giving him further access to her. He pulled her closer to him, trapping her in his arms. At this moment, nothing else mattered. The stupid case, moving to London. It didn't matter. All that mattered was this kiss. This kiss that made her feel like they belonged together. His tongue playing with hers gave her a tingle sensation on her lips that sprawled through her being.

But then her head screamed at her for giving in to him. She was stronger than this - prideful and stubborn. She was the first to pull away.

"Klaus…" was all she could manage to say.

He pressed his lips to her forehead and embraced her tightly for one last time before he left.

"I want to see you again, Caroline. This is not how it ends for us, I know it's not. But I screwed up and you're right to not forgive me. I care about you, so much and I truly hope that one day you'll let me demonstrate that. Call me should you ever be ready."

With that, Caroline watched as the love of her life slip away from her arms. Maybe in the movies or in books, she'd run after him and stop him or go with him. But this wasn't a movie. She lived in a fucked up reality. She prided herself too much to let herself fully give in to him. It wouldn't be right to give her all to him, at least not yet. She held her heart, knowing someday - if they were meant to be - her heart would feel this warm and beat this fast again. Someday soon…


Epilogue

Caroline walked into her office and sat down on her chair. She looked around her, still trying to accept that this office belonged to her, even though its been hers for a month now. She turned on her computer and opened the file sitting on her desk.

Three knocks on her door got her attention.

"Come in!" She bellowed from her seat.

Matt, Katherine, and Bonnie strolled in and Caroline rose from her desk. She hugged each one of them, welcoming them back from their long vacation in London. They each took a seat on the chairs in front of Caroline's desk, while she sat at her big comfortable leather one, opposite of them.

"How's it feel to be Lieutenant Forbes?" Matt questioned, wearing his boyish happy smile.

"Surreal." She answered honestly. "I can't thank Elijah enough for promoting me to this position."

"You earned it." Katherine said, with an unusually nice tone. Normally, she made witty and sarcastic comments. Apparently a vacation to London did her good.

"How was your trip?" She asked all of them.

They all briefed her on the fun filled sightseeing, shopping, and booze. Caroline felt a little jealous of them, but shrugged it off. She had to bring the homicide department to order and fix things in Mystic Falls before she did anything else. It was her priority for now. She told them that this past month has been the busiest, trying to clean up Mystic Falls of delirious criminals.

She bit down on her bottom lip and gnawed at it on the inside, debating if she should ask about Klaus. She hasn't spoken to him since he left… since he kissed her forehead in her hospital room. She wanted to see him off, but fought against it. After a month she's accepted his apology, but has never built the courage to tell him so.

"He's doing fine." Bonnie said, making Caroline cock her head to the right in confusion. "Klaus." She clarified for her. "Klaus is doing fine."

"Oh," was all Caroline could say. She was happy that he was fine and silently scolded herself for not having the guts to call him.

"He misses you." Matt informed her.

She arched her eyebrow at him, finding that hard to believe. Even if Klaus really missed her, he wasn't a man to voice his feelings easily. He kept his feelings at bay.

"Yeah," Katherine agreed with the other two. "I've seen a few portrait paintings of you."

"Paintings?"

She never knew Klaus was an artist. Then again, she didn't really know Klaus too well to know what he was and what he wasn't. She fancied the idea of seeing paintings of herself drawn with his skill.

"He's picked up painting." Matt explained. "Maybe you should give him a call?" He suggested.

She pursed her lips considering it. "I'll think about it." She finally said after a long moment of consideration.

"Need help packing your stuff?" Caroline asked Katherine.

After only one week in London, Katherine decided it was time for her to return to Bulgaria. She missed living in Eastern Europe. Besides, she had the money to live without a job for a while. Caroline reassured her that her job would be waiting with her name on it whenever she was ready. Meanwhile, she promoted Matt to the Sergeant title, expressing her confidence in him. He was too modest to admit it, but he truly deserved it. Bonnie went back to work at the hospital as a nurse. She and Kol were attempting a long distance relationship, but she truly doubted Kol's faithfulness, after hearing many stories of him and other women. Things were finally getting back to normal.


Ten months later…

Klaus entered the Mikaelson manor after riding his horse, Honey, for the past three hours. Since they've returned to London, he passed his time raising horses, reading, and traveling. When his family moved back here eleven months ago, he - along with Rebekah and Kol - decided not to continue to work. They really didn't need to work since they each had a trust fund, which they had full access and control over. The house was paid off and Elijah and Finn paid the bills. They still had more than enough money to spend after the expenses.

His sister sat in the living room with a servant giving her manicure. He rolled his eyes at his sister. She barely does anything but attend social events, go out with idiotic men, and shop.

"Any mail for me, Rebekah?" He asked his sister while he walked to the table where they stored letters.

For the past eleven months he's been silently hoping Caroline would write him, call him - find at least some way to contact him. Since he left, he hasn't spoken or seen her. Though he didn't talk about it with anyone, he missed her more than he imagined, but she needed time to be by herself and he respected that.

"Still fooling yourself that Caroline will write you?" His brother Kol intruded. He skipped lightly on his seat and threw himself on the couch.

Klaus glared at his irksome younger brother. He's tried to get Klaus to join him at the pub, but he always declined his invitation.

He picked up the pile of mail from today's delivery. Bills. Letters to Elijah and Finn. Girly magazines for Rebekah. Sports Illustrated for Kol. Smudged in between the bundle, there was a letter addressed to Niklaus Mikaelson with no return address. He pulled the envelope out of the stack and stared at it.

"What do you know? Caroline still cares. Well, go on. Open it!" He bellowed from the couch.

Klaus walked away from his impetuous brother and went to his room. He eyed the envelope curiously. He pulled the letter from it and quickly skimmed it. It was nothing but a letter from an old friend in Paris. He folded the letter and walked up the stairs, heading straight to his bedroom.

The letter was nothing but a letter from Matt. Matt updated him on the status of Caroline. Even though Caroline put on a smile, it never reached her eyes. She hid behind her smiles and tried to shield any doors that would open her emotion. Although many guys have tried, Caroline hasn't date anyone. She keeps to herself and hardly ever goes out. She likes to spend her time at home reading, from what she's told Matt. She wanted to live a normal life. Klaus was thankful for Matt's friendship.

He closed his eyes as his body made contact with his king size soft bed with memory foam. An image of Caroline smiling formed in his mind. He missed her and even after all this time, he still had feelings for her.

Unexpectedly his cell phone vibrated, forcing his to open his eyes. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and clicked answer without looking at the call ID.

"Hello." He answered, feeling a bit annoyed that someone was interrupting his state of tranquility.

"Klaus?" The familiar voice made his sit upright on his bed. He's dreamt about hearing her voice for months now and he was finally, finallyhearing it for real.

"Caroline?"

His heart swelled, finally hearing her voice again. Patiently, he waited for her. He gave her space and time. Now, here she was on the other end of the line.

"I just wanted to let you know… I forgive you." She told him.

He wanted to say something in response, but he rendered speechless for the first time in a long time. She had a strange effect over him, even now after all this time over the phone.

"I'm due for a vacation… and I was thinking of touring Europe." The news surprised him. "Maybe I can stop by London and you could show me around sometime?" She suggested. Her voice sounding hopeful.

"I can't wait."


Somewhere in London…

"I'm pretty sure we were supposed to take that turn," Caroline said, trying to read the map on her iPhone.

"No." Klaus corrected her. "Google maps doesn't know any short cuts."

"I rather take the long way as oppose to getting lost." She said under her breath.

"Would you quit complaining? You're putting a damper on my mood." He begged. Even though they didn't work together anymore, they still butt heads with something as simple as touring London.

"Getting lost is putting a damper on my mood!" She replied with an annoyed tone. "Google maps is meant to help the directionally challenged!"

"I am not directionally challenged." He said defensively.

"Says the guy who got us lost on our way to Big Ben!"

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who wanted to take the scenic route that you found on Google Maps, which by the way, did not have any access roads!" He remind her.

She rolled her eyes and let out a huff of irritation. All they did was argue about directions. She looked down at her phone to check Google Maps one more time, but her reception was low and the map lagged to show their precise location.

"Klaus, I think we're los-"

She stopped in mid sentence as she ran right into Klaus' back. Too focused on her phone, she didn't register that he halted to a stop. She stepped away from him, saying "Oww," and rubbing her forehead.

"What the heck? Why'd you stop?"

"It's supposed to be here," he said with a little disappointment. His back still facing her.

Surrounding them was just a wide garden with the greenest grass and patches of small flowers planted all around the garden. Bushes and trees were planted along the perimeter of the garden. She walked to stand next to him to get a better view of the field. Klaus wanted to show her a water well, he and his siblings used to visit once a year to make a wish. He wanted to give her the chance to make a wish while visiting London. However, being away from London for too long took a toll on his memory of directions.

He let out a sigh and said with defeat, "I am so sorry, Caroline."

She made him face her. "It's ok." She reassured him. "I don't need the wishing well. I already got my wish." She simpered at him, peering her blue eyes up to meet his.

He smirked down at her. "Which is what?"

Instead of answering him, she grinned and leaned forward to press her lips against his. Her hands cupped his face, letting his scruff tickle her soft delicate fingers. His hands went to her hips as he pulled her closer to him, closing the space between them.

"I forgive you." She finally confessed to him.

End.


Well! That's it!

I hope you all enjoyed it!

Thank you again for all of your support!

Take care and keep in touch!

:)