A/N- See, like I said, you won't have to wait an eternity for the last chapter. So here it is, I won't babble on any longer (that part is at the end). I hope you all like how I decided to wrap up this story, and please do let me know what you thought!

"Woah!" Katherine said testily, smirking at Dexter holding a gun in the worst way possible, "You'll take someone's eye out. Most probably your own," she added to herself.

"You're late," he said again, giving a scathing look for her previous remark, "Where are the others? And why were you late?" he demanded again.

"They are just a few minutes behind me," Katherine assured him, "Finn and Meredith should be here soon. And there were some... complications," she added before he could yell about it again.

"What complications?" he asked curiously.

Sighing loudly, Katherine turned to look at him as she said, "Mikael killed himself. They found his body behind the highway bar, he shot himself in the head."

Rolling his eyes, Dexter chided, "A coward's end to a coward."

"Where are they?" Katherine said, pulling out a scrunchy to tie her hair and looking around at the wilderness, "You said the door opened up from the earth? Like a trap door?"

"Yup," Dexter said, popping the p like a 5 year old girl and pointing at the exact spot where the trap door opened up, "Right there. They've been gone 20 minutes, I'm officially worried."

"Ok," Katherine nodded, pulling out her gun and making sure that it was loaded, just as the sounds of sirens became audible in the far distance, "I'm going in."

As she walked to the place Dexter pointed out, she noticed something a little further away from that point. At the base of a giant tree, laid an object that drew her attention.

A shovel.

Something changed in the air. It got thicker, denser, heavier. The pressure against her chest making it that much harder to get a breath in, her chest burning with such intensity that she felt like she was on fire. She could feel her throat begin to constrict, gasping sounds as she strained to get a breath leaving her mouth in short spurts. And then she saw light. Bright, blinding light seeping through the small linings of the coffin. Dirt was falling inside the coffin faster now, much faster, but so was the light. The more the dirt came, the more light she could see filtering through.

And then, Caroline heard a voice. The voice of an angel. She had never been a religious person, but at this very moment, that small, faint voice was nothing short of the voice of God. With every passing second, the voice got clearer and louder, and Caroline fought, she fought with every remaining fiber of strength she had to not die. Someone was here, someone was getting her out. She just had to make sure she was alive when they got to her.

The voice was feminine, she could tell now, and the voice was yelling at someone to help her. She could hear a proper sentence now; hear everything, that's how close she was to the outside, to oxygen, to life.

"Help! Dexter help!" the voice screamed, "She's buried, help me."

And now Caroline was desperate, clawing at the encasing like a deranged animal, trying in vain to scream. She could feel her throat close up, she was suffocating, and she could feel herself suffocating. But all she could do was cry, and cry and cry. Tears flowed from her eyes in a steady stream as she lost consciousness.

"Think, Kol, think," Klaus pressed, watching as Kol helped a dazed and thoroughly confused Caryn out of the coffin. "Where would Mikael take Caroline?"

"I-I..." Kol stumbled over his words as he turned his helpless gaze to a raging Klaus, evidently thinking hard but coming up with nothing. "I just don't know, he had no other place other than here an-..."

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his mouth open in an O shape as he started at nothing in particular. Jerking in place, Klaus let out a loud yell, "And what? What?"

"There was a-a guy," Kol mumbled, bringing his fist up to his forehead, "He saw Mikael and me bringing in some girl. But Mikael couldn't kill him, and I-I can't kill either. So... Mikael got innovative."

"What do you mean innovative?" Klaus probed.

"He buried him, alive; at the edge of the clearing, where Lauren had been thrown." Kol stated in a low whisper, realization finally dawning on him as he added, "He buried Caroline. Can't kill her, but can let her die."

In a flash, Klaus took off running, headed straight for the staircase that led out. Kol followed behind him, but came to a sudden halt when the sound of blaring sirens became audible. And they were coming from right above them. They had tricked them, played him. He was never going to get his freedom.

He was about to go after Klaus, but something caught his foot. In his haste to get to Caroline, Klaus had dropped his gun.

Klaus felt like he'd been running for ages, his thighs screaming in protest as he took the stairs two at a time and his chest heaving with every labored breath. But he pushed the pain, or fear away. Only one aim in sight; getting to Caroline before she ran out of air, and hoping and praying that she hadn't already run out of air. He burst through the door in a blur, the first thing he saw when he walked out was Katherine's face staring back at him.

He tried to run past her, pushing against her when she placed her hands on his shoulders to stop his mad dash. "Caroline," he muttered breathlessly, trying to catch his so he could frame a sentence, "He buried her..."

"Klaus, listen to me.." Katherine said, in an all too calm voice that terrified him.

"She's here somewhere..." he spoke over her, still trying to move past her but she wasn't letting him.

"Klaus, look."

"I have to find her," he stated frantically, looking right at Katherine with such pain and vulnerability in his eyes that it made her give him a small sad smile.

"Klaus," she said again, with the same infuriating smile, "Klaus look. Look."

So he looked. Right in front of him, merely 10 feet away, Caroline sat in the backseat of his SUV, disheveled and battered, but alive. Very much alive. Dexter stood next to her, helping her with the oxygen mask. She was alive, right here, within walk-able distance. He'd found her. Relief flooded through him, a surge of reprieve settling into his bones, rendering him utterly and thoroughly exhausted. He was so tired. Every limb ached, screamed and protested against all the abuse he had put them through in the past few days.

But he didn't care, because along with the relief came pure, unadulterated joy. He could breathe easy now, he could stop. He'd readily lay down and let death take him with a smile on his face, if the last thought he'd have was the knowledge that she was alive. But then fear gripped him, his tired and overworked mind going into overdrive, prodding him to think that his life wasn't easy, that his head was playing tricks on him. Involuntarily, his left hand came up to pinch his right palm.

A soft chuckle broke him out of his trance, leaning closer to him, Katherine whispered, "It's not a dream."

And then he was walking, or running, or flying, he couldn't tell you which. If it wasn't a dream, then he had to know, he had to touch her, let his rough fingers graze against her soft cheek, to know, know with surety that he wasn't just losing his mind. He'd been here before; dreams of almost finding her, dreams of almost having her had plagued him far too many times. He was a cynic now, only when he'd feel her, he'd believe it.

She looked at him, her eyes widening and softening at the same time, as she removed the oxygen mask and spoke in a croaky voice, "Klaus, hi." It was the lamest thing anything could ever say at such a point, but right now the one small 'hi' from her felt like an undying declaration of love signed in blood and witnessed by the gods themselves. Dexter moved aside almost instantly, almost anticipating what was to come.

Klaus didn't say a word, didn't reply to her casual greeting, but in a flash of a second she was completely obscured from view. Klaus wasn't really a hugger, but right now he was holding onto Caroline like she was the only thing keeping him bound to earth. She fit perfectly in his arms, like she'd been made just for the purpose to fit into him. She softly laughed into his shoulder, bringing a hand up to sift through his unruly hair and that only made him hold her tighter. He wasn't a man of words, and he wasn't about to start now. But he made up in gestures what he couldn't put into words. And his intentions were pretty clear; he was never letting her go again.

Beckoning a medic team to follow her, Katherine made her way down the narrow stairs when she realized that Caryn was still down there somewhere. Taking a second to absorb the various Lauren graffiti lining the walls she made her way to the adjoining room, only to come a sudden halt. Hesitantly, and with measured care she extended her hand back to pull out her gun, extending her other hand out in the air, in an effort to calm herself and the man holding a gun in front of her.

Kol stood before her, a gun in his hand and looking as dazed and confuzzled as Caryn who stood next to him. Caryn looked even more confused, not knowing whether to make a dash for it or to wait for a more optimal time. Kol though seemed lost, staring at the loaded gun in his hand, and then looking up to Katherine. He had a very easy way out of there, he had obviously heard the sirens, he knew he wasn't getting his freedom. But now with a gun in his possession and Caryn to use as leverage; he could attempt to escape, even though he wouldn't make it that far.

"Kol," Katherine said in a soft voice, taking mini-steps in his direction, her eyes wide and alert, "Kol, give me the gun. Come on, don't do something stu-..."

Suddenly Kol jerked in place, as if her voice had bought him back to lucidity. He stared at Katherine for a long time, his brows furrowed and his whole frame shaking. And then he did the unthinkable. He took two rapid steps towards Katherine, who instantly took two steps back and raised her gun dauntingly. Stopping and shaking his head as if trying to tell her something, he turned his gun around, the muzzle pointing at him as he handed his gun over to her.

"Everyone has a choice, right?" Kol said with a sad smile, shrugging his shoulders.

"Yeah," Katherine replied in awe, gulping and taking the gun from him and stuffing it in her jacket. Clearing her throat, she took out her pair of handcuffs and motioned at Kol to turn around, which he did with a small nod and folding his hands behind his back.

It was good thing Kol's back was turned to her, or he would have seen the tears in her eyes.

"How's she doing?" Katherine asked, walking up to Klaus, who stood leaning against his car as he watched the medic give Caroline a look-over.

Their plan had worked, almost flawlessly. Sans the twist of Caroline being buried alive. But Kol hadn't suspected a thing, truly believing that he had a deal. Immediately after Klaus and Dexter had left with Kol, Katherine had gone straight to Finn and explained everything. Telling him that they had a plan, and they were not letting Kol go under any circumstances, and that any time now Dexter would be calling her to inform her of the location. Finn hadn't been happy with the 'Rambo' tactics as he called them, but ultimately realized that this was the best way to find Caroline and Caryn and also not let Kol go free. So, he fit into their plan perfectly.

Not taking his eyes off of Caroline, Klaus nodded his head and said, "A few bruises and some breathing problem, but she should be fine."

"Good. Great," Katherine corrected, laughing darkly, "You found her."

Klaus snorted, an unbecoming noise to come from a man from Klaus, "I didn't find her. You and Dexter saved her."

"We saved her," Katherine provided, "It was your infuriating drive to find her that got us here Klaus, me and Dex; we just followed the path you set us on."

"She was right after all," Klaus mumbled under his breath, aided with a small surprised laugh, but Katherine caught his words as she raised a brow and shook her head questioningly, "Caroline. She told me one day, in a very authoritative voice, that I'd learn the benefit of trusting people, or letting people help me."

"I may have started it, but I couldn't have found her if I didn't have a friend like Dexter," turning to finally look at her, he added in a stoically professional voice, "If I didn't have a friend like you. So, thank you."

"You're welcome," she beamed back at him, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the car as well. She was about to say something, when they both noticed Kol being shuffled into the backseat of a black SUV as Finn watched over him like a hawk. "He's not a bad kid, you know." Katherine commented, thoroughly surprising Klaus.

"Really?" he asked, "I thought you hated him."

"I hated that he cried victim when he always had a choice, but better late than never. Just because he made a few bad choices doesn't make him...evil."

"He was a kid," Klaus said, his eyes trained on Caroline sitting next to Dexter in the back of the ambulance, "He did what he was told to."

Laughing softly, Katherine tucked her hair behind her ear as she said, "We both know that not all kids with psycho fathers end up like him."

The conviction with which she said those words, stirred something in Klaus, as he turned his narrowed eyes to her, speaking a low whisper, "You read my file."

Doing her best at putting on a 'guilty' look, Katherine shrugged and said, "I was putting too much on the line for a jerk, I had to at least know everything I could about said jerk."

Laughing and shaking his head, Klaus turned away from her when she spoke again, "But the point is, you could have easily ended up as a Kol. Your stepfather was no less crazy than Mikael. I mean he- he..."

"Killed my step mother," Klaus suggested, raising his brows and cocking his head to one side, "Yes, I remember."

Gulping at the sudden burst of emotions on Klaus' face, Katherine looked down at her feet as she said, "You were just as young as him Klaus. You had two choices ahead of you; go on the path the man who raised you put in front of you, or go to the police and tell them everything. You made the hard choice, the hardest choice a child could, but you did it. As easily as you could have been a Kol, he could have been you. Just a matter of a choice."

Klaus remained silent for a few minutes, smiling back at Caroline when she lightly waved at him. "You should write a book," Klaus said suddenly, making Katherine jerk in her place and look at him, "You'd sell millions."

"I think I preferred it when you showed gratitude by insulting me," she joked.

"So what now?" Klaus asked curiously.

"I go back to the station and beg the captain to give my job back, and hope and pray he still likes me enough to not put me on traffic duty."

"Or," Klaus chirped up, mimicking Katherine by crossing his arms over his chest, "You could join the FBI. I'm sure Meredith would put in a good word for you. Better pay, better title, better equipment."

"I don't know if I'd fit there," she said in a small voice, though a little excitement seemed to tint her voice at his suggestion.

"You could open up cold cases," Klaus said purposely, "Look into really old cases. Like, say – the candy killer's case."

At this Katherine almost tripped on her own feet, whirling around to point an accusatory finger at Klaus as she said, "You-you read my file."

"Of course I did," he said like it was obvious, "I couldn't for the life of me figure out why you were so adamant to put everything on the line to find Caroline. Until I read your file." With a small sigh, he observed how silent Katherine had suddenly become, hiding her face behind the effective veil of her hair. "How old were you? When your brother was taken?"

"9," she responded, sniffing loudly as her eyes brimmed with tears, "He was 5. And-and I always thought that, that if I'd been older I might have done something, but-but I was too small, I couldn't do anything. That's why I joined missing persons, and that's why I risked so much to find Caroline. I understood her."

They remained silent for a second; Klaus letting Katherine take a minute to compose herself as he reveled in the feeling of pure contentment that he currently felt. There was no nagging pull at his heart, the weight on his shoulders lifted the second he laid eyes on Caroline.

"You should think about it," Klaus said referring to his comment about her joining the FBI, starting to walk away when he saw Dexter beckon him over, "You'd get to annoy Dexter on a daily basis."

"Hmm," Katherine mused, as she made to follow him, a sudden mischievous twinkle lighting up in her eyes as she rubbed her hands together in glee and said, "You should have started with that."

"When can I see Rebekah?" Caroline asked when she saw Klaus walk up to her.

"As soon as the doctor checks you out, we'll go see her." He replied with a smile. Nodding in resignation, Caroline kept her desperation to see her sister to herself; she knew there was no point arguing with Klaus.

"Are you angry with me?" Caroline promptly asked when Klaus sat down next to her in the back of the ambulance. Sighing audibly, he pulled her hand to his, entwining their fingers together, he placed his other hand on her knee, looking up into her innocent blue eyes as he lightly nodded his head.

It was the truth, he was mad. Angry that she had put herself at risk in such a way, angry at the world for giving her to him and then taking her way, angry at himself for not being able to find Rebekah, for taking so long to find Caroline.

"Yes," he said, bringing his hand up to tuck a stray curl behind her ear, "I was-am angry. But not at you, at-at everything. But it doesn't matter," he hastily told her, turning around and cupping her cheek with his hand when he noticed the sadness that overtook her face, her eyes watering in an instant. He did not want to make her cry, not now that he just got her back, or ever for that matter.

"I- just didn't know what to do Klaus," she cried, pleading him to understand, "It was killing me. And it wasn't fair to you either."

"It's ok," he assured her, offering a soft smile which she returned through her tear filled eyes, "I don't care anymore. You're here now, you're alive, I found you. And since, I'm never letting you out of sight again, everything should be fine." He added in afterthought, making Caroline giggle softly, apparently she took Klaus' extremely serious words as a joke. He planned on letting her know he wasn't joking, but they were interrupted by the loudest throat clearing known to man.

"Ahem!" Katherine and Dexter stood next to each other, their shoulders bumping into each other, as they both looked at Klaus and Caroline like they were watching the most interesting show ever. Their eyebrows so dangerously high that Klaus was afraid they would disappear, and such creepy smiles plastered on their face that it could have sent children screaming in fear.

"Are they ok?" Caroline wearily asked him, to which he rolled his eyes and turned back to the duo who had taken to clear their throats with more fervor, adding not so subtle tilts of their heads in Caroline's direction, telling him to get a move on. Katherine widened her eyes threateningly making him realize that one day she was going to be a terrifying but effective mother.

"What's happening to them?" Caroline asked, genuine concern threading into her voice as she looked from them to Klaus, who sat with a thoroughly exasperated look on his face.

Sparing them a nasty glare, he bluntly said, "They're prodding me to tell you I love you."

"Not like that!"

"You idiot!"

"What is in that head of yours?"

"I said do it right," Katherine hissed, shaking a finger at his head while Dexter threw his hands up in the air behind her in frustration, "That is not right. I'm shooting him," she declared turning back to Dexter who held her back with one hand as he yelled at Klaus.

"Even I could have done that better than you. And I'm more emotionally stunted than... than a tree!" Dexter cried indignantly.

"Go away," Klaus shooed them off as Caroline laughed in the background, getting to his feet he motioned with his hands to tell them to get lost, to which they only collectively rolled their eyes, gave him a dirty look and walked over to the other side of the ambulance, still planning on eavesdropping on every word.

"This is what happens when I make friends," Klaus said disgruntled, "I only find the crazies. Ignore them, they're idiots."

Controlling her laughter, Caroline put a hand over Klaus' shoulders, making him turn his face to hers as she said, "Say that again."

"They're idiots, ign-..."

"Klaus," Caroline whined, jutting out her lower lip and tapping her fist on his thigh, "You know which part,"

Sighing from the umpteenth time, Klaus turned to look at her properly, straightening his back as he spoke in a calm and stoic voice, "I love you, Caroline."

Pouting adorably, she tilted her neck looking at him like he was a puppy dog in a pink tutu as she brought up her palm to rub against his stubble, "Can you say that one more time, and not like you're delivering a pizza."

Cocking a brow in protest, he cleared his throat and relaxed his body, his lips curling up into a small smile as she looked at him expectantly. Softly but surely, he whispered, "I love you."

Smiling widely, Caroline leaned forward to bury her head in the crook of his neck, nuzzling into it as her tangled hair tickled his jaw. Suddenly, pulling her hair back she probed, "Can you say that again? And this time choke up a little on the 'you'."

He stared at her for a second, not blinking at all, before he suddenly turned around and called out, "Katherine! You can shoot me now."

Laughing heartily, Caroline pulled him back, and Klaus could hear the muffled sounds of Dexter and Katherine snickering outside. Slinging both her arms over his shoulder, she bought him in for a kiss, her eyes turning a warm shade of blue that made him shiver in his place. She was putting up a strong front for him, he knew that, she had been seconds from death, but if this is what she wanted right now, then he'd give it to her. She pulled back from the kiss to give him a funny look, smoothing his hair back from his forehead, like she loved to, and pulled his head down again. Her lips were dry and she was trembling tip to toe, so he held her closer to calm her nerves. When she pressed her lips to his again, he didn't complain; the feel of her breath against his own, the feel of her lips parting to let his tongue in was the most as peace he'd been in days.

He traced the path of her lone tear with his lips, placing soft kisses over her cheek, finally kissing her closed eyes. Laughing at herself, she shook her head and tilted her head back, so she could look into his eyes, "You didn't have to tell me you know." she said wisely, "There are many things you don't say, but I always knew it."

And Klaus knew, that this quality of Caroline's, to just know what he felt, what he thought, without him every voicing it, was why she was so special. And why, for the first time in his life, he could say he truly understood what love meant.

Klaus is running, running as fast as his legs would carry him. His heart in his throat, he pushed himself, faster, quicker. He has to get there, now, faster, quicker. He has to save her. He sees trees, trees everywhere, and he heard wailing, crying, screaming.

Caroline's lying in a glass box; suffocating and dying, screaming his name, begging him to help. Dexter and Katherine stand around her, trying in vain to open the box, but they can't. He runs to her, thumping his fists on the glass coffin, but every time he tries to touch it, his hand goes through. He can't touch it, he can't open it. He can't save her. So he howls, he howls like a wolf in pain as he watches her die right in front of his eyes, and he can't do anything.

Klaus jerked up in his bed, cold sweat covering his body, making his thin cotton boxers stick to his body. His heart seemed to race at 100 miles an hour, instantly he looked to the side, where Caroline slept, blissfully unaware. Breathing in deeply, he bent over, placing a hand over her small body and lightly kissed her cheek, brushing her hair away from her face. That's when he noticed the reason why he woke up, usually this dream ended even worse, but the constant vibrating of his phone had woken him up.

Picking up his phone he looked at the screen, sighing in annoyance, he hastily put on a t-shirt as he made his way out of the room as he answered the call, "What Dex?"

"Nik," Dexter's voice called back, pure irritation evident in his voice, "Nik, Katherine is in my lab. She's refusing to leave!"

"Dex..." Klaus whined, looking at the clock on the wall in the living room, "It's 5 am. Why are you in the office to begin with?"

"They found that Margaret girls body, but that's not the point. You know I don't like people in my lab!" Dexter yelled, while Katherine sniggered happily behind him, "Why did you ask her to join the FBI? This is a disaster!"

"I don't know," Klaus said dryly, "But I did not anticipate the two of you waking me up at 5 am in the morning! Give Katherine the phone."

"What?" she said bossily.

"Katherine, you know he doesn't like people in his lab. You know this because the last time you did this, which was just last month, he punctured all the tires of your car. Why are we doing this again?" Klaus asked pleadingly.

"Because, I'm bored and it's fun," Katherine moaned like a 5 year old, making Klaus roll his eyes as he said, "Well, before he does something else, just get out please, and stop waking me up in the dead of the night." He slammed the phone onto the sofa and let out a small whine of aggravation. A soft laugh distracted him, turning around he saw Rebekah standing by her bedroom door, still in her night clothes, watching him with a small amused smile.

"Did I wake you up?" he asked in an apologetic voice.

"No, no," she shook her head, "I woke up on my own. I'm hungry. You can go back to sleep," she added when he didn't move from his place but continued to watch her make her way into the kitchen, "I'll just have some milk and cookies."

"Nonsense," he dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "I'll make you something proper to eat. I used to survive on cornflakes until I met your sister, and now they just make me want to puke."

She watched him in silence, didn't say a word as he made some eggs and toast for her and coffee for himself. It had been six months since she had started living with her sister and Klaus. She dropped out of college almost instantly, even though Caroline had wanted her to continue it, but she just couldn't get herself to go to class everyday like a normal 19 year old. So, she started taking classes at the night school, where no one knew who she was, where no one gave her a second look. It had been difficult accustoming to a life not just with her sister, but with a strange man who seemed to mean so much to Caroline, but was still a relative stranger to her. Slowly, and many many efforts from Caroline, her and Klaus had become friends of sorts.

"It's today isn't it?" Rebekah asked, when Klaus handed her a plate, "The trial," she clarified when Klaus looked at her questioningly. Klaus simply nodded his head to her inquiry, so she probed further, "Are you going?"

"I have to," Klaus shrugged nonchalantly, "I'm a witness."

"On whose side?"

Rolling his eyes, Klaus stated, "Kol's. I'm not going to give any sentimental testimony on how he's the next Martin Luther King. But I will state the facts; he never killed anyone, he saved you, he helped save Caroline and Caryn, he surrendered and he could have easily killed Katherine. Then it's up to the judge to decide whether to lower his term or not."

"Can I-I see him?" she asked timidly, looking pointedly at his and Caroline's bedroom to make sure that Caroline couldn't hear.

"You know what Caroline said," Klaus said decisively, knowing that this question was on the horizon, "When your therapist says you're ready to see him, we can arrange a meeting."

"The stupid therapist is never..."

"The stupid therapist who got you over your fear of the dark?" Klaus challenged, immediately silencing Rebekah, who gave him a forlorn look, "Who helped you be able to sleep without medication? Same therapist."

"Okay fine," Rebekah relented, "But still... I just want to talk to him once, what's the harm in that?"

"The har-," Klaus began disbelievingly, "Rebekah, what is the future here? Even if Kol gets a reduced sentence he's still going to be in prison for a very very long time. And, if he manages to stay alive until his release date, he's going to be a changed man. He won't be the boy you remember. This obsess-..."

"I am not obsessed with him!" she cried indignantly, stabbing her eggs with her fork in anger.

"Ok fine," Klaus sighed dramatically, "This affection you have for him, is-is a result of extreme circumstances. It's not healthy, and even you agreed to that!" he added firmly making her roll her eyes.

"I know..." she lamented, "It's just. I'm not dreaming of a future here Klaus. I'm not imagining a white picket fence and brunette babies, I'm not. I just, I just want to look the man who saved my life in the eye, and thank him. Caroline gets to do that every second of the day, Can't I get that?"

"That's... well played," Klaus changed tracks halfway, impressed at Rebekah's sneaky tactic of slipping a comment about him and Caroline in there.

She smiled proudly and shrugged her shoulders.

"How about this?" Klaus suggested, "If Kol's sentence is reduced and if your therapist agrees, then we will arrange a meeting. Like Caroline always says; it's not a no, it's just a not yet."

"Ok," Rebekah agreed, bouncing in her seat with a grin on her face.

"I'm going to bed now," Klaus declared, "I have court at 11. Wash up when you're done," he gave her a stern look that scarily reminded her of Caroline.

He knew sleep would elude him, especially after the nightmare he'd just had, but he was content to just lie peacefully with Caroline in his arms. And even more content if she woke up soon and permitted him other, better ways to keep himself occupied. Slithering into bed, he pulled her towards him, engulfing her smaller frame in his arms, his head resting on the top of her head. Evidently, he hadn't been as quiet as he thought he was.

Caroline stretched like a cat, extending her arms over her head and bumping him on the shoulder. "Where have you been?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Visiting my secret girlfriend," he whispered into her ear.

Caroline snorted in a very un-lady like manner, bringing her hand back to pat his cheek like a disobedient child, "Poor girl."

"Hey!" Klaus chided, clearly offended, "It doesn't do much for my ego if you don't even get jealous at my lies."

Laughing again, she put on her best serious voice as she responded, "I'll throw an epic hissy fit as soon as I'm conscious."

"That's better."

"No but really, where have you been?" she said, turning around in his arms so she could bury her head against his chest, the intense warmth of his body making her that much more comfortable. She would never be able to understand how such a self-proclaimed cold man was warm to touch.

"Just couldn't sleep," he lied easily, "And then Dexter called complaining that Katherine wouldn't leave his lab."

"And what did you do?" she asked in an amused voice, lightly kissing his shoulder and running her hands over his chest and abdomen.

"Told them to stop behaving like 7 years old and not wake me up at 5 am."

"You're such a good father to them," Caroline mused, her laughter muffling against his chest.

Pulling his head back, he gave her a nasty look as he said, "That's the most uncomfortable thing anyone has ever said to me."

Sniggering to herself, Caroline pulled her head to peck him on the lips, taking this down the exactly path Klaus wanted, when the small kiss turned into something much more; his tongue probing into her mouth as his hand moved over her back to cup her barely covered ass. She stilled, the second her hand made its way up his shirt, feeling the clammy coldness on his skin the cold sweats had left him with.

Detangling herself from him, she looked up at him with those warm, caring blue eyes and asked, "Did you have a nightmare again?"

"Yes," Klaus relented, after considering lying, but knowing very well that she would make him fess up. "It's not a big deal."

"Was it the same one again?" she asked, her brow furrowing in concern and her hand automatically going to his hair, her fingers threading through the sleep messed up curls. By now, he was sure it was instinct for her, to do this when she wanted to comfort him. When he only nodded in response, she spoke again, "It's just a dream Klaus. It will never be true, I'm here, I'm never going anywhere."

"I know," he assured her, "I know. But I'm always going to be a little afraid Caroline; it'll go away with time." he forced a smile on his face, even though images of her dead and lifeless body filled his mind, but she had been strong for him, she'd soothed away his fears and held him through his nightmares. He had to be strong for her too.

"I have something for you," she said excitedly, pulling herself up on her elbows before giving him a small kiss and moving over him to reach his bed-side table. She plopped herself back on her side with a wide grin on her face as she placed something onto his extended palm.

It was cold to touch, small, sharp and metallic. Its edges poking his thumb as he examined it. He had seen something similar before, twice in fact. A miniature falcon stood on his palm, its wings outstretched in mid-flight.

"Each of us have one," Caroline told him a soft, warm voice, "And you're not just a guy I happened to meet while looking for my sister. Not anymore." She added thoughtfully.

"You're family, to me and to Rebekah." she declared happily, leaving him no choice but to blink stupidly at the object in his hand and back to her, a feeling of warmth and loving surging through. A feeling of belonging.Of fitting, perfectly.

"And first rule of family," she added in a mischievous tone as she straddled him, pushing him onto his back and lowering her face so they were mere inches away, "Is that you can't get rid of us that easily."

He smiled, placing the small idol on the table, and vowing to never lose it. To cherish it and the bond that it represented just like Caroline had. Leaning down further, the soft skin of her cheek brushed against the gruff of his morning stubble as she whispered

"You're my falcon, Klaus."

If you don't know what to say after that chapter just follow my lead :-

Dear Tanya,

Thank you for not taking a year to finish.

Thank you for not killing everyone in sight.

Thank you for letting Klaus find Caroline .

Thank you for writing a slightly bearable fic.

insert name here

A/N- Ok did you really think I wouldn't babble anymore? Lol no. So, this is the part where I get slightly emo and you (hopefully) don't roll your eyes at me. I really, really REALLY want to thank everyone who has read/reviewed/favorited/anything for this fic, because it's a fic very close to my heart. I've written a lot, but I hold Cold Trail as one of my favorite things I've written, and also one of the things I thought no one other than me would ever like. So the fact that so many of you all have liked reading this fic makes me so so so happy! So, thank you so much! I want you all to know that every review/favorite/follow meant so much to me, and over the next few days I'll be replying to all the reviews.

Again, thank you for all the love, and I hope you are happy with the ending, it was what I felt fit the best. I have officially finished a fic and it feels so good. I hope you all will read my future works as well.