Hello lovely readers! Happy Holidays! I am once again throwing myself at your mercy for taking so long to update. I hope you can forgive me! I also just want to say how thankful I am for your follows, favorites and reviews! You guys rock!

XxX

Caroline and Stefan had talked most of the afternoon and well into the evening. Caroline had filled her best friend in on everything that had happened since the night he had went on the run, everything from the discovery of her pregnancy, having to tell Katherine, her phone calls with Damon to Klaus finding her in the laundry mat and ending with her trip to Paris.

Stefan listened patiently, asking questions here and there to clarify parts of her story and at other times just giving her a hug of support or words of encouragement. It was like a cleansing for Caroline to share everything with Stefan holding nothing back and for the first time in a long time Caroline finally started to feel the anxiety that weighed heavily around her heart was starting to alleviate. And not only that but she could now look at the future with a little bit of hope instead of having it shrouded with uncertainty.

Caroline of course plied Stefan for tales of his adventures on the run if you could even call it that. Surprisingly enough he found a sense of solace as he made his way through the world going from place to place. Finally away from the violence and stress as the Mikaelson's enforcer, he was able to find a little bit of peace, something he had been looking for ever since he had come down from the despair that was his love life. And Caroline was pleased that her friend could find some peace while on the run, easing some of the guilt that she had been holding onto due to the fact that she felt like it was her fault that he had to leave in the first place.

Stefan and Caroline ended up having dinner at that little hole in the wall restaurant that Klaus had taken her to their first night in Paris. Caroline had wanted to eat there again given how outstanding the food was and it was after all her last night in the city.

"So what happens when you get back to London?" Caroline asked as she munched on the appetizer that had been brought to the table.

"I go back to being an enforcer." Stefan said quietly as he leaned back in chair, his arms crossing over his chest as he watched her eat.

Caroline made a face at that, a little confused at how Stefan would go back to work for Klaus.

"Huh?"

Stefan just tilted his head as he explained the situation.

"Klaus is trying to save as much face as possible in regards to haven taken me off of his hit list. So Elijah made up some story about how the whole fallout had been a ruse in order for me to do a special job for the Mikaelson's." Stefan just lifted his shoulder in a slight shrug because he didn't have any sort of control of the situation so he wasn't really going to worry over it.

"Wow."

Caroline just shook her head at the whole explanation.

"How are you going handle being in the same room with Nik?" And then thought about exactly who she was talk to and changed her tune.

"Actually, how is Nik going to handle being in the room with you?"

Stefan shrugged lightly as he took his glass of wine and took a long drink before answering. "I think he will manage to keep his temper on a leash. He wouldn't go through all of this only to go for my throat the first chance he gets."

Caroline nodded thoughtfully as she chewed on her bottom lip. She hoped that Klaus would keep a tight lid on his temper when he was around Stefan, she did not want her best friend to become a source of contention between them once again. In fact she had to start the process of getting them on the right track in terms of having some sort of relationship so that they could raise their child together. She had told him that they could start on the road to being friends once Stefan was allowed to come back and now that Klaus had fulfilled his end of the bargain it was now time for her to fulfill hers. She just didn't quite know how to do it. Especially when it was obvious that he wanted to be more than just friends with her.

"Care?"

Caroline glanced up at Stefan with a startled look, having become lost in her own thoughts.

"Where did you go?" Stefan asked with a warm smile.

Caroline just shook her head ruefully and gave him a small smile in return.

"Just thinking about Nik."

Stefan gave a nod but was restrained from questioning her further as their server came to set their main course onto the table. Once the flurry of receiving their meal had settled they were both quiet as they ate. Although Stefan did give her a quirk of eyebrow when she took a bottle of soy sauce out of her purse and doused her food.

"Do you think you could ever be friends again with Nik?" Caroline asked suddenly as she swallowed a large bite of food.

Stefan took a moment to think about her question, his finger tapping lightly on the table before he spoke.

"Perhaps one day we will be friends again, I wouldn't say it was completely off the table."

"Even with all of the terrible things he has done?"

"That's the thing Caroline, I have done terrible things as well, and if I ever want forgiveness I have to be willing to forgive as well."

"You are wise beyond your years Stefan Salvatore." Caroline said with a smile as she leaned forward to grasp his hand and give it a squeeze.

"What about you Care? Do you think you could ever forgive him?" Stefan asked as he squeezed her hand in return.

Caroline took another bite of food, giving him a light shrug of her shoulder as she chewed and swallowed.

"I don't know. I think if he was to tell me why he did what he did or why he came back I might be able to. I just want the truth so I can move forward." Caroline sighed as her brows lifted and she just shook her head. "Although I did tell him that I would work on being friends with him if he could show me that I could trust him."

"Trust is everything. We have friends and family that we can trust and knowing him I don't think he has that in his life. Even as close as he is with his own family I think he only trusts them to a point. I don't think there is anyone that he trusts enough to pull him back from the edge of doing terrible things." Stefan said quietly, his green eyes holding a look of almost sympathy for his former friend because he had been lucky enough to have Caroline in his life that and that she was his anchor.

"It kind of sad that he does not have someone he can trust implicitly, but he brings it on to himself. I mean look at what he did to me. Can you imagine what he has done to others? It is no wonder he does not trust anyone because they have no reason to trust him." Caroline said as she prodded her food with her fork.

Stefan just smirked at her and Caroline made a face.

"What?"

Stefan just gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "I just think it's funny that when you were talking about Klaus you started stabbing your food with your fork."

Caroline just wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Sometimes I really do want to stab him with a fork, maybe it would knock some sense into him."

It was late by the time Caroline made it back to the hotel room. After dinner Stefan and Caroline had decided to take their reunion to a little café around the corner and only leaving when the waiter had kicked them out because it was closing time. Stefan escorted Caroline back to her hotel and gave her a hug goodbye before returning to his own hotel.

As Caroline made her way into the hotel room she gingerly opened the hotel room door, holding the door handle so she could ease the door shut as silently as possible not wanting to wake Klaus up as it was absurdly late. However that little courtesy was unwarranted because as she turned on her heel she gave a shout of fright at the sight of Klaus lounging on the couch in just his sleep pants and a tumbler of scotch in his hand. Caroline's hand flew to her chest as if to keep her wildly beating heart from flying out of her chest and she gave Klaus a glare.

"You scared the hell out of me! Did anyone ever tell you what a creeper you are?" Caroline huffed as she walked further into the room, her eyes steady on his face because she had no way to discreetly look down and ogle his hardened chest. But before Klaus could answer Caroline was speaking once more.

"And would it kill you to put a shirt on? This is Paris after all. You would think you would have a little more class and a little less ….chest!" Caroline snapped as she stood before him, her hands on her hips as she gave him the evil eye.

Klaus just watched her with a hooded look, his hand swaying absently as he swirled the golden liquid in his glass before taking a lazy sip.

"Love, I would have thought you would be in a better mood now that you have your best friend forever back." Klaus said quietly, using the title he had teased her with when they had first met, but there was no lightness of manner in his tone. In fact his whole demeanor seemed a little off.

His words made her pause, her irritation put aside for the moment as Caroline suspiciously squinted her eyes as she looked him over once more looking for some sort of clue to his odd mood.

"Are you drunk?"

Klaus smirked at the accusation and took another sip from his tumbler.

"Now why would you say that?"

"You're acting weird." Caroline said as she came around the table to observe him a little more closely.

"Define weird, sweetheart."

"I don't know. You don't seem your usual annoying self. I would have thought you would have been Mr. Grabby Hands and seduction is my middle name slash being all cute and flirty because you gave me Stefan back and would see this as an opportunity to take advantage of my gratitude but instead I find you sitting here all broody." Caroline said, waving her hands at him to emphasize certain aspects of her explanation.

"Sweetheart, I am not sure I follow. First you are upset with me because I am awake and not wearing a shirt and now you are concerned because I am not trying to seduce you." Klaus said with a quirked brow as he kept his gaze steady on the lovely blonde before him.

Caroline took a moment to run what he said through her head once more before giving him a nod.

"Yes."

Klaus threw back the rest of his drink before setting the glass tumbler on the table in front of him as he contemplated Caroline's statement. He would have to agree that he was indeed in an odd mood. Today he had done something he had never thought himself capable of: mercy, forgiveness, kindness. He had thought it would be a cold day in hell before he would ever show any sort of forgiveness to anyone, especially given the transgressions that Stefan had committed against him and in public nonetheless. He should have had Salvatore hanging by his neck in the middle of the city as a reminder of his reprisal against those who crossed him and instead he was allowing his enforcer to returned unharmed and without consequence.

Sure Elijah was trying to cook up some story that would explain why Stefan had been on his hit list and why he was now back and working with them again. Klaus didn't think many would buy it, but Elijah had reassured him that given his legendary temper that being seen together with Stefan and him not having a mark on him would give weight to the story that would be spread around.

He still wanted to beat Stefan to a bloody pulp but had to restrain himself from doing so, not only because it would obviously show that their story of Stefan on special assignment was bull shit but also because he would not risk whatever ground he had gained with Caroline. He needed her back at his side and he would not jeopardize that for anything. So in the end Klaus was just going to have to be satisfied with having forced Stefan to go on the run for a few months as punishment for crossing him.

Klaus was startled out of his reverie by a hand that came to touch his shoulder. Caroline sat on the table in front of him, her thumb brushing gently across his skin, her big blue eyes filled with worry as she searched his face.

"Nik, are you ok?" Caroline asked, a frown marring those soft pink lips as she tilted her head slightly to catch his gaze.

And there it was, Caroline's big heart peeking through. That is what he admired about her, that she could hate him with the ferocity of a thousand suns and still managed to be concerned about him. He did not believe people like her existed until she came into his life. She was this light that shined so brightly in the darkness that was his heart that he was sure he would go blind because of it.

Klaus gave her a faint smirk as he lifted his hand and rested it against her hand that was still on his shoulder. Giving it a gentle squeeze he pulled her hand off of his shoulder and brought her knuckles to lips, pressing a small kiss against it.

"Nothing to worry about, love."

Releasing her hand he pulled himself up to his feet and started towards his room only to be stopped by her soft voice.

"Nik?"

"Yes, love?" Klaus said as he turned to face her, his head tipping slightly to the side as he waited for her to speak once more.

"I just wanted to say thank you, again." Caroline said as she gave him a small smile. "Thank you for allowing Stefan to come back and … thank you for not hurting him." Caroline took a small breath before she started speaking again. "He told me that you knew where he was the entire time and you obviously didn't hurt him, so thank you."

It was true that Klaus had known where Stefan was the entire time out on the run. He found himself at the edge of having him brought back in so he could have the pleasure of dealing with Stefan himself or just hiring someone to take him out. Yet he couldn't bring himself to ever do it because when he was at that edge all he could see was Caroline's face. He had already done so much to her he didn't want add that on top of everything else.

Klaus gave a slight nod of his head as he moved forward to cup her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, his eyes closing for a moment as he allowed his lips to linger against her skin before pulling back and releasing her.

"There is nothing that I would not do for you, Caroline."

And with that Klaus turned and went back into his room leaving a bewildered Caroline in his wake. Her brows drew together as she tried to process his words as he had pretty much just confirmed what Stefan had theorized that afternoon as to why Klaus had never gone after him despite knowing his whereabouts.

It confused her to say the least. Again she was facing evidence that their romantic relationship had not been a complete farce in order to sleep with her and she wasn't sure how to process that, his actions and words when they were together and after were all so conflicting that she didn't know what to believe.

He had given her back Stefan and that was something she could latch on to. She asked him for it as a sign of trust and he came through for her. She was going to have to let his actions be her guide post to building a trusting friendship with him. She would hope that their trust in one another would get to the point that he would open up to her about truth of his past transgressions against her. For now she was just going to have to take it day by day.

The next morning Klaus and Caroline were both up early to get ready and pack because they would be leaving sometime around noon to go back to London. Caroline was thankfully relieved to see Klaus back to his playful self again. Their breakfast was filled with the usual teasing quips from Klaus while Caroline would fling back threats of bodily harm with her fork/deadly weapon. Once they were finished they had both retreated to their respective rooms to finish packing.

"You ready to go, sweetheart?" Klaus asked an hour later as he leaned against the door jamb dressed casually in a white t-shirt and dark jeans, his arms crossed over his chest as his blue eyes wondered over her body before returning to her face.

Caroline disapprovingly pursed her lips at him but didn't say anything about his wondering eyes as she took one last look around the room.

"Yeah, I am pretty sure I have everything. At least I think so." With pregnancy brain she would never really be sure if she was missing anything.

"Do you think you could look under my bed for me to make sure I didn't miss anything? It's a little hard for me to bend down let alone get back up." Caroline asked as she backed away from the bed.

"Of course." Klaus said with a smirk as he walked over to the bed and dropped down to his knees, bending over to do a quick sweep of the floor.

"Well, it looks like you forgot these." Klaus said with a lecherous smile as he held up a pair of Caroline's hot pink lacy underwear.

"Oh my god! Give me those!" Caroline exclaimed as she made a grab for them, but Klaus was too quick. He was already up on his feet, his arm holding the panties up and behind him where she wouldn't be able to reach.

"They are rather lovely, sweetheart. Do you think you could perhaps model them for me?" Klaus asked with a playful smile that caused his dimpled to pop.

"No and give those back you pervert." Caroline growled as she moved forward, to grab them from his hand, her body pressing against his as she attempted another grab at her underwear.

Klaus smirked and slid his hand around her waist and pulled her tighter against him, his head dipping down to nuzzle her neck.

"Nik!"

Caroline pulled away and smacked his shoulder, giving him a hard glare as she pulled the panties from his hand that had come around to hold her and tucked them behind her back.

"You're a perverted jerk! And to think that I thought Kol was worse than you were."

Klaus just shrugged and leaned down to steal a quick kiss against her cheek before pulling away from her.

"Uhgh!" Caroline said as she threw her hands up in frustration watching as he sauntered out of the room, a smile plastered on his face.

Caroline just rolled her eyes and put her forgotten underwear in her suitcase. She thought about again how glad she was that he had snapped out of his odd mood, well maybe not glad, as he was far too forward with her but this Klaus was easier to deal with as opposed to the broody male she had run into last night.

Surprisingly enough the ride to the airport was quiet, despite Klaus being all touchy feely with her as he always was but it wasn't it enough for her to knee him in the balls as much as she would like to. However the real surprise was seeing Stefan sitting on the plane which made Caroline smile widely.

"Stefan!"

Stefan smiled fondly as Caroline made her way to his side and he pulled her into the seat next to him. Caroline was all smiles as she hugged her BFF before settling into her seat, pleased that he would be joining them on the flight back.

Klaus eyed them despondently as he took a seat across from them but was gifted with Caroline's smile as she looked at him in thanks for allowing Stefan to join them on the flight back to London. It was that genuine beautiful smile that Klaus knew it had been worth it to allow his enforcer to accompany them back home.

The flight was spent with Stefan and Caroline chatting with one another while Klaus sat silently across from them drawing in his sketch book. The flight was short enough that it wasn't completely awkward that Caroline and Stefan did not include Klaus into their conversation and Klaus was just happy he was not going to be forced into polite chit chat with Stefan. The flight itself was pleasant enough; the only issue being the stirrings of jealousy Klaus felt when Stefan had provided comfort to Caroline during takeoff and landing. Childishly enough he wanted to be the one to ease her fear and be the one she held on to.

Once they had landed there were two Range Rovers waiting for them and of course the driver tucked her and Klaus's luggage into one of them and Stefan's into the other. Stefan gave her a hug goodbye, promising that he would call her later which she replied with a threat of bodily harm if he didn't hold up to his promise.

When Klaus and Caroline made it to her building she didn't even bother to protest when he got out with her, already knowing it was useless endeavor to stop him from seeing her to her front door. When they had been dating and he had done this she had thought him the perfect gentleman and now she just found it annoying. As they walked into the building Caroline noticed a small smile that was stretching across his berry red lips, looking quite pleased with himself, looking like the cat that had got the canary. Which was ultra suspicious and made Caroline think he was going to try and kiss her again, which made her regret that she did not keep a fork in her purse.

However Caroline's fear was quite misplaced because the reason for his self-satisfied look was because inside her apartment a little nursery that had been set up. There was a mahogany crib that was up against the wall, gray sheet on the mattress along with a yellow and white quilt that was draped over the side of the side bars. Sitting catty corner from the crib was a small dresser in the same wood as the crib with a changing station that sat on top. And next to the dresser was a white rocking chair with a fleece blanket strewn across the back with yellow, gray and white stripes. The whole set up blended seamlessly with her decor.

"Oh my god!" Caroline gasped as she moved forward to inspect the new furniture, her hands ghosting over each piece with admiration. Klaus following her in and setting the bags down and moved to lean against the wall where the crib was sitting, content to take in the surprised but pleased looks that graced her lovely face.

"Did you do this?" Caroline asked as she turned to look at Klaus who had his arms crossed against his chest and that pleased smile still firmly in place, perhaps a little more smug than pleased now that he had seen her reaction.

"I had Rebekah furnish everything." Klaus said with a nod of his head.

"She has good taste." Caroline said quietly as she stroked the quilt.

"I'm glad you like it, love."

"I am pretty sure I should be mad at you for breaking into my place, but thank you for this."

Klaus just shrugged his shoulders in acknowledgement of the thanks and the admonishment. They were quiet for a few more minutes as they both continued to examine the little nursery, both of them pleased with what Rebekah had done.

"Just think, in a few months our son or daughter will be sleeping in here." Klaus said as he rested his hand on the railing of the crib as he looked down at the mattress and the little stuffed white bunny that sat in the corner.

Caroline smiled as she moved her hand off the quilt to stroke her stomach, pleased with the thought that their baby was going to be born in a few short months.

"Yeah, it's kind of amazing to think about and a little scary." Caroline said truthfully. "Maybe a lot scary."

Klaus reached out and rested his hand against her belly, his head dipping down to catch her eyes.

"As I said before, love, I will be here for you and our baby. Always and forever."

Caroline gave a slight nod of her head, her lashes resting against her cheeks for a moment before she looked up at him.

"Would you like to come to my sixth month appointment with me?"

Klaus was absolutely floored by the invitation having thought he would never be invited to one of her appointments. Sure he had seen the appointments on her calendar and had thought about crashing one of her visits but when he stopped to think about just what he was crashing he was hesitant to go. He didn't know what kind of exams they would do on her and he knew Caroline really would stab him if he walked in and her lady parts were out. He had seen the pictures of the ultra sounds on Caroline's fridge and the thought of not only getting an ultra sound picture of his own but that he would get to hear his baby's heartbeat was cause for excitement.

Klaus gave a quick nod of his head yes with a grin on his face.

"I would love to accompany to your appointment, sweetheart."

When Caroline's saw how happy he was about the idea of coming to her appointment made her think she had done the right thing. She had to start building a friendship with him and what better way to start than to invite him to one of her baby check up appointments. After all the very reason this friendship was so vital was because they had a baby to raise.

"Great. You can come pick me up next Tuesday at 10." Caroline said with a small smile.

"As you command, my lady." Klaus said with a smirk and a slight bow.

Caroline just rolled her eyes and pointed at her door.

"Now get out."

Klaus made a puppy dog face but did as he was told walking to the door with one hand shoved into his pocket. Just as he was about to shut the door behind him he turned and poked his head back into the room, his eyes meeting Caroline's with a small smile on his face.

"Friends, then?"

"Yeah." Caroline said after a moment of thoughtful silence, returning his small smile with one of her own.

XxX

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