Taking Care of the Other One XXV
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
.
.
.
A private plane was chartered for the big day. Everyone was coming to see Caroline's college graduation. She'd had to arrange for extra tickets, but she used compulsion as necessary. This was huge and she wanted everyone she cared about to be there. She'd also made sure Elena's group, Alaric and Jeremy, was next to her own in the stands. It was only appropriate the two friends finished this together.
Elena was going to medical school. She decided she would follow in her father's footsteps. She teased that her vampire blood was going to revolutionize medicine, plus there was a blood bag supply at the ready. She was considering going into the research side to see if she could figure out the healing properties of vampire blood. First she was going to spend the summer with Jeremy and then move to Charlottesville for more school. Having Alaric back made leaving Jeremy behind a lot easier although he himself was almost finished with the graphic design two-year degree he was pursuing.
"Caroline, sit down. You're not in charge of this," Elena teased, watching Caroline pace back and forth.
"I should be."
Elena laughed, knowing it was probably true. No one could plan like Caroline who was currently looking at her watch and waiting for Klaus to get there.
"Caroline, you're making me dizzy," her mother pleaded with her.
"Sorry, Mom. I can't help it. Where are they?"
"You know they won't miss anything." She looked at her daughter who finally sat down next to her. "You also know it doesn't start for another three hours, right?"
Caroline rolled her eyes at their teasing, but she had a timeline in place and it was currently being messed with. This was the time for them to sit and relax before they had to leave to put their gowns on and line up. She couldn't 'sit and relax' without them being there.
She looked around the room, amazed at how empty and huge it looked. She'd already brought 99% of her stuff back to her mother's house before she made the move to New Orleans. Elena had done the same so it looked as empty as it did when they moved in.
She was done. All that was left was the ceremony and the best part, walking across the stage as her name was called to accept her diploma.
Right when she was about to start pacing again, Klaus raced through the door, knowing she'd be concerned with their ten minute late arrival. The rest of the group piled in after him, making the previously empty room feel crowded.
He hugged her close and give her a quick kiss, not releasing her.
"Hello, sweetheart. Blame your best friend," Klaus snitched.
While keeping a hold of Klaus, she looked over his shoulder.
"Stefan, what did you do?"
Stefan smiled. "He meant your other best friend."
"Rebekah, what did you do?"
"Not me, you twit." She smiled to soften the blow.
"Elijah!"
"I apologize deeply, Caroline. I had to select a different tie at the last moment. Klaus stole mine," he breezily replied.
She leaned back from Klaus to get a good look at him. He looked very sharp in his black suit and red tie.
"Good choice, Nik." She approved, stroking her hand down the tie.
Stefan and Rebekah rolled their eyes.
She stepped out of Klaus' arms to greet them properly. Stefan, Rebekah, even Genevieve, and then Elijah.
"Bring it in," she said to Elijah holding her arms out. She never got over making him feel uncomfortable with her affectionate ways. He gave her a brief hug before quickly stepping away.
Returning to Klaus' side, she watched as everyone mingled with Elena and her mom. Soon enough, Alaric and Jeremy joined the group creating a party atmosphere.
"Have I told you how proud I am of you today, sweetheart?" he whispered seriously, looking deep into her eyes. "I couldn't be more proud."
Tears welled up. Whenever he told her he was proud of her, her heart swelled.
She nodded, not able to speak. All of her emotions were all over the place already.
"Don't cry. This is a good day. You look gorgeous."
She gave him a big smile and agreed. She did look good. She bought one of those Herve Leger bandage dresses. It cost a lot, but it was worth it. She looked sensational. The bright blue color made her eyes pop even more. Her hair had grown out and it flowed in delicate waves over her shoulders.
"It's too bad an ugly gown will be covering it up. I know."
He grinned at her agreement that yes, she did look great.
Their driver brought up champagne and some blood bags to celebrate the happy occasion. Alaric seemed to take a special interest in Genevieve, Caroline noticed. They did have a few things in common. Both came back from the dead. Alaric was a history professor and Genevieve was born around the turn of the century. They had a lot to talk about.
"Want to go give the girls one last thrill?" she teased.
"Why not?" he agreed smugly.
She laughed and grabbed his hand to walk him through the dorm one last time. They took about a million pictures with all of the seniors who were there. Caroline smiled to herself when she realized she would probably be cropped out of a lot of them. There were even a couple of guys who wanted pictures, but Klaus made sure to keep Caroline on one side and the guy on his other side. Some things never changed.
Klaus was sweet and asked all of the right questions about their future plans and wished them well. He did get a peeved look on his face when he overheard one of the girls ask Caroline about the two other guys she had seen go into Caroline's room, describing Elijah and Stefan. She sadly reported both were taken, but agreed they were good guys.
"You're still their favorite," she whispered when she returned to him as they made their way back to her room.
"As I should be." He straightened his shoulders.
After an hour, Caroline and Elena left to join their classmates for the ceremony.
Klaus was pleased with the seats. They were in the first section behind the students. He parked himself on the aisle and made everyone awkwardly climb over him to get through. He was not moving from that spot. Sheriff Forbes was in the seat next to him, wanting to see her baby graduate college. Elijah was next in line, in charge of taking photographs and then the rest of the group filled out the row.
He wanted to look at his watch within the first twenty minutes. He saw the program and realized it would be a while before all the speeches were over. He tried to remind himself that this was one of those days he'd remember forever and accepted that time was moving slowly.
He heard a yawn come from young Jeremy Gilbert and he shot him a death glare that had Jeremy sitting up straight, looking much more alert.
"Can we leave after Elena?" Liz Forbes whispered to him.
He turned to her, surprised.
"You read my mind, but I don't think Caroline would let us. Somehow she'd know."
"You're right. It's just so many people."
He nodded in commiseration. He never thought he'd see the day where Liz was so at ease with him, but over two years of being with Caroline had eased a lot of her fears. He wouldn't put it past her to shoot him if he gave anyone a funny look though. She'd also made a few trips now down to New Orleans and was pleased with what she saw. Caroline teased that she would be moving in with them as she got older. Well, he thought she was teasing. She wasn't.
He reached over to hit Elijah on the leg when they started to give out diplomas, making sure he got the camera ready. By the time they started on the names starting with "E", Klaus literally picked Elijah up and moved him into the center aisle, against all the rules, to be in position to get a million pictures of Caroline. Stefan, Rebekah, and everyone else had their phones out also. Klaus didn't want to experience this through a screen though. Neither did Liz and he promised to send her a copy of every video and photo taken.
He saw Caroline at the edge of the stage. He was a mixture of nervous and incredibly proud. He had a feeling she felt the same way. She could get hundreds of degrees, but this was the first time with her friends and family all there. He admired her so much.
Every time she took another step as each name was called, the butterflies in his stomach grew more and more active.
"Does anyone else feel sick?" he called.
He got about five cameras zooming in on him for that. He rolled his eyes and pointed at the stage.
When she was one person away, he moved to let Liz stand on his other side. While Klaus may see Caroline graduate more times in the future, Liz may not. This was her child.
"Caroline Renee Forbes."
They all stood up as her name was called and she elegantly made her way to obtain her diploma and a handshake from the college president.
They yelled, clapped, and made as much noise as possible.
As she crossed the stage, reminding herself to take slow, even steps, and to not even think about falling on her face, she heard them out there making as much noise, if not more, than anyone else had gotten. She loved them so much.
Stepping off the stage, she returned to her seat with a sigh of relief. It was over. They had to finish the names, include Elena's, and pretty soon they'd be flinging their caps into the air. They were warned not to do it, but she was so doing it.
The applause for Elena was a little quieter than for herself, but it was still raucous. Caroline herself made sure to be loud for her friend.
Catching Elena's eye with a smile when it was time, they nodded and threw their caps into the air and cheered. It was all over.
Klaus was hosting a party back at the Mikaelson mansion in Mystic Falls. He'd made arrangements with a local caterer weeks ago so all he had to do was show up. Rebekah also was really helpful, especially in assisting Klaus with his graduation gift for Caroline.
"What, no band this time?" She leaned into his shoulder, reminding him of the time he threw a better party than she did in Tyler's backyard, complete with a band.
"There's a karaoke machine in the living room. You can sing if you feel the need, love." He looked down at her. "You know I love when you dedicate songs to me."
"It looks amazing. Thank you for this."
Slipping an arm around his waist, she surveyed the crowd in the backyard. The weather was perfect. It was a comfortable summer night. Paper lanterns were set up in the trees, giving it a dreamy setting. A small dance floor was set up in one corner with a DJ. There were tables covered in refreshments and it was absolutely packed. It was a combined party for Elena as well and they invited everyone they knew from both Whitmore and the kids they went to high school with. It was great to see everyone having a good time.
"Is that Alaric making out with Genevieve in the corner there?" she pointed out to him.
"I believe so."
They walked hand in hand to the side yard where it was quieter. They sat on a bench and she tucked her head into his shoulder. He'd taken off his jacket and tie, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt.
"I can't believe it's been four years since I graduated high school. Today was a lot less stressful. No one tried to kill me," she said with a smile. "I'll never forget that day either. You came for me."
"I'll always come for you, Caroline."
She kept hold of his hand, but she backed up to see him, sitting up straight.
"By inviting me, you opened a tiny door to your heart. You probably didn't realize it at the time. I told you I would be your last love that day. Do you remember?"
She nodded, tears once again filling her eyes. He captured a few which escaped and rubbed them away.
"I thought about what you said every day afterwards, even before I saw you again," she admitted.
"I will be your last love." He kissed the hand holding his own. "I love you, Caroline."
He moved his lips to hers and kissed her, tasting the tears on his lips.
She mumbled, "I love you, too," against his lips.
"Hey, no crying."
She sniffled.
"Stop saying sweet things to me and I'll stop crying." She smiled to let him know she wasn't serious. She never wanted him to stop. "These are all happy tears. I'm giving my waterproof mascara a real test."
She stood up, kicked off her shoes, and started to walk to where everyone was. This was her party and she wanted to enjoy all of it.
"Let's see some of those dance moves, Mikaelson. You know what they say about good dancers?"
"What's that?"
"They get lucky," she called over her shoulder, laughing when he picked her up to race to the dance floor.
The rest of the party was a complete blast. Everyone had a great time. Caroline was pleasantly tipsy from all the champagne she had. She got to see Elijah's hilarious dance moves again, but he mostly kept it to slow dances with her mom, Rebekah, and Genevieve. Stefan had enough to drink to show Rebekah some of his own moves. He was especially good at the Electric Slide, surprising everyone. Seeing her mom slow dance with Klaus made her smile. Elena got into one of their makeshift dance circles and showed them how it was done!
As the crowd began to disperse, it was only the close friends who stuck around, with Elena, Jeremy, and Alaric eventually leaving. She gave Elena a tight hug. They had somewhat drifted from where they had been, but she was ok with it. That's what happened in life. She would always love Elena. They had their own paths though now. Caroline also spotted Alaric and Genevieve exchanging numbers.
"Time for gifts!" Caroline cheered and everyone smiled with her. They knew this was coming and were waiting for her to explode from excitement.
She made out really well. Liz gave her of her own mother's necklaces Caroline had always admired. Genevieve gave her a hair clip from the 1920s she knew Caroline would appreciate and she did. Rebekah and Stefan gave her a gift certificate to one of the trendy shops in New Orleans to help furnish her new apartment. Elijah gave her a first edition book of children's stories he suggested she use for her children's theater program.
Finally, it was down to Klaus. She wiggled her fingers at him, waiting for him to hand it over. Whatever it was. He grinned at her excited face. He pulled an envelope from his pants pocket.
She snatched it from him and ripped open the envelope.
"Plane tickets…to…MADRID!" she squeaked and threw her arms around his neck. "Yes!"
They laughed at her joyful enthusiasm.
"We're leaving tomorrow."
"What?" She wouldn't be ready to leave the next day.
"I did all of your packing for you, Caroline." Rebekah added, easing the biggest of her concerns.
"Thank you, Rebekah," Klaus added and Caroline gave her another hug.
"Thank you so much, guys. It means so much that you're all here for me. I love you all so much."
"Forbes, no more crying. More drinking," Stefan cheered.
"I didn't cry that time, Stefan…surprisingly, but I agree. One last drink. I need my beauty sleep though. I don't know if you guys heard, but I'm going to Europe tomorrow."
Two weeks later, Caroline and Klaus were enjoying their last day in Madrid. They would go to Mystic Falls in the morning to get her stuff and were then on to New Orleans.
They had spent their time exploring the city and falling in love with it. They ate amazing food and drank amazing wine. She would never look at tapas in the same way. He introduced her to the Rioja. They enjoyed siestas to get out of the sweltering heat and lingered over three hour dinners, talking about anything and everything. Caroline marveled at the wide streets and the gorgeous architecture. Klaus loved the authentic residents and the incredible artwork.
Caroline was incredibly beautiful in a white sundress. She looked like a cosmopolitan woman of the world as they walked for the last time to the Prado. Stopping her outside where the grass was incredibly green and the sky was incredibly blue, he just knew this was the time. This was the place.
"Hey, aren't we going in? Don't you want one last look?" she asked as he came to a stop.
Setting her right where he wanted her in an open spot, he reached into his pocket and got down on one knee, capturing one of her hands in his own.
"Klaus?" Her eyes widened at him and her other hand covered her mouth.
"Caroline Renee Forbes, I love you. I didn't know what love was until I met you. You brought the light to my darkness. You made my eternal life worth living. I told you a long time ago my heart was yours. It will always be yours. You're my last love. Please continue to make me the happiest man on earth."
He reached to open the ring box and she swiped the tears from her face.
"Caroline, will you marry me?"
She nodded. Her breathing was labored as she tried to calm down enough to speak.
"Yes, Klaus. Yes, I'll marry you. YES!"
She threw her arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him, holding on when he stood up. She whispered "yes" over and over between kisses, not imaging a moment where she could ever be as blissfully happy as she was just then.
"I love you so much, Klaus. So much," she cried into his neck.
She didn't realize at first that they had attracted a crowd who was cheering, but who didn't love a public engagement, especially one as beautiful as that one, she thought. She smiled sheepishly as she wiped away her tears.
"Do you want to see your ring?" he teased, knowing she hadn't noticed it at all.
"Yes, please," she smugly replied and she gasped when she saw the diamond. It was classic and elegant. It was perfect. It wasn't too large where she would be worried about attracting the wrong kind of attention, but still extravagant. If it was from Klaus, she knew it was flawless.
She wiggled her left hand at him, wanting him to put the ring on. First he kissed the spot where it would go and then he slipped the ring on her finger. It fit exactly. She hugged him again and admired the ring over his shoulder.
"Oh, Klaus. It's perfect. This was perfect. Thank you."
Across the street was a park where they found a bench to sit on and linger in the moment.
"Do you want to know why I picked today…here?"
She nodded for him to continue.
"I was thinking about doing it when you graduated, but that was your day, about you. I didn't want to take any attention away from your accomplishment. I think being here, away from home, represents one of the first things I noticed we had in common, our need to be part of the world. I couldn't think of a better way to start the next step of our life together than while we fell in love with a new place and each other all over again."
She squeezed his hands tucked in her lap.
"I know you better than anyone, Caroline, and I know you'll want a huge wedding with everyone you've ever known invited. If you want to invite your second grade teacher, you'll have to do it sooner rather than later. In a few years, people will notice you'll never change from your beautiful self."
He did know her better than anyone. She did want a huge wedding and if she wanted the people she grew up with in Mystic Falls to be able to attend, she couldn't wait a hundred years. Having her mother there was the only guest who really mattered though of course.
"Two years," she agreed. "We'll get married in two years, in Mystic Falls."
She smiled and he grinned, dimples peeking out of his cheeks. She cupped his cheek in her hand, rubbing her thumb along his stubble.
"I'll tell them I take really good care of my skin," she teased. "I'll get two years of living in my own place and it will probably take that long for me to plan the perfect wedding."
She wasn't fooling him. She knew what kind of wedding she wanted.
"Don't start the planning today, sweetheart. Let's celebrate our engagement and when we get home you can get started."
"An engagement party," she mused aloud and then shook her head. "You're right. I'm going to enjoy today…and text Rebekah later to start getting an engagement party planned."
"Hey fiancé, want to go celebrate our engagement with an extra long siesta?"
"You read my mind, Mrs. Mikaelson to be."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Extra long to celebrate reaching Chapter 25.
I cried writing this one too, just a little. I admit it. Happy tears though!
I'm not sure what Caroline's middle name is so I picked Candice's.
What did you guys think?