Hey guys :)

I'll keep this short since I know I've been keeping y'all waiting for over a week!

This chapter was solely inspired by The Scripts If You Could See Me Now.

Enjoy and please review - it'd mean a lot! :)

If You Could See Me Now

This time last month, I'd never thought I'd be here.

If someone pulled me aside and told me that in four weeks, my entire life would flip around three-hundred-and-sixty-degrees and that I'd be back here in my hometown, getting ready for graduation, preparing my valedictorian speech and listening to my Mom as she wished me well, I wouldn't have believed it for a second.

I'd have laughed at your face. And who knows, maybe go on another murderous rampage. I did have no emotion after all.

Truth is, six months ago, I was lost. I had no sense of direction. I had no drive. I'd lost everything. I went off the rails. I lost myself.

And by some miracle, I was here now. I had somehow made it to the other end. I had finally found myself.

And Mom was here.

And I couldn't help but owe it all to him. To Klaus. If it hadn't been for him, I don't know what would have become of me.

This was my second chance.

I reflected back to the earlier conversation with Mom. It still felt surreal. Up until the moment when she vanished into thin air again. I knew it wouldn't be long until she disappeared – she was a ghost after all, but I was already getting used to her company, getting used to not feeling lonely again. I cried when I couldn't see her anymore but eventually managed to brush the tears away and prepare for the graduation services.

It was bittersweet. It felt like it was another ending; saying goodbye to Mom, to school, to my old life.

Yet, it didn't effect me in a bad way. I welcomed the new chapter I was about to step into. The feeling that crept into me after Klaus left only grew stronger in me but I didn't quite know what it was or why I felt it.

Funny thing was, talking to her made me make sense of it all, she shone light onto the parts of me that I was still unsure about. She helped me make up my mind, just like old times.

"What should I do Mom?" I finally asked, shaking slightly. My question was vague but she knew what I meant, who I was referring to.

She gave me a faint smile. "I can't tell you what to do Care. Only you know what you have to do. And only you can make the decision of whether it's the right or wrong thing to do."

I broke my glance. "What if I make the wrong decision?"

Mom closed her eyes, her lips widening as she smoothed my hair.

"Life is full of taking chances Care. Full of making mistakes and learning from them. And luckily for you, there's no shortage of time. So make the wrong decisions whilst you can, do what you think is right. And if it turns out to be wrong, then at least you can learn from it and you never know; what you think is wrong might turn out to be right in the end.".

"But I'm scared" I whispered.

"You don't need to be sweetie, everything will be okay". She reassured and I wanted to believe her, I really did.

"What if" I began, fighting the lump in my throat. "What if I make a huge mistake? What if it's such a huge mistake that I can't go back and correct it? What if I've lost my chance?" I was no longer referring to a broad aspect, I was referring to Klaus. And Mom knew it. She gave me a gentle smile, cupping my face.

"Do you really think you have?" she asked and I let her question sink in. I dropped my head, taking a breath and trying to answer her.

"I don't know. Maybe" I answered quietly.

"You made the decision that you did because you thought it was what was right to do. Does it still feel right?" she asked and I looked up to her.

"I don't know".

Mom matted her lips together before sitting back on the edge of my bed. She took a deep breath.

"Do you miss him?" she asked.

"Every waking moment"

"Do you still love him?" Ofcourse.

"More everyday".

Her smile grew more. "Do you think your feelings for him would change over time?"

"I don't think I'd ever stop loving him, Mom." I moved next to her and sat down.

She wrapped her arm around me, pulling in closer as she kissed my forehead. "Then I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just listen to your heart Caroline, and do what it tells you to."

I thought about her words for a short while.

"So, you think I haven't made a huge mistake in letting him go?"

"You haven't let him go Caroline. You haven't lost him. You've only been strong enough to let him see that there are a few things he has to do first before you can both get your happy ending. The one you both deserve."

"Then why does a part of me feel like it's died?" I shifted. "I mean, a part of me feels really alive, as if I've been reawakened from a long nightmare or something, yet another part feels as though it's been torn apart".

"Which part feels stronger? The good part or the bad part?"

"At the moment, they're playing a tug of war" I choked and Mom laughed lightly.

And then her face turned serious again. "Just follow your heart."

"I miss you Mom." I saw a glint in her eyes and suddenly, my heart caved. "And Dad. I really wish you were both here."

"We are, in a way. We're both looking down on you. And we're proud. Don't ever forget that."

I took a deep breath, holing back the tears.

"You'll make the right decision Care, I know you will. It's never too late to go back and change something. If you truly believe that whatever it was can be salvaged, that it's worth fighting for? Then there's always time. But don't forget to take the opportunities that lie before you. You might have eternity Caroline, but sometimes the opportunities in front of you don't last so long." She paused, pushing away a few strand of my hair. " Everything happens for a reason. The wrongs, the mistakes, the bad decisions, they all happen for a reason. But in the end, everything will make sense".

I sighed, "I hope so".

I could feel her smile as she pulled me tighter.

"I love you, Care. Don't you ever forget that".

"I love you too" I whispered back as I hugged her back.

"Good luck today" she half-whispered. I couldn't help but be filled with sadness when my hopes of her being there in the crowd vanquished. I'd hoped she'd stay long enough to watch me graduate. But I sensed she wouldn't be.

We sat there in each others embrace for a moment longer when I felt tears roll down onto my shoulder. And as I moved back, suddenly I lost touch and my hands fell limply in the middle of the air.

Mom was gone.

Just like that, in an instant, like a grain of salt, she just filtered through the air and vanished. Again. Forever.

And even though her loss reopened the wound in my heart, something felt clearer. My mind didn't feel as hazy. I felt like I knew what I had to do.

Bonnie was still missing since morning so I headed for school in a heartbeat as soon as I cleaned myself up. Pulling into the car park, I headed for the small gathering crowds scattered all over the yards, all dressed top-to-toe in graduation caps and gowns.

I spotted the group I was after and bee-lined for them. I took a deep breath as I approached them, my stomach filled with nerves.

"Elena" I called.

Elena turned; her eyes wide as she broke a taken aback, heartfelt smile. "Caroline, hey." She looked like she was afraid of me, afraid of what I was about to say, afraid that I would reject her. And I couldn't deny it. The fear and regret in her eyes sent a pang of guilt inside of me. Guilt and longing.

Mom was right, even though I had eternity, it was still too short to live without making amends. Without taking the opportunities now.

I bit my lip, ignoring Stefan and Matt's cautious glance as I stepped closer. "I want you to know something" I began, trying to find out what it was that I wanted to say. And whether it felt right or whether it felt like I was making a big mistake.

But then something clicked in my head. It didn't matter what I thought or felt. What mattered was whether it was right or wrong entirely.

"What is it?" Elena pressed. I heard her anxiousness in her voice.

I took a deep breath before releasing a whole new weight off my shoulders. There was no point in hiding what I was about to say, I just had to say it.

"I forgive you". I met her eyes and watched as they glistened to my words. My own eyes felt moist.

"Caroline" Elena breathed as a tear rolled down her cheeks. She looked overwhelmed with emotion. "I'm so sorry" she cried as she pulled me into a hug. And I didn't back away. Instead, I wrapped my own arms around her, tears escaping from my own eyes.

"Its okay" I cried, trying my best to return Stefan's solemn smile. I pulled away gently, and met Elena's grateful eyes as she was still crying.

"I saw my mom today" I brushed away my tears as both their eyes widened. "I got to say goodbye to her. I don't know how or why she was here. I don't know if Bonnie did a spell or something. But I saw her."

I saw the hurt in Elena's eyes and for the first time, I felt like I had to console her. To tell her that it was okay, that she didn't need to feel guilty anymore.

"And we talked. It was good seeing her. It meant a lot for me to see her one final time, to finally be able to say goodbye, like I wanted to. And it made me realize that there was no point in hating you for what you did Elena. I mean, what good would it do?" I tried to laugh. "It wouldn't bring her back." I glanced down at my palms, fiddling around with them. "The truth is, I've lost far too many people in my life already." I glanced up, looking from Matt to Stefan to Elena and smiled.. "And I can't afford to lose anymore" a tear escaped as Elena stepped forward and embraced me again.

"I'm so, so sorry Care".

I pulled my head to her shoulders as the tears unfolded. I tried to blink them away, glancing ahead. And that's when I saw her again. Mom.

She was standing a few feet away, behind in the midst of people. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she brushed them away. And I couldn't help but return her gleaming smile. She looked happy. She looked proud. And that's all I wanted. It was enough. I wanted her to be proud of me.

And I was content with that. Enough that when she disappeared again in the blink of an eye, I wasn't sad. No, I was happy.

She hadn't told me to forgive Elena, I hadn't even thought about forgiving Elena before now – the thought never crossed my mind. But I knew that I couldn't go on with that burden of pushing away someone who I'd known all my life. Someone who had made a mistake. Someone who deserved a second chance. Hadn't I been in her situation a month ago? Wasn't I recklessly killing innocent people? How hypocritical of me if I couldn't see past her mistakes that were identical mine.

I pulled away from Elena and brushed away the last of my tears for now. I wasn't ready for another full blown crying-fest. Not now anyway.

"We should get going." I smiled at Elena and saw a new faint glimmer of happiness in her. I could see that forgiving her allowed her to let go of some of the guilt and grief that she had. "I need to rehearse this Valedictorian speech before I make a fool out of myself" I tried to joke and Stefan gave me an encouraging smile. I saw the same look of admiration in him as I did in Mom.

"You'll do great care" Elena encouraged.

"Where's Bonnie?" I asked, glancing around.

"She'll be here, soon." Matt assured. I smiled at him; it had been a while since I saw him.

As soon as Bonnie said her final goodbye's to her grams and finished the closing spell, she was heading home. The graduation ceremony started in less than an hour and she was going to be late. But she had just one more thing to do before she could graduate.

She dialled Klaus as she stopped at the traffic lights.

It dialled endlessly and Bonnie was surprised. She thought he'd answer immediately.

But she didn't have time to ponder about it and so instead, as soon as she heard the tone, she left a message.

"Klaus, it's me. Call me as soon as you get this. I think I've found a loophole. I managed to get my Grams to help me and she said that this witch, the one that said that she had foreseen Hayley's future. Well, it turns out it was a lie. Witches don't have that ability. She couldn't have seen that Hayley was pregnant. Now I know that doesn't completely rule out if Hayley's pregnant. But why would they lie? Why would they make it up if it was already true and she was pregnant? What would be the point and saying that the witch foresaw it?"

Bonnie pulled up to her drive and as she was about to turn the ignition of, she saw a figure waiting for her.

"I have to go. Just call me when you get this Klaus. We can end this."

She snapped her phone shut and crawled out of her car.

"What are you doing here?" Bonnie's voice was soft.

I stood nervously as the claps faltered and my eyes anxiously glanced over the entire student body.

"Thank you" I half whispered into the mike as the last of the claps dispersed.

"Well, here we are." I cooed boisterously as every cheered. "About to spread our wings and fly. After spending the last eighteen years of our lives learning how to do that, we're finally set free to actually do it! Society actually believe's that we're now old enough to make our own choices and decisions that will lead our future. They actually trust us! Oh boy!" I joked as laughs and cheers erupted. I continued.

"Anyway," I glanced back down at my notes. And suddenly, I didn't feel like I wanted to follow them. I looked back into the crowd. I wondered back to Mom and Dad. If only they could see me now. See how far I had come. How my life had abruptly changed over the last year. How only last week, I never thought I'd be here right now.

"You probably expect to hear words of wisdom and phrases that don't surprise you but encourage you and applaud you for your hard work over the past years. But guess what, I'm not here for that. I'm here to tell you that what's next isn't easy. It's not like taking an SAT or preparing for the cheerleading championships. What's next is a vital part of our lives. It's where we get to try things out and just go for the opportunities that are in front of us. This isn't the time for holding back.

This is the time to make mistakes. To make abrupt choices, ones that we aren't so sure about, this is the time to take a chance on something." On someone, I added mentally. "Whether it's that internship in the next county or the job offer or the college you're scared to attend. You never know, all those nerves, everything inside of you that's scared to make that leap and go off on your own, they might actually be pushing you to go for something that you subconsciously really want".

And as I said the words, I realized how true they were. And I suddenly realized what that feeling was, what that feeling meant. The one that began right after Klaus left. The one that awoke my heart and made me feel alive. The one that lifted a whole weight off my shoulders. The one that pushed a smaller part of me in the dark. The one that made me feel things I'd never felt before. The one that kept me going on to this point. The one that held me here, standing in front of everyone.

I glanced across the faces, taking in everyone's emotions. My eyes paused on my friends. On Elena, on Stefan, on Matt – even Rebekah. And Bonnie.

And then I don't know if I imagined it or not but my eyes paused at Mom. And then on Dad, he stood behind her. Both their faces held smiles.

And then I knew I was imagining it.

I had to be.

Because Klaus stood a few paces behind them. His eyes glistened in the sunlight and his prominent smile nearly beckoned me to my knees.

All of a sudden, I felt it.

I felt that feeling of me inside, the one that I had just discovered. It throbbed. It pained. It pushed me over the edge and nearly had me running to the crowd, to where he was standing. The craving inside to feel his touch, to look into those eyes was empowering. And I only just figured out that all this time, the past week, the emotions that ran through me, they were working up to this moment. They symbolised this moment. The moment where I wasn't blind anymore. The moment where I finally realized what I had to do.

I blinked and they were gone.

And then the throbbing began ten times worse. I scanned through the crowd looking for him, looking for those piercing eyes that held mine, the ones that made me feel alive. And the shocking realization came to me; what if I'd never see them again?

I understood what people meant when they said that you wouldn't know real love unless you'd loved then lost it. And I knew I'd lost it.

But then Mom's earlier words resonated in my ear.

But don't forget to take the opportunities that lie before you. You might have eternity Caroline, but sometimes the opportunities in front of you don't last so long.

She was right.

I thought I was doing the right thing, sending him away like that, and maybe I was. But I was in denial for thinking that I could cope. That I could live without him. That I could go on the long days without thinking of him or missing his presence. Now, I was finally able to admit how wrong I was. I was lost without him. I thought I was dealing with it, that I was becoming a better person without him. But in actual fact, all those feelings built up to what I was feeling right now, this sense of longing something so bad, so much that you find it hard to breathe.

This couldn't be it. I knew what I had to do to make it right. I knew it to the pit of my stomach and I was ready to do it, ready to take that step and make that decision without looking back. I was ready.

Take a chance on me, Klaus had said that night when we were sat outside of the grill. And I was finally ready to.

I didn't know what I had babbled on for the last few minutes but I felt an aching urge to run.

"Take a chance. Make a change. Do what you want. Because you only get the one chance in life to make it everything you want it to be and more. You just gotta believe in yourself. And you're nearly half way. You've made it this far and you can go all the way." I smiled back at everyone as a new wave of happiness filtered through me. "So class of 2013, it gives me great pleasure to say this. We made it!"

"Congratulations, we survived high school so go make your make on the world – what are you waiting for!"

Before I could finish, a string of screams, shrieks and hoots all of encouragement and excitement fleeted through as every jumped, clapped and hugged anyone and everyone. Hats were tossed into the air as everyone took in the joyous mood. I couldn't help but smile as I headed back down. I hoped to make a subtle exit but after making amends with Elena and everything nearly back to normal, I knew I couldn't leave yet.

I was about to head to for Elena and Stefan when I heard my name.

I turned to see Bonnie.

"Bonnie, where have you been, you missed the entire ceremony."

I watched as Bonnie's eyes suddenly focused intently on mine.

"I've been busy" she said quietly. She looked relieved for some reason but happy.

"Doing what?" I laughed.

She dropped her head as she pulled something out of her bag.

"Here, take this" she handed me a long paper envelope.

I narrowed my eyes as I took the envelope. "What is it? Graduation present? You know you could've waited."

"Just open it" I glanced from Bonnie to the envelope.

After the hesitation wore off, I turned the envelope over and tore it open.

And then I stood, unblinking.

A plane ticket.

"You're going to New Orleans" Bonnie said with a smile.

And my lips couldn't fight the smile that was growing on my lips.

Thank you SO much for reading!

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