Mahalo Hawai'i - one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the privilege of visiting! :)
Another very big thanks to the guest reviewers - Tricia, Dillan, Bekki, Nikki, Anahita20, Marie and the Anons! XXX
Now that they have destroyed the Other Side and defeated their enemies, it's time for a little more fluff for Klaus and Caroline, don't you think? ;) Today's is the next-to-last chapter, there's just the epilogue left now... but there will be a little treat in there, too... so please do enjoy.
THANK YOU EVERYONE, you all rock! :)
XX
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
MAHALO
Right before she hit the water, Caroline squealed with delight.
For the first time – at least on this plane – she had dared to jump a real height. The waterfall, part of Maui's famous Ohe'o Gulch, thundered over ragged rocks, cascading into a large, rock-framed pool of warm water about fifty feet below. She emerged from the depths of tha basin and laughed out loud, her heart almost bursting with joy at watching Klaus standing at the top of the falls, gazing down at her. She let herself float, looking up and waiting for him to jump. But he just stood there, a happy, dimpled smile on his face. The face that became more devastatingly beautiful to her every single day.
"Chicken?" she asked quietly, knowing he could hear her perfectly well even over the thunderous water.
"Maybe. What do I get if I jump?" he asked, and Caroline smirked at the reminder of their conversation on the way to the Perito Moreno.
Silently, she kept her eyes on him as she unfastened her sapphire blue bikini top and floated on her back again, letting her bare breasts emerge from the water ever so slightly. He crossed his arms, but she could clearly see the sparkle in his eyes.
"Not nearly good enough."
Biting down a grin, she let one hand slip underneath her matching blue thong. Her breath caught when she saw his eyes widen infinitesimally at the motions of her hand. And she could have sworn that his trunks were becoming just a little bit too tight. Still not enough? In a flash, she had rid herself of the thong and exposed her naked body to him, running her hands over her skin and gazing up at him longingly, sighing with relief when she saw him step forward to the edge. The butterflies went into a hysterical round of Hula at what he said next.
"You know I adore your body beyond words, my angel," he murmured hoarsely, "but what truly brings me to my knees is the look in your eyes."
Sigh.
She should have expected him to not merely jump. It reminded her of a high-diving competition she had once watched on TV. He did a couple of somersaults and a twist before he elegantly dove into the water next to her. An instant later, she was pulled underneath the waterfall and his lips hungrily covered hers while she made quick work of the single piece of clothing that was still in their way. God, how she loved his naked body! Her hands wandered all over his skin, just as his were exploring her.
All of a sudden, she heard voices in the distance.
"Niklaus, stop, there are people coming," she hissed, trying to push away his hand, but he just silently pulled her behind the waterfall. There was a small space between the cascade and the lava rocks, and Caroline even spotted a little cave. Klaus' back was resting against the craggy wall, and his hands were on her butt, slowly drawing her towards him. Caroline turned around nervously to look for the humans that were just about to arrive when he entered her without a warning. Her head flashed back around, and a low moan escaped her. Damn, this feels incredible… go away, humans, please!
The hikers had reached the natural pool by now, but they could thankfully not see through the waterfall. Caroline prayed that they wouldn't want to swim, for there was no way she would be able to put a stop to what her man had just started. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she held on to his neck and let her head fall back as Klaus took her. Slowly, gently at first, but gradually increasing his pace. She felt his hard, massive cock glide in and out of her again and again, making her shudder with pleasure while she attempted to strangle the moans and gasps that threatened to escape her. Then again, if she was to be perfectly honest with herself, she no longer cared about the humans at the edge of the pool. An actual little thrill ran through her at the thought of getting caught, but it was quickly replaced by the much greater thrill of Klaus' subdued groan that made every fiber of her body tingle.
"Faster," she whispered right at his ear, feeling a tremor rock his divine body, "and really, really hard, Niklaus, please!"
In a flash, he had them out of the water, and Caroline found herself with her back against the cave wall while he entered her again, wrapping one of her legs around his hip. His hands were flat on the rock next to her head, and he looked her in the eyes before he pulled out and lingered for a second. Then he slammed her hard against the wall with his brutal thrust, drowning her ecstatic scream with a deep, devouring kiss. One of his hands grabbed her butt and smashed her into him with each and every move of his hips while his lips left fiery traces on her throat. Caroline felt like fainting. It was heaven. Klaus buried his face in her shoulder as he continued to mercilessly pound into her. His voice was nothing but a ragged grumble.
"Ah… Caroline… fuck, yes! Come for me, my love. Now."
And there was nothing she could do but obey his command. The instant she exploded around him, his hand was at the back of her knee and lifted her leg as high as it went, heightening the intensity of her orgasm just another little bit. "Niklaus… I… I…," she stammered, not sure what exactly it was she wanted to say when she felt him tremble and sensed how he all but burst inside her. She was still climaxing when his thumb found her hot, throbbing clit.
"You will… come… with me… again," he choked out, and then there were no more words. Their mouths found each other, drowning out their sounds of sweet, rapturous ecstasy.
How can it be this ridiculously amazing every single time?
That night, they were sitting on the lanai of their suite at the Four Seasons Wailea. The sun had just set, and Caroline drank in the scented air, the soft sounds of music floating up from the pool bar and the sight of the subtly illuminated palm trees. From the very first second she had set foot on the island, she had been head over heels in love. The Cook Islands had been otherworldly, an unspoiled, remote piece of paradise, but Maui was different. The sights and sounds of nature were overwhelming, but the island was bustling with life, music and people. The ocean was alive and vivid, displaying an incredible array of shades of blue, and the air was fragrant, soft and lovely. Each and every day she silently thanked Klaus for having brought her here, and there were moments when she was secretly hoping she would never have to leave again. Oh God, how she wanted to stay!
When the storm had subsided, it had still taken them days to understand that they were finally free to move on with their lives. Davina had made contact with Anna when she had finally located her a few days after it was over, and the older witch had confirmed that the Other Side was nothing but a memory now. The transition had been hard, brutal and painful in a way she wasn't quite able to describe. It had apparently made everyone feel like they had been torn into pieces and put back together bit by bit. Anna and her son Anatol had found each other rather quickly when they had reached the Eternal Realm as they had both happened to choose the same sector, and she confirmed that what she had seen so far was indeed a place of peace and serenity. It was not that all hurtful thoughts and memories were erased, but pain and suffering were reduced to mere remembrances that no longer marred one's existence. Anna had sounded placid and calm in way Caroline had never heard her speak during her living days, and she was incredibly relieved that the witch had now found the peace she had long since craved. But she was almost as alleviated to hear that Anna had not lost her sharp tongue, so it seemed the Eternal Realm did not cloud your mind like some sort of otherwordly Valium. It just took the suffering away, and that sounded like a bearable way to spend one's eternity.
The day Elena, Rebekah and the Salvatores had returned to Mystic Falls, Caroline and Klaus had joined them as Caroline had wanted to see her Mom whom she hadn't been able to visit in a very long time. Some days later, she had told Klaus that she first wanted to travel to Ushuaia to see Jack, and then on to Poland. She had finally asked her mother about her provenance, and Liz had confirmed that Caroline's great-grandparents had indeed left a small village called Markushof – what was now Markusy – in East Prussia during the nineteen twenties to try their luck in America. After rummaging through some very old boxes in the basement, Liz had found a small pack of documents – birth certificates, a marriage confirmation and a few other papers, all of them in German. Caroline's heart had almost started beating again when she looked at the documents that told her where exactly it was that she came from. Her instincts – and Klaus – had been right, that day back in Poland! Her mother told her that her father's belongings, including all documents, had been given to his sister whom Caroline would need to call to find out more about the Scottish half of her ancestry.
Klaus had been relatively quiet throughout her conversations with her mother but one night, when they had just returned to the mansion, he had taken her hand.
"There is more than enough time for all of this, my darling girl," he had said, "but ahead of everything, I want something else for you. Namely palm trees, beaches, shopping and – dare I say it? – umbrella cocktails. You need a little break, and we have not had a honeymoon in almost a year. Any objections?"
Who in their right mind would have objected to that? So he had taken her to Maui, and their days had been filled with nothing but exploring, shopping, swimming, eating and drinking. And wonderful, delicious, neverending hours of lovemaking. For the first time ever since they had met, there were no worries, no looming enemies and no worlds to conquer, and it showed in both of them. They exuded happiness from their every pore, and even the employees of the Four Seasons who had definitely seen more than their share of happy honeymooners couldn't help but smile at them whenever they walked by.
She gazed at Klaus who was lounging in the chair next to her, looking more relaxed than she had ever seen him before. With a smile, she took her colourful cocktail and cast a dreamy look at the garden and the dark beach behind it. There were torches everywhere, illuminating the hotel grounds and the silhouettes of the palm trees. Caroline just loved the damn palm trees! Tomorrow they had planned to watch the sunrise from the top of the Haleakala, Maui's highest volcano, and Klaus had promised to take her to Molokini afterwards, the half-sunken crater he had shown her in the very first dream he had ever given her, back in Tromsø. Everything about the island and their stay was bright, full of colour and warm, and Caroline asked herself if there was any chance to just stop time right now and remain in this incredible state of bliss for the rest of eternity.
Without a warning, an unpleasant thought crossed her mind. She couldn't wait to see more, to travel the world and to discover something new every day, but Klaus… he had seen almost every corner of the planet at least once. Wouldn't he get bored? No more fighting, no plans to devise, just playing tourist day in, day out. What if one day he would grow to resent the decision he had made, the decision to leave New Orleans with its supernatural community, its problems, its small and large battles, to Kol? She had to find something to keep his mind occupied – she simply couldn't imagine that he would be content with this kind of life, not in the long run.
"Niklaus," she murmured, gripping her glass a little firmer, "can I ask you something?"
"The answer is yes," he smirked.
Raising an eyebrow, she scolded, "Can you at least wait until I ask the question?"
His face was the picture of astonishment when he replied. "Oh, you weren't going to ask me whether I believe a woman can own too many shoes?"
Caroline giggled and shook her head. "Come on, I didn't buy that many."
"Excuse me, my love, we have been here for all of nine days and you have already bought twenty-four pairs, not counting flip flops. And this is Maui, not Paris, Rome or London. Good grief, I will need to call Rebekah and Silv the minute we get near any serious shopping – I am most definitely not man enough for this!" He rolled his eyes and bit down a chuckle. Caroline knew how he loved to spoil her, and despite his constant moaning about her shopping frenzies, she never had the feeling that he truly minded.
"I don't recall any complaints when we went lingerie shopping, Mr. Mikaelson," she pointed out, pulling a salacious grin from him. He had been sitting outside the fitting room, and whenever she had tried something on, he had been almost inaudibly whispering what he was going to do to her when she wore that particular piece. It had turned her on like crazy, and she had caught herself standing in front of the mirror, eyes closed, running her hands over her body and conjuring the images he was describing. When they had left the shop, Caroline had silently held out her hand for the car keys and had driven them out of the small town of Lahaina, up a narrow, winding road towards the mountains until she had found a relatively remote and lonely spot. She had wasted no time or words, just flashing out of the car and hopping onto the hood. In less than one second, he had pushed her sundress over her hips and buried his face between her legs until she begged him to take her right there on the hood. He had turned her around, trapping her upper body on the car, and made her wild, ecstatic cries echo from the Western Maui Mountains.
Smiling at the exciting memory, she took a sip of her drink. "Look, Niklaus, I know you said that you were going to put down the sceptre for a while once everything was over, and believe me – I have never been as completely and utterly happy as I am now, with you, far from any dangers or problems. You make me fall asleep at night with nothing but happy thoughts about the next day I get to spend with you, and when I wake up in the morning, I need a second to remind myself that this is no dream and that our happiness is real, solid and hopefully everlasting."
"But?" he asked cautiously, although she could see how her words warmed him.
With a deep sigh, she bit her lip. "But even though I could just go on like this for years, I'm worried that it will not be enough for you in the long run. You're Niklaus Mikaelson, the most powerful being in the world, you're a fighter, a leader. How can you be truly satisfied with this?"
He was silent for a while before he rose and stepped to the edge of the lanai, leaning against a pillar, looking across the gardens and then up into the night sky. It was twinkling with stars, velvety and overwhelmingly beautiful. "The honest answer to your question is that I do not know, not long-term. What I do know, however, is that no battle, no intricate scheme, no rush of bloodlust has ever made me feel as fulfilled and whole as I am feeling right here, right now. You will remember that I told you I am not only doing this for you, I am also doing it for myself, and I have told you the truth. I need this time with you. There is nothing that could ever be even remotely as important to me as you are, my darling girl. I am yearning to show you the world, I am beyond curious to watch you develop your preferences and dislikes, discover more of your personality and find your own favourite spots on the planet. Although I do have the distinct feeling that this one will be quite on top of the list."
"But?" Caroline whispered, echoing his earlier question.
"But I cannot tell you whether I can entirely renounce everything that I have been until now. Caroline, I am not talking about tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. I am speaking of several years. These years will be yours and mine, wholeheartedly and more than voluntarily, as it is what I truly want and need. Maybe they span into decades or even centuries as I, too, require some time. Time to discover a life without the constant search for something – for a way to put down Mikael, a way to make Hybrids, a way to establish a kingdom…" He turned around and looked at her intently before he sighed and closed his eyes.
Her heart went out to him. He was a thousand years old, he had seen everything, and now here he was, nervous about what to do with his life and where to go from here. Not so long ago, she would have interpreted his words differently. She would have been afraid of not sufficing, of not being enough for him. But if these past few months had taught her anything, it was that nothing mattered to him the way she did. They had lost each other twice, and they had both learned that they were so completely interwoven with one another that their lives depended on the other's wellbeing. And she wanted this. This love, so absolute and consuming, was what she had always longed for. It was a part of who she was now, and whatever else she discovered about herself in the future, her love for Klaus would always be her essence, more than anything else.
And yet, she wanted their lives to be busy and colourful. For Caroline herself it was very easy. It was about seeing, sensing, hearing, learning. There was so much to uncover, so much to understand that she was positive she would be able to fill entire centuries with her quest for knowledge and new impressions. Klaus knew what he liked and disliked, there was very little he had not seen, and therefore the lack of purpose, however misled this purpose might have been, would be leaving a gaping hole inside him. And that was something she could never allow, especially when she was feeling so whole, so totally and utterly complete herself.
Searches. Quests. He has always been searching for something. Remember the look in his eyes when he spoke about travelling to Pakistan and looking for cues on the warlock who created the Other Side. And when he forged the Original Grimoire. He loves that. He loves to use his intellect, to play mind games, to solve riddles.
Taking another sip of her cocktail, she looked at his silhouette for a long time. He was leaning against the terrace wall, staring into the night, a very remote resplendence of the garden torches on his beautiful face. Caroline's heart swelled, and the butterflies swirled happily inside her at the knowledge that this man, this incredibly strong, caring and still damaged man would forever be hers, and that he would always love her with every fiber of his being. She remembered how last night, he had had another nightmare of Henrik. They had become less frequent but they hadn't stopped, and his face had been as devastated as ever when he had turned to her and let her pull him into her arms, her hands soothingly stroking his back, protecting him from the darkness that still haunted him and probably always would.
There is something he needs. Two things, to be exact. I'll need to call Davina tomorrow about one of those things. The other will be a little easier.
"Tell me, Niklaus," she said softly, "apart from the guy who built the Other Side, what would you say are the greatest mysteries left in the world? The ones you really haven't found out about yet?"
Klaus turned towards her again and considered for a moment. "There are still quite a few. All right, let me see. The Bermuda Triangle, although I have a feeling that it has been cursed at some point. No proof, however. The Rongorongo inscriptions on Easter Island. The existence or non-existence of Atlantis during some point in time. Jack the Ripper, for I really have no clue whatsoever as to who has killed those prostitutes. I was not in England during the time. My first guess after meeting Stefan was that it might have been him during his worst ripper days, but he has always steadfastly negated his involvement. Okay, what else? There is Stonehenge. The Amber Room that disappeared during the last days of World War II, and it does admittedly annoy me not to know what happened to the bloody thing."
"What about the Loch Ness monster?" Caroline asked with a grin.
"Nope. Does not exist. I searched the entire lake twice. It was not there. Sorry to disappoint you," he chuckled.
She would never have admitted to it, but she was a little disappointed. "What else? JFK?"
Now his grin broadened. "My apologies, my sweet girl, for having to disappoint you again, but that one is solved as well. Still, I will let you read through everything, and you will try to find the solution to that puzzle yourself. All the necessary evidence can be found on the internet. But there are a few more mysteries floating around. The Tunguska explosion back in 1908. The whereabouts of Alexander the Great's tomb. That elusive little spark that brought life to Earth. Anti-matter. Dark matter. The provability of Einstein's theories, although this is a tough one, for let us face it, the man was way more intelligent than I am," he snickered, making Caroline roll her eyes. "Almost everything that happens in the universe intrigues me, but I will have to admit defeat there – I am rather certain that my intellect does not suffice to truly shed light on any of that."
"Why not? You have lived for a millennium, your mind knows how to think outside of the box, what with all the supernatural stuff you have seen so far…"
With a tender smile, he shook his head. "I appreciate your confidence in my mental capacities, my beautiful love, but in order to truly capture the workings of the universe, it takes a mind that is on a completely different level than mine, and I am not speaking about IQ. It is a combination of that and a very particular broadness of mind, you could call it fantasy. You need to be very, very open, your brain needs to be able to wrap itself around concepts that are normally too big for any mind to capture. Einstein had it, Galileo Galilei had it, Da Vinci had it, Newton had it, Stephen Hawking has it. I most definitely do not. I generally understand their writings, although I am admittedly struggling with some of Hawking's theories on quantum mechanics, but never in a hundred thousand years could I achieve this level of thinking." He looked up to the stars and gestured at the dark sky. "Just ponder the very basic questions we have about the universe, Caroline. Has it always existed? If yes, how is that possible? If not, what has been there before? And before that? And will it be there forever? It has been proven that the universe is expanding, so is there infinite space for it to continue to do so? Does it end? If so, what is behind it? Or beneath, above? Inside? How many more dimensions are there we have no idea about? How incredible must the distances be if the light of a dying star needs millions of years to reach us after the actual event has happened?"
Caroline's head was spinning when she started to think about his first question on whether the universe had always existed. And he was right. Her mind was simply not able to capture the idea of true infinity, be it in space or time. Whenever they had spoken about being together until all time ended, she had always automatically assumed that time would end at some point. Or rather, Earth would. Shaking her head, she held out her hand and he took it swiftly, lifting her off the lounge chair and sitting down on it himself, pulling her onto his lap and into his arms. I'll never, ever get tired of the way I feel when he holds me. Infinity be damned.
"Okay, let's just drop the universe discussion for now. I need more cocktails for that," she muttered, making him chuckle. "What I actually wanted to say is that I need you to be happy and fulfilled, Niklaus, and…"
"Apart from feeling exceedingly fulfilled after our little intermezzo earlier tonight, I am far more than merely happy, Caroline Mikaelson, and I believe you know that," he interrupted, pressing a soft kiss to her Signum.
Closing her eyes at the tender touch of his lips, she tried to focus again. "I know that you're happy to be with me. But don't you need a little more than that? You need to busy your mind, you need to have something to do. I understand that someday, you might go back to conquering the world, or parts of it, and even though I don't particularly like the idea, it's part of who you are and I will live with it. Until then, however, it can't be enough for you to just play the tour guide. So why don't we start with the mystery of who created the Other Side, then go on to finding out what is really going on in the Bermuda Triangle and so on. In between, you will probably have to rein in your younger brother from time to time. You will still show me the world, Mr. Mikaelson, as that was part of the deal. But I want you to be busy. Call it a hobby of sorts. You love all the riddle stuff, so how about we divide our time between seeing the world, supervising Kol and finding out if the Yeti really exists?"
Klaus was very quiet when she had finished, and she was getting a little nervous at his long silence. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against her shoulder. "I really, truly appreciate your idea, my Caroline. And once more, I am utterly speechless at how incredibly lucky I am that you love me the way you do. But do not think for a split second that I could ever be bored when I am with you. I have never seen the world the way you see it, and I marvel at everything new you discover as it makes me see what I thought I already knew in an entirely new light and in different colours. We will be travelling the world together, and I swear to you, my love, that this is exactly what I want right now. Mehrgarh has me intrigued, admittedly, and I look forward to finding out more on who created the Other Side. But you do not have to find an occupation for me. Do you remember what you said to me at the very beginning of our relationship? You told me not to try so hard, and that it would all come naturally. It did, did it not?"
She nodded, remembering the conversation. He had been so desperate to do the right thing by her, and she had never doubted that he would, even when he didn't try. Especially when he didn't try. Was it the same with her now?
"The one thing that there will never be a compromise on is our being together. I need you, Caroline, I need you desperately. All other matters are secondary. You are so very young, and my first and utmost priority is to give you all the time you want and require to find out what kind of life it is you want to lead. The beauty of being immortal is that you will not have to limit it to one choice. There are endless lifetimes ahead of you, my love, and I will always be at your side. Should we, at some point, want different things, we will compromise. Although I have difficulties imagining that this day could ever arrive."
"Niklaus," she whispered, "I know it is silly, especially after everything we have gone through, but will you promise me again that we will always, always be together?"
He slid off the chair, placing her on it, and knelt in front of her. Taking her hand, he placed it on his heart while covering it with his own. "You are my home, Caroline, as I am yours. Everything that I am, everything that I own belongs to you. I cannot live without you, I cannot even exist without you. And I swear to you that you and I will never be apart again. You will wake up every morning to find yourself in my arms, and you will fall asleep in my embrace every night."
Leaning forward, he kissed her lips with all the tenderness and the heartbreaking love he felt for her before he sat back to look her in the eyes. "With all that I have and all that I am, from this day forward, I shall be yours."
Our wedding vows.
"With all that I have and all that I am, from this day forward, I shall be yours," she whispered, pulling him into her arms. "I know you're probably tired of hearing this, but I love you, Niklaus. So much. So incredibly much."
His lips traced her jaw line and were slowly making their way towards her earlobe. "What makes you possibly think I could ever tire of hearing you say that to me?" His tongue gently traced her ear, making her give a low moan. "Tell me again."
"I love you." His lips, tongue and teeth were now setting her neck on fire.
"Again."
"I love you." She felt his hand softly cupping her breast.
"Again."
"I love you!" she exclaimed when his razor-sharp fangs pierced her skin without a warning and his tongue licked and sucked her blood, making him groan with pleasure. He hadn't been drinking her blood ever since Esther had put the curse on her, back in Natchez, and it was clear from the way he could hardly control himself that he had sorely missed it.
She pulled him even closer, pressing his mouth against her neck, and moaned loudly at the delirious sensation of her man feeding from her so greedily. He lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and without ever letting go of her neck, he flashed them through the gardens at full Original speed until they had reached the dark beach. Fully clothed, he walked into the warm water until they were submerged up to their chests. He nudged her head towards his neck, and Caroline could only close her eyes at the overwhelming feeling of the two of them drinking each other's blood, the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean surrounding them. When they were finally sated, their lips remained on one another's neck, gently kissing the healing wounds, and they kept their arms tightly wrapped around each other, eyes closed, savouring paradise.
For a moment, Caroline's thoughts drifted back to how everything had begun between them, and the long way they had come ever since Klaus had first set foot in Mystic Falls. She wouldn't want to miss a single second of their story, but she was beyond happy to be where she was right now.
Deeply in love, inseparable and completely at home in each other. Oh God, how she was grateful! So infinitely grateful!
This moment is worth every single second of suffering I've ever gone through.
You and me, Niklaus.
Forever.
