AN: I hope there still some readers out there interested in this story, this is the final chapter. I hope that if you do read it that you enjoy it. Thank you for being a part of the Klaroline fandom and thank you for reading.
Bonnie flops onto Caroline's bedside pushing the covers from the blondes face looking worriedly down at her, "Did you sleep at all," she asks morbidly already knowing the answer.
Caroline scrunches her nose, "Hardly," she replies seemingly in the same mood kicking the covers off even farther, "I kept fantasizing this wasn't my life and yet," she groans sitting up to hug her friend.
"Did you talk to Klaus last night," Bonnie inquires when the hug lasts a bit longer than usual.
"For a bit," she sighs from her friend's shirt, "Even if I didn't hate him, he does hate me," Caroline lets go of her friend placing her head in her hands.
"How would you know," Bonnie pokes prying her friend from her hands encouraging her to open up.
She sighs sitting on the edge of the bed knowing soon shell have to be in a wedding dress looking directly at his blue eyes, "Just what he said," she tells Bonnie.
"He's under as much pressure as you," the brunette reasons pulling them both up on their feet if only to get the morning of the wedding going.
"Doubtful," the blonde snorts disappearing behind the dressing rail for to strip and redress for the day, "Mikael was his biggest obstacle in life."
"Maybe you're his," she smiles at Caroline helping her with her hair to wash her teeth and face, "At least in the matters of the heart," Bonnie finishes as Caroline soaps her face.
"Bonnie, that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," she groans from the skin reaching blindly for a towel, "I know you're defending him because of John Gilbert."
Bonnie laughs handing her the towel she missing, "He is my future brother in law, and you're my best friend," she continues, "But I am a citizen of this kingdom and I know Gilbert."
Caroline straightens turning to her best friend, "Klaus told you," she asks clearly surprised.
"I already knew," Bonnie says with a roll of her eyes that would have both of their father's looking rather disappointed at the lack of decorum.
"And you didn't think to tell me," the blonde frowns at her friend while brushing her hair knowing full well the dressmaker will be here soon.
"Caroline," she sighs, "Look, remember when we met," Bonnie asks fixing the bed sheets as Caroline finds her slippers.
"How could I forget," Caroline replies, "You found me hiding in the closet having a panic attack after my father," she stops short not wanting to recall that night any further.
Bonnie notices her friends need not to elaborate so she continues, "The point is that I get that your family dynamic sucks but you are not the only one, Klaus, his family, his dad," her friend emphases.
Caroline feels herself wearing in the carpet again, Yeah, Mikael was an ass but my father trusted him, he was his best friend for crying out loud. If there was something to know-"
Her friend cuts her off reaching for her hand, "Mikael beat Klaus almost every day of his life for being a by-blow," she practically whispers to her best friend.
"Klaus, but he's," Caroline's eyes are wide when her brain pieces it all together, Klaus, head of household, illegitimate, blackmail, gilbert and her brain hurts.
"It was how Gilbert managed to convince your father to hold off on your wedding to Klaus," Bonnie keeps going knowing her friend is processing, "He called him illegitimate Caroline, damaged goods."
Caroline grips Bonnie's hands, "But when Mikael died last year there was no one left to provide that proof but Ester and-"
"Gilbert gained more power over my father," Caroline adds recalling it like it was yesterday, "So it was Elijah that managed to keep me away from not marrying Gilbert today."
She looks at Bonnie desperately, "I can't get married today, not like this," she tells her wishing she could say it, that she wanted to marry Klaus but she wanted him to want to marry her too.
Not because of family or duty but because of love. And how could she do that? She just needed time to think, to process and get a plan going to be as indifferent with him as ever before marrying him.
There's a knock on the door and before any of the two can reply that Caroline is decent her mother marches into her bedroom as if to be sure she is there, "It's almost time," she says when she's satisfied that Caroline is in her room.
"Mother," Caroline feels her insides aching, "I need just a minute, bathroom before anything," she explains making her voice as even as possible.
"Caroline, we need to hurry, the beautician is on his way up and the time that will take along with the photos," Elizabeth riles her daughter with the list of things to do.
"Thank you, Mother, I just need a moment," she reassures her mother letting go of Bonnie's hands as she walks as casually as possible into her bathroom.
"Bonnie," Elizabeth announces as Caroline shuts the door like she's speaking to the whole kingdom and not just Bonnie, "Could you just-"
"Bring some tea for the guests," she guesses, "I'm on my way," she replies when Elizabeth nods.
"Thank you, but hurry we don't have long," Elizabeth reminds Caroline's friend, Klaus should be standing be arriving at the venue soon, wouldn't want to be late."
Caroline hears her mother also depart from her bedroom as she listens by the door of her bathroom quietly slipping on the jacket she swore never to use again. Slowly she creeps out from the bathroom reaching for her bag and some shoes from her closet before finding her window ledge and disappearing from it. The roses had grown and there thorns scratched at her clothes and hands as she found her way to the ground.
Caroline takes a deep breath as she feels the ground under her and she can let go of the bush she's been clutching only duck behind the edge of the castle when she hears someone coming nearby. She sneaks quietly down the gravel pathway until she spies her escape route smiling brightly at how it all comes together for her wedding day. Best as she can the blonde finds her way to the car doors as checks if any are open for her to get inside.
(Other side of the Castle)
Kol stumbles into Klaus' room looking hungover as ever as he slumps himself on his brother's bed, "Are you still planning on going through with this," he asks tired.
Klaus flings his brother the comb he had been using to part his wet hair, "Gilbert has a plan to kill us all Kol, its complicated," he adds briefly.
Kol chuckles flinging back his comb, "A bit of a dramatic bastard isn't he," he frowns when he misses his brother hitting the mirror instead.
He wiggles pulling something from his back pocket when he sits up with a look of intrigue, "Rather fortunate that Mikael left a red book of rather sketchy individuals to contact were Gilbert to try something on any of us," he says with a grin tossing the book to his older brother.
Klaus catches it, his forehead lines set in confusion as he opens it searching the pages, hundreds of them filled with things that would make Gilbert plead for mercy or death or both, "How on earth?"
Kol stands up patting his brother on the shoulder explaining, "Elijah took over the estate thus becoming a bigger threat than Mikael ever was to him."
Klaus breaths what feels like the first sigh of relief in his life as he clutches the edges of the book, "So Caroline is safe, she's safe," he whispers to himself more than he speaks to Kol.
"Safe to marry who she chooses," Elijah cuts in surprising both brothers at his appearance in the Klaus' room, "As are you, brother."
Klaus tries not to look disappointed at the notion of Caroline marrying another, another that is not him even if she does I fact not love him. He wished he could remove the loves he's had for her in his heart from the first moment but alas, even if it hurts him this is for the best. When he looks up from the book he nods in agreement to Elijah.
"She doesn't have to marry me, good then," he tells them as if he's made a decision and he has, he leaves today before the wedding.
Kol walks around Elijah and Klaus into the hall way looking back, "Also, I switched drivers for you just in case running away is your plan."
"Kol," Elijah warns him as Klaus smiles stopping his older brother from going off on his younger brother just this once.
"Just look for the modest black Mercedes on this side of the castle with the unlocked door and tinted windows," Kol says with a conspiring eye before running off yelling for Rebekah.
"I suppose no one will expect me in that as opposed to," Klaus stops as Elijah speaks.
His brother hands him his passport, "The very loud monstrosity that you favor," his brother looks at Klaus for a long moment, "Are you truly planning on doing this to your bride?"
Klaus nods knowing it's the right thing even if it hurts his heart to do it, "I'm sure she'd do the same to me if she wasn't so busy pleasing people all the time," he resigns himself to that knowledge.
"Everyone but you," Elijah very nearly smirks as he walks out of Klaus' bedroom leaving him to pack or stay, with a brief pause Elijah adds, "Would you at least wear the tux, people will notice you in jeans."
Klaus holds his leather bag to his body as he makes his way through the side of the palace where he's spotted the black car his brother had uncharacteristically provided for him. He gave a quick wave to a distressed Rebekah in the window of his room causing his suit jacket to get tangled in the thorns of the side of the castle mocking him with a cut and inevitably with blood. He cursed at the slight pain and licked his wrist before scurrying to the car and slipping inside of the unlocked driver door.
He lifted his leather bag strap over his shoulder and shoved it into the bag hearing a yelp of anguish drawing his attention to the mirror just as Caroline popped up from the backseat floor, "What the bloody hell are you doing in my car," he asks her.
Caroline pushes his bag onto the carpet she had just vacated as she pushes herself into the passenger side of the car to face him properly, "Me? What about you?"
She dismisses the impressed look of her long legs pulling her into the front as she points a finger in his face, "We're supposed to get married today."
Klaus holds her finger pushing it away as his head bops closer, "Exactly, why are you about to run away," he looks at her disheveled outfit, "Dressed like that, in that jacket."
Her mouth drops open in an unlady-like fashion, "You're running away too," she accuses him insulted that he would leave her there at the alter alone.
"I can't believe you would do this to me," he replies in just as much shock that she was running away from their wedding, the unmitigated gull of her not waiting for him to show up.
"Could you maybe not make everything about you," Caroline brings him back to reality by searching his pockets, "Where are the keys?"
Klaus smirks when she touches his chest over his heart and freezes, "I just can't believe you actually had the gull," his voice is softer as she removes her hand.
"I should have known you would try to," 'leave' she's about to say as she searches for the keys in the glove compartment.
Someone hits the hood of the car making them both look up with worry, "Mikaelson," the man asks and Caroline points to Klaus.
"Caroline," he groans as the man holds up the keys through the windshield, I take it the two of you are ready to go," he asks, "If you'll just slide into the back your brother Kol has instructed me to get you to your private jet."
The two nod dimly quickly exiting their seats and slipping into the back of the car thankful for the nearly illegal tint blocking the view of others from viewing inside. The driver gets in putting on his seat belt and turning the engine over quietly causing a buzzing sound as the window divider goes up leaving them alone. They moved with the car smoothly in silence as Klaus collected his back and Caroline clutched her bag until the driver hit a pothole thirty minutes into their drive.
Klaus' body bumped into hers, their heads hovering close when she met his eyes, "Don't worry," he sighs, "I'm not going to kiss you."
"Ugh, get off of me," she hisses as she scoots closer to window and further away from him trying not to seem affected by his suit and the smell of him so close.
Klaus smirks closing the space between her if only to tease for a moment, "I quite like it here, you smell nice," he compliments, his fingers touching the zipper of her jacket.
Another hit of a pothole and Klaus' body is covering her, "Ugh, your necklaces are all over me," she breaths into his neck feeling his pulse race as her hands grip her shirt ready to push him off.
Klaus pushes back with his hands on the window to look at her when he utters, "You like my necklaces."
Caroline, clearly ruffled tosses her hair back as he cages her in with his arms, "Once, and you know, just because were running away doesn't mean you have to be like right on top of me."
"Ladylike poetry is just spewing from you pink bow lips, Love," he makes a sound with his throat as he sits back up properly tucking his necklaces back into his shirt.
"How did this even happen," Caroline asks minutes later when she sees how close they are to the private airstrip where their unknown journey will continue.
"It might comfort you to know that I would have married you today if we hadn't found another way to best Gilbert," Klaus makes clear not looking at her in favor of the jet mere yards away from them now.
Caroline hears his words, replays them in her head for a whole minute understanding them and Klaus fully lets her process them. Later she'll ask him how, or kiss him she's not sure yet but gilbert bested is the most wonderful thing he could have ever uttered. Her choice, from now on everything, every decision and every mistake was hers alone.
"I didn't even try on my dress," she tells him looking down at her clothing and shoes she'd look hidden away, "This was the first thing I could grab."
"And here I am in trousers and a button down shirt," Klaus smiles still fiddling with the cut on his wrist from the thorn of a rose bush.
She snorts, "That leave nothing to the imagination," she smiles as they pull closer to a stop passing the entrance of the strip.
"Of a certain kind," he teased, this time keeping his distance as he removed his suit jacket.
"Excuse me," Caroline crosses her leg under her thigh to sit looking at him, "Are you trying to say that I am attracted to you?"
"I said no such thing," Klaus persists with his hand over his chest but the look he gives her makes her blood boil.
"This is ridiculous," she reasons with him and herself, "I do not like you and you definitely don't like me so when this plane ride ends you go your way and I go mine, okay?"
Klaus turns sitting as she does looking her directly in the eye as the car stops, "Where are you going' he inquires thinking she's absolutely maddening and perfect.
"No place your Lordship has to worry about," Caroline spits out without a second thought knowing full well she has no freaking idea because her mom was so gonna kill her.
"I was thinking Rome," he says conversationally lowering his window when the driver taps on his window.
Klaus utters a thank you as Caroline disagrees with him, No, Paris," she reasons thinking it would be easy to not be said in a city full of bright lights.
Klaus scoffs, "It's for lovers," he reasons making Caroline frown, she hadn't thought of that.
"Tokyo," she ventures as they both exit the car shutting the door behind them, something their families would gasp at, but time was not a luxury that they could afford.
"I suppose I'll go with you," he says risking his pride, "Keep you out of trouble."
Caroline laughs with her whole body as they reach the stairs greeting the pilot, "Trouble is what we'll be in when were found."
Klaus gestures for her to go first following closely behind her to whisper in her ear, "Then I suppose we should be found together, don't you? Make the punishment a bit lighter."
Caroline sighs against him as she says, "Then I suppose Rome would be a nice start," before rushing inside eager to get their first adventure together going. The first of many.
