Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the tvd universe
Last chapter! (probably: see An at the bottom for more)
"I'm confused." The sheriff said, sitting down in her seat and taking a sip of the coffee from her mug - coffee that was almost definitely cold by now due to how long the sheriff had sat, frozen in shock at the sight of her daughter walking into the kitchen with an engagement ring on her finger.
"Aren't we all." Klaus quipped quietly causing Caroline to send a loving, but exasperated, look in his direction. "What? It isn't exactly the most," he paused, searching for words,
"Normal, traditional, ordinary?" Caroline offered,
"Yeah. All of the above." Klaus smiled at his fiancée.
Liz's gaze flickered between the two before settling on Klaus, the man who she'd formerly been introduced to by Elena as the most dangerous man to have ever existed, and the man who she was most recently introduce to as her future son in law (even though he was much, much older than her). "So," she began, "You're the millennia old hybrid who killed ("temporarily" Klaus intervened) my daughter's ex-boyfriend, and permanently killed my daughter's best friend's aunt?"
"Mom!" Caroline exclaimed, "Seriously?"
"It's okay, love." Klaus said, his arm which had been firmly wrapped around Caroline gently reassuring her that he was okay, "That is all true, though a very different version of me who was lonely, and isolated and, quite frankly, heartbroken." Caroline leant into his body, now being the one to reassure.
"So you're here to ask for my permission?" Liz asked, any fear she might have had about being in the room of one of history's most prolific killers had vanished as soon as she saw the love he had for her daughter, and whilst she might not like him, or approve, she knew that at least guaranteed her safety.
"Not quite." Klaus replied, only furthering Liz's confusion, "See, when I first proposed a thousand years ago Caroline had no parents, she was an orphan taken in by my parents, so I didn't ask permission then, and I won't now, because even if you say no I'd still ask. It isn't that I don't value your opinion, but Caroline's opinion is the most important, and what she says, goes." He smiled slightly, trying to ease the tension in the room with a small joke.
"So why are you here?" She asked, once more pointing the question in Klaus' direction.
"To tell you about our engagement, and ask for your approval - which, I am very aware is something that I have to prove to you, I need to show you the better side of me, and I need to try and show you that I am worthy of your daughter, which is hard, because I don't really believe I am, - but I want to show you that I will always try to do right by her, that I will always prioritise her, her happiness, her safety. I am very much in love with your daughter, Sheriff Forbes."
Liz took another sip of her coffee, staring into it and desperately wishing it contained something much stronger - bourbon, vodka, rum, - anything would do. "Mom," Caroline started before her mother could respond to Klaus, "I love Nik, and we are getting married. I want your approval, and I want you to be there at our wedding because you are my mother and I love you, and I know if you get to know Nik you'll love him too." Liz tried to hide her scoff by taking another sip of the coffee, the very idea of ever loving the hybrid standing in her kitchen was ludicrous - and Liz Forbes knew all about the things that most people would scoff at believing in, vampires, werewolves, witches, even time-travel, but none of these ideas seemed half as crazy as the idea of her ever loving Niklaus Mikaelson.
"Your wedding? Caroline you're only 18, you're too young to be getting married." Liz replied, deciding to not comment on her feelings towards her daughter's fiancé (she knew that that wouldn't get her anywhere).
"I'm not really 18 anymore mom. The time I spent in the past, whilst I didn't physically age I did mentally. Those years certainly didn't just vanish. Besides in those times it was getting odd that I wasn't betrothed - honestly I think the only reason Mikael didn't try to get me married was because he knew Esther wouldn't let him. I can comment many ways that your mother was an awful person," She said addressing Nik, "but through all of it she still loved you, and she saw how much you loved me and that I felt the same. I'm sure of it. And I'm sure that that was the only reason I was allowed to stay."
"Well, I think mother was also aware of how Rebekah would have surely thrown a tantrum and probably run away with you if that did happen, she couldn't have bared to lose her only daughter." Nik replied with a fond smile, how close Caroline was with his sister always made him feel happy, - even if they weren't married Caroline was (and will always be) part of the Mikaelson family.
"When is the wedding?" Liz asked through gritted teeth. She'd already heard the implications that it was soon throughout the conversation, and she knew there was no point in putting it off any longer, it was clear that she wouldn't be able to convince her daughter that this was a bad idea, that Klaus wasn't a good man. It was clear that Caroline loved him, and that he loved her, and if she couldn't get her way in anything else, she was at the very least content with the idea that Caroline was happy - and there was no way in hell she'd miss her daughter's wedding.
"A week."
"A WHAT?"
one week later
"Kol, the chairs are all in the wrong places." Caroline moaned. "There is no organisation to them."
"Hey! Why are you blaming me, I'm not the one who laid them out." He paused, an impish smile forming on his face, "How do you even arrange chairs wrong?"
A smile stretched across the bride's face, "They're uneven. There is no symmetry to them at all." The two started laughing,
"I really hope your wedding is less boring than the last one we were both at." Kol commented after pulling her in for a brief hug (the younger Mikaelson still not the most comfortable with displays of emotion or love).
"We won't have as cute a ring bearer though." Caroline said with a sad smile and the two fell into a brief silence.
"Well," Kol said breaking the awkwardness with a joke (as per usual), "At least you don't have to dance with Mikael."
Caroline's face drained with colour at the thought. "God. That would've been horrible." Kol nodded and the two broke into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Rebekah asked wondering up to the two, "I could hear you from a mile away."
"Well little sister, you do have enhanced hearing." Rebekah fondly shoved her brother.
"We were thinking about Finn and Heidi's wedding," Caroline intervened, answering Rebekah's question, "And feeling very relieved that I don't have to share a dance with Mikael."
Rebekah shuddered at the thought, before laughing slightly. "I did come over her with a purpose however," She said staring pointedly in Caroline's direction, who only returned with a confused stare, Rebekah rolled her eyes affectionately, "You need to get changed."
"Oh. Right."
"What would you do without me as your maid of honour?" Rebekah asked with a laugh as she dragged Caroline away.
"Chairs." Caroline called to Kol with a wink before she turned to answer Rebekah, "Oh I don't know? Die?" She paused dramatically, "Oh wait... too late."
The wedding was a small occasion, consisting only of the Mikaelson family - excluding Finn who'd been un-daggered and then offered a second chance by Klaus, who'd told him in no simple terms that Finn could have his freedom, and go off with Sage, but if he ever came near Caroline again, Klaus wouldn't go easy on him a second time - Liz Forbes and Stefan Salvatore.
Whilst the rest of Caroline's friends refused to approve of the marriage - and most barely acknowledged the fact that she was marrying Klaus of her own free will - Stefan better understood the relationship she had with Klaus. Klaus had compelled him to remember the drunken conversations that they'd had in the 1920s, where Klaus had broken down over how the love of his life was dead, and he had seen how restricted and suppressed Klaus had been by his wolf side being restrained, he knew also of the abuse Klaus had suffered from Mikael's hand. Though he didn't necessarily forgive Klaus for his actions since they'd been reunited, for how Klaus had killed Jenna, and compelled Stefan to turn off his humanity and kill people, he understood that Klaus was flawed, - just like him, and Damon - that being a vampire wasn't easy and it was even harder for Klaus. That yes, he was wrong, and had committed evil, but that that didn't make him evil.
Not that Stefan was there for Klaus at all, Caroline was his best friend, and her happiness came first, always. He'd made that decision in the living room of the Mikaelsons' house, that he'd stick by Caroline, no matter what - because that's what real friends do.
Kol had happily agreed to play officiant, and that made the ceremony even smaller, but neither Caroline nor Klaus cared a bit, they were surrounded by only the people they cared about most, and the people who cared about them - and that was all that mattered to them.
The two seemed to race through their vows, as though they couldn't bare not being married for another minute - though, to be fair, Klaus had waited a thousand years for this moment, it was to be expected.
"So," Caroline began as they danced, "What's next?" She asked smiling as Klaus spun her around.
"Well," Klaus paused, clearly slightly hesitant. "I was thinking about leaving Mystic Falls." He revealed.
"Yeah?" Caroline asked,
"I'm not sure how much there is here left for us. I know your mother is here but I'm afraid our relationship as pushed nearly all of your friends away." He said, the guilt seeping into his voice - that Caroline losing her friends was fault (and was he even worth it anyway?).
"Which I would do over and over again." Caroline paused in their dancing, bringing them to a stop. "You know that right? That I would chose you. Every time." She continued dancing again. "Besides, if they were really my friends they'd be here today, like Stefan."
The two glanced over to the aforementioned Salvatore brother, watching as he danced with Rebekah (a bit awkwardly Klaus noted, reminiscing their previous relationship in Chicago). Elijah and Kol stood to the side, by a drinks table, engaged in what looked like an even more awkward conversation than Rebekah and Stefan, with Caroline's mother.
"That looks fun." Caroline joked, ignoring Kol's head whipping in their direction.
"Kol. Stop eavesdropping." Nik ordered with a chuckle, and the younger Mikaelson turned away hiding his face, blushing as he'd been caught, and taking a sip of his bourbon.
"Would you miss your friends?" Nik asked tentatively.
"No." Caroline replied assertively. "Well..." She paused reflectively, "It's complicated." She said as Nik waited patiently for her to explain, the two gently slow dancing. "I got used to not being with them, when I was in the past with you." She elaborated, "I missed them then, but at the same time I knew I didn't want to go back, because I didn't want to leave you, and Rebekah, and Elijah, even Kol." She said laughing slightly. "Them rejecting me, it hurt, I'm not going to pretend it didn't." She paused again and Nik looked down in guilt. "It also made me so damn angry." She continued with an edge to her voice that surprised Nik slightly. "I stood by all of Elena's questionable decisions - Bonnie, I always knew it was difficult, she never fully accepted me as a vampire - but Elena, she was supposed to be my best friend and she left me. I understand her reasons - I really do - but when our roles were reversed she just expected me to forgive Damon for what he did, and I know now, that even with time, she'd never forgive you. Or me for loving you."
"I'm-" Nik started, an apology already on his lips, but Caroline interrupted him.
"No." She laughed slightly, "Don't you dare apologise. It's not your fault. It's mine." She paused but continued as Nik looked quick to protest that. "And hers. Mine, for not realising how one sided our relationship was, it's supposed to be giving and taking, and it ends up always being me giving and her taking. Always. And that's partially my fault for expecting her to change, and to expect it was a temporary blip from after her parents died. And it's hers for being so self-absorbed." Caroline added, almost spitting out the last words.
Nik laughed slightly, "She is rather isn't she?" He seemed to come to some sense of realisation. "The way she plays around with the Salvatore brothers, knowing she's got them wrapped around her finger. That's not fair on either of them - that's just her being selfish."
Caroline nodded. "That's why I wouldn't miss her. I'd miss the old memories I have of her, when we were younger, and of Bonnie and Matt, and even Tyler. But that's not them anymore, you know? We've all changed so much, we're completely different people. I think over the years we were drifting apart and I just never realised it." She said with a weak smile.
"I'm sorry love." Nik said softly, attempting to comfort his wife.
"Don't be. It's fine, because even though I'm not with them anymore, they led me to you, and then back to you. Without them I'd have never met you, so in a way I forgive them."
"Indeed." Nik said laughing, "That Bennett witch might be a pain but she did give me one thing." He said twirling her around.
"Oh yeah?" Caroline asked feigning ignorance. "What?" She asked her eyes twinkling.
"Why, just the love of my life." Nik said with a smile as the two continued to dance, Caroline leaning her head into his body.
"So, where are we going?" She asked, before adding with a smile, "Love."
"I was thinking about New Orleans."
"Sounds perfect."
An: SO That is it! This story is finally finished (only over a year and half past when I originally said it would be). Though, whilst this story is over I am leaving the possibility of a sequel out in case I want to come back to it.
The sequel would either be set in NOLA, following the plot of The Originals but now with a married Klaus & Caroline, and potential Stefan would come to. So Hope would still exist and Hayley would be her birth mother but I don't know how long Hayley would live, and Hope would definitely be raised with Caroline as her mother.
The other potential sequel would be Legacies based, (with Klaus and Caroline alive, of course, and still present in Hope's life) - the story would follow the Malivore plot, with Landon, Rafael, Mg etc alive - and the twins who would be Ric and Josette's kids (i.e. Jo never died)
So if you want either of those then please comment below and I might write them (probably more likely to do the Legacies one as I'm more currently obsessed with Legacies as it is an ongoing show).
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the story, thank you for reading, and reviewing!