AN - Thanks for sticking with me and all of your support!
Chapter 42 - Epilogue
7 Years Later
Caroline was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet as she and Klaus waited at the baggage claim in the Heathrow Airport in London.
"You rocking back and forth isn't going to make your mother get here any sooner, Love." He smirked at her.
"You don't know that!" She responded childishly as she kept scanning the crowd around her. "I swear, you'd think that she would have picked a different day to fly in than Christmas Eve. Could there be any more people in my way?"
He chuckled at her impatience. "You're starting to sound like Kol, Love."
She gasped. "You take that back! I'm nowhere near as bad as him!"
"I call them like I see them…"
"Caroline!" Came a voice to their right. They turned and saw Liz Forbes walking towards them.
Caroline did her best to run at a human pace as she went to hug her mother. "Mom! Finally! You're here! It's so good to see you."
"You too, Sweetie." Liz smiled as she returned her daughter's hug.
"It's good to see you, Liz." Klaus smiled, holding out his hand. Both women rolled their eyes at him as Liz pulled him in for a side hug.
"Nice to see you too, Klaus, though I wish you'd stop being so formal." Liz teased.
"Yeah," Caroline smirked at him. "Elijah must be rubbing off on you."
Klaus rolled her eyes at her teasing. "Can I take your bags for you?" He asked Liz.
"That would be great!"
The drive back to their house was full of Caroline and Liz chatting about all of the things they drove past. It was Liz's first time back in London since her honeymoon, and she seemed thrilled to be there.
Caroline practically pulled Liz out of the car and to the front door as soon as he put the car in park. "Come on, Mom! I'll show you the house. Everyone is here already and can't wait to see you. Nik can get the bags, right?" She looked at him pleadingly.
"Go on, Love. I've got everything under control here." He smiled at her.
She beamed before pulling her mother inside.
They spent the afternoon catching up and baking cookies. Bonnie, Rebekah, Katherine, Sage, Caroline and Liz forced all of the boys out of the kitchen, mostly because Kol kept trying to eat the raw dough.
Everyone gathered around the large dining room table for their turkey dinner. Caroline took a second to look around at all of her friends and family. They had all been traveling since she had graduated and everyone looked so happy.
Sage and Finn had spent the first year with them in London before heading out on their own. They would visit and travel with them on holidays, but other than that, they mostly kept to themselves.
Elijah and Katherine were almost always with her and Klaus. They would sometimes go off on little trips here or there for a week or two before coming back to join them. Henrik was always with one of the two couples.
He had adapted very quickly to everything that he did and was loving everything the modern world had to offer. Elijah continued his education, and he and Caroline had learned Italian together for the year they spent in Rome. He was 17 now, and was itching to become a vampire. Kol had explained to him that he wouldn't be able to be a witch anymore, and that he should seriously think about that before making his final decision. Henrik had announced just a week ago that he wanted Klaus to turn him on his 18th birthday.
Kol and Bonnie had stayed with her and Klaus for a year traveling as well. Bonnie had chosen to defer college so she could spend some time relaxing after all of the craziness. Kol had enrolled as well and they had both graduated two years ago with degrees in biology. Bonnie had found an age slowing spell in one of Ayanna's grimoires and didn't look a day over 19. Caroline was worried about what would happen when she started looking too much older than Kol though. She knew that Bonnie loved Kol, but she also loved being a witch, not a vampire. She wished that there was some way that her friend could be both. Secretly, she, Henrik and Klaus were trying to look into it.
After winning the Miss Mystic falls pageant, Rebekah really embraced her role in the town, all of the events for the rest of her reign were planned flawlessly. Matt and Rebekah went to the University of Virginia the fall after graduation. Matt had gotten a full ride for football and graduated with a degree in business. Rebekah graduated at the same time with a pre-law major. Caroline remembered when the Original had told them that she was interested in law, and Kol pointed out that she did love to argue and judge other people.
Matt had agreed to be turned just over a year ago. It was a really tough decision for him with everything that had happened with Vicki. Rebekah made sure he knew that it was his choice and that she didn't want to pressure him. That was what finally tipped Matt over the edge of no return. Knowing that she loved him enough that she would let him choose meant a great deal to him.
Caroline and Klaus had been traveling all over the world for the past seven years. They started off in London and worked their way to all three of Klaus' other favorite places besides Mystic Falls. They had also tried all of the food that they had put on their list all those years ago. Caroline and Katherine had gotten very close over the years and would sometimes go off on their own girls adventure for a weekend here and there.
Every year they would go back to Mystic Falls to celebrate either Thanksgiving or Christmas with Liz, but Klaus had made the suggestion to fly her to them that year. Liz had also joined them on and off for several of their trips. Caroline loved getting to explore with her mom and spend time with her.
Caroline, Bonnie and Matt had all fallen out of touch with Elena over the years. Matt saw her the most since he still lived in Mystic Falls. Caroline would run into her the first couple of years that she would come back to see her mom. When they did see each other, things were always a bit awkward. They had never really gotten back to their friendship the rest of senior year, and then their lives took them in separate ways. Elena ended up dating Damon after she graduated and had asked him to turn her when she turned 19. She went to Whitmore for a year before deciding to move to Colorado to be closer to Jeremy.
Stefan had left Mystic Falls after Elena chose Damon. He had joined Caroline and the others for a few months to travel before setting off on his own. She kept in touch with him, but not as much as she hoped to. She knew that he was really hurting after everything that had happened with Elena. When she invited him to join them for Christmas, he had politely declined and told her that he would actually be spending time with his girlfriend for the holiday. He had met her at Yale and found out she was a newly turned vampire. She also struggled with control and they started off as each others' sober buddies. Things had slowly gotten more serious for them.
Elijah cleared his throat and addressed everyone at the table. "I am very grateful to have our entire family together this year for the holiday. I think it would be a great deal of fun to each go around and share what we're thankful for."
"It's not Thanksgiving, Elijah!" Kol moaned. "And do you even know what fun is?"
"Oh he knows, trust me." Katherine winked at Elijah, who cleared his throat and straightened his tie.
"I think we should do it." Klaus spoke up, earning himself a few odd looks, including one from Caroline. He simply smiled and shrugged at her. "You go first, Elijah."
"Thank you, Niklaus." Elijah said, somewhat surprised. "I am thankful for having our family reunited again and all of us being well. Katerina?"
"I'm thankful for all of the fantastic shopping in London." She smiled back at him sweetly. "Matty Blue Blue?"
Matt shook his head at the old nickname. "I'm happy that Bekah and I have bought the Grill and that business is better than ever. Beks?"
Rebekah beamed at him. "I am thankful that Matt and I found a house together, and that he is letting me decorate the whole thing however I want. Bonnie?"
"I'm thankful that Kol doesn't work in the same lab as me anymore and can't disrupt my research." Bonnie laughed.
"I did no such thing, Darling." Kol said in outrage. "It's not my fault that you're too stunning not to throw on a table and ravish!" Everyone at the table grimaced. "That is what I'm thankful for, by the way. Your turn Finny."
"I'm thankful that I'm not around Kol all day, everyday so I don't constantly hear that nickname." Finn glared at his brother. "Also for my beautiful wife, Sage. My darling?"
"I'm thankful to have a good friendship with my inlaws and that they have welcomed me into their family." Sage smiled at everyone. "Also for my dashing husband. Now you, Henrik."
"I'm thankful for Call of Duty." Henrik said, reaching over to highfive Kol. At Elijah's look, he continued. "Um, also for family and stuff. Miss Liz?"
"I'm thankful for my lovely daughter and how happy she is in her life." Liz smiled at Caroline. "I'm also thankful for only four more years before I can retire. Care?"
Caroline smiled at her mom. "I'm thankful for that truce we made seven years ago and how wonderful our lives have turned out. I'm thankful for all the love and friendship that I gained that year. I'm thankful that we are all together and happy. You're last, Nik."
She turned to him and gasped at seeing him bending down on one knee next to her. He took her hand in his as he looked up into her eyes. "I'm thankful for you, Caroline. You are the love of my life and my best friend. You make me happy every single day. I, too, am thankful for that truce seven years ago and how it gave us the chance to get to know each other. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He reached in his pocket and pulled out a little square box. As he opened it, he asked, "Caroline Forbes, will you marry me?"
Caroline's mouth was wide open as she gaped at him in surprise. She looked around at everyone and saw them smiling at her, clearly knowing about this ahead of time. She turned back to Klaus and cupped his cheek. "Yes, Nik. Of course I'll marry you! I love you too."
Klaus beamed at her as he slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her in for a kiss. Caroline kissed him back and hugged him to her tightly. She turned back to the table and held out her left hand to all the girls, and they all squealed together.
"Why must they always do that?" Kol grumbled.
Liz pulled Caroline into a hug. "Did you know, Mom?" Caroline pulled back to look at her mother.
"Of course," Liz smiled at her. "He asked me for permission last month."
Caroline whirled on Klaus. "You said you were going to check on Rebekah while Kat and I had our girls' weekend!"
Klaus shrugged, smiling. "I did. I just forgot to mention that I stopped off to see your mother on the way back."
She pulled him in for another hug and kissed him again. His tongue swept across her lips, and she opened her mouth to him.
They broke apart when Kol tapped her on the shoulder. "As happy as I am to be able to finally call you Sister instead of STBSIL, maybe you two should think about getting your own place…"
Klaus smiled over at his brother. "Not a bad idea, brother." He reached back into his pocket and pulled out a key and handed it to Caroline. "Good thing I thought of it already."
Caroline's eyes widened at the sight of the house key in front of her. "Oh my God, you did not!" She grabbed the key and held it out to the other girls just like she did with her ring causing them all to squeal again.
"Again with the squealing!" Kol complained.
Later that night, Klaus and Caroline were laying in bed.
"Thank you." Caroline told him quietly.
He brushed a loose curl behind her ear. "Whatever for, Sweetheart?"
"Everything." Caroline smiled at him. "Thank you for everything you do for me. Thank you for always being there for me and loving me."
Klaus returned her smile. "Thank you for everything. Thank you for saving me seven years ago and believing in the person I could be."
"I love you, Nik."
"I love you too, Caroline."
-Fin-