Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or TO, and though I love them I often despise canon. I write for the fun of it and not for gain.

Klaus Mikaelson had never been known for his patience. Never in his long life had he displayed the kind of patience and care for another outside of his family if ever as he did for one Miss Caroline Forbes. He had been relentless in his pursuit of her. He had watched from a distance as she struggled to hang on to her humanity, to her relationships, and her human life all while dealing with the supernatural wars going on around her.

It infuriated him how she was treated by her so-called friends. Try as he might to prevent it she always ended up in the middle and in the crossfire and just when he thought he was making progress with her something else would happen.

Then the day came when he had died and so had Tyler. Only they hadn't and Bonnie hadn't told anyone. His sweet Caroline had had enough of the happenings and losses around her and packed up, leaving Mystic Falls and its inhabitants behind. She packed a bag, leaving letters for everyone, including his family of all people and left to parts unknown.

Once Klaus had been returned to his body, he and his siblings left Mystic Falls. Even Noble Elijah had enough of the fighting and backstabbing. They set off for Europe and left the children of Mystic Falls to handle their own problems. Last he heard Elena Gilbert had accidentally been turned by one of the Salvatores and was now trying to adjust.

They had all ignored the calls, emails and texts pleading for help from the selfish girl. She was no longer their problem. She held little use for him, and his survival instincts told him to get out of town as soon as possible. So, when he returned to his own body, they all left.

His siblings decided to stick together, despite the tensions between them. Elijah would often look at him in concern and would often mention that something was different about him. Kol would mockingly tell him that he needed to get laid and Rebeka, his sister would sneer about Caroline, which would end with him leaving the room.

Just that morning they had arrived in their chateau in Montpellier which had its own private beach on the Mediterranean. He and his siblings had never all been at this particular property, it was something that he had procured in his travels that he thought they could all use as a bit of a vacation or time to reconcile.

They took time talking to one another, something they hadn't done in a very long time. While it was difficult and often ended in shooting or violence, they laid their grievances out in the open. For the first time in centuries they were coming together, united.

It was three days later that a courier had delivered a package and letter addressed to Elijah, which shocked them all. No one was supposed to know about their location, and it set them all on edge. Elijah carefully opened the letter and dropped it in shock, sitting down heavily. At vampiric speed he tore open the package and dumped its contents on the desk in his rooms.

Elijah was not often easily surprised but Miss Forbes had done so more than once. He could easily see why she captivated his brother. He sat stunned staring at the dead sapling and seed as well as the three stakes. White Oak. He was not sure how the baby vampire had hunted this down in such a short amount of time, but it appeared that his brother's death had affected her greatly.

Bringing the letter and package he walked down to the family room where he heard his sibling squabbling. Rolling his eyes and sighing, he felt an affectionate smile tug at his lips. Even after one thousand years his siblings remained much the same and it was comforting.

"I believe that you will find this interesting," Elijah said, walking into the room and placing both the letter and package on the coffee table.

Klaus paced and looked like he was barely hanging himself in check. His siblings could see that he wanted to go find his baby vampire. He carefully picked up the letter and breathed in her scent, faint though it was. She cared! Every emotion and instinct was screaming at him to go to her, to find her.

"Dear Elijah,

You and your family have had such a profound affect and influence on my life. I would be lying if I said that it was all good, but I digress. Losing your brother broke a part of me in a way that I cannot put into words.

I wanted you to know that I not once knowingly participated in any of the attempts on your lives. Your brother once jokingly called me collateral damage, but he was more accurate than I like to admit. I left Mystic Falls in hopes to see the world that he promised me.

While the others were working on their latest scheme to hurt you all, I stole the last stake from Alaric's apartment. It was then that I made it my mission to make sure that they're all either destroyed or returned to your possession.

In my travels I met with one of Bonnie's cousins who was talking with one of her witchy friends about White Oak and I refused to let history repeat itself. Enclosed in the package accompanying this are the stakes that I could get my hands on as well as the sapling and seeds that they were trying to use against you in the future.

Live well Elijah.

Caroline"

By the end of the letter Klaus had stopped trying to hide his tears. His vision blurred with them as his hand trembled holding the page. Straightening he left the room silently, ignoring his siblings and walked to his rooms. Closing the doors behind himself, he leaned against the door and shook himself.

The reality of the situation began to set in and then the panic came. Caroline had gone against witches to protect his family. She wasn't an Original, but a baby vampire that had never left her home before. She was little more than a child in the grand scheme of things, and she was alone and vulnerable.

Blurring into the family room he was holding himself in check and shaking in fear and rage. His sibling stood and faced him looking over the letter and contents. Kol picked up the stakes and tossed them into the fireplace with the sapling and seeds. Striking a match, he lit them and watched them burn in satisfaction.

"We need to find her," he said hoarsely. "She could be in danger, Elijah."

"Oh she'll be fine," Rebeka said rolling her eyes.

"She's a baby vampire that went against witches to send that to us," Klaus said. "She's alone, Rebeka."

"Klaus, please calm yourself." Elijah interrupted the building argument.

"Right, so baby vampire." Kol said with a smirk. "I'll pack a bag shall I?"

Klaus nodded gratefully to his younger brother who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Elijah stared at his brother carefully, before nodding himself and picking up his cell phone to make a few calls as he too left to pack a bag. Rebeka looked at her older brother quietly.

"Why do you care so much?" she asked. "What is so special about her?"

"I love her, Rebeka." He said softly. "I love her and she sent us the White Oak to protect this family thinking that I am dead."

Rebeka looked at him in shock before nodding slowly. "Alright, let's go find her."

The Mikaelsons were packed and out of their chateau within the hour. Each of them had reached out to their contacts, hoping to find Caroline as soon as possible. With the theft of the White Oak and subsequent destruction of it, they were reluctant to reach out to witches for assistance, lest they tip off their brethren in their search and retaliation against Caroline.

Meanwhile Caroline was walking swiftly through the streets of New York. She had gotten out to New Orleans just in time. As she fled into the breaking daylight she heard the shrieks of fury of the coven that she had met. Lucy, Bonnie's cousin, would be furious and out for blood, but as far as she was concerned the Bennet family owed her.

When she left Mystic Falls three months ago, she promised herself that she would live for herself. She was done living for the expectations and approval of others. It was time that she started following her own path and to live on her own terms. If she pissed off witches so be it.

She still felt the loss of Klaus deeply. Even though she denied her feelings for so long she could not help but feel like part of her was missing along with him. The man had shown her a completely different side to himself. With those lethal dimples and sexy accent what wasn't to like. His complete and utter devotion to her of all people was flattering and baffling.

Despite her feelings of anger and betrayal on the day of her birthday, she fell halfway in love with him when he told her about everything the world had to offer. She knew that he had been slowly trying to court her after that and she secretly loved it. For once she wasn't a second choice or consolation prize.

Walking through the crowds of Times Square she looked around with a grin and relished in the bright lights and bustling streets. Everything was amazing and almost overwhelming. She had bypassed Virginia and avoided Mystic Falls on her trip North. She would never willingly set foot there again.

Shaking herself from her thoughts she walked and headed towards the next block where she would be stopping to go to her hotel. She couldn't help but grin at the thought of being in the heart of the city. Cities she found were easier to blend into and fall into the background.

Meanwhile Klaus and his family were on their private jet on their way back to the United States. They had been tipped off that Caroline had indeed pissed off a coven of witches and not just any witches. She had been in New Orleans and pissed off a coven there along with a Bennet witch.

"Well she doesn't do things by half," Kol had teased with his eyes sparkling in amusement. "Can we keep her?"

Klaus had chucked a glass at his head, making his siblings laugh in amusement. Elijah held his glass in a mocking toast and grinned at his younger brother. Klaus grumbled as his siblings found amusement in his besotted state. Caroline was now theirs by association. Even Rebeka grudgingly acknowledged that she wasn't awful.

Kol snorted as he watched his older sibling shifting in his seat on the plane as they flew. The anxiousness was rolling off of Klaus in waves. Sobering slightly, he would admit that there was every reason to be concerned for Caroline. She really had done something their family would never forget.

Finally several hours later they were landing in JFK airport in New York and walking swiftly to the waiting SUV on the runway. They would be leaving directly for the city. One of their many contacts had let them know that a young vampire matching Caroline's description had been walking around the city for the last few days.

Elijah's phone pinged as they were driving and he looked down at his phone with a smirk. "It would appear that Miss Forbes is staying in the heart of the city." He said in amusement. "Smart girl to pick a city to get lost in."

Elijah plugged the address into the GPS and Klaus tromped on the gas, speeding towards her. They made it through the horrendous traffic and finally pulled up in front of the hotel. The doorman waved over a valet from the garage to park their SUV and a bellhop arrived to take their bags. Elijah went to the front desk, compelling them for information about Caroline and booked rooms around hers. Klaus was already heading to the elevator having heard that she was there, staying on the tenth floor.

He paced the elevator, trying to stem the slight tremble he felt in his hands in anticipation. As the elevator came to a stop he straightened and barely waited for the doors to open before making his way down the halls towards her room. He faintly caught her scent and breathed it in as he walked.

Caroline was sitting by the window overlooking Times Square drinking from a bottle of tequila. A knock at her door confused her, as she wasn't expecting anyone. Putting the bottle down cautiously she crept towards the door and looked through the peephole and nearly fainted.

"I need to stop drinking," she said walking back towards the window.

"Open the door, love." He said hoarsely.

"It's not real," she said in a shaky voice. "He died, this isn't real."

"Caroline," Klaus said a bit more firmly. "Open the bloody door, love."

"Oh hush, brother." Rebeka said beside him. "Of course she's confused. Caroline, be a dear and open the door."

Blurring to the door, Caroline yanked it open in shock, finding the Mikaelsons standing there. Her eyes traveled to each of them in shock before landing on Klaus where he was leaning on the wall beside her door staring at her with so much emotion in his eyes.

"You're really here," she whispered as tears formed in her eyes.

Klaus pulled her into his arms and held her, closing his eye relishing feeling her against him. "Aye, love." He murmured into her hair. "Your friend Bonnie kept me around and I never crossed over. It's really me."

"Naughty girl," Kol teased. "I don't think that even I've pissed off so many powerful witches all at once."

"Kol," Elijah said sharply. "Miss Forbes, perhaps after you and Klaus catch up we can sit down and discuss the next course of action. It's not safe for you to be wandering around on your own. Kol is right that you have made some powerful enemies in protecting this family."

Nodding against Klaus' chest she smiled softly to them. "I did what I felt was right." She said quietly. "Oh by the way, New Orleans is a disaster. Some really big douche named Marcel has pretty much taken over and witches aren't allowed to practice in the Quarter and he's hunted down and run the wolves out of town."

"Marcel?" Rebeka asked in shock. "He's alive?"

"Apparently?" Caroline replied. "All I know is that a lot of people aren't happy with him or how things are done down there. There were whispers of your family. I was intrigued so I met up with Lucy, Bonnie's cousin. That's how I found out about the White Oak. I waited until they were gone and took what I could find and sent it to Elijah."

"How did you know how to find us?" he asked cautiously.

"Honestly, I didn't." she said carefully. "I ended up compelling a few people to talk to a coven to get answers."

"My sincere gratitude, Caroline." Elijah said. "Now my siblings and I will take our leave and allow you and Niklaus to talk."

Kol snorted, "Right. Talk."

Caroline buried her face in Klaus' shirt and felt his chest rumble in a low growl which sent heat pooling in her belly. She heard the sound of someone smacking Kol on the back of the head and heard him whine in reply. Looking up through her lashes she found Klaus staring down at her.

Nudging her back, he held her to him as they stepped into her room and the door shut behind them. Still holding her to his chest they walked back toward the bed, their eyes never leaving one another. He spun and fell back on the bed, taking her with him. Toeing off his boots, he held her to him as they just lay there taking comfort in one another.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered tearfully.

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me now, love." he murmured into her hair, breathing her in.

"I'm glad that you're here," she replied, burrowing into his chest.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart." he assured her. "And neither are you if I have anything to say about it."

They lay like that talking and just taking comfort in holding one another throughout the night. Finally as the sun was coming up, they had fallen asleep. Midday they were awoken to Kol boisterously knocking and telling them it was time to head out.

Klaus groaned, pulling her closer and Caroline blinked awake in confusion. Looking up into the blurry eyes of the man she had come to love, she knew it was real and it was not just a dream. He was here and the Mikaelsons had come for her, to protect her.

"I think we should get up," she said breathlessly.

Reluctantly they got up and got ready for the day. Klaus helped her to gather her things as they prepared to meet his siblings. He held her hand in his own as if afraid she would disappear as they went to the elevator. In the lobby they found the rest of his family waiting.

"I made arrangements," Elijah said in greeting. "The plane is waiting for us. We can talk more once we put some distance between us and trouble."

"Where are we going?" Caroline asked curiously.

Elijah gave her a kind smile, "Why Miss Forbes, that is a surprise."

Caroline smiled and giggled in delight. While she wanted to know, she also loved surprises. For the first time since leaving Mystic Falls she felt safe and whole.

They piled into their SUV and made their way to the airport. They went through customs quickly and were soon boarding the private plane owned by the Mikaelsons. Caroline curled up in a soft leather seat beside Klaus. He had not left her side since he had found her and he had no plans to do so anywhere in the near future, if ever.

Caroline awoke to the plane descending and looked out the darkened window to see if she could recognize where they were. Klaus pulled her to his side and kissed her temple. His siblings were gathering their things getting ready to depart the plane.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Welcome to Rome, love." Klaus said with a grin. "We will start here and go anywhere in the world that you want to."

"We're in Italy?" she asked in surprise. "I can't wait."

"Well, I did promise you." he said looking down at her heatedly. "It's a promise that I intend to keep."

Caroline smiled before leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. They left the plane and went to the waiting vehicles. From there they wove in and out of the streets towards a fenced and gated property. Of course they would have a Palladian style home in the center of Rome, she mused with a grin.

Later that night she stood before one of the large floor length windows and felt Klaus come behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. Caroline closed her eyes and breathed in his scent and let her mind drift as more of the fear, tension, and grief that she had been holding onto melted away.

"What do you think?" he asked in a whisper against the shell of her ear.

"It's beautiful," she murmured. "I cannot wait to explore, Klaus. Thank you."

"It is I that should be thanking you, Caroline." he said, turning her to face him. "Nothing we can ever say will be enough for what you have done and risked for my family. You have to know that I adore you, love. If I could I would give you the world, anything you asked."

"I don't want the world, Klaus, or your thanks." she replied shyly.

"What then, do you want?" he asked in earnest.

"You," she said softly. "Just you and the promises that you made to me. I'm collecting."

"Caroline," he breathed, "Be sure love, because once I have you I'm never letting you go. You'll be mine and I'm a selfish, possessive man."

"But you'll be mine as well," she murmured, looking up at him. "And that's all I need. Losing you showed me that while I can live without you, I don't want to."

Klaus leaned down and captured her lips with his own. They both groaned into the kiss, giving in to the emotions and feelings that they had been bottling up for some time. One of his hands cupped the side of her face and the other wrapped around her to fist into her hair. Her hands clutched at him, one on his necklaces and the other burying into his dirty blonde hair.

They found themselves on the bed where their hands and lips traced each bit of skin they could find on one another. Their clothes disappeared in record time before they fell together in heated flesh, clutching one another desperately. Their sighs and moans were drowned out by the sound of the city below awakening.

As the sun rose in the sky they peaked together again and again, taking their time to explore one another. With Klaus, Caroline had experienced things she didn't know she could feel or even existed. For Klaus it was coming home, Caroline was his home and his anchor. Before midday they had claimed one another becoming a fully mated pair. They bore one another's mark and scent and would for eternity.

While just a baby vampire, eternity was a bit of a daunting concept, but for Caroline, Klaus was her eternity and she would follow wherever he led. He was her adventure and she looked forward to seeing and doing everything that he had promised her.

For Klaus, Caroline was everything. He would do and be whatever she needed of him for the rest of their existence. He lived for her and knew that his family supported him, supported them. They traveled together as a group, living in safety in numbers. As the decades passed the threat against Caroline lessened but it would always be there. She had tipped the balance in their favor and gambled high stakes, but for her it was worth it, he was worth it.

Her friends in Mystic Falls never understood and never forgave her once they found out. For a while it hurt her, but she took time to think about everything that they had been through, that she had been through and realized that their opinions didn't matter. They never cared for or valued her enough to be honest and open with her, so she wasn't going to let their opinions change how she lived her life or affect her happiness.

The Mystic Falls group were left on their own to their own ruin. Their decisions finally caught up with them. Elena became a vampire, Jeremy ended up dead, Bonnie was trapped beyond the veil. The Salvatores had both died and Matt was left alone in the wake of it all.

Caroline never returned to Mystic Falls. She never interacted with Elena again, which only served to piss Elena off. She lashed out at Caroline and said some very awful things about her former friend, cutting deep and opening old wounds. The incident that followed ended up with Elena dead having pissed off the Mikaelsons enough to end her miserable existence once and for all.

Caroline and the Mikaelsons walked the earth together for eternity. She and Klaus were mates and though they had their ups and downs, they always remained at one another's side. Eventually the other Mikaelsons found their own mates and happiness. They lived long and fulfilling lives.

For them, living with a baby vampire was much like seeing things all over again for the first time. She gave them a new perspective and appreciation for what they were seeing and experiencing. She gave them back their humanity, for them Caroline made the rest of their eternity interesting and adventure, and what an adventure it was!