Epilogue.

Ten years later.

"This was a terrible idea…whatever made me think I could do this?!" Klaus grumbled nervously to Stefan as he read the lyrics on the paper in his hand. Lyrics, he'd read through countless times and knew completely by heart and still he clung to the paper like a life saver.

"You'll do fine." The younger vampire assured him, then in an obvious try to change the subject added, "Everyone is loving it here…Matt was just telling me that-"

"I have this stunning necklace with a beautiful blue diamond in my safe…I'll give her that instead of…this." Klaus said wincing at the song lyrics, completely ignoring what his old friend was saying.

"Wow…another diamond, she'll love it." Stefan replied with fake enthusiasm. "You called me, made me come almost a week early to choose the perfect song. We did, you rehearsed it more times than I care to remember and now…you're chickening out."

"I am not!" He growled at the younger Salvatore then sighed. "Singing in front of all these people, what if I suck and embarrass her?" What if I get overwhelmed by emotion and tear up? Just the thought of that happening made his blood turn cold.

"Even if you're not perfect…but you will be," Stefan amended as he took in the way Klaus brows raced to his hairline. "Even if you're not, Caroline will be incredibly happy by your gesture…she'll be ecstatic."

Thinking of Caroline's face full of joy at his surprise did the trick. He would do anything to make her happy. This was something that over the years she had asked of him, half joking or in earnest but he had always wiggled out of doing it. Just one time tonight, he would do it. For her.

He put the paper in his hand in the inside pocket of his tuxedo and motioned with his head towards the bar. "Shall we go get a drink?"

Stefan immediately nodded and they headed there, passing by the beautifully decorated tables with the crisp white linen. Flowers with soft red petals floated in a bowl half filled with water in the middle, creating a contrast with the white around them. The open bar was on the right side of the huge hall. They were immediately served and after touching their glasses they turned to look at the people around them.

"Did you see your brother?" Klaus asked him. "I talked to him a few minutes ago."

"Yes, some time ago." Stefan said as he took a sip of his whiskey. "Did you see the curvy brunette with him?"

"Yes, I did." Klaus rolled his eyes. "Think he's trying to make a certain someone jealous?"

Stefan nodded and then they gave each other a knowing look and together added. "It won't work."

Klaus chuckled and after swallowing from his glass turned to Stefan again. "What about you? Do you have a plus one?"

"What's this?" Stefan asked instead of answering, his eyes narrowing on him. "Are you trying to pull a Caroline? She thinks she's so good at prying discreetly…she sucks at it…and you do too."

Klaus winced as he put all his attention on the liquid in his glass.

"She put you up to this, didn't she?" Stefan shook his head then suddenly turned worried eyes on Klaus. "Please tell me she's not sitting me next to Elena."

"No."

"Don't lie!"

"I said no!" Klaus repeated vehemently. "You think she'd risk any unexpected drama at the wedding or even just at this rehearsal dinner?!"

That seemed to calm Stefan as he drank some more.

"Look Elena has arrived, let's go say hi." Klaus told him as he saw Caroline's best friend talking to his fiancée and his sister.

"Damon just called me over there…" Stefan said as he left the now empty glass on the bar and walked away.

"And I'm the chicken?" Klaus said to his back, knowing he heard him.

Kol beat him to the girls' side by a few seconds.

"Did someone just say my name?" Klaus heard Kol ask as he wound his arm around his fiancée's waist.

"Has everyone arrived?" Klaus asked Caroline as he leaned to give a peck on Elena's cheek and greet her with a hello.

Elena gave him a little smile and waved at Kol. There was actually some real warmth in her eyes tonight. Things had stayed cold between her and Klaus for many years until last year. She had called Caroline asking for some of Klaus blood as she had been bitten by a werewolf. Half an hour later, Klaus and Caroline were boarding a plane to go to her.

To say that she had been surprised at seeing them both at her bedside was an understatement.

"You didn't need to come." She had said weakly.

Klaus had immediately given her his wrist to feed from and then he told her bluntly what he had tried to say for years.

"I know that you can never forgive me for what I took from you and I don't expect you to, and you have every right to hate me forever but you are Caroline's family, therefore you are my family too…and if you ever need anything from me, you'll have it."

With that understanding out in the open between them, things got better.

"I like your new haircut." Kol told her as he pointed at her now bob style cut that reached only to her chin.

"Bonnie should be here, soon." Caroline was telling Klaus as he stopped a waiter and taking a flute of champagne from his tray and passed it to her. "They don't know Florence; they took a wrong turn... but she texted she's almost here."

"Its okay, love...there's time..." He reassured her as he squeezed her waist. "I'll go check some last details..."

"What last details?" She asked with a worried glance.

"Nothing important..." He replied raising his shoulders. "Let me know when Bonnie gets here."

Suddenly Elena who was looking at him asked. "Are you nervous, Klaus? Getting wedding jitters?"

"What? No." A frown marred his brow as he thought again about the song in his pocket. "I'm marrying the love of my life...what's there to be nervous about?" He turned to Caroline and stamped a full kiss on her lips before walking away.

Klaus went back to the bar where he gulped down another drink. Bloody right he was nervous. That he was completely, head over heels in love with Caroline was no secret to anyone here but…to expose all his feelings in front of everyone like that...in song…

"Ready to sing?" Elijah asked him, as he stopped next to him and ordered a drink.

"No!" Klaus answered gruffly.

One of Elijah's eye brows moved up slightly as a small smile touched his lips.

"Don't give me that superior look."

"I'm not." Elijah retorted with a chuckle, "I'm just enjoying seeing the nothing-ever-ruffles-my-feathers-Niklaus Michaelson looking…apprehensive."

Klaus let out a deep breath. His brother was right. He'd go into battle against dozens in a minute without a drop of sweat but singing to Caroline in front of a small crowd was making him deadly nervous.

"Caroline will be so proud of you…I know I am." Elijah told him softly.

Klaus looked directly into his brother's eyes, feeling a tightening across his chest. He knew Elijah wasn't saying that because he was about to sing but of the man he had become these last ten years. He had arrogantly told Caroline all those years ago, that he didn't want to change and that he never would but he had changed. Her very presence, the happiness and love she had brought with her in his life had changed him. He didn't feel the need to prove himself, show his power and strength to the world. Being worthy of her was enough for him. He was still impatient, easy to ire, threatening, too blunt and high handed with people but he knew Caroline didn't want him perfect. It was enough for her that he had let the grey filter into the black until it had mixed completely.

"Nik…" Kol called him, as he got to his side. "Bonnie has arrived…so everyone is here."

"All right then…" Klaus gave a small nod of thanks to his older brother, who saluted him with his glass. He then went to the head waiter and gave him order to get ready to start serving dinner, called out to a waiter to make sure the tables were perfect and then went to the platform where the music band was playing soft music.

"I'll be here in a few minutes, so be ready for me." He said to their leader before jumping down and looking around for Caroline.

He saw her in her purple, satin gown surrounded by her girlfriends, lost in whatever subject they were discussing. He walked to her, coming from behind, his eyes going over the soft white skin of her back showing through the laced up back of her dress.

"What are these beautiful girls talking about?" He asked them with a smile as his hand found the small of Caroline's back as he went to her side, holding her to him.

Kol suddenly appeared next to his other side. "They were discussing the lack of sex in your life at the moment. Not to say...talking about that story of how you broke that guy's arm."

Klaus closed his eyes for a long second to breathe in calmly. He didn't know which of the two stories he hated more.

"Kol? Seriously?" Caroline hissed at his brother.

"That's for sending me away." Kol answered with a shrug.

Klaus turned to look directly in Caroline's eyes. "Sweetheart, why are you discussing our intimate business with everyone?...And I remember we agreed that we weren't going to bring that story up again."

"They're not everyone...they're family." She replied with a lovely smile.

"He's around here by the way," Kol said as he looked around the room. "But don't expect him to come shake your hand or anything." He finished laughing.

Klaus took another deep breath in. Caroline would never forgive him if he broke Kol's neck in front of all their guests. "For the last, bloody time, I saw a man holding tightly to Caroline...how the hell was I supposed to know he tripped over her? Or that he was human and his arm would break so easily the moment I grabbed him?"

A series of ouch and cringed faces greeted his words from all the ladies, making him roll his eyes heavily.

Caroline rested her hand on his forearm. "It is okay, Nik. We all know how sorry you are for doing that."

No, he wasn't sorry for doing that but for the fight he and Caroline had afterwards because of it. She stayed angry with him for days…which made him hate that guy even more. And he didn't give a rat's ass that he was Danielle's husband now.

Something in his eyes must have given him away because Kol chuckled loudly. "Yeah, right."

"I still say he was holding you too tight." Klaus told Caroline with a shrug.

That immediately brought a frown to her brows. "Nik?" She chided him softly.

"And that's why we don't bring that story up." His put up his finger to smooth the lines between her brows. "On to better things...now that everyone's here, I got a...thing to do before we start feeding our guests."

He started to walk away but Caroline held on to his arm and pulled him back closer to her.

"Nik...What is going on? You promised me no more lavish gifts."

He smiled at her. "And it's not."

"You gave me this incredible ring," she said showing her hand where a big solitaire diamond caught the lights from the chandelier above them. "And a whole new wardrobe in Milan, not to mention ...six," she whispered under her breath. "And I repeat six, white horses!"

"You love horses." He replied. Her mouth had gaped open when he had taken her to the newly made stables on the grounds of the mansion they lived in. Her eyes kept going from the horses to him, completely speechless as her eyes brightened with tears.

"Yes, I do but six?!" She repeated with a resigned sigh. "Anyway...you promised no more wedding gifts."

He cupped her cheek with his hand, caressing it with his thumb before kissing her softly on the lips. He silently hoped that she'd look just as happy by his song. He walked away from her and went to the two steps that took him up the platform and in front of the band where a microphone waited for him in the middle.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, catching everyone's attention. People stopped talking and moved closer to the band area, curious smiles on many of their faces.

Caroline picked slightly up her floor length gown and their guests made space for her along with her group until she stood in the middle, right in front of Klaus.

"Caroline and I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. In a few minutes, you will all be seated and you can enjoy the food and each other's company," Klaus took a deep breath and looked at Caroline, "…but before that..." He smiled, a loving smile meant only for her.

Elijah had just arrived and smiled at her too and Klaus saw her ask him something between barely opened lips. The poor darling was worried about whatever grand gesture he had prepared and he admitted there had been quite a few during the years. And yet, tonight, he was going to do a very simple thing…and he'd never been more anxious.

"My incredibly, beautiful bride-to-be, has prohibited me from giving her any more expensive gifts for our wedding," Klaus told their guests with a smile, "so...I thought about what else I could give her instead..." His smile deepened. "In the years we've been together...we've done some wonderful things together...from mountain climbing in Nepal to sky diving in Brazil and actually living on a beach in Bali...to my favourite, being snowed in, in a log cabin in Iceland."

Every adventure, every trip, every moment together had been a wonderful gift for him. Not just the places they visited together, but the wondrous look in her eyes whenever she discovered something new, from a simple sunset to the aurora borealis. Her joy gave him joy.

"Now why would that be your favourite, I wonder?" Klaus heard Damon's voice from the left side of the platform and he gave a small shake of his head.

"Yeah, you realized you were snowed in, three days after it actually happened." His younger brother chimed in. "Cause you didn't even try to leave the cabin before that!"

Everyone laughed and Klaus saw Caroline's cheeks grow pink before she gave a little sigh. Ten years of Kol's teasing about their very active sex life and she still got embarrassed.

"Anyway..." Klaus turned his gaze for a second on his brother, a glare meaning "cut it out" before spreading his lips into a smile again. "In all these years there was one thing that Caroline wanted from me that I always said no to..."

He paused for effect, and he loved the confused look on Caroline's face.

"You're actually capable of saying no to my daughter..." Liz smiled up at him from her place next to her husband and Elena on the other. "That's new information to me."

Liz. He loved Liz, and he didn't even need all the fingers of one hand to count the humans he could say that about. For all the years she had spent hunting vampires and keeping her town safe from them, she was the first that had thawed down her reaction to him and Caroline being together. In a matter of months, she was happy with her daughter's choice.

You keep her safe and I've never seen her happier…that's all that matters to me. She had told him simply on their first thanksgiving together. And…she's got you wrapped around her little finger, so good luck to you.

"Mom!" Caroline hissed at her mom while everyone laughed, the sound dissolving the sudden memory away.

"Well, this thing we even betted on and she always lost, so..." Klaus laughed softly as Caroline realised what he was talking about and a hand flew to her mouth in complete surprise.

"Oh my God!" She yelled then turned to look at his older brother. "Is it true?"

"What? What?" His other brother asked loudly.

"Tonight...I will do it." He said, his eyes only on Caroline. "It's a once in a lifetime thing, love, so...just for you..." He heaved a breath in. "I will sing you a song."

"Oh my God!" His fiancée said again, her voice still incredulous.

"That's what he's so nervous about!" Rebekah told her, surprise colouring her voice too before smiling up at him.

Klaus turned to his side, looking at the man on the piano, who had heard him sing this song dozens of times. The man nodded that he was ready and Klaus looked ahead again, his eyes searching Caroline's.

Her eyes looked lovingly into his but he could see she was saying something to Kol from the side of her mouth and whatever it was, Kol was pouting his lips in disappointment.

All his siblings seemed to have something to say and then he saw Rebekah put up her cell phone obviously ready to film this and he closed his eyes and ignored her and just concentrated on Caroline.

"Whenever I'm weary,

From the battles that raged in my head,

Klaus frowned, his voice was coming out weak…he could do better…he inhaled and continued…

You made sense of madness,

When my sanity hangs by a thread.

I lose my way, but still you

seem to understand,

now & forever,

I will be your man...

Caroline's lips had parted in a happy smile and he smiled back as he kept on singing,

Sometimes I just hold you,

Too caught up in me to see,

I'm holding a fortune

that Heaven has given to me.

I'll try to show you

each and every way I can

now & forever,

I will be your man...

Stefan had given him other songs to choose from, but when he read these lyrics, they seemed to have been written from his heart for Caroline. It's why he had been so nervous about singing it in front of everyone. He was pouring his heart out in words, all the feelings and emotions he felt when he was with her…but he needn't have worried, because he saw no one but her in front of him.

Now I can rest my worries

and always be sure

that I won't be alone, anymore...

Slow tears were coming down her cheeks and he saw her lips mouth the word "never" and he almost choked but then smiled just at her and…

If I'd only known you'd be there,

all the time,

All this time...

Until the day the ocean

doesn't touch the sand

now & forever

I will be your man...

Now & Forever,

I will be your man."

As soon as he sang the last word, he jumped down the shallow platform and gathered Caroline in his arms as their guests clapped their hands and some even whistled.

"Oh my God! That was so beautiful..." Caroline told him as she hugged him to her, her face in the crook of his shoulder, "I still can't believe, oh my God..." He felt her wet cheek against his even as she laughed and looked at him. "Thank you!" She said before catching his lips with hers.

"That went well, brother."

"Told you she would love a good oldie."

Klaus heard Elijah and Stefan say as he broke the kiss to shake their hands.

"That was too sweet for anyone to make fun of." His sister said with a pout, her cell phone disappearing in her clutch bag. Klaus had no doubt that that video would come back many times but he didn't care, Caroline had loved it and that's all that mattered.

"I want that video...I want to watch it over and over again!" Caroline told her almost sister in law almost as if she had read Klaus' mind.

"Well done, Nik." Kol shook his hand, his face for once without his trademark mischievous grin on it. He then gave a peck on Caroline's cheek.

"Ok, everyone let's eat." Klaus told all the people around them and as the small crowd immediately started finding their place, he kept Caroline attached to him and kissed her fully like he had been dying to do as he saw the look in her eyes while he sang to her.

The dinner was delicious, the music great and the company couldn't have been better. During the different courses, his hand kept finding Caroline's, their fingers would squeeze for a moment and then they'd be back to giving their attention to their guests as they kept coming to them to congratulate them and say hi.

Hours later, they were finally left alone enough to enjoy a dance together. Caroline's arms were around his neck while his rested around her waist. The night had obviously been a great success and everyone seemed reluctant to end it.

He saw Caroline smile as she looked around them, her eyes going over the other couples dancing.

"What?" He asked her, caressing her cheek with his nose.

"It's been a perfect evening, hasn't it?" She sighed.

"Of course...you planned it." He said with a smile. She had gone over every little detail at least two dozen times. Making small adjustments each time until she was completely happy.

"Oh God! I hope the wedding is just as good!" Her arms became rigid around his neck, a worried frown on her brows.

"Caroline..."

"Sorry! Sorry! I know!" She said as she rounded her hand around his cheek, "I've been neurotic and crazy while planning this wedding and you've been incredibly patient and accepted all my crazy ideas!"

"Accepted is a strong word..." He winced, "saying goodnight to you and leaving my own bedroom in the last weeks has been..." Hard, would be an understatement. It hadn't been just the sex he had missed and he did miss that terribly, but it was not feeling her body sleeping next to his that had made it almost impossible to get any sleep. Even more not seeing her lips open in that beautiful smile that still thrilled him, the moment he opened his eyes.

"We could..." She looked at him, her eyes unsure, "Change that tonight."

"What?! Really?" If she meant it, he was sending all the guests off in the next ten minutes or maybe he'll just disappear with her upstairs and everyone could see themselves off on their own.

"When I was telling the girls..." She bit her lower lip, "it did sound kind of stupid..."

He chuckled, his cheek pressed to hers. When he had tried to make her change her mind and told her that he thought that having no sex for three weeks after they had been together for ten years was the stupidest idea he'd ever heard, she had acted all haughty and told him that he would eat his words on their wedding night. And he had to admit that the one thing that he enjoyed about this abstinence was that he had found himself dreaming about kissing and making love to Caroline like he had done all those years ago when he had fallen for her.

"If I'm honest..." He whispered in her ear. "Waiting has made me look forward to our wedding night in...an avid way...and I was planning this incredible..." whole night of love making.

She looked at him, her eyes shining. "Really? So you like my idea now? You don't mind waiting another two days?"

"Two days?" He smirked. "Love, I was ready to wait a hundred years for you...what's two days?!"

Her eyes lowered to his mouth and then she caught his lips with hers. Her tongue slipped to touch his and they completely stopped dancing and gave in to the kiss as if they were alone instead of surrounded by people. When they finally came up for air, Caroline giggled breathlessly as her forehead rested against his, as Klaus too tried to regain his breath.

"Oh God...two days! Can we forget what I just said?" Klaus asked her as his mouth went back down to hers. After ten years, her taste still drove him wild with want.

"I love you." She said still laughing softly, her mouth attached to his for another kiss.

Klaus' arms wound tighter around her and his hand caressed her back slowly. "And don't worry..." he said, his cheek against hers, "the wedding will be even better than tonight...cause you'll come down that aisle...leaving me breathless I'm sure and... then you'll be my wife and I'll be your husband and that's all that really matters. You and I, married."

He would have married her that first night she had told him she loved him, that's how sure he had been even then that she was his soul mate and they belonged together but he had wanted her to live the dreams she had for herself then…college, a career, see the world…and so he had waited until he knew she was ready…and now they would live the rest of their dreams as husband and wife.

"My husband...I love the way it sounds." She said as she pressed her body to his, the satin of her dress swishing around them. "Thank you, Nik."

"You've thanked me more than enough..."

"Not just the song or the gifts...everything..." Her eyes softened as her thumb caressed his cheek over his dimple, "all that my life has been in the last ten years. And I'm not just talking about all the beautiful places we visited and lived in...and the crazy adventures. I'm also talking about the lazy days spent reading or watching movies, or just chatting in bed or...cuddling in front of the fireplace. I cherish every single moment, all the happiness, the experiences...the love….even our fights." She ended with a small laugh.

"And the makeup sex afterwards." He told her knowingly.

"Yeah, that too." She agreed with a naughty smile.

"All of that..." He said as he held her tighter to him, kissing her cheek. "That's something I should thank you for, after over a thousand years, who knew such happiness could exist for someone like me." He had spent all those centuries trying to fill the hollow in his chest with victories against his enemies, and being feared and hated when all he needed was this one incredible woman to fill it up with love.

"I love you, Niklaus Michaelson." She said, the amount of love in her eyes robbing him of breath and making his eyes sting with unshed tears.

"And I love you, Caroline Forbes, soon to be Michaelson." He whispered back with pride.

"Forever..."

Klaus smiled and held her dearly to him. With his clean shaven cheek attached to hers, his lips next to her ear, he sang under his breath, "Until the day the ocean, doesn't touch the sand..."

Her smile opened wider and she sang back with him. "Now & Forever..."

The End.

The song mentioned is 'Now and Forever' by Richard Marx.