OK GUYS! DID YOU SEE THE 100TH EPISODE OF TVD?! We finally, FINALLY, got Klaroline! Now if only they would move Candice to The Originals… I know it's been a long time since I last wrote, but I explained why in my last author's note so I won't bore you with the details again. :)
Thank you to everyone who has continued to read, review, and add this story to your favorites. I passed 200 followers on this story! It's crazy to think that that many of you are reading this, but thank you, thank you, thank you. To my reviewers:
klaroline4everlove: I feel like Klaus would be a jealous person when it comes to Tyler just because Tyler makes him angry. I'll try to fit more of those in with my story! Thank you for reading and leaving me reviews! Essie01: Thank you! And thank you for reading and reviewing! karmanli911522: Thank you! I'll try to add in some more flashbacks that show Caroline's growing relationships. Thank you for reading and reviewing! Klaroline-lovegames: I couldn't let Rebekah be nice from the beginning, haha! Thank you for reading and reviewing! Psycho17: That's how I feel Klaus would be towards Tyler too! Thank you for reading and reviewing! PerfectlyGoodHeart: Thank you! I feel like I'm always referring to Nicholas Sparks, but sometimes it just fits. Thanks for reading and reviewing! ferrylis: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Ellavm18: Thank you, and thanks for reading and reviewing! MsCindz: Yes, he did, haha. He said it once before I think, but you probably won't be seeing it for a while… cliffhanger? haha! Thank you for reading and reviewing! EmmaRedVelvet: Thank you! For me, the fluffy seems to be the hardest part to write, so thank you! And thanks for reading and reviewing! sallyyounan: Thank you! And thanks for reading and reviewing! Chelseab95: Thank you! Hope you like this chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Iansarmy: Thank you! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Guest: I'm glad you liked it! And yeah, it did add a sense of closure. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for reading, and please let me know what you think! I THINK the story is going to start coming to an end sometime soon, like in the next few chapters. I feel like I'm at the point where it's time to bring it to the ending I have planned. I'll probably have a better idea next chapter though, so I'll let you guys know! Happy reading…
Disclaimer: I do not own TVD, The Originals, or any of their characters…
Caroline looked across the white linen covered table and smiled at Klaus. The restaurant was much fancier than she was used to, but she couldn't help but wonder if she just couldn't remember frequenting these types of places. The lights were dim and there was a single lit candle at each table. Beside the candle stood a small vase that held a deep red rose. Caroline was glad that he had thought to tell her to wear something nice, otherwise she would have felt extremely awkward. Everyone in the room looked as if they should be at a ball or some other fancy event.
"What is it, love?" Klaus' voice broke Caroline away from her thoughts.
Her smile grew. "I'm just surprised we are at such a nice place. You can tell we aren't in Mystic Falls anymore."
He chuckled almost too low for Caroline to hear. "We're too limited if we stay in Mystic Falls. Besides, I feel like everywhere we go in that town someone that we know shows up." His voice grew irritated at his last statement.
Caroline couldn't help but laugh. "Is that a bad thing?"
"It is when it's people that you don't want to see." His eyes shifted to the plate in front of him, and Caroline instantly knew he was talking about Tyler. Who else did he not want to run into?
She sighed. "Nik, I'm sorry that I let Tyler in the house, but you have to believe me when I say that I won't do it again because I know how much it bothers you." Caroline reached across the table and took his hand in hers. She lightly squeezed it before continuing. "I know that he isn't your favorite person, but I want you to know that I have no feelings left towards Tyler other than friendship. You are the only man that I want." She took a deep breath before saying the three words that she knew were the truest words she had ever spoken. "I love you, Nik." He looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes wide with surprise. Caroline smiled shyly. "With all of my heart."
Klaus had forgotten how wonderful those words sounded coming from her. It was such a familiar phrase from her, but it sounded so new, because to her it was her first time saying those words to him. "I love you too, Caroline." He lifted her hand to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, but it wasn't satisfying. "I want to kiss you so badly right now, but it wouldn't be appropriate in front of all of these people."
A smirk appeared on Caroline's face that looked a lot like the one Klaus usually wore. "Since when are you one to play by the rules?" She stood from her chair, walked around the table, grabbed his face in her hands, and placed her lips against his. It didn't take long before Klaus' mouth began reacting to hers, moving with excitement. She could feel his hot breath as her hands found their way to the nape of his neck. His hands landed on her waist before pulling her down across his lap. Caroline giggled against his lips. It wasn't long before they heard the people around them clearing their throats. Caroline laughed again, but placed another kiss on his mouth before standing up and walking over to her seat again.
Klaus looked annoyed, which only made Caroline laugh harder. "Nik, we are adults. We have to act like it."
"Well, I wasn't the one that jumped up to kiss you, now was I?" He smirked.
Caroline rolled her eyes, but decided to change the subject. She wanted to kiss him as much as he wanted to kiss her, so the best thing to do was to get their minds off of it. "Tell me something."
"Like what?" Klaus asked before taking a bite of his pasta.
Caroline shrugged. "Anything. Just tell me about something we did together, something that stands out in your mind."
"Hmmm," He thought out loud as he took a drink of his water. "Well, why don't I tell you about the first time you told me you loved me. I'll be sticking with the theme of the night." He winked at her.
Caroline rolled her eyes again, but she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. "Alright, tell me all about it."
Flashback~ December 2009
Caroline was with Elena at The Grill when she got a call from Rebekah. She thought it was odd because they hadn't grown so close that they were calling each other. Their relationship was doing better, but it was still far from perfect. Caroline would have said that they were friends, but not close friends, and definitely not best friends. So when Rebekah's name popped up on the screen, it was somewhat shocking to the blonde.
"Hang on, I need to take this," she told Elena before walking outside so she could hear better.
"Hello?" She answered, and she could hear the skepticism in her own voice.
"Caroline? It's Rebekah." Rebekah sounded worried.
"Is everything alright? Where's Nik?" Caroline's mind automatically began to race. She tried to think of the last time she had talked to Klaus. She realized that it had been hours ago, and she could feel the panic building inside.
"Nik's here, but something's wrong. He won't talk to any of us, Caroline, and when we do get a word out of him, he's angry. He won't even speak with Elijah, which isn't normal for him. Kol and I don't know what to do, so I decided to call you. Maybe he will actually talk to you."
Caroline tried to think of what could possibly be wrong, but her mind was drawing a blank. "I'll try to call him. I'm sure he's fine, Rebekah." Caroline wasn't so sure, but she was trying to calm the younger Mikaelson down.
"Ok." Rebekah didn't sound like she believed Caroline, but she hung up so Caroline could call Klaus.
Caroline found his name in her phone and hit the call button. It rang and rang, but he never answered. When it went to voicemail, she hung up and tried again. The same thing happened, the phone just rang until it went to voicemail. Caroline didn't want to leave a voicemail, but she decided to send a text instead.
Nik, why aren't you answering my calls? She hit send.
She didn't wait for a response, which none ever came anyway. She was too worried. She knew that if he wasn't answering her calls to make sure she was alright, something was really wrong. She ran inside to the table she had been sitting at with Elena. Elena looked up to see the expression on her best friend's face.
"Care, who was that? What's wrong?" Elena's brow furrowed as she waited for her friend to reply.
"It was Rebekah. I need to go. There's something going on with Nik." She threw her jacket on and pushed in her chair.
"Do you need me to come with you?"
"No!" Caroline snapped, but immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry, it's just that it would be worse if I brought someone with me. You know how guarded Nik is. I need to go alone. I'm sorry for running out on you like this. We'll reschedule."
"Don't worry about it. Just go." Elena smiled, and Caroline took that as her cue to leave.
Caroline pulled up to the mansion and practically ran inside. Three sets of eyes landed on her when she entered the house.
"Rebekah, did you call Caroline?" Elijah looked at his sister disapprovingly.
Rebekah sighed. "Elijah, stop worrying. If Nik is going to talk to anyone, it will be her."
"It's not the talking that I'm worried about. He's very angry."
"She's seen him at his worst. She knows what to expect." Rebekah turned around and got lost in her television show again.
Elijah looked as if he was going to block Caroline from going up the stairway, but he didn't move.
"Is he up there?" Caroline asked, pointing upstairs.
Elijah nodded once, and then walked into the living area. Caroline ran up the stairs, and instead of knocking, just walked into Klaus' room. He was nowhere in sight.
"Nik?" She called out as she walked deeper into the room. "Where are you?"
Not even a few seconds later, his bathroom door swung open. He finished putting the shirt over his head, and Caroline noticed that his hair was wet. "What are you doing here, Caroline?" He joined her in his bedroom.
"I tried calling you, and you wouldn't answer." She didn't want to tell him that Rebekah had called her.
"Just because I don't answer every one of your calls does not mean that something is wrong. You don't have to come over and make sure I'm alright."
Caroline could hear the annoyance in his tone, but she wouldn't let him push her away. "Did I do something to make you angry with me, Nik?" She felt a knot growing in her throat as she realized that she might be the problem.
"I have a life outside of you, Caroline." He snapped.
"I guess I'll take that as a no. So if it's not me, what has you so angry today?" She stepped closer to him, afraid to get too close because she figured he would walk away.
"Why does everyone think something is wrong with me just because I want to be alone?" He began pacing the floor, which let Caroline know that he was upset about something.
Caroline didn't know what to do. She didn't know if she should push him more, or if she should just sit and wait for him to open up. She knew if she gave him the option, he would most likely tell her to leave, so she wasn't going to do that. She knew how he reacted to things when he was angry. She decided to take a seat on his bed, letting him know that she had no plans of going anywhere soon.
When Klaus saw her take a seat, he groaned. "Why is it that you insist on staying here when I obviously don't want company?"
Caroline shrugged. "I guess I just know that when you want to be alone, it's when something is really upsetting you. I don't want to see you upset, so if I can help, I want to."
Klaus shook his head. "You can't always fix me, Caroline."
"Maybe I can't, but I'm here just in case."
His eyes met hers. He could see how much she cared, and it almost caused his heart to melt. Seeing her expression caused his tone to completely change. "I really just need to be alone right now, sweetheart. It's nothing that you can help me with."
Caroline could hear the change in his voice immediately, and she realized they were getting somewhere. She patted the space next to her on the bed and waited for Klaus to take a seat before continuing. "I don't want to leave you alone. Not because I am trying to go against your will, but because I don't think it will do you any good to be alone. If you don't want to talk, fine, but at least let me sit here with you." She took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. "And if you do feel like talking about whatever it is, you can tell me. I may not can help you with it, but at least you'll get it off your chest."
Klaus knew there was no way he would ask her to leave at that point. He crawled up on the bed so he could lean against the headboard, and he pulled her against him. They just sat there in silence for a long time before he finally spoke up again.
"I don't think you've ever been this quiet in your life." He teased.
Caroline playfully slapped his chest. "I would do anything for you."
Klaus couldn't hold her gaze, he had to look away. Caroline knew that was a weak spot for him that he still struggled with. He didn't know how she could care so much for him, and then the realization hit her.
"Are you ready to talk about it yet?" She asked.
Klaus didn't turn to look at her. "It's just been a bad day."
"Why?"
"It doesn't matter." He was staring at his free hand that was resting in his lap.
Caroline didn't want to force him to look at her, figuring it would be easier for him to tell her whatever was bothering him if he didn't have to face her. "It matters to me."
He sighed. "I was in my studio painting, and it was just one of those days where nothing was coming out like I wanted it to. I was getting frustrated, and when that happens, a lot of times I hear Mikael's voice in my head. He's always telling me that I'm not good for anything. That nothing I do will ever be good enough. Most days I can push it aside, but some days it just gets to me. Today was one of the latter days. When I start letting his words in, they all come back. Nobody could ever love me, my own mother left me. I never do anything right. The list goes on. But on days like these, I like to be alone, and my siblings don't seem to understand that."
Caroline felt the tears threatening to spill. She wrapped her arms around Klaus' torso and pulled him tight against her. "I'm sorry he said those terrible things to you, but they aren't true." She looked up to meet his eyes, which he finally turned so she could do. "I love you, Nik."
She felt like he needed to hear those words. They had never told each other that before, but she felt like it was the right moment. She thought that maybe if he knew how she felt about him, that he would stop believing what Mikael said. However, she wasn't expecting what came next.
Klaus jumped out of the bed, failing to hide the surprise on his face. "I forgot that I was supposed to do something," he told her, vaguely. "Maybe you should go, and I'll call you later."
Caroline's eyes were wide. She wanted to cry. She knew that he had heard her, yet he didn't even acknowledge her admission. Instead of letting him see her cry, she nodded, and disappeared without another word.
Klaus began pacing the room again, angry at himself for dismissing her the way he had. He panicked when he heard those three little words that he had longed to hear from someone for so long. How could anyone as sweet and beautiful as Caroline love me, he wondered. He was beginning to feel the guilt setting in because he didn't even respond to her statement. He was still walking back and forth when he heard a light knock on the door. He spun around, hoping that the blonde would be standing there.
"Niklaus?" Elijah asked. "Is everything alright?"
Klaus exhaled loudly. "Yes, why wouldn't it be?"
"I saw Miss Caroline running out of here with what appeared to be tears rolling down her cheeks. I figured something must have happened up here."
"Crap!" Klaus groaned under his breath. "I need to go find her."
"What happened?"
"She told me how she felt about me, and I panicked. I need to go make sure she's alright." Klaus began walking towards the door, but his brother's voice stopped him.
Elijah's brow was wrinkled with confusion. "What do you mean you panicked, brother?"
"I couldn't tell her how I felt." Klaus was growing frustrated again.
"Do you even know how you feel?" Elijah knew the struggles Klaus went through, and he knew that Klaus always guarded his heart.
Klaus stopped to think about the question, unsure of whether he did or not. Was this feeling love? He couldn't imagine a life with anyone other than Caroline. He knew that they were young, but his feelings were more real than anything he had ever experienced. The thought of losing her terrified him. If someone asked him what he loved most about Caroline, he wouldn't know what to say. Everything about Caroline drew him in. Even when she frustrated him, he couldn't stay angry with her. She could break through any barrier that he put up.
His eyes widened as he looked at Elijah, realization about how he felt sinking in. "I do. I have to go." He didn't give his brother a chance to speak before he was gone.
Klaus pulled into Caroline's driveway. He was relieved to see that her mother wasn't home. He walked up to the door, trying to get his nerves under control. He hadn't told anyone he loved them for a very long time. He knocked on the door twice, there was no answer. Finally, he decided to just go in. He was happy that Caroline hadn't locked the door after she got home. When he couldn't find her in her living room, the kitchen, or any other room downstairs, he made his way upstairs. He was about to knock on her bedroom door when he heard her on the other side. She was obviously crying, and his heart broke. He did that to her. Without another thought, he pushed the door open, and walked over beside her bed. He knelt down, waiting for her to turn towards him.
She didn't want him to see her face, so she remained facing in the opposite direction. "What are you doing here?" She choked out.
"Caroline, I'm so sorry. Please turn around," he pleaded with her.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," she whispered, but still didn't turn over.
When he saw that she wasn't making an effort to look at him, he stood up and walked to the other side of the bed. He wanted to be looking into her eyes when he told her how he felt. He brushed the stray curls away from her face, and her blue eyes met his.
"I am so sorry that I didn't respond earlier, but I want to tell you something now." He could tell that he had her full attention, and his heart began racing. "I love you, too."
Caroline's puffy eyes grew. She sat up on the bed. "Did you just say…"
Klaus nodded. "Yes, sweetheart, I did. I love you."
Caroline launched herself off the bed and into his arms. He never wanted to let her go.
Present Day
"Well that was kind of a sad story, even though I'm glad you came to tell me you loved me too." Caroline replied.
Klaus smiled. "I was in a much darker place back then. I wish I could tell you that times were always happy, but even our big moments didn't always happen during happy times. I think it worked for us though."
"Well it obviously did, because here we are, married." Caroline smiled back. "I want to know everything, so I don't want you to just tell me all the happy times. I like these stories, even if they are a little sad."
They finished their dinner and began their walk back to the car. Caroline's eyes took in the blanket of stars in the sky, she inhaled the crisp, cool air. She felt so content with where she was at in her life. She finally felt like she was exactly where she needed to be, even if her mind didn't want to cooperate. She sighed, truly happy. Caroline didn't realize that she had stopped walking until she felt Klaus' arm wind around her waist and begin tugging her forward.
"We can't stop now, sweetheart. There's a surprise waiting for you at home," he whispered in her ear.
Caroline's smile grew as wide as it could go. "A surprise?" She had to keep herself from jumping up and down with excitement.
Klaus chuckled at her obvious joy. He loved how happy a surprise could make her, and he had tried to make it a point to surprise her as much as possible before her accident. "Yes, a surprise. Shall we go see what it is?"
She practically ran to the car, pulling him with her. "Of course!"
Once inside the car, Caroline began bombarding him with questions, as she always did when it came to her surprises. "How did you get it to the house if you were here with me?"
Klaus' eyes were on the road, one corner of his mouth pulled up in a crooked smirk. "I have my ways."
Caroline's eyes widened when the next questions popped into her mind. "Has it been there all day? Have I just missed it?"
Klaus shook his head and laughed. "You wouldn't have been able to miss this if it had been at the house all day."
"So it's big?" She continued.
"You're just going to have to wait and see, love. I'm not giving you any hints."
Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "Well you're not being very fun."
Klaus wanted to laugh at how young she looked. She never failed to remind him of a child when she was getting a surprise, always excited beyond measure, and angry when you didn't tell her what she wanted to hear. "If I give you hints, it will ruin the surprise. Do you want to ruin it?"
Caroline continued to pout at first, but then had to admit that she knew he was right. "No, I guess not."
In order to distract her as much as possible, he turned on the radio. He knew that it worked for a few minutes when her favorite song came on and she began singing. She was singing and dancing along to the music while Klaus watched her from the corner of his eye with a smile dancing on his lips. This was hisCaroline, and she finally loved him again.
About twenty minutes later, they pulled into the driveway. Caroline's hands were covering her gaping mouth before the car even came to a stop. There, in the driveway, sat a dark blue 2014 BMW 6 Series Convertible car with a giant white bow on the top.
"Is that mine?" Caroline asked, her voice muffled by her hands.
Klaus parked and cut the engine off. "Only if you like it. If you don't, I will take you to pick out something else."
Caroline turned to look at him. "I love it, Nik. Thank you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly.
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
She quickly kissed his lips before jumping out of the vehicle she was in to go view the new one. As she was admiring the car's dark gray interior, Klaus walked up beside her.
"How did you get this here when you were with me?" She repeated her question from earlier, and then remembering his response, teased, "And don't say that you have your ways."
He shrugged. "Rebekah picked it up for me and brought it over. Before I helped Elijah today, I went to the dealership and made sure it was the one I wanted."
She immediately felt guilty for avoiding Rebekah, but brushed it aside for the time being. "Why blue?"
"Do you not like the color?" Klaus looked at the car.
"I love the color, but I was just curious."
"Blue is my favorite color on you, so I thought, why not buy you a blue car?" He shrugged, as if that was the most obvious answer in the world.
Caroline smiled and nodded, satisfied with his answer. She couldn't believe the car was hers, but more than anything, she couldn't believe the man that had given it to her was hers. She climbed out of the car, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her cerulean eyes bore into his blue-green ones.
"Today has honestly been one of the best days I've had since my accident, and it's all because of you." She could feel the tears filling her eyes, but they were tears of joy. "Thank you for everything."
Klaus kissed her forehead slowly, closing his eyes to prevent himself from tearing up at the sight of her. "You don't have to thank me for anything. I love you, Caroline. That means that I'm supposed to take care of you."
She moved so that her arms were now wrapped around his torso, pulling him as close to her as possible. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his beating heart. "I love you, too."