A Blast From Future's Past: Part Two.
Hello all my Lovelies! Please tell me you have all seen TVD series finale! Spoiler alert…KLAROLINE IS ENDGAME!
This is Part Two, Part one can be found in Chapter 8.
Flashback in this chapter is written in italic.
So I am so sorry for being gone for so long. Life has thrown many lemons my way, and I don't really care for lemonade at all. But I am back! And I have so much inspiration from the Klaroline promise that you can expect many updates form me soon!
I am working on the sequel to Above All Else as well as the sequels to many of the drabbles found here. I will be posting my Author's note for AAE very soon.
I want to thank you all for your support and patience between my updating. If you are ever wondering what is taking so long, want to chat or have an idea you would like me to write please feel free to inbox me here or over on tumblr.
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Caroline glanced around meticulously making sure she hadn't been followed before punching in the security code to the back gate of the property she and Alaric had purchased. As she walked across the soft grass of the backyard with the sun just sinking below the horizon, her high heel shoes dangling from her left hand, she recalled the extensive research and the color coded pros and cons list that went into procuring a residence within the New Orleans city limits.
At first, she had argued that she should gain herself an apartment in the downtown district while leaving Alaric and the girls safely housed well outside of the city. While they did go along with the private apartment, just for the sake of appearances, she spent as much time as she could here with them.
The private and gated community; Gabriel, offered them all the seclusion and options they needed. The security here was top of the line, and with a little help of compulsion, no one got in or out without their prior knowledge. It was centrally located close to the highways and their personal property's stone wall opened to Lake Pontchartrain which gave them another means to make a hasty escape if need be.
Making her way into the house she cringed slightly when she noticed the time on the stove's digital clock. With it being summer, the sun's late setting along with all this undercover and searching often made her uncharacteristically lose track of the time.
"Did I miss it?" She asked as she closed the backdoor quietly.
Alaric shut the dishwasher and turned to her, "I don't think so. The girls are listening to their bedtime story. I think if you head up now you'll catch them before they fall asleep."
Caroline gave him a nod of her head as she began to remove her short leather jacket but paused with a curious look at Alaric as he cleared his throat.
"Hmm, you might want to keep that on." He told her timidly.
"Why?"
He cringed as he pointed towards her, "There's a bit of blood on your dress."
Caroline glanced down to see blood stains covering the left side on the bodice of her lavender dress. With an irate huff, she roughly pulled her jacket back on effectively covering the offending stain.
"Do I even want to ask?" Alaric questioned as she set down her shoes and walked barefoot to the doorway. The look she tossed him as she stopped for a moment with her hand on the doorframe was answer enough for him, "I suppose not."
Caroline silently crept up the stairs, a low yet expressive husky feminine voice filtering down to her ears from the girls' bedroom. Pausing to lean against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest, a soft smile graced her lips at the scene before her as the story came to an end.
The brunette-haired woman closed the book with a sigh and rose from the bed she had been sitting on, moving to turn off the lamp that shined with a soft glow.
"Not yet." Caroline whispered wanting just a few minutes to look at the girls since she was too late to see them before they fell asleep. "How long have they been asleep?"
The woman turned around, placing the book on the night table between two of the beds, with a tired look in her eyes, "Not long." Seeing the downcast and regretful look wash over Caroline's face she added in softly, "They understand you know. And they told me to pass their love for you on for them."
The brunette woman sauntered with an almost cat-like grace towards Caroline, giving her a sideways hug and a quick kiss to her cheek, "There. At least that mission is accomplished." She added with a humorous grin.
Caroline let her hand trail down the woman's arm as she let go and went to leave the room.
"Thank you, Hayley." She offered in a quiet voice.
Hayley turned with a confused look on her face, keeping with the hushed tones as to not wake the girls, "Thank me? For what? If it wasn't for you and Alaric, Hope and I would still be, no pun intended, chasing our tails."
"No lie there." Caroline grinned cheekily bringing a huff and an out of place eye roll from Hayley, "But seriously, you being here? Helping to keep the girls safe, it means more to me than you could even know."
Hayley lifted an eyebrow and looked pointedly towards the third bed that was squished inside the room.
"Right." The two women stood next to each other, their eyes lighting happily over the three girls nestled into their beds. Both reminiscing over the well thought out argument that the three girls had with them over how they could all share a room and turn the extra guest bedroom that was meant for Hope into a large playroom instead. With Hope being a few years older than the twins, the adults had thought she would rather have her own space but they were quickly outnumbered, and happily so, when the three young girls bonded as tightly as sisters within hours of meeting just a few short months ago.
Hayley's sniffing and furrowed eyebrows aimed in Caroline's general direction pulled them both from their memories, "Do I even want to know what happened?" She asked obviously picking up on the scent of blood.
Caroline scoffed under her breath, "Let's just say the vampire I was meeting with earlier wasn't exactly pleasant. It took a little bit of ah…persuasion to get him to talk."
"Did you find out anything good?"
The hopeful look in Hayley's eyes made Caroline cringe inside, they had been looking for months for answers together about Klaus's exact whereabouts and how to wake the Mikaelson's without killing them in the process. But Hayley had been running a one woman show, carting around a child with her on top of it, for years longer. "I'm sorry Hayley. Not much. But I do have Bonnie looking into a couple more options. She should be getting back to me soon."
Hayley's lower lip pouted out further than normal as she sighed before whispering so softly even Caroline had to struggle to hear it, "If we don't come up with something soon we might not have another choice Caroline."
They had a list of about a million plans and so far, not many had worked out in their favor. The Mikaelson siblings were still laying in their coffins in a secret and highly concealed room in the basement and the only thing they knew about Klaus was he was trapped somewhere in New Orleans. If things didn't start to pan out soon Hayley was going to have to head back out in search of help from a few werewolf clans, something that set Caroline on edge considering if she was bitten the only cure was hidden away somewhere they couldn't find.
The only shining light they had at the moment was Bonnie. Thankfully she had been able to track Enzo down, freeing him from whatever had him under its thumb, leaving her to help with Caroline's cause. Not that that help had come easy. With Bonnie's underlying hatred for all things Mikaelson paired with Stefan begging for help in saving Damon it had been a tough argument. In the end, Bonnie's love for Caroline won out as well as her anger when she heard about how Marcel was keeping such a tight hold on the local witches.
"I know. Just give me a little more time before hand. I have another party to go to tonight." Caroline rolled her eyes. "Maybe tonight is the night."
"Look Caroline, I don't want to leave Hope any more than you want me going off on my own. But if you can't get through with Marcel we might not have a choice."
With a grim frown, Hayley turned on her heels and walked down the hall to her bedroom leaving Caroline overwhelmed with the pressure of what to do. Knowing there was little she could do at this moment, Caroline silently padded into the bedroom, brushing hair off tiny foreheads and readjusting blankets with a loving smile.
As she reached over to turn off the lamp Hope's tiny sleep filled voice startled her.
"Caroline?"
"Hey sweetie, sorry I woke you." She whispered softly as she sat gingerly on her bed.
"S'ok" Hope replied as she shifted onto her side, folding her little hands underneath her cheek, "Have you found my Daddy yet?"
"No sweetie. Not yet." Caroline answered tenderly as she brushed a fallen curl off Hope's forehead. She watched the crestfallen look pass over her face with a gaze in her eyes that showed how much the poor girl had been through for such a young age. "But I am getting closer, I can feel it." She offered as she leaned in closely, wanting to give her a sense of hope.
"You will. I can feel it too." Hope said with a nod of determination.
Sharing a conspiring grin with her Caroline straightened back up with a no nonsense tone, "Alright you, time to go back to sleep okay?"
"Caroline?" Hope's voice stopped her once again from rising from the bed.
"Yeah?"
"Will you tell me the story of when my Dad took you to the Miss Mystic pageant again? Please. I promise to go to sleep right after."
Her big puppy like eyes, eyes that reminded Caroline so much of the young girl's Father, drew her in like a moth to a flame. Damn. She could never resist that look from her or her Father.
By the end of her tale Hope was struggling to keep her eyes opened and fell fast asleep to the words of her long-lost Father and his tale of the hummingbird.
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Caroline made it back to her apartment without any issues, though she did stop off at a few local shops so she would have a reasonable excuse for being away from home for so long in case any of the daywalkers reported her prolonged absence.
Locking the door behind her she meandered slowly to her bedroom and placed her bags on her bed. She hung the dress bag on the hook behind her door unzipping it to reveal a long tightly cut dress with a high slit up its side. The blue color of the cloth reminded her of another dress she owned, though this one's style was far from the demure princess cut of the gift from a certain hybrid. But this dress would serve a similar purpose as the other; capturing the attention of the resident bad-guy.
As she readied for yet another night of undercover her thoughts trailed back to when she, Alaric and the girls had just begun their Operation Missing Hybrid or OMH as the girls liked to call it, back in their hotel suite.
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Alaric had spent the past few weeks dressed as a tourist with maps in hand, claiming to be studying the local supernatural lore. Caroline had tried to dissuade him from going, using the reasoning that he was human so she should be the one to go. He had remined her that they don't know how much this Marcel guy knew of her and with her showing up not that long ago with the girls in search of Klaus, word might have gotten around to him.
So, it was settled and even if Caroline hated to admit it Alaric was right, while word of her showing up looking for Klaus hadn't spread, with his peeked interest paired his weird flirty demeanor that Caroline failed to find the appeal in, had landing him with the most crucial piece of information they needed from a witch who had taken a liking to him. The Mikaelson's had founded this area well over a century ago, and while they had returned at one point, no one had heard from them in years. The entire family had just vanished one night, leaving Marcel and his followers to revel in their disappearance and gain control back of the city.
Trying to find any lead she could Caroline had taken a chance and called Tyler. Which turned out to be the biggest break they found. Tyler had explained that Hayley and Hope had just passed through three months prior. And even though he wasn't sure where they were headed, she had left a phone number.
Being the resourceful person she is, Caroline explained to Tyler that she didn't think Hayley would be too respective to her calling. So, in a very much teen-drama like move, Tyler called Hayley with Caroline quietly listening in on conversation, as he told her someone he trusts and she should as well, was willing to help. When the dreaded question of why she should trust Tyler or any of his friends came, Tyler ever the diplomat, explained it simply, "I know what it's like to lose my family. No matter how I feel about Klaus, your daughter shouldn't have to grow up without family. Besides I'm just your average werewolf now. I'm moving on. I'm living a peaceful life."
It wasn't long after that phone call that a very reluctant and on edge Hayley had shown up at their hotel suite. Hayley turning up showed Caroline just how in need and desperate the woman really was to get her family back. It wasn't an easy transition, and their growing numbers is what prompted Caroline into looking for a place to house them all safely, but it worked. And with that, that was how Hayley and Hope, along with the Mikaelson siblings even though they didn't know it yet, had fallen within the folds of Caroline's little family.
With Hayley on their team now, they were able to know and understand more about what had happened and the man Marcel himself. He didn't allow the werewolves into the inner city, he kept a close eye on all the witches and didn't allow vampires older then him to stay in the city for long.
Hayley turned out to be quite resourceful and had a vampire, right around Marcel's age, locked away from before she had taken off with a baby and coffins in toe. Which had caused Caroline to clap her hands in excitement. This nearly desiccated vampire would fit perfectly into the plan she had devised that would help her slip into Marcel's inner circle.
Knowing that a baby vampire, especially when compared to Marcel, wouldn't stand much of a chance if things went wrong, Caroline had planned for the girls to siphon and transfer the older vampire's durability to herself.
"I still don't see how having the strength of an almost two centuries old vampire will help you." Hayley had scoffed one night. "It doesn't matter what your plan in, Marcel will have people looking into your background and if he catches you in a lie you'll be dead before you can even start to fight back."
"Ah well then you will be happy to know that I have an iron tight alibi." Caroline had responded with a proud smirk as she pulled out an old family photo album.
"You have an alibi for centuries before you were even born?" Hayley scoffed skeptically.
"Yup. Here." She replied with a smile as she handed over the album. "I will be living one of my many childhood dreams and channeling the great Scarlett O'Hara."
"Looks like all those acting lessons from college will be paid off." Alaric chuckled causing Caroline to roll her eyes before drawing the groups attention back to the old family album.
Inside the photo album held a short recounting of one of Caroline's many times over great cousins; Carolina Williams. In the surrounding area, she was notoriously known back in the early 1800's for helping abused and mistreated slaves escape their so-called masters. She had successfully helped many escape their presumed fates until one night a group of disgruntled slave owners caught up with her, setting one of her safe house on fire, killing her in the process.
The fact that she was never found nor heard from again combined with the uncanny likeness to Caroline, made her the perfect alibi and cover story to sell to Marcel. Her last words to Hayley before leaving that night were, "When telling a lie, you have to keep it as close to the truth as possible. All the best and greatest lies are formed and based on the truth."
It had been that very night that she was first introduced to Marcel. Her natural charm, wit and air of sophistication paired with her beauty had drew him in within moments of her walking into the bar. She slowly fed him her story over drinks. She had held him enthralled as she weaved her tale and his gasp of surprise paired with the twinkle in his eyes when he exclaimed that he remembered hearing tale of her bravery when he was a boy tending the fields, had helped to sell it more than she could have hoped for.
Caroline had played her part to the letter. Telling him of her love of all people, of her horror the first time she had seen a slave whipped simply for dropping a bale of hay. How her becoming a conductor for the Underground Railroad had started with her helping a young boy around her age at the time, maybe ten or so, escape from the goat shack he had been hiding in so that he could find his way back to his Uncle. At that moment, she had pressed her hands together as if in prayer, speaking in hushed tones of her hopes that they had found each other as well as safety.
During her tale and Marcel's ever growing admiration of her, Caroline couldn't help but feel pride. These things she spun to him were not based solely on lies, as she was sure Hayley would discover back home as she read through her late-cousin's journals. Carolina, her namesake, was a remarkable woman who lived her life in the belief that their Southern ways of living were wrong and injustice. She fought for the days where all men and women were treated as equals and had helped as many as she could before she too was taken far too soon at the hands of the oppressors.
This was where Caroline changed history a bit as she explained that she had woken up alone with a hunger she didn't understand until one of the former slaves came to her aid. The woman had been a freshly turned vampire. Her self-proclaimed master had dabbled into the dark arts and had vampire blood on hand that he would give them after a particularly harsh beating. The woman had been secretly giving her blood during her stay, wanting to keep her safe. Claiming that she seen the goodness within her with every time she would give her own food rations to the small children leaving little to none for herself.
When Caroline had stopped speaking and began to quietly sip on her drink, Marcel had begged to hear more of her life and what she had been doing lately. She demurely lowered her head, her hands that had been clasped upon her lap raised to cover her chest, "Why I do believe a man should leave a bit of mystery to a woman, do you not agree?"
With a quick flutter of her long eyelashes and a shy smile she knew she had him hooked.
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Caroline was pulled from her reverie as her phone chimed signaling an incoming text message. She set down the curling iron allowing the last curl the artfully fall across her shoulder as she read the message form Marcel.
I do hope to see you this evening Caroline.
Caroline looked at herself in the full-length mirror, taking in her provocative style she had chosen for the night. A look of pure determination, with just a hint of worry, flashed through her steely blue eyes. Tonight had to be the night. She had come up with a possible plan to get Marcel to show her where Klaus was being kept. She couldn't sit back and watch that poor little girl who couldn't even remember the sound of her Father's voice be so heartbroken any longer.
She was going to do this or fight like hell trying.
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Caroline stood on the terrace of Abattoir overlooking the party goers below when Marcel found her.
"Mon Chéri! What a gorgeous sight you make in that stunning dress." He approached her with a wide smile.
Caroline took a deep breath to ready herself for her next performance, offering a halfhearted pirouette to show off her ensemble, she grasped his hands once she faced him again giving him what she hoped was a downcast smile after they kissed each other's cheeks.
Marcel studied her long face as he kept ahold of her hand between both of his own, "While this color of blue suits you perfectly, I don't think it belongs on a face as lovely as yours. What has you so upset Sweetheart?"
Caroline did her best not to flinch at the harsh way the endearment fell from his lips when compared to its husky and smooth counterpart. Instead she sighed as she carefully extracted her hand from his and went back to gazing at the party below, "Sorry Marcel. I guess in light of… well, certain happenings, I'm not much of the party mood. Perhaps I should just head back home."
"Nonsense. Tell me what's going on and let me help you." Marcel interjected earnestly.
"You can't help me I'm afraid. Even your King's status couldn't get me out of this mess." She sighed with a melancholy air.
"When will you let go of this shroud of mystery and tell me what brought you to my city?" He reprimanded her gently, "I'm sure if you told me what troubles you, you would be surprise to find there isn't much I can't do for you."
Caroline turned to face him, she studied his face in what she was sure he assumed to be contemplation of whether she could trust him or not. With a resigned sigh, she nodded her head minutely, "Fine. But not here. You never know just where his spies could be lurking."
"Man trouble. I should have guessed it." He grinned at her huff as they began to walk, "Now don't get upset, I don't mean to cast a negative light on your character, only that one as stunning as you is bound to run into trouble with a man or two."
"Yes, well this is one man," She said scathingly as they walked down the hall to his private study, "that I wish had never darkened my doorstep let alone the little town I attempted to call home."
Marcel placed a hand on her back as he led her into the study and closed the door firmly behind them after she entered. "Sounds like a drink is needed for this story."
Caroline gave him a pinched smile and a nod of her head. Internally she rolled her eyes wondering why on Earth men were so easy. Show a little skin, leave a little mystery to be uncovered, act strong but show weakness so they feel they can save you. She had to choke back a scoff, turning it into a grateful grin when he offered her a drink with an encouraging smile.
"Would you like to sit?" He asked as he waved his hand towards the sofa.
"Thank you, but I think I'd prefer to stand." Her hands shook slightly both from her act and from her genuine fear that this story might just blow her cover and all that was riding on this.
"A few years ago, I was able to track down a distant relative of mine. After so many years without true family I'm sure you realize what a joy this was for me." She began softly as Marcel sat on the sofa poised in front of the fireplace, giving her a nod to continue, "Well that joy did not last for long. The woman I found; her daughter was killed in a car crash at the very young age of sixteen just a few days after my arrival. But in the face of this tragedy I found something that I never thought to have. A home. Maybe I was wrong for doing what I did, but I compelled the people working at the hospital, as well as the girl's Mother, to believe she had survived and I took her place instead. Our likeness was uncanny and I just couldn't pass up the chance."
Caroline took a sip of her drink and a deep breath to steady her nerves before continuing, "Of course I should have paid closer attention to the area. It turned out to be a proverbial hot bed for supernatural activity, but headstrong as ever, I assumed I could survive it. I won't bore you with the in-betweens, but one thing lead to another and I was caught in a web not of my own making. My vampirism came out into the open and eventually it was accepted. Though none knew my true age since they all assumed that I was my relative."
Caroline stopped in front of the fireplace and set her empty glass on the mantle. With her back turned towards Marcel, her ears picking up on his shifting on the sofa as he asked, "What happened next? I have the feeling this is where the life you built took a drastic turn for the worst."
Caroline gave him a sad smile over her shoulder, "You assume correctly Marcel. For that was when he came to town." She began to frantically pace back and forth waving her arms wildly as she continued, "He came in and ripped the town apart with his teeth and claws. He killed, he tortured, he used and abused nearly every friend I had made. And then…" She swallowed as she allowed tears to gather in her eyes, "Then he set his sights on me."
"He…he wanted me all because I posed a challenge for him. And while I am ashamed to admit it, I used that to my advantage and led him on to keep my friends and I safe. But then things got ugly when I turned him down flat and I have been running ever since. In fact, it's why I came here. I heard that those chasing me to my eminent death could not pass into your city."
She saw the moment of realization and dread that passed over his face only seconds before he asked, "Who is chasing you? Who sent them?"
Caroline floundered her mouth open and closed, letting a few tears track down her face as she shook her head frantically, "No. No I mustn't. I cannot allow you to be caught up in this anymore than you already are. You have no idea who this monster is! Of what he can and will do to you if he finds out I have your aid."
Marcel then stood from the sofa, taking her into his arms, feeling her shiver and began rubbing her back and shoulders as if to warm her, "Hey. Hey. It's okay. You're safe here."
Caroline shivered involuntarily at his choice of words which played out in her favor even though she didn't shiver in fear but shock.
Marcel pulled back, gripping her shoulders and kneeling down slightly to be eye level with her, "Tell me Caroline. It's okay. Trust me."
With the weight of everything on her shoulders, her trembling lip wasn't as fake as she had planned as she whispered, "Werewolves. A group of werewolves has been compelled to chase me to my death or straight into the arms of the one who sent them after me, the only one who possesses the cure for such a bite."
A hard yet triumphant glint lit his eyes as he announced, "Klaus Mikaelson."
Caroline used every acting tool under her belt as she widened her eyes just enough to show shock as she gasped, "You know of him?"
"Quite well in fact. He took me in as a boy and later he turned me."
Caroline flashed to the other side of the room in attempts to show her fear, "No. Oh my god! I've walked right back into his trap!"
"No! No! Caroline I promise you, you haven't! Listen to me." Marcel slowly walked towards her but stopped at her flinch, lifting his hands to show her he meant her no harm, "He betrayed me time and time again. But this last time, I finally defeated him myself."
"What?" She let her body relax slightly, giving him the encouragement to move ahead a little more.
"I have him locked away where he can never hurt you again or anyone else again." The pride he obviously felt at this radiated off him in waves.
"You speak truly?" She eyed him skeptically as he stopped in front of her.
"I swear it." He placed a hand over his chest, offering her a tender smile, "I can show you if it would help you to sleep easier."
"I'd sleep much better if I had the cure so I could go see my ailing friend." She grumbled in vexation.
Marcel tilted his head to the side as he asked, "Your ailing friend?"
"Yes, did I not mention that?" At the negative shake of his head she placed a hand on his arm, "Sorry, I suppose I just got caught up with the memories of my tale." She swallowed harshly, tilting her head off to the side in an act that gained his sympathy instantly, "A dear old friend of mine is sick and dying. I wish to see her before she passes but with the werewolves out there I fear I will be bitten and die myself before reaching her."
"I'll send some of my men with you to act as your guard. They will keep you safe I swear it. Not that they need my influence; you have won them over just as you have me." He smiled widely, his pure pleasure at the fact that she had gained the approval of his closest men shone clearly from his eyes.
Caroline lowered her head with a bashful laugh, licking her lower lip as she glazed at him from underneath her lashes. Marcel brushed a hand down the side of her face reverently when all of a sudden she took hold of his hand in hers exclaiming excitedly, "Oh Marcel! I have a wonderful idea! You wish to show him how much you've bested him yes?" He gave her a hesitant nod, though his intrigue colored his eyes, "Well think of this! You take me to see him, not only so I can get his blood just in case a wolf sneaks past your generous guards, but so he will see me there. With you!"
Caroline knew she was pressing her luck, but she just had to get close to Klaus, and this was the only way. She bit her lower lip to hold back her triumphant grin when she could see she was winning Marcel over, "Think of it Marcel. You not only gained you city back and bested the beast; he will believe you have won the one thing he was craving for years now. Me."
"And have I?" Marcel asked huskily as he lowered his chin.
Caroline furrowed her brows, "Have you what?"
He wrapped an arm around her back, pulling her into his body slowly as he starred into her eyes, "Have I won you fair Caroline?"
Caroline had to swallow down the curl of her lips and the threat of bile in her throat as she walked her fingers up his chest to cup the side of his neck and whispered seductively, "Hmm, I'm not quite sure as of yet but you could be on the right track Monsieur."
Marcel bent down, his intentions to kiss her clear, but at the last second Caroline turned her head so his lips landed on her cheek. When he pulled back in question she grinned flirtatiously, "An air of mystery, remember?"
"And I'd have you no other way." Marcel said softly before pulling away completely and holding out a hand for her to take. "Come. We need to grab a full and an empty blood bag before we see the beast's lair."
"A full and an empty?" Caroline asked in honest confusion.
"Well he is going to need a little blood if you are going to be taking some for yourself." Marcel laughed as he led her towards the kitchen, "Can't very well take blood from a desiccated corpse, now can you?"
This time Caroline couldn't hold back the shiver of dread or her gag of disgust at the image that his words painted in her mind.
Thankfully Marcel took her reaction much differently, "Don't worry Mon Chéri, he will not be able to hurt you even with the blood we will feed him. Hell, he won't even be able to move more than his angry beady eyes." He continued guiding them down the hall, speaking almost to himself, "Though this does give me an idea. I could gather and stock pile his blood and have the masses flock to me for the only cure to a werewolf bit. Genius. Pure genius."
Caroline had to bite her tongue at the scathing retort that threatened to burst from her lips. The sooner this was done the better. While she wasn't much for killing people, she couldn't wait to see Marcel dead and bloody on the floor.
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Caroline pulled her wrap closer against her trembling form as Marcel nodded at the guards to allow them to pass into the underground cavern deep beneath the Abattoir. One of the nightwalkers rushed ahead of them to remove a few large stones from what seemed to be a support column in the center of the dark and dank room. Her eyes covertly scanned the layout of the room as well as mentally calculating how many guards seemed to be at hand.
Her hand flew to her throat with a gasp as the gray face and shoulders of Klaus came into view. Her eyes raced over what she could see of him taking in his dark veins, his gray skin and his once raspberry lips that were now ashy and chapped. She felt a flare of anger course through her body at the sight of the metal collar wrapped tightly around his neck keeping him in place along with whatever else they had done to him that she couldn't see.
Marcel walked up behind her, wrapping an arm firmly around her waist as the nightwalker placed the blood bag to Klaus's lips, whispering reassuringly into her ear, "Like I said; he is nothing to be afraid of now. Nothing but a fallen bastard. In fact, I will allow you to be the one to gather the blood you need from him so you can give him a piece of your mind."
Caroline hissed past the snarl that threatened to leave her lips, "Thank you. That's very generous of you."
"I do hope my generosity is remembered later." He said cautiously causing her to turn away from Klaus whose eyes were just beginning to crack open.
"Why is that?"
"Because of this." Marcel muttered right before spinning her into his arms, dipping her low in a show that was no doubt meant for Klaus, as he smashed his lips to hers.
She wanted nothing more than to shove him away, to snap his stupid neck so hard that she would tear his head clean off. She knew exactly what he was doing. It was exactly what Tyler would do every single time Klaus was around them. It was a show of who the supposed alpha male truly was.
But no matter how she felt, no matter how much her skin crawled at his touch, she had a role to play here. So against what her heart was screaming, she let herself seem as though she was falling into the kiss, gripping the back of his head with a little too much force.
Thankfully Marcel's need to boast was more important to him in this moment than kissing her was and it was over quickly.
Caroline straightened her body as well as her dress, Marcel's voice drowning out into the background when she stared into Klaus's livid and disgusted eyes. She made a show of slowly lifting her left wrist to brush her hair out of her face, drawing his eyes directly to where she wanted them to go.
The diamond bracelet wrapped securely around her delicate wrist shifted against her skin, the soft fire light from the scones on the walls making it twinkle and reflect in his eyes. His eyes that now looked at her with a hint of curiosity and a dash of fear at her presence.
Silently she took the empty blood bag from the nightwalker before stepping up onto the stones he had placed on the floor, putting her eyes level with Klaus as Marcel still droned on with glee.
Caroline licked her lips, knowing the others in the room expected her to say some scathing remark, but she suddenly found herself speechless when faced with Klaus's confusion and rage and the fact that after all this time she had finally found him.
Squaring her shoulders, she allowed her voice to drop into her standard Klaus-scoffing tone, yet her eyes gazed softly into his, hoping he would catch onto her act.
"Oh, how the mighty alpha male has fallen. I had so much Hope that this would happen someday, however long it would take. It's seems it all works out for the best in the end." She shrugged her shoulder as she readied the blood bag against a vein in his neck, relief rushing through her as a wide range of emotions flickered through his eyes before landing on what she assumed to be comprehension. "What with the terrible people being taken care of, the rest of us can have the life we have hope-d for. We can live and be safe and happy as a family."
The blood bag was filling up faster than she was ready for, her instincts screaming to free him now. She must have twitched, sending Klaus a signal that she was ready for a fight when he gave her a slight shake of his head before what little strength he had gained from the blood waned and his eyes fell closed once more.
Caroline wanted to scream, she wanted to cry and tell him to fight like the damn Original Terror he was, but she knew she had to keep up appearances. She couldn't risk giving the game away now when they were so close to winning. She had a mission to complete and a role to continue playing. She capped the blood bag off, sending a wish to anyone out there listening that he understood her message. That he had followed along with her speech and the words she stressed. That she was going to save him, that Hope and his family were safe, that anything he seen with Marcel was nothing but an act.
Turning on her heels she took the offered hand of Marcel with a pouting huff, "He didn't even stay awake long enough for me to finish ranting at him! How rude!"
Marcel laughed deeply, "We can't have him getting too strong on us, now can we?"
Caroline glanced back at Klaus as the nightwalkers began replacing the stone allowing a devilish grin to grow on her face, "No we mustn't. But it was awfully refreshing to see him. Like this I mean."
"His reign of terror is over I promise you. Now, why don't we get you out of here, this is no place for a Lady such as you. I will gather my finest and strongest men to escort you over the border and to your friend as quickly as possible."
Caroline's happy smile and next words needed no help at all from her acting abilities, "You have been such a wonderful help Marcel. I'm not sure what I would have done without you or how I can ever repay you."
His bashful chuckle and timid look in his eyes would have been sweet if Caroline didn't know who he really was and wasn't currently picturing him broken on the dirty floor. "Well I can think of one thing."
"Marcel!" She gasped in offence, "I know we are well along in our years and the times have changed but I will tell you truly I am not that kind of girl!"
"What? No! I only meant that maybe you would consider allowing me to take you out on a proper date once you return." He took hold of Caroline's hand when she huffed in ire, bowing over it slightly, "I honestly meant no offence or was I trying to imply anything unsavory. Just a chance for the two of us to go out on the town, for you to give me the chance to show you I am not like other men and could make you a very happy woman."
"Well," Caroline pretended to think it over as she fluttered her eyelashes at him, "I supposed, once I return, it's a date then."
As she walked away from him, she took a chance and looked back over her shoulder to see him rocking on his feet with his hands in his pocket and a pleased smile upon his face. Grinning back at him with a wave she turned her head away as the devious smirk grew on her face at the fact that her plans had worked. They would have their date but it certainly wouldn't be any type of date he had in mind.
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The plan of attack was set and the timing had to be perfect. Hayley had secretly gathered a werewolf clan for the ambush against the daywalkers as well as gained their aid in helping to smuggle Bonnie to the border undetected. Under the worried glanced of all the adults, Josie and Lizzie linked themselves to Bonnie so that when the moment came Bonnie could free Klaus while also locking Marcel away in the stone tomb until they could figure out how to kill or permanently disable the unkillable super-vamp he had turned into.
All three of the young girls had protested adamantly about not being there when Klaus was freed, but under the firm commands of their parents, they had agreed that saving Klaus came first and it would be best if they stayed behind with Alaric.
Things had worked out surprisingly well and faster than any of them had expected after the guards came to escort Caroline. Marcel's men were either weak or too cocky to think anyone could over power them. Leaving the werewolves to deal with the daywalkers, Caroline had flashed to the Abattoir, meeting Bonnie and Hayley outside.
Between the three of them they had quickly dispatched the guards and were tearing down the stone wall away from Klaus's body when Marcel rushed into the room.
Bonnie worked quickly, not giving him time to utter a single word before she began her spell as Hayley and Caroline worked together to pull Klaus's body out of the wall. Marcel's body dropped to the floor, his skin graying and desiccating right before their eyes just as the color was beginning to return to Klaus's.
Hayley and Caroline heaved Marcel's prone form into the small space he had been keeping Klaus, locking him in and stepping back as Bonnie performed an enchantment to hold him inside until they could revive the Mikaelson's and figure out just what to do with him.
Once it was complete, Hayley and Bonnie left for Caroline's home to help the girls ready for the spell to wake the Mikaelson's, leaving Caroline to flash Klaus's weakened body to her car which she had waiting just around the corner. Thankfully she had had the foresight to have not only a change of clothing ready for him but a cooler of blood bags sitting in the back seat. As he sucked down bag after bag of blood she began telling him what she knew of all that had transpired after he had been taken down and how they had come to free him as she drove them to her apartment.
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The shower had cut off a while ago leaving Caroline feeling strangely nervous as she sat on the edge of her bed twisting her fingers together. There was no way it should be taking him this long to shower and change and it left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Hayley had filled her in for the most part of all that Klaus had gone through before allowing himself to be overtaken by Marcel in a noble attempt to protect his family. To him, all of these things would feel like yesterday while to the rest of them time had continued to pass on. Add on top of that that she had the beautiful memories of their time spent with the girls that all started that fateful day in the woods while he didn't. Caroline couldn't help but wonder if he still would want her to keep her promise.
He had wanted her to wait until she was ready to give them a real chance before restoring those memories to him and the truth was that she had weighed the options constantly over these past few months. When she wasn't working her way into Marcel's circle or spending time with the girls it was all she thought about. And she had come to a decision easier than she had expected.
She was ready. She wanted to try and blend their families together. She wanted more days and nights with Klaus and their daughters like the ones spent in that hotel room. She wanted him.
The only problem was he didn't have those memories yet and by with the look on his face when he finally emerged from the bathroom, she had the sinking feeling things weren't going to go as she had hoped.
Caroline stood quickly from the bed, covertly wiping her sweaty palms over the thighs of her jeans. "So I was thinking that…" She began but reeled back when Klaus abruptly cut her off.
"I think it would be best if you took me to my family now."
"Huh?"
"My siblings, my daughter." He spoke harshly, "From what you've told me you know of their whereabouts. I would like to be taken to them."
"Okay. Yeah." She tried to gather herself despite his detached demeanor, "I was just hoping that maybe we could talk before…" She attempted not to snarl as he cut her off yet again.
"Before what Caroline?" His cold eyes looked at her before flicking away rather quickly, "While I thank you for your services in my rescue, I have other things that I need to be caught up on as I am sure you have responsibilities of your own to handle. So let's cut the small talk so we can both be on our own ways."
"What the hell is your problem?" Caroline snapped at him, "I come here for once to actually save you and quite well I might add and this is the thanks I get? Now be on my way?!" She screeched, "God! You still can't get out of your own way, can you?!"
Klaus snarled as he stepped closer to her, "What don't you understand? I want to see my daughter and my family. I don't have time for your games."
Caroline crossed her arms over her chest with a scoff. "Games? You think I'm playing a game with you? Seriously Klaus tell me what the hell is going on with you? Do you still have dust clouding up your mind or what?"
"Why can't you see I'm doing this for your own good?" Klaus tossed his arms wide with an irritated groan, "For the good of your girls?"
"Oh please," She scoffed as she pointed her finger at him with narrowed eyes, "you're doing this for yourself. So much for the noble Klaus who allowed himself to be taken down to save his family. Guess you're only good for one noble act every what, decade?" She snarled mockingly at him.
"You're right Sweetheart." He sneered, "And now that my quota is met and the matters are settled you can skip along with your merry little life."
"So much for your promises huh?" Caroline tossed at him hurtfully.
Knowing the promises she spoke of brought back the words he had told her so long ago on the night of her graduation, it pained him to say what he was about to say next her of all the people in his life, "You will come to learn, as I long since have, that some of the most heartfelt promises are meant to be broken even when you had no intentions of doing such a thing."
Seeing the flash of pain in his eyes gave her the push she needed, "Well there are somethings here that you don't know and I think if you did you would…" She tried to plead with him in a gentler tone, but it seemed he would never let her finish a sentence today.
"I will not be changing my mind Caroline." He body stood ridged as he interrupted her.
"Still," She tried to persuade him to listen as she placed a hand on his arm, "I think you would be singing a different tune if you knew what I want to tell you."
Klaus harshly knocked her hand off his arm, anger and rage poured off him as he shouted, "Why must you always press things that aren't not your concern. Things that I do not wish to say?!"
"Have you met me?" She said in a deadpan voice in the face of his anger with a wave of her hand at herself.
"What don't you get!" He yelled as he began pacing the floor before her, his hands carding through his still damp hair, "People I come to care for die Caroline! You and your family will die, not by my hands directly, but it will fall on my shoulders none the less. I can't have that. I won't survive it. Please love." He pleaded with her as he gripped her shoulders giving her body a firm shake, "Don't force me to live with the oppressing knowledge that I am responsible for the death of your light."
Seeing his pain and his genuine and real fear, seeing him in a way she never had before Caroline uttered brokenly, "Okay." Klaus seemed to look equal parts relieved and heartbroken as he nodded his head and dropped his hands from her shoulders. Caroline went to her dresser, scribbling something down quickly and turning to hand it to him, "Here's the address where we've all been staying. I'll try to make sure Alaric, the girls and I are gone before you come for everyone. Your family should be awake by now." She tried to ignore the crack in her own voice as she fought to reign in her heartbroken emotions.
"They've all been with you?" Klaus spoke in surprise, his mind telling him that she had told him this on the ride over but things were still a little hazy for him. Watching her try to control her emotions, he instantly felt an overwhelming sorrow that he had hurt her so, even if he thought at the moment it was for the best.
"Yeah we've formed quite the team." She managed to say past the lump in her throat knowing that she needed to get away from him before she broke. Her shaking sweaty palm cupped the side of his jaw as her petal soft lips brush against the stubble on his cheek. Neither knew that they both clench their eyes closed at the touch, a single tear leaking from their eyes as she choked out painfully, "Goodbye Klaus."
And then she's gone.
She was gone before he could even kiss her soft skin in return as he yearned to do.
As his hand fell limply to his side, still warm from the touch of her skin, he drew in a deep breath thinking it was for the best. If he allowed his lips to touch her skin for even a moment, he would never let her go. As he had told Stefan all those years ago, what still felt like yesterday to him, he had to let her go. How was it fair of him to keep her, to be a part of her life, when he wasn't even sure he could keep her safe?
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The reunion he walked into when he entered the address Caroline had given him was more than he could have ever dreamed. Seeing his siblings alive and well, being able to clutch his daughter tightly in his arms after so long was overwhelming to say the least. The many faces in the room brought him joy and filled him with a sense of purpose for what he had sacrificed to see them alive and well. Though there was one face he longed to see more than anything, but she was nowhere in sight.
He had taken his time before arriving here, stopping to feed on something living to replace the plastic aftertaste of the blood bags. It wasn't until almost two hours and five victims later that he cursed himself for the cowardly fool he was.
With Hope being occupied by Rebekah and Elijah, Klaus left the sitting room in search of the one face he wanted to see no matter how much it would pain him. He knew he was being ridiculous, that his fears were making him act as impulsive as ever. He could only hope that after all he had learned that she had done for him and his family and with the way he had treated her after she had so bravely saved him that she would give him the chance to take back what he had said. Caroline was loyal to a fault and by some stroke of luck she had aimed her valiant loyalty at him. And he had carelessly thrown it away, he winced at the thought.
Klaus wandered through the home she had built, finding a surprising sight of his sister Freya sitting at the dining room table in a deep discussion with Alaric. The scathing look the man threw his way was not lost on Klaus in the slightest.
Alaric stood from the table, giving his excuse to Freya and waving Klaus towards the back hallway leading him to the staircase. Once they were out of range of the others Alaric stopped him abruptly, his anger clear in his voice.
"I don't know what you said to her but you would think after everything she did to save you and your family, putting her own at risk in the process you would be a little more grateful to her. All this time I actually thought you cared about her. I thought that she was right when she told me as much and we agreed to build a life here with the girls. Here where you are."
Klaus felt oddly reluctant to meet the man's gaze but he managed when Alaric sighed.
"Look, I'm sure you have your reasons for whatever it is you said to her but you should make damn sure that whatever that was, is what you really want." With that Alaric shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded his head towards the stairs, "She's in her room."
Klaus quietly walked up the stairs towards the bedroom he could clearly tell was Caroline's by her huffs of aggravation. He paused and leaned against the wall of the hallway, letting his head fall back as he sighed wondering what it was he was doing. What he would say to her. How he could possible make her understand that he only spoke out of fear of losing her for good.
"Klaus?"
His head lifted from the wall to see two little girls cuddled up in a bed together looking at him from their room. Curious as to how they knew it was him, he padded into Caroline's daughters' room, "I hear I owe you a debt of gratitude for what you were able to do for my siblings and myself." He grinned at their cheeks flushing in embarrassment before he reprimanded them softly, "I also hear you were both to be resting after the spells you so wonderfully performed."
"We are, but we wanted to wait for you." The little blonde haired girl spoke with an adorable smile.
"Me? Why?" Klaus asked curiously.
The girls shared a conspiring glance before the little brown haired girl spoke up and waved her hand for him to come closer, "Come here."
Bemused, Klaus walked over and sat on the side of their bed, "Well you have me here, mind telling me what has you both looking so suspicious?"
The girls' giggles warmed him in a way only Hope had ever achieved as they both sat up and each placed a hand on his face.
He only had a second of wondering what they were up to before images began dancing through his head. He barely heard one of them say, "For that." As his mind raced over all the newly acquired memories of his time with the girls and Caroline.
Caroline.
The thought of her and all that he had said to her, both today and back at the hotel on the balcony, washed over him like a cold bucket of water causing him to spring from the bed with a hasty goodnight to the twins.
He found Caroline in her bedroom, hastily packing a bag with a pinched look about her face as if she was holding back tears or trying to keep herself from shouting when he rushed in. He couldn't tell for sure but either option he decided quickly did not bode well for him.
Klaus shuffled forward whispering gently as he placed a hand to her arm, "Caroline stop."
Knocking his hand off her she snarled, "No, a promise is a promise, right? We will be gone as soon as the girls wake up. I know I said it would be sooner than that but they need their rest after those spells. But don't worry," She shrugged as she continued packing her things in an attempt to cover her riotous emotions, "we will be gone and you will be free. Hell, I won't ever have to come back here with the way the housing market is. I am sure the agent for the community will be able to sell my house without a problem."
Klaus's head shot up, his eyes widening, "You purchased this place?" His mind running a mile a minute over the ramifications of what that could mean.
Caroline scoffed in response, "I don't see how that matters anymore."
"Oh, it matters a great deal Love." He said with a dimpled smile.
Caroline groaned as she threw her arms out, "What the hell does that mean? You made me promise I would leave, no matter what. Now here I am doing just that and you're being all cryptic!"
"If you recall I also said some promises were made to be broken."
She narrowed her eyes at him clearly not amused, "You know your moods are really starting to give me whiplash."
He smirked cheekily back at her, "The feeling has always been mutual trust me."
She raised her arms halfway before dropping them against her thighs as she asked him tiredly, "What do you want from me Klaus?"
"What I want is for you to stop packing." He took a step closer to her, smiling softly at her huff as he took the sweater from her hands and gently draped it over a chair before he turned her towards him, "I want for you to look at me."
Caroline huffed and rolled her eyes but looked up at him defiant as ever bringing a light chuckle from him, "I want," He began with a heavy sigh, "I want the picture that was painted and emblazoned within my mind right before your girls left us that day."
"What picture was that?" She snipped harshly at him before her breath caught in her throat and her eyes searched his hopefully, "Wait, what do you mean when the girls left us?"
"I had a little visit with Josie and Lizzie before coming in here." He replied softly.
"What? Those two! They were supposed to be resting." She shouted and moved to leave the room.
Klaus snickered as he stopped her, "Not the point at the moment Caroline."
Caroline grinned sheepishly at him, "Right sorry. So you, um remember then?"
"Yes."
"Everything?"
"Everything." He said firmly as he stared into her eyes making Caroline fidget.
"And, so…I mean how do you, what do you want now?" She asked biting her lower lip.
"I want what I realized I craved for that day we said goodbye to them." He told her tenderly as his eyes glimmered with emotion.
"Oh? And what's that?" She asked him with her teeth nibbling on her lower lip.
His dimples cut deeply into his cheeks with the force of his smile, "Our daughters bonding together…"
"They've done that already." Caroline smiled happily.
"Will you kindly let me finish?" Klaus reprimanded her lightly.
Caroline opened her mouth to say something causing him to look at her pointedly to which she huffed and waved her hand for him to proceed.
"Thank you." He nodded his head with a grin, "I want to watch as our daughters grow together. Through laughter and tears, the inevitable fights and skirmishes, with you and I battling and mining the fields of it all; together. Maybe with the slightest bit of help from our ever growing and extended family." He added in with a smirk.
"So what exactly are you saying?" She asked licking her lips with a hopeful breath.
"I'm saying that I've missed so much. So much of Hope's life, of Lizzie and Josie's," Klaus paused to take a deep breath, "of yours. I would like the chance to rectify that grievous crime."
"It's not a crime to miss out on things when you do it for the right reasons," She said sagely before adding cheekily, "even if you don't understand them."
"Oh I understand them," He stated and pretended to think it over, "I believe I have the perfect explanation for it all."
"Do you now?" Caroline laughed.
"Yes."
Caroline shook her head sending her blonde hair swirling around her as she laughed, "And that profound explanation is?"
Klaus squared his shoulders, "It's as simple as it is complexed. Love."
"Yes?" Caroline's forehead furrowed in confusion.
"No not Love the endearment," He chuckled, "but love the emotion."
He smiled tenderly at her gasp, "I love my daughter. I love my family, even the ones I did not being this life with. I fell in love with your daughters during our time together all those years ago and," He exhaled a shaky sigh before taking a leap, "I fell in love with you Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls, before I even knew how to name such an emotion accurately."
"What about Cami?" She asked hesitantly much to his surprise, "Hayley told me about her."
Klaus sighed deeply as his mind ran over the brave bartender whose life was cut far too short, "Cami was a good friend, a remarkable human. But she was nothing more than a passing fancy. I mourn her death as I do any wasted life and that of someone I could call a true friend. But much as you said of Elena, the same could be said of Camille; becoming a vampire changed her and not only that, those changes showed me that she would never be more than a friend, a name on a list of people to come in and out of my life that I will recall fondly."
Caroline seemed to take in all that he told her as he worked up the courage to finally ask, "What of Stefan?" He grew nervous at the far-off look that over took her face before she replied.
"I thought with him, if I tried really hard I could be who he needed me to be. That if I did that than maybe, just maybe, one day he would be what I needed him to be too. That he would wake up one day and see what a perfect catch he had right there waiting for him. Of course it didn't work out that way at all. There was always something happening that seemed to point out that Stefan and I would never be more than friends. And then the girls' time traveling thing happened which I still don't fully understand, like which reality was real? Did they stop us from," She trailed off at his heated look.
Klaus licked his lips, taking a step closer to her as his husky voice danced over her skin, "Oh that happened. No one will ever steal the taste of you from my tongue nor the feel of you from being buried beneath my skin, seeping into my very bones."
Stomping her foot to cover her blush she huffed, "Can I finish?" As a devilish smirk grew over his lips she waved a pointed finger at him, "Oh shut up!" Suddenly something seemed to click within her eyes, "So after my memories came back I realized something. Something big, something I never really understood until now."
Curious about how her mind worked as ever and having the feeling that he would have many times to tease her, he asked, "What's that Caroline?"
"Love shouldn't be so hard. It shouldn't be one person always trying so hard to be enough for someone else, waiting for someone to wake up and realize what they have. It should be as easy as breathing."
Both took a slow deep breath as they stared with glistening eyes at the other, their bodies moving closer toward each other of their own accord like magnets.
Klaus's eyes searched hers as he dared to ask, "What are you saying Caroline?"
"I think...I think I really want to give you, give us, that chance." She rushed to continue, "I don't know what it means and I don't know where we are going or what will happen and believe me that is huge for me and its..." She trailed off as she searched for the right words to say.
"Bloody terrifying." Klaus interjected.
"Yeah." Caroline agreed, feeling a warmth spread through he that he understood what she was trying to say, "Terrifying…"
"Caroline?" Klaus encouraged her to continue after she drifted off.
Taking a deep breath to gather her strength she looked him square in the eyes, "I'm willing to give it a try if you are. I'm willing to learn and grow with you. I know we will have our differences, two strong headed people like us are bound to butt heads at some point."
Klaus scoffed with his head held high, "Please, speak for yourself Sweetheart. I am the most easy going person you have ever met."
"Wow!" Caroline burst into laughter, bringing a proud smile to Klaus's face, "He tells jokes!"
Klaus wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close as he whispered, "So, are we truly giving this a chance Caroline?"
Caroline took in his hopefully yet anxious face, sighing silently in wonder at how much this man seemed to care for her, as if her answer had the potential to change his entire world, "Yeah. I guess we are."
Caroline decided, right before he pressed his lips against hers, that the smile he gave her was her new favorite look on him and that she couldn't wait to be the one to put it there again and again.
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Blending their families together was a challenge to say the least. The easiest and the most joyful part for them all was watching Lizzie, Josie and Hope form their own tiny coven under the guidance of Freya and Bonnie.
Bonnie had chosen to stay in New Orleans, becoming one of the most powerful and sought after witches in the area. She thrived under attention and station it gave her. Finally, Bonnie had a place where she was not only accepted for who she is and not what she could do but was also surrounded by others like her.
Hayley and Elijah slowly began rebuilding their relationship, much to Klaus's discomfort and Caroline's approval. Though Klaus didn't know it, Caroline had overheard his conversation with Hayley one night as they were dropping Hope off to sleep over with her Mother. It warmed her heart to see how far he had come and that he had taken her advice about being civil and learning to co-parent with Hayley. Things between the two of them went a lot smoother after that since both realized that Hope came first and whatever issues they had between each other didn't matter. Not if they wanted to give their daughter the childhood and life they never had.
Alaric and Elijah formed a close and intellectual friendship. They were often times found playing a rousing game of chess or discussing the merits of this or that author's points of view. It was always comical for Caroline to watch when they would get into their heated debates.
Strangely enough when Alaric wasn't chasing after Lizzie and Josie or with Elijah, he could be found in deep conversations with Freya, who seemed to always have a blush on her cheeks at his attention. Caroline had decided right away that she loved the budding relationship between the two and vowed to keep an eye on the Mikaelson men when it came out into the open.
Every Thursday evening all the ladies of the family would dress to the nines, kiss the foreheads of the girls before leaving the men in charge and hitting the town together. At first Rebekah and Hayley had scoffed at the idea while Bonnie, Caroline and Freya would argue the fun they could have together. The first few weeks were rocky to say the least but once everyone loosened up, namely Rebekah and Hayley, they discovered something they never had before. Friendship. Real friendship, the kind that lasts for lifetimes.
In the end, they were still looking for a way to put Marcel down for good, though Caroline had the feeling the delay had more to do with Klaus's old feelings towards Marcel than anything else. Though keeping Marcel weak enough to hold within his tomb did come at a price. A price that caused a heated argument between Klaus and Caroline but, in a surprising turn of events, Klaus had the backing of every single member of their makeshift family. Marcel's new strength needed to be siphoned out of him and placed within someone else since it was too dangerous for Josie and Lizzie to keep within themselves. And while Caroline didn't go down without a fight, in the end it was everyone using the fact that she would be better equipped to protect her girls won out. She was positive that once she finally agreed that a look of unadulterated relief passed over Klaus's face, knowing that she would be stronger had eased his mind quite a bit.
Plus, the added strength and abilities did make for quite a bit of fun in the bedroom.
It was after such an occurrence, with their breaths still racing as Caroline laid her head on Klaus's sweat covered chest that he spoke as his fingertips ran the length of her spine.
"I think it's time we take a trip, you and I."
Caroline propped her chin on his chest looking up at him through loving eyes, "Oh, is that right?"
Klaus grinned her favorite smile, one that made him look like an innocent boy yet still held the, my-hand-just-got-caught-in-the-cookie-jar look, "Mmm hmm. We have yet to explore the world together and I do recall promising to take you anywhere you wanted."
"Promised me huh?" Caroline said skeptically with a raised eyebrow, "More like said a line to get into my pants."
She giggled as Klaus pinched her side before he pulled her sedated body closer into his own, "And look where you are now Love. It may have taken me some time, but it seems to me my lines worked in both our favors."
Klaus lifted his eyebrow daring her to deny it, to which she just huffed a laugh with a shake of her head and a roll of her eyes, "Okay fine. You win. But I did put up one hell of a fight."
He chuckled in response as she laid her head back down on his chest, "One would almost say too much of a fight."
They laid in comfortable silence for a while, fingers slowly running over each other's skin, before Caroline quietly broke the silence, "So why now?"
Klaus shrugged his shoulders, "Can't a man want to take the woman he loves on a romantic getaway?"
Caroline sat halfway up so quickly Klaus had to move further into the pillows to avoid being hit, "What did you just say?"
Klaus looked at her bemused as he answered, "A romantic getaway. While I've never been on one myself, I have heard a time or two that it is the thing to do."
"Not about that. The…the other thing."
Klaus casually twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers, his eyes glued to the strains as he spoke, "You mean the bit about the woman I love?" He smirked at her gulp and breathy sigh of, yes, before his eyes gazed at her with so much emotions, "It can't come as that much of a surprise, now can it?"
"We haven't, I mean, you just haven't said it since I saved you almost a year ago." Caroline stuttered out in awe as a serious look came over his face as he sat up in front of her, pulling her up with him.
Caroline felt her heart pound within her chest as his hand brushed over her face, a gentle smile poised on his lips as his eyes stared straight into hers. His voice ringing with conviction as he declared, "I love you Caroline."
A strange cross between a giggle and a snort left her bringing a content smile to his face as he ran the backs of his fingers over her smiling face, "You don't have to respond, I will understand if you need more time…" His eyes widened comically as she smacked his bare chest.
"Don't be an idiot! Of course, I love you too!"
"You do?" He asked in disbelieving awe.
Caroline's face softened as she cupped his cheeks, "Yes. I love you Klaus."
Wrapping his arm around her lower back he pulled her kneeling body into his, crashing his lips to hers in a soul searing kiss. They pulled apart, both smiling widely at the other as Caroline asked, "Now about this trip."
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Thanks again for your support, feel free to leave me a mini report ;)
