Sudden movement immediately woke Caroline up. A weak, pained moan followed it. Hazily, she tried to get her brain to wake up.

First thing she noticed were the strong arms holding her and the warmth radiating from the body on which she was laying. Klaus. Then, the sandy beach on which they'd both apparently fallen victims to exhaustion that was now slightly colder, the early morning plagued by rough wind. Their kisses came back to her right away serving to both warm her up and to completely vanquish sleep.

Another whimper reminded her of what had woken her up. Turning her head towards the man who was clutching her to his chest, the blonde noticed sweat glistening on his forehead which was marred with wrinkles, all muscles tightly wound.

A nightmare.

Klaus was having a nightmare.

Memories of the last time she'd witnessed one flooded her and to her utter chagrin, Caroline Forbes found that she was somewhat afraid to be this near to him. Pale, nearly faded bruises still lingered on her throat as a result of the last time she'd tried to intervene.

Still, this seemed different. He was not thrashing around, battling invisible enemies and desperately trying to travel back in time to save Henrik and Marcel. This wasn't a bout of night terrors but a normal bad dream. Or so she hoped, at least.

Gathering her bravery, Caroline whispered his name and laid a gentle hand on his cheek. Unlike last time, he responded to her touch within seconds, hard grey pupils focusing on her, softening ever so slightly upon closing in on her.

"Are you alright?" concern seeped into her soft voice.

Klaus didn't truly have an answer. Images of their kisses had haunted him long after she had fallen asleep in his embrace, snuggling into him like it was the most natural of things. Not at all scared of the man who'd proven able to snap her neck in two. The former soldier had once again marveled at the wonderful creature Caroline Forbes was: so strong and resilient and yet warm and forgiving on the inside.

Too good for him.

Still, he'd fought off sleep for as long as humanly possible, aware that the only thing that could keep the crippling images at bay was alcohol and that he hadn't had nearly enough of that. So Klaus had valiantly attempted to stay awake and only in the early morning hours had he succumbed to the much needed sleep.

To his utter surprise, memories of both Henrik's and Marcel's demises had chosen to grant him a reprieve. What he received in their stead was a much worse fabrication of his dark mind. He shuddered only remembering it.

Caroline's death.

So vivid, so authentic and, true to his wretched life, he'd been powerless to stop it.

Klaus couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't a sign from whatever deity existed above that he should go before the surgeon suffered any more at his hands.

Yet he was too selfish to walk away right then and there. His treacherous heart swelled at being this close to her, waking feelings that had been dormant ever since the true face of his family had led to countless deaths among those he loved.

"Klaus?" Caroline pulled him back to reality as she ran her hand over his chest.

"I'm fine," he lied and faked a minute smile to cement it. He wasn't prepared for any discussion on the topic of this precise nightmare and he wasn't sure he ever would be. Besides, he didn't want to ruin whatever little time they had.

Of course the woman didn't believe him for a moment, but she didn't want another heated discussion between them. If he wanted his nightmares to remain private, she would grant him that. Also, there was something she'd been meaning to tell him ever since they'd left Cirque du Soleil and hadn't gotten the chance to.

"I didn't really mean it, you know?" upon his confused expression she explained. "What I said about Henrik and Marcel. I was angry and…"

"And you were probably right," he cut her off. "They wouldn't want me to live my life like this, but until a few days ago I didn't really think I had another choice."

I'm still not sure, he refrained from adding.

"You do," she smiled and placed another kiss on his lips. Both felt the bout of electricity coursing through their veins, making their blood boil with desire and unspoken, ignited feelings.

Yet Klaus couldn't allow it to go any further. Not without being entirely honest. It would feel like deceiving Caroline if he did and there was nothing he wanted less on this world than to hurt her.

"We should go back to the hotel."

Klaus pulled back and helped Caroline stand up, wincing slightly at his back's protests at having spent an entire night on the hard, cold sand. However, it had been worth this and more.

Leading the way back to the car he'd rented, the man couldn't help constantly looking over his shoulder, half expecting to see one of his siblings waiting for him or, worse, Mikael himself.

There was no one.

As soon as they got into the car, Caroline snuggled into the passenger seat, turning on the heat. No sooner had they exited the City of Angels than she'd already fallen asleep again.

Risking another look at her, Klaus marveled once more at how such an innocent, outstanding woman could ever be with him.

She doesn't know everything, his inner voice reminded.

Yet, with every kiss they shared, the man could feel another piece from his walls fall, shattering into the ground. It was unavoidable. He was already in too deep regarding the woman. The entire ride back to Malibu, Klaus pondered the possibility of simply not telling her anything. Whisk her away to a private island and stay there forever.

He found that he couldn't.

A life based on a lie was not what he wanted to give her. No, he wanted to give her the world, show her places brimming with history, culture, music, art and that would only be possible if she knew and understood the risks being with him entailed and agreed anyway.

Hell, he wasn't sure he wanted her to.

But first, they had to get through the wedding.

"Caroline," he softly shook her shoulder in a bid to wake her up. "We've arrived."

Groggy, green orbs turned to look at him, the corners of her mouth lifting upon finding him. Eliciting such a reaction from her made his heart flutter. Clearing his throat and some of the feelings he was sure showed into his gaze, Klaus walked around the car and opened the door for her.

"So you can be a gentleman when you want to, after all," she lightly teased and without even considering it beforehand, clasped their fingers together leading him back to the hotel. They stopped at the reception, ordered some breakfast to their room and headed up.

While they both took turns showering, getting rid of the pesky granules of sand embedded all over their bodies, the food arrived and Caroline instructed the bellboy to take it to the balcony, offering him a generous tip for having taken the time to even set up the table.

Once Klaus was done, he joined her on the terrace; both enjoying their tasty, hefty breakfast, Caroline unapologetically devouring his pancakes as well.

Just like Henrik used to.

A pang of sadness hit him at the memory of his little brother. The brother who'd refused to abandon him and who had, in return, lost his life at such a young age. Nothing anyone could say would ever convince Klaus that it wouldn't have been better for him to perish instead.

"I've been meaning to ask you something," Caroline drew his attention. "I sort of made a promise to return to the beach this morning and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me?"

"A promise?"

"Yeah, to my new friend, Laura," the woman sheepishly smiled.

As it was usually the case, Klaus acquiesced to her demand and by 10 o'clock they were both on the beach. People were just starting to show, all eager to make the most of another warm, sunny summer day. Caroline quickly found a place for them to stay, close to the ocean and a bit more secluded as she was convinced Klaus wouldn't be keen on setting camp right in the centre of the beach.

Scrutinizing her surroundings in search of Laura, the blonde came up empty. Perhaps her poor parents needed a day off, she pondered and, after having taken off her sundress remaining in her crimson bikini, Caroline plopped down onto the sand for some tanning.

Klaus on the other hand, wasn't feeling at ease at all on the open beach. There were so many blind spots from where unwanted visitors could ambush them that the man found it impossible to relax. His focus was split between all of the entrances he couldn't cover and, to complicate matters even further, Caroline had deemed it appropriate to go sunbathing right under his nose.

Now, his eyes were constantly drawn to the oblivious woman who must have done some sort of witchcraft to have him this distracted. But he simply couldn't help himself. He was irredeemably drawn into her spell. Were he honest, he had been from the very beginning.

Losing her would break him, for sure.

Caroline Forbes had turned into his last vestige of light and allowing her to walk away- if she so decided –would tear him down more than any of Mikael's efforts and torture ever could.

"Caroline!" a high-pitched scream derailed his train of thoughts.

For a short second, his muscles coiled, preparing for a fight, until he landed eyes on the source of the sound. A young girl, probably around 5 or 6 years old was running in their direction, under the apologetic looks of her young parents who had their hands full with a baby. Bliss shone brightly in her almond irises at seeing the blonde surgeon.

So this was Caroline's new friend.

This woman never ceased amazing him. When she'd mentioned Laura, Klaus had pictured someone their own age who had happened upon her after their argument and offered some modicum of comfort. If not, perhaps someone older, wiser. Certainly not a child.

At the sound of her name, Caroline immediately stood up, welcoming the girl into her embrace.

"You came!" Laura excitedly squealed after they separated.

"Of course I did. I promised you I'd be here, didn't I?"

The warm look in the doctor's heart reminded him of how his mother and sister used to look at Henrik when he was a toddler. So open, sincere and full of affection. It sent a stab to his heart when he was reminded of his younger brother's brutal end. All because of him.

"And who are you?"

Laura had addressed him this time, eyes narrowed at the stranger gawking at them, taking both adults by surprise.

It had been so long since he'd been around a child that he'd forgotten how to behave around one. Almost panicked at scaring the girl away and also not sure of what answer should be given, Klaus turned to Caroline for help.

"He's Klaus Mikaelson," she sucked in a deep breath." My boyfriend."

For the first time since they'd met, that statement reflected the truth. At least from her point of view. Judging by Klaus's slight nod, he agreed with her definition.

However, Laura didn't appear satisfied. She continued to seriously stare at Klaus until she spoke again. "Do you love Caroline?"

Two widened pairs of eyes focused on Laura who appeared to not have realized the significance of her question. Children often tended to have such a simple vision of the world around them. For them only love and hatred existed. There were no shades of grey. And Klaus was everything but simply black and white. He was the entire spectrum of colors in between.

"I," he swallowed, pausing and risking a glance at Caroline who did not appear willing to help him out. It was not an easy question. Not because he doubted his feelings but because expressing them implied so much more. "I…" he tried again, but it had been so long since he'd confessed his love for somebody and it was even harder to do when he felt that by doing it he could be potentially harming them.

Caroline was enjoying watching Klaus squirm. Who would have imagined that a 6 year old possessed that skill? A part of her was wishing that he would profess his love right then and there, but she wasn't irrational and understood that saying those words was awfully hard for someone as broken as Klaus Mikaelson.

Besides, she wanted his confession to be spontaneous not forcefully pulled out. If it ever came, that is.

"Laura, let's give Klaus a moment to breathe," she finally intervened. "How about we play some volleyball?"

Attempting to deflect from the question would have worked on most kids, but not Laura. She remained focused on Klaus. "You'd better not hurt my friend."

With that final warning, she turned towards a very amused Caroline- not every day one saw a child threaten Klaus -, agreeing to the game.

There's nothing in the world I want less, kid, Klaus added in his head, but fearing that it was already too late for that.

For the next hour or so Klaus fascinatingly contemplated the two happily playing different sorts of games, running around, falling in the sand only to get back up and start all over again. Seeing the utmost care she had for the youngster and her unrelenting complacency to Laura's every wish demonstrated the pure goodness of Caroline's soul.

The goodness that he shouldn't be soiling by staying in her presence.

Yet, he couldn't leave.

"Come in the water with us," Caroline appeared out of nowhere, completely soaked, Laura hot on her trail. He was preparing to say no when a cold, wet hand grabbed his fingers and started trying to pull him up. An eyebrow rose in disbelief at the woman who genuinely thought her force was enough to move him.

"Come on," she tried again. "The water's amazing and it helps with this awful heat," with that she pointedly gazed at his t-shirt which was all sweaty and continued attempting to get him to stand up.

A roll of his eyes and an amused smirk later, Klaus was finally getting up. When he realized something. Taking off his shirt would reveal another part of his past he wanted kept quiet. Moreover, it might even scare Laura away and prompt her parents to take her away from the weird stranger's proximity.

"Please, Klaus," the hopeful voice of Laura is what finally convinced him. She'd spoken just like Henrik usually did and he never could deny him anything.

With hesitant movements, the garment came off, leaving him exposed under the scrutiny of the two.

At first, Caroline noticed a tattoo on his shoulder: a flock of birds that extended all the way to his back. They were flying upwards in what Caroline interpreted as a bid for freedom. Only then did the woman notice the interruption in the design, the black ink united unintelligibly. She'd seen tattoos look like this before. In the hospital.

Understanding finally dawned on her. Scar tissue marred the skin, a bullet wound she would guess. Gulping before continuing to inspect his body, Caroline found a few shallow scars around his abdomen and a deeper one that ran all across his stomach. Stab wounds. Like someone had tried disemboweling him. Even more, cigarette burns were peppered all over his torso.

This was why he had seemed so reluctant to undress. Injuries that stood proof to his horrible past. The past that she was less and less keen on knowing with every passing second. Were all these wounds acquired in war? A pesky voice inside her head screamed that it was unlikely at best.

Her heart clenched at seeing him turn his head away from her as if ashamed.

"It's a gruesome sight, I know."

Tears prickled her eyes at the self-loathing obvious in his words. Did he think she would reject him only because of a few scars? Had he truly not learned Caroline Forbes's true nature? In that instant, there was nothing more she wanted than to reassure him, but her voice betrayed her, the lump in her throat too big to swallow. Someone else's did not though.

"Do they hurt?" Laura approached Klaus until she was right in front of him.

Stunned, Klaus turned to look at the young girl. She showed no sign of fear or revulsion. Only concern. Shaken to the core, the man dropped down to his knees, so he was eye level with the girl.

"Not at all," he reassured. "They look way worse than they actually were."

At that Caroline nearly lost it. Partially because, as a doctor, she knew that was not the case. With that kind of stomach wound, Klaus was lucky to even be alive. Mostly, though, it was because this self-proclaimed 'bad' person, the 'monster' was lying to reassure a girl he'd just met hours ago.

This just proved to her that she was right. He really was better than anyone, even himself, gave him credit for.

"It's beautiful," the girl whispered, gazing at the tattoo. "I've always loved birds."

"Me too, Laura, me too. They are the freest of creatures, able to simply extend their wings and fly away wherever they wish. Yet they are so fragile, breakable and every breath they draw is a battle won," he risked a glance at Caroline who was choking on the tears she was fighting. "I have this to remind myself to keep fighting. A symbol of what my younger brother taught me."

Crack.

There went one of his last pieces of armor.

Clearing his throat, wishing nothing more than for this display of vulnerability to end, he stood up.

"Now, shall we go into the damned water?"

Giddily jumping up at the suggestion, Laura grabbed Klaus's hand and started tugging him along, Caroline momentarily forgotten. The blonde did not miss how Klaus slightly tightened at the unexpected touch, but she also saw him fight to relax and allow the girl to do as she pleased.

Thankful for the seconds she had to compose herself, the woman couldn't help noticing a few blemishes on his back as well. Burns. In her line of work, she'd seen countless scars and wounds, but none of them had cut her at deeply as Klaus's. Mostly because those had been made in order to save the patient's life.

Klaus's served as a constant reminder of the horrors he'd lived. The ones that she wasn't prepared to hear yet.

Wiping away a stray tear, Caroline started her trek to the emerald water, noticing that some waves had started to agitate the water. In utter synch with her state of mind. Completely shaken. The perfect remedy was proven to be the sound of Laura's happy laughter as Klaus started to teach her how to swim.

Strong hands supported the girl, but he let her do most of the work. He seemed so confident that Caroline could have sworn he'd done this before.

Henrik.

Her mind came up with the answer on its own.

It was like two people resided in Klaus at the same time. There was the dangerous one who kept everyone at bay, from whom a look was enough to leave you trembling. And hidden behind that rough façade was this man she'd gotten to see recently. The one who would teach her to ride a horse, take her to Cirque du Soleil to fulfill her dream and even teach a young girl to swim.

All this left her wondering what had broken him so much and yet she shuddered to even think about the cause of the old injuries.

Maybe ignorance really is bliss.

"Caroline, look, Klaus taught me how to swim!"

Laura exclaimed proudly upon setting eyes on her and tried to move away from the man to prove her newly obtained skill. Unfortunately, at that exact moment, a bigger wave felt the shore calling and it completely covered the young girl.

Both panicked adults jumped at the same time, reaching for Laura. Their hands entwined around her, clutching tightly and pulling her back to the surface. Coughing, the girl didn't seem really fazed by the mishap, wrapping her tiny fingers around the man's neck.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, love," his voice was tense although he tried to mask it as he continued to hold onto her. "I've still got an awful lot to teach you."

Seeing Laura pout at the very subtle scold, Caroline added, "I'd listen to him. He's the best teacher one could ask for. Trust me, I know."

Immediately, their gazes gravitated towards the other, delivering what words failed to.

Acceptance.

Understanding.

Gratitude.

And last but definitely not least: love.

It left both shaken to the core, so they simply chose to focus on Laura. And so they did for the next few hours spent on the beach. Klaus literally forgot about everything plaguing his mind and let go. He hadn't felt this free since Henrik had been alive and he hadn't known all the sordid details he knew now. So he relished the precious moments until Laura's parents called her out and told her to say goodbye.

"We'll be seeing you tomorrow?" Caroline asked from within the confines of the girl's tight hug. The first sign of sadness crossed Laura's face.

"We're going home tomorrow."

Both Caroline and Klaus felt quite dejected that this day would not have a repeat and the woman showed it by wrapping her into another embrace. Even if they'd only met for two days, there had been an instant connection with the girl.

"Goodbye, Laura," Klaus remained stoic as ever, but upon closer inspection one could see the slight shadow of sorrow at seeing her go. She was, after all, one of the few people to easily accept him.

Shockingly, the child walked up to him and declared," I know you love Caroline and she does too. A love just like that in the stories my mom reads me and you'll be together forever."

That knocked the air out of their lungs. Here she was, a 6 year old, saying everything neither one dared. There was only one thing wrong with her comparisons, Klaus noted but chose not to speak up. Fairytales had a happy ending and there was no way in hell that his story could ever get one of those. He wasn't worthy of it and the villains were too many and powerful.

One final wave and the little girl finally took off, leaving awkward silence between the two. Both cleared their throats at the same time, jumping when their eyes met. Yet neither followed up with actual words.

After all, what was there to say after that declaration? Feeble words were not enough. Neither affirmed the loaded words, but what mattered more was that neither hurried to correct them either.

"So," Caroline laughed nervously bidding to break the ice. "Shall we go back?"

Klaus nodded, anxiousness at being in such an open space having returned with Laura's departure. What was more, he did not want to confront the statement previously made. Mostly because he wasn't sure he had it in him to keep pretending and lie.

Yet the entire walk to the hotel their hands were clasped together. If that wasn't confirmation enough, Klaus wasn't sure he would ever be capable of more.

Time slipped away, an exhausted Caroline falling asleep following her relaxing bath. A vigil Klaus remained by her side, watching her, contemplating his options and wishing nothing more than to be able to simply be with her.

But he couldn't. He was effectively trapped with no visible way out. Instead of continuing to dwell on his impossible situation, Klaus grabbed a blank piece of paper and a pencil, choosing to drown himself in art again. Similarly to yesterday, the only thing that seemed to inspire him other than death and tragedy was the doctor. And he gave freedom to his hand which skillfully moved to reproduce the breathtaking woman next to him, effectively losing track of time.

"How long have you been watching me?" an amused, still groggy voice reached him. Of course, Caroline had woken up and was now gazing at him through sleep-filled eyes. "And what's that?" she pointed at the sketch. "Is it another drawing?"

Her face literally lit up when he confirmed her suspicions and reluctantly handed it to her.

For the second time these days, air was knocked out of Caroline's lungs. She'd been his muse again. And just like before, it was a perfect representation of herself, identical to one a famous painter would do.

"It's beautiful," was all she could muster, voice heavy with emotion. "Can I keep it?"

In a way, the man wanted to deny her. Wanted to preserve the scrap of paper- to remind him of her when she was gone. But he couldn't say no, so he accepted. Besides, he was sure he could paint her from memory just as well, her every feature, every wrinkle etched into his brain irrevocably.

"You've got real talent, Klaus," she bit her lip before choosing to follow the compliment with a more personal question. "You said you used to draw before. Have you ever considered doing it professionally?"

This time it took less for him to choose to respond. Like she was getting closer and closer to breaking him out of his shell with every attempt, be it a success or failure.

"I did, when I was a teenager. But my parents, especially my father, did not deem it a career worthy of the Mikaelson name. They thought it would be an embarrassment."

The way his eyes tightened and his voice hardened at the mention of his father did not go unnoticed.

"And what did he deem a worthy career?"

This was it.

The moment of truth.

The perfect opportunity to be sincere.

Yet he hesitated and she caught on.

"You know what? Don't tell me. I don't want it to ruin my night."

Another free pass was handed to him on a silver platter. Just like last time, Klaus wasn't sure he should accept it for fear it might all blow in his face. The devil might be weaving another intricate web for him to fall in.

In the end, his mouth simply refused to cooperate.

"Instead, how about we go out for dinner? I saw the hotel has a wonderful restaurant by the beach and I'm dying to check it out."

"Sure," his voice shook slightly under the overwhelming weight of secrets and lies he continued to say.

"Thank you," she planted another swift kiss on his lips before leaving to get ready.

By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Klaus had been ready for over thirty minutes, opting to simply chug a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt on, not in the mood to mind his appearance at all. Not that he ever was.

Caroline, on the other hand, seemed to veer in the opposite direction, emerging in a skin-tight, dark green, lace dress that hugged her every curve, while leaving half of her back exposed. The lack of cleavage gave it a classy look that was accented by the elegant pair of black stilettoes and gold emerald bracelet she'd chosen.

"You look stunning," he complimented before he could catch himself.

Heat rose to her cheeks at hearing him and all she could muster was a weak "Thank you!"

Having her flustered, looking at him expectantly, a rosy hue taking over her porcelain skin, Klaus decided to throw caution to the wind. He might never get a chance like this in his life.

Within two strides he was in front of her, so close that he could feel her breath on him, smell her delicate, sweet perfume. It was too much. He couldn't keep fighting. He didn't even want to.

So he kissed her right then and there.

Only this time, he poured every single emotion he'd kept bottled up inside him. Passionately his hands curled into her hair, pulling her even closer, their bodies united as one, both melting into the fiery kiss. Neither could think straight anymore, desire clouding their every action, fingers desperately welding together. Caroline could feel his wild heartbeat and was sure that he could feel how her own fought to break out of its cage.

They were in perfect synch.

Like neither had ever been with somebody else.

In that moment, nothing- secrets, tragedies, enemies-mattered anymore. It was only Caroline and Klaus. Together. United by unspoken feelings and all-too revealing actions.

"I'm not that sure I'm hungry anymore," Caroline whispered pulling away no more than an inch. "For food, that is."

A dark look broke out in his mercury orbs, showcasing the struggle deep within because there was nothing more he wanted than to give in, throw her to the bed and satiate both of their desires. Yet he couldn't. Not to Caroline. He couldn't allow her to go that far with a monster like him.

"Well, I'm starving," he half lied. It was true, just not for food, surely that showed in his lustful gaze.

Disappointment went away as quickly as it appeared, the woman quickly recovering. "Then, let's remedy that, shall we?"

Holding him by the elbow, Caroline allowed to be led to the restaurant, unaware of some of the looks they attracted. Both were happier than either thought it would be possible again. In that moment, holding each other tightly, laughing and joking like any free couple did.

True to both of their lucks, fate decided to ruin everything for them again.

The restaurant was brimming with people, not an empty table in sight. "I guess we'll have to go back to the room, after all," Caroline leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Caroline? Klaus?"

A disbelieving voice they both knew reached them. Immediately they separated, as burned, recognizing the person before turning. One of the last beings either wished to meet this early. Besides, wasn't he supposed to arrive tomorrow?

"Stefan," Caroline was the first to greet, the man holding her tightening his grip on her protectively. A strawberry blonde woman came to join Stefan, her smile fake as she also held onto his hand tightly. "Valerie," Caroline smiled just as unnaturally.

"We were just going to find another restaurant," Klaus declared not bothering with any pleasantries. Not like he would mean them.

"We have a table of four, you could stay with us," Valerie offered, clearly not meaning it, taking all other participants of the discussion by surprise. Judging by her smug smile, she would relish in their refusal. It would be like accepting defeat, on Caroline's part.

"Sure, that would be great," Caroline answered before consulting with Klaus.

The man inhaled deeply, pursed his lips and confirmed with a shake of the head. Closing his eyes, he tried to prepare to spend a few hours with Stefan, sharing a meal and not jump across the table and punch him in the face.

For Caroline. He would do it for Caroline's sake. Only for her.

So he took a seat across Stefan, next to Caroline, until the waiter came for their order, awkward silence extending before them. Having not even read the menu, both ordered the first thing their eyes fell on.

"Oh, now I remembered," a happy Valerie decided to cut in. "You couldn't be reached so we didn't get a chance to tell you. We've moved the wedding up three days due to the weather playing tricks on us. Everyone's either on their way or already here and the rehearsal dinner is tomorrow evening."

It was like she was rubbing everything in Caroline's face. Dangling before her nose that she was enjoying what should have been hers. Only it wasn't affecting her to see them as a couple. The only thing that burned was their betrayal and how they were trying to sweep it under the rug.

"We'll be there," her false politeness was reaching an end while the woman's incessant ramble about flower arrangements, wedding dresses and rings didn't seem to.

"I chose red roses, because there's nothing more romantic than that, right?" Valerie persevered. "Stefan told me that you'd gone with peonies and irises. It honestly surprised me that you of all would go for such common flowers."

Like roses are incredibly original, Caroline wanted to bite back, but reined it in for fear of causing a scene.

"They're my favourite flowers," the surgeon responded instead.

"Actually," Klaus intervened. "Roses are the most common flower brides use all over the world. Red ones especially."

Caroline choked on her laugh at Valerie's dejected, miserable look after having had a taste of Klaus. She quickly recovered though, flashing Caroline her wedding ring.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Knowing that this all was a bid to get her riled up, Caroline lifted the corners of her mouth and nodded even though she felt nothing of the sorts. It was an ordinary gold ring with a big diamond on top.

"I picked it out myself," Valerie proudly said. "Nothing like that small, boring ring you had, Caroline. I had to tell Stefan to take it back, get a refund from the horrendous jewelry."

And that was the final straw. Enough was enough. Caroline Forbes could only take so much from such a low human being.

"I agree," the blonde got out though rasped teeth. "Yours fits your personality so much better. Struggling to stand out yet always fading in the background."

Now it was Klaus's turn to laugh mutely, as Stefan watched with wide eyes the exchange. This was heading downhill fast and if he intervened it would only make it worse. Besides, he couldn't get the image of Caroline kissing Klaus passionately, entirely unaware anyone was looking at them. It had cemented their relationship.

Weirdly, his heart constricted at the thought of Caroline being with such a dangerous man. Moreover, feelings were being stirred up at seeing her so close to him again, but so far out of his reach.

"Speak about background, we chose for our wedding dance the same song that was playing when you walked in on us," Valerie hit back shaking's the other woman's calm foundation. "It was our liberation as a couple, after all. Hiding from you to not hurt your feeling was quite tiring, you know?"

"I imagine how tedious it must have been," angry tears prickled her irises. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."

Caroline stood up swiftly. Still, Klaus managed to catch her eye, receiving a tight, reassuring smile in return, but it didn't fool him. The words must have hurt her however she tried to hide it. The subtle touch on his shoulder stopped him from whisking her away, back to their room to ease her sorrow.

Left alone, Klaus gulped half a glass of wine to keep from biting Valerie's head off. "If I were you, I would learn to shut up. Trust me; I'm one of the last people you want to anger. Ask your fiancée if you don't believe me," he turned only to find Stefan gone. A nasty suspicion made way into his head, "Where is he, by the way."

"He said something about making a phone call," she nonchalantly replied although he didn't miss her hand shaking when grabbing the fork.

He better not be where I think he is. Otherwise, he might draw out the Klaus Mikaelson he criticizes so.

Five minutes. He would allow five minutes before going after the two missing dinner companions.

Little did he know that it was more than enough to ruin everything he had.


Cold water had helped cool her down after Valerie's insensitive and rude comments. Had she stayed, Caroline was sure that all hell would have broken loose, her thin patience already stretched to the limit.

Prepared to face the music again, Caroline exited the bathroom only to bump into a slender, tall figure. And that fragrance. It was entirely too familiar.

"What are you doing here, Stefan?"

Dragging her out of the light, near the corner where darkness provided some cover against curious looks he deadpanned," We have to talk, Caroline."

There was nothing she wanted less, but energy was seeping from her body and all she wanted was to get this over with. "Nothing you have to say will change how things are."

"Maybe this will," with that he grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her tight against him and smashing his lips against her.

It was a forceful kiss, nothing like the one she'd shared merely an hour ago with Klaus. It didn't leave butterflies in its wake. All it did was twist her insides, make her nauseous at having such a personal action imposed on her.

"Let go of me!" she screamed after pushing with all of her might to get him off her. In the end he did listen and took a small step back. "What the hell is wrong with you? You're getting married in a few days? Or is this your new thing? Kiss others behind your fiancée's back at every chance you get?"

"Of course not! It's just that I'm not that sure. I might have made a mistake."

Had this not been tragic, Caroline would have burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. A month ago, she would have given anything to hear these words, but now they repulsed her.

"You should have thought of that before you cheated on me for God knows how long."

"Come on, Caroline. I think I still love you and it's clear that you continue to have feelings for me."

The audacity of the man was never ending apparently. "It's clear, huh? Tell me, what in the world made you think that?" He lowered his eyes, for the first time in this discussion realizing that he might be barking at the wrong tree. "I'm with Klaus now and I love him, not you. Please, respect that like I respect that you're with Valerie."

"You love him?" he incredulously repeated, emphasizing the one part of her small speech that had surprised her too.

It had been so easy to admit it to Stefan, the words had tumbled out of her mouth, with no filter. They were true, undoubtedly.

"I do," she fiery stated only to be met with a nervous laugh.

"You know nothing about him, Caroline."

"I know enough to realize that he's a better man than you ever were. Your past together, he tried to tell me all about it. Be honest, like you never were with me, but I didn't allow it. Want to know why? Because I trust him and I don't need to know anything else. I love him and that's enough."

After that, Caroline tried to walk past a stunned, speechless Stefan and had almost succeeded when his next words stopped her in her tracks, prompting her to turn back and listen to whatever he had to say.

"He's a murderer, Caroline. The man you so ardently defend, this 'better' man is a coldblooded murderer."

At that, her world came crashing down.


A/N: Thank you so much to every single one of the people who took the time to leave a review/ follow/ favourite. It means the world to me that you are still invested in this story. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as well and I promise that in the next one most of your questions about Klaus's past will be answered. If you have the time, please let me know what you thought of this update as well.