Grüezi und merci vielmals an die Schwyz! :)

Next-to-last chapter is up today, but it is a rather long one. So all that is left now is the epilogue, which will hopefully be up tomorrow, but as I am travelling, it might be a little later than usual (or earlier, should I have time before my flight).

Hope you'll enjoy...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read/review etc.! :)

xx

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CALIGULA

The day she had moved in with him, Klaus had made a promise to her. He had vowed never to let her go to sleep again without kissing her, whatever the circumstances. A couple of weeks later, that promise had been put to the test for the first time when they had got into a severe fight over Bonnie. Klaus had received news of her current whereabouts and was dead set on tracking her down and putting an end to her. She represented a threat, especially since she had succumbed to black magic, and Klaus was never one to let any dangers loom. But his main driver was vengeance, and Caroline was well aware of that. He wanted revenge for Bonnie's role in the resuscitation of Mikael and Prelati, and for once, both Elijah and Silv agreed with him which made Caroline's position difficult. She and Klaus had a massive fight as she didn't want to hear anything of any vengeance plots, stating it was still Bonnie they were talking about and she would never allow any harm to come to her. Klaus argued that she was no longer her childhood friend but a powerful dark witch who would not hesitate to take them down if the opportunity presented itself to her. They shouted at each other for about half an hour, at the end of which Klaus stormed out of the room, violently slamming the door behind him. Caroline was still shivering with rage when she heard his almost inaudible hiss from the hallway. "I love you." Then he flashed off and Caroline stared at the closed door, all the fight leaving her at his words.

He stayed clear of her for hours. She went to bed, unhappy and scared. Sometimes, her old paranoid self still took over, so for a long while, she was seriously frightened that he would want to leave her now, despite the fact that even in his anger he had still told her he loved her. She was not really used to fight within a relationship and had no idea how it worked and what the rules were. When she was curled up under the covers, her face buried in his pillow, she heard him enter the room. He approached the bed and wordlessly sat on the edge. Then he bent down, tucked a stray curl behind her ear, gave her a very soft kiss and left.

Caroline spent three hours tossing and turning until she decided she'd had enough. Donning a dark blue silk robe he had recently given her, she patted downstairs to find him. He was standing in the darkened study, a glass in his hand, staring into the shadowy gardens. She knew he had heard her from the moment she had left their room, but he didn't show any reaction. Motionless, she stood behind him for a moment, taking in his rigid form and his tense shoulders.

"I don't want to fight with you, Klaus. And the silent treatment hurts me more than any sort of screaming fit."

She saw the tension leave his shoulders as he turned around to face her. "I hate being at odds with you, too. But we both need to be aware that it will happen from time to time. Just know one thing, Caroline. Whatever we fight about, however bad it gets – you will never, ever lose me. Never. Remember that always, my love."

Caroline exhaled sharply. "How do you always seem to know what I'm feeling? What I'm scared of?"

"I know you. That is how."

She was silent for a moment. Yes, he was right. He knew her as she knew him. But she still couldn't help the small flickers of fear that sometimes caught up with her, even when she was certain he loved her. Her old insecurities would require time to vanish entirely, and maybe they never would. But she loved him so much for constantly reassuring her when she needed it the most. And she knew they would always find some sort of compromise. Even on Bonnie.

"You came to kiss me," she stated, a touch of warmth to her voice now.

"Yes. I promised you I always would. Caroline, even when we fight like this I will love you. I'll never stop loving you, and even when I am mad at you like I still am right now, it will never change what you mean to me. Be upset, be angry, be mad – but never doubt my feelings for you. Not for a split second, do you understand?"

She nodded. "Same here." After a brief moment of hesitation, she kissed him on the cheek and murmured, "Good night, Klaus. I love you." When she turned to leave, she felt his hand on her arm.

"Are you warm enough?"

Caroline understood that it was his own peculiar way of asking her whether she wanted him to come with her. She smiled inwardly at how he couldn't just say it. Looking up into his beautiful face, she said quietly, "No. I'm cold without you."

Without another word, he lifted her up and carried her to their bed where he gathered her close and held her in his strong embrace until she finally relaxed. "How can you be even remotely afraid of me leaving you? Knowing that I could never be without you anymore?" he murmured after a while, his face buried in the curve of her shoulder.

"I'm irrational at times. I… I was feeling so lonely ever since we started fighting, and I kept imagining how it would be if you left for good. It made me feel so cold… and dead inside. It scared me out of my mind."

His grip around her tightened. "Never. Do you hear me? You will never be lonely again," he said fiercely.

They had long conversations about the future. With no immediate doom looming over their heads for the first time ever since Caroline had become a vampire, Klaus encouraged her to think about what she first wanted to do with her life. She did a lot of musing, spending hours discussing her options with him. At some point, the whole family became involved, everyone delighting in playing advisor, even Kol, although his advice went more into the general direction of sexual perversions. He and Klaus ended up redecorating the hallway they had torn apart after Klaus had gone for his younger brother's throat.

She was thinking about college, but she had no idea what to major in. When the options were infinite, the choice was almost impossible to make. Her first thought was history, but both Elijah and Rebekah reasonably pointed out that no professor on Earth could teach her more about history than the family.

Klaus patiently asked her dozens of questions, digging deep into what she was really interested in. Some of her own answers surprised her, as she had never really thought about asking herself all those questions. Klaus' interests were extremely widespread, with everything art related being front and center, but there was nothing he didn't at least have some rudimentary knowledge about. He tried to be as unbiased as he could, doing his best not to influence her decision making process. Whenever another family member joined the discussion, Caroline could not help but noticing how their true interests trickled into the conversation more or less subtly.

One day over lunch, Elijah encouraged her to think about studying something business or finance related. Her first reaction was to vigorously shake her head. Numbers! Yikes! However, Elijah had the rare talent of painting the world of business in such vivid colours that he actually managed to make it sound appealing. He talked about the inner workings of large conglomerates, international finance markets, about how the decisions of one individual could actually bring down an entire bank that had been successful for generations, and about the thrill of equity trading. He made it all sound like a gigantic adventure playground. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rebekah and Silv look at each other, rolling their eyes. Klaus was listening to his brother attentively, interjecting some comments here and there, generally agreeing with Elijah that the whole business sector could be very interesting indeed, although it was not quite his cup of tea. Kol was debating whether Caroline would make a decent Gordon Gekko at some point, then deciding against it. "You're too nice," was all he said, and Caroline saw both Klaus and Silv nod inconspicuously. Just you wait! I can be Gordon Gekko all right! Well, maybe in a few decades…

"But isn't it boring, Elijah? I mean, you just have to compel people, and everyone will do your bidding anyway."

He smiled patiently. "I never compel anyone when doing business, sister. You see, compulsion gets old after you initially marvel over how it obtains you everything you want. But it is not satisfying. I want to know that I have outsmarted those who sit on the other side of the negotiating table by the means of my own wits, not by compulsion. Where would the fun be in that?" He had a point. I will need to watch Wall Street again after all.

Rebekah was up next, throwing her hat in the ring for anything thespian. Apart from the sheer fun of drama acting, she argued that those capabilities always came in handy in everyday vampire life. "And I think you're talented, Care – look at how you managed to keep distracting that brother of mine when helping your friends, and he is usually never played for a fool."

Klaus scowled at his sister, and Silv chuckled. "But that was not about her acting skills, Bekah. That was about big scary Caligula being hopelessly in love with the blonde-haired fairy. She could have told him anything, she could have read him the grocery list or the phone book, and it would still have distracted the hell out of him!"

Klaus looked at Elijah and pointed an accusing finger towards Silv. "Your wife. Do something." Elijah shrugged. "Why? She is perfectly right." Caroline giggled and pressed a light kiss to Klaus' cheek. He smiled at her lovingly. He was actually enjoying this. After some more debate about the pros and cons of studying drama, Klaus pointed out that it would be drawing too much attention if, as he was sure she would, Caroline was going to make a name for herself as an actress or anything entailing high-level publicity. She squeezed his hand under the table, marveling at how he didn't seem to have a single doubt about her capabilities.

Kol was starting with the history of eroticism again when Elijah snapped, "I have no desire whatsoever to see any room redecorated again anytime soon. So you either participate in this conversation with some seriousness or I will snap your neck myself, Kol Mikaelson."

Miraculously, it worked. Kol seemed to get a grip after Elijah's reprimand and actually came up with a couple of ideas. They were typical Kol, but they were ideas after all. First, he suggested Caroline learn to be a car engineer. "Come on, Caroline, I've seen you drool over Nik's M6 more than once. And I actually caught you caressing the hood and cooing at the bloody thing last week!"

Caroline flushed a deep shade of pink and noticed Klaus looking at her curiously. "Is that true?" he asked with a hint of laughter on his face.

She nodded, embarrassed. "I love that car. It's plain beautiful." For the first time ever, she saw Klaus and Kol exchange one of those Klaus-Elijah looks of wordless communication and nod at each other. They seemed to have a few things in common after all. Caroline smiled. "But however much I may be in love with the M6," she continued, "I don't think that engineering is something I would like to do. Way too technical."

Kol looked at her thoughtfully. "So how about interior design? I bet you would excel at that." Everyone stared at him incredulously. "What?" he said, looking a bit offended. "What did I say now?"

Elijah got up and patted his younger brother's shoulder on his way to the liquor cabinet. "Nothing, brother. It would just seem you took us by surprise with a suggestion as reasonable as interior design. Which, by the way, I would think is something you might indeed enjoy, sister," he nodded at Caroline who gazed at Kol pensively.

At that moment, the front door opened and both Salvatores filed into the room, followed by Elena. Klaus' narrowed eyes were on Damon immediately. Ugh, here we go. Waldorf and Statler.

"Is there even a theoretical possibility for you to eventually learn to knock before entering somebody else's property?" he snapped at the elder Salvatore. It had been an ongoing game for a while now. Damon knew it annoyed the hell out of Klaus when he did not knock, just as Klaus knew Damon would take every opportunity to get on his nerves. Caroline shook her head. Like little boys. But even though both of them would rather get themselves staked and daggered than ever admitting to it, they had grown to secretly like each other. Caroline teased Klaus mercilessly about it when they were alone, just as Elena did with Damon.

"Yes," Damon retorted, "but the possibility is very theoretical indeed. Care to offer me a drink, Headless Horseman?"

"No," Klaus scoffed. "I only ever offer my hospitality to visitors who are actually welcome to my house. Stefan, Elena – would you like a drink?" he asked with exaggerated politeness in his voice, making Caroline and Stefan roll their eyes.

"No, thanks Klaus," Elena replied. "I would like to talk to the ladies, if you don't mind."

"My room," Rebekah said, obviously glad about the chance to escape the bickering that always unfolded once Damon and Klaus were in the same room.

"I'll be right up," Caroline said before she added, "Elijah, can I talk to you for a minute? Privately?" Klaus' eyes narrowed again. Still so insecure at times, too, she mused and leaned over to place a soft kiss on his lips. He pulled her close and deepened the kiss for a moment before he let her go.

"Stefan, how about that drink, mate?" he asked the younger Salvatore, deliberately ignoring Damon.

"Sure, why not?" Stefan replied, casting a quick sideways glance at… Rebekah? What is going on now?

Damon unperturbedly followed Klaus, Kol and Stefan to the study while Elijah gazed down at Caroline quizzically.

"Walk?" she asked, smiling at the man who was, by all intents and purposes, her older brother.

He offered his arm and smiled back at her. "It would be my pleasure, sister."

After they had walked for a while, Caroline looked back towards the house, making sure they were far enough away not to be heard even by Klaus. Particularly not by Klaus.

"What is troubling you, Caroline?" Elijah asked gently.

"Elijah, you know that Klaus' birthday is coming up in a few weeks."

"I am indeed aware of that fact," the Original smiled. "And you do not know what to give him, is that it?"

Caroline smiled back at him. "Oh, I do know what I want to give him, but I am not sure if it is the right thing to do, and I need your advice. And your help, brother." She didn't call him that often, for she was still getting used to it, but it seemed to warm his heart every time she did.

"I will do my utmost to be of assistance. What did you have in mind, then?"

She hesitated, hoping he wouldn't laugh at her or call her crazy or insensitive. "I was thinking about… a horse. A black stallion. An Andalusian." She caught her breath and looked at Elijah timidly, a little afraid of his reaction. Would he think it was complete bullshit? After a moment's consideration, he gave her a bright smile.

"I know why I always thought you were perfect for him. That is a fantastic idea, dearest Caroline. Am I correct in assuming that you will need my help in finding the right animal?"

She nodded. "Will you help me, Elijah?"

"It shall be my honor. We will, however, need to find a reasonable excuse for spending that much time away – and together – over the next few weeks. I will let Silv in on the plan and she will join us so Niklaus will at least not be plagued by jealousy."

"He would not be jealous of you!" Caroline exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh, but he would. In fact, he is burning with jealousy as we speak, knowing we are alone together and he has no inkling what we are actually discussing. Sister, he loves you so much, he would even be jealous of goldfish, should you decide to spend time with them." Caroline burst into laughter, but immediately sobered at Elijah's next words. "And as Niklaus tends to always judge others by his own standards, he might not be above assuming that I could make a move on you."

"What do you mean?" she whispered.

Elijah smiled indulgently. "Caroline, did you seriously believe I am not aware of what happened between Niklaus and Silv all those years ago?"

She gaped at him, open-mouthed. "How did you… I mean…" She trailed off, at a complete loss on how to react.

"I know my brother extremely well. And I know Silv. The moment she left me, right after I made her choose between eternity and nothing at all, I knew I had made a fatal mistake in letting her go. But I was too proud to let her know I had changed my mind, so I saw no way out. The only possibility for me to cope with that loss was by turning off my humanity, and it admittedly did help. I no longer felt the pain, I no longer felt anything. But what I had not taken into account was how it affected my brother. Niklaus simply did not know how to deal with me in that state, relentlessly trying to convince me to turn it back on. I refused. He threatened, he cajoled, and one evening when he was in a particularly vulnerable state of mind after a massive fight with Rebekah, he even begged me. Just once. But it must have been devastating for him. Still, he did not manage to convince me. Then he reverted to the last measure he could think of – he went to seek out Silv to try and make her come back and get me to reconsider. They were both sad and desperate, Silv with her broken heart and Niklaus with the feeling of having lost his brother, the only person apart from Rebekah he remotely related to. So it happened. I could see it in his eyes the minute he returned. It did not matter to me at the time. But when I finally turned it back on, years later, it nearly drove me insane to know that the woman I so desperately loved and my favorite brother, the one whom I had always been the closest to, had slept with each other."

He paused for a moment and looked towards the mansion. "I left Niklaus for a few years, and until this day, he does not know why. I could not stand his presence, for all I saw was him and Silv. After some time away, however, I realized I had never stopped caring for my younger brother. And when anger and hurt finally subsided, I also understood why they had done what they did. He wanted to mute his unbearable feeling of loneliness after I turned it off, just as Silv wanted to mute her devastating heartbreak. They made a mistake, as they are both well aware, but we all do from time to time. Eternity is a long time to hold grudges, Caroline. And when you really, truly love someone, you learn to forgive. But this is why we had better find a solid excuse for spending time together looking for that horse."

Caroline had to sit down for a minute. "My God, Elijah. I had no idea that you knew. I'm so sorry," she whispered, almost moved to tears. He was a truly great man, her big brother. She had always known that, but until now, she had not realized how amazing he really was.

"Don't be. How do you feel about Niklaus and Silv, Caroline?" he inquired carefully.

"Jealous. Insanely so. I know it never meant anything to either of them, but still… I hate the thought of Klaus with another woman, especially one as amazing as Silv, even though I love her dearly. I have known for a while, and I still need some time to fully digest it."

"I understand. Trust me, you will get over it completely, in time. Maybe it helps you to know that I have. Do not let either of them know that I am aware of what happened, Caroline, if you do not mind. They are bygones after all. And whenever you feel insecure, come and talk to me about it, will you?"

She got up and moved to hug him fiercely. "Thank you, Elijah. You know… sometimes I wish you were my real brother," she mumbled, blushing a little.

Elijah tilted her chin, the way Klaus did sometimes. He looked touched. "What makes you think I am not, dearest Caroline? It is not a matter of blood. You are my sister as I am your brother."

She sniffed a little, her heart inflating at his words, knowing that he was telling the truth. It made her feel warm and cherished. Not the way she felt with Klaus, of course not, but knowing that Elijah truly considered her his family was just beyond wonderful.

"So why don't we tell him that Silv, you and I are visiting colleges around the country to find the right one, with the two of you posing as my guardians or something like that?" she suggested.

"The idea is not a bad one, but he will want to come with us," Elijah argued.

"I'll talk him out of it. I'll tell him I need some family bonding time and that he is just too distracting."

Elijah chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. If he gets too insistent, let me know and I'll knock him out for a while."

When she returned to the house, Klaus looked at them suspiciously, but she just blew him a kiss and raced upstairs to join the girls.

And big news they were.

Elena had finally made a decision and broken up with Stefan a few days ago. As they had both seen it coming for a while, the blow was not as hard as it would have been expected, to either of them. Elena somehow hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Stefan preferred her in her human persona, and in addition to her confusion about Damon, it had hurt her deeply. Furthermore, she could no longer stand the pain in Stefan's eyes either, knowing that she was hurting him just as much with the growing distance that had developed between them. She had not yet told Damon that he was one of the reasons they had broken up and wanted advice on what to do next.

The other three looked at each other in exasperation and shouted in unison, "Jump. His. Bones!"

After they recovered from the laughter, they had a long heartfelt conversation about men in general and the male vampire population of Mystic Falls in particular, and Elena seemed to be in better spirits when they joined the guys in the study later that day.

Damon, Kol and Klaus were in the midst of a heated debate over the advantages and disadvantages of setting up an illicit still somewhere on the grounds of the Mikaelson mansion, whereas Stefan and Elijah were more quietly discussing philosophy, and Caroline marveled at how relaxed Stefan looked. She gazed at the scene indulgently. Her family. Klaus' eyes found her immediately and his gaze turned soft. The same happened when Damon looked at Elena. Caroline decided to set a good example and walked over to Klaus, dropping into his lap and kissing him deeply, then snuggling into his chest. She looked up at Elena and winked. Elijah seemed to comprehend the whole scene immediately and waved for Rebekah to join him and Stefan who actually stood when she approached, offering her a seat and a drink. Interesting.

Elena gazed at Damon intently. The older Salvatore seemed to sense that something was different, judging by the way his entire attention was suddenly focused on her. Caroline saw both of her friends swallow. "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Elena asked, a slight tremor to her voice. Damon just nodded, never taking his eyes off her, and the two of them left the study. A moment later, Caroline heard the front door.

They never returned that night.

It had been difficult, but she had finally managed to convince Klaus to stay behind whenever she left with Elijah and Silv. It had taken some coercion from Elijah as well who had given his brother a lengthy speech on how he should allow Caroline some space to breathe. As if I ever needed that.

Elijah, Silv and Caroline had roamed the Southern states in search for the perfect Andalusian with no result. Whenever the women had nodded excitedly at the sight of a horse, Elijah had just shaken his head. Caroline was becoming increasingly frustrated, secretly fearing they would never find the right animal. One afternoon, just a few days from Klaus' birthday when they were returning from their umpteenth visit to some the largest horse ranches – this time in Louisiana – Caroline had suddenly shrieked at Elijah to stop the car. There was nothing around them but empty pastures.

Except for one lonely horse.

Caroline jumped out of the car and flashed over to the tall fence on the side of the road, climbing onto it and staring at the midnight black stallion who was looking back at her with almost as much interest. He was insanely beautiful, with big intelligent eyes, not a single fair hair and a big, full mane. Elijah approached the paddock now, his eyes fixed on the horse. When he was sitting next to her on the fence, the black's ears suddenly perked up and he came trotting over, his eyes on Elijah. Silv and Caroline held their breaths when the tall animal approached the little group. He stopped a few feet from them, throwing his head back and neighing once.

"Gods," Elijah whispered, staring at the horse, completely transfixed. "If I hadn't seen Tempest's severed head six hundred years ago, I would believe that this actually is him. He is Tempest's spitting image!"

Caroline turned her gaze from Elijah to the horse, fascinated. It was clear what Klaus had seen in Tempest – not only was this horse stunning, but it exuded a fiery spirit and a keen mind. "Hey there, handsome," she whispered. "How would you like a new master?"

The black threw his head back again, neighing once more and sidling about as if he was upset at the mere thought of having a master. Elijah began to laugh in a manner Caroline had never heard from him before. It reminded her of the way Klaus laughed more and more often these days when he was alone with her – carefree, open and delighted.

"Well, sister. It would seem you found him. This horse was born for my brother, just the way Tempest was."

Caroline couldn't have agreed with him more. She practically saw her Klaus on the back of this amazing animal, flying across the fields, chasing the wind.

They made a couple of quick inquiries at the neighbouring town and then proceeded to seek out the owner of the Andalusian, a formidable old man who lived in a remote barn all by himself. He informed them that the animal was not actually for sale, as it was not to be tamed and could never be expected to be a decent saddle horse. Elijah negotiated with the man for a long while, and Caroline saw how he was enjoying himself. He never once compelled him but treated him with utter respect and used his persuasive skills to finally carve out a deal. It took a long while, as the old man had quickly grasped that they would not leave without the black and therefore drove a hard bargain. They would pay handsomely for the horse and additionally purchase a couple of mares the old man had always wanted from his neighbor but never been able to afford.

It was then when Caroline realized that she had no idea how to actually pay for the horse. She pulled Elijah to the side while the old man was drafting up the contract.

"Would you mind… borrowing me the money, Elijah? I'll pay you back, I promise! I will probably have to pay you in installments, but I will, no matter how long it takes!"

Elijah looked down at her in genuine amusement and shook his head. "Silv, would you mind explaining something to our little sister here while I finish with the business at hand?"

Silv chuckled. "Come on, Care, let's wait outside, shall we?"

"But…"

"No buts. Come on."

When they had left the barn, Silv squeezed Caroline's hand. "Klaus hasn't really told you about their wealth, has he?"

"He made a couple of insinuations, but I was never really that interested. Why?"

Silv sighed. "Caroline, this crazy family is worth about four hundred billion dollars. And through interest, compound interest, investments and the like, this amount is increasing on a daily basis, no matter how much they spend. I am proud to say that my beloved husband is a financial genius, therefore the one thing you will never have to give a single thought to again is money."

Caroline felt dizzy. Surely Silv had not meant four hundred billion. "You meant million, right? Four hundred million." Silv grinned widely.

"No, dear. You heard me correctly."

Caroline sagged against a fence. She was nauseous. That amount of money was completely outside of her imagination, and she just shook her head for about a minute. Then she got up again and looked into Silv's amused face.

"I know the feeling," the brunette grinned. "I just had a little more time to adjust to the thought."

"That kind of money is… obscene," Caroline whispered.

"A little bit, yes. But keep in mind that they are blessed with an endless amount of time, which is favourable when accumulating riches, and Elijah has been at it for centuries."

With a nod, Caroline acknowledged that fact. Still… "But this is supposed to be my gift to Klaus. And I want to pay for it. It might take a while, but I'll find a way. However rich they may be, if I want to give someone a gift, I want to buy it," she stated firmly, earning a nod and a smile from Silv.

"I understand you perfectly, and I will help you find a way to pay Elijah back. You know he will probably just transfer the money to an account in your name anyway, but you are right, and I like the way you think. So just consider it a loan for now, and the two of us will work something out."

Caroline gave her a grateful hug. "I am really glad to have you, did you know that?"

Silv actually blushed a little. "Same goes."

At that moment, Elijah and the old man emerged from the barn. "All set."

Getting the horse into the trailer they had rented was an adventure. The stallion steadfastly refused to let anyone touch him. Elijah got the closest, and the black seemed to remotely tolerate Caroline near him, but no one could really put a hand on him. The old man chuckled at their efforts.

"I believe it will take someone very particular to get to this horse," he said softly. "A kindred spirit, so to speak."

At some point, Elijah decided to try compulsion – and it actually worked, which surprised all three of them, as not even the Original had been aware that compulsion did work on animals. No one had apparently ever tried it before.

Much later that day, when they were about two miles out of Mystic Falls, Elijah turned to Caroline. "You will need to go and distract him. He will notice the smell of the horse on you, so you'll just explain to him that the college had some decent stables and you wanted to take a closer look at the animals. We will hide the black in the abandoned barn at the East end of the grounds. Niklaus has never been, and if he gets any ideas of wandering about the grounds over the next couple of days, you will need to distract him again."

Caroline hopped out of the car. "Okay. See you later. And thank you so much! Both of you!"

Elijah smiled and Silv grinned. "Come on, go off and jump his bones!"

Klaus was in the drawing room when she arrived. Without a word, she flew into his arms and kissed him senseless. Distraction was all good and well, but she had missed him so badly she would have distracted him anyway.

He broke the kiss after a while and looked into her face, happiness plain in his eyes. Then his gaze became suspicious. "Why do you smell like an entire stud farm?" he asked curiously.

"The college had its own stables, and I just couldn't resist. The horses were so lovely, Klaus. But let me go have a quick shower to wash off the smell before I tell you about it."

He pulled her to him very roughly. "You can shower later. I have missed you sorely, my love."

And without further ado, he rushed her up to their room, and Caroline asked herself who was actually doing the distracting now.

On the morning of Klaus' birthday, Caroline woke up, excited like a little girl. She could barely refrain from hopping up and down on the bed, so she just turned towards her still sleeping husband and snuggled into his arms. He smiled in his sleep, pressing her naked body to his, and she forgot all about hopping up and down. Well, mostly. She kissed the Signum on his neck and whispered, "Happy birthday, Klaus."

In the blink of an eye, he had her pinned beneath him. "Do I get to make a wish?" he breathed, his lips on hers and his hands skimming down her sides.

"Of course. It's your birthday after all, Methuselah."

He scoffed, but he was grinning. "Oh, you'll pay for that remark, my love. But as I am in a good mood, getting to celebrate my birthday with my lovely wife and a bottle of Krug, I may be prepared to forgive you. As for the wish…"

"Yes?"

He pulled her from the bed, lifted her up, made her wrap her legs around him and carried her to the bathroom where he turned on the shower. Stepping under the warm water, he pushed her back against the wall and was inside her in one powerful thrust. Caroline cried out in surprise, her inner walls contracting around him immediately.

"I wish to make love to you, my darling, and I wish for you not to close your eyes. Look at me and let me love you."

Her heart melted, and she took his face in her hands. "Yes," she whispered.

And they took each other.

Later that day, Caroline finally managed to convince Klaus – and herself – to get dressed and go downstairs where the rest of the family was gathered. Klaus rolled his eyes, and the moment his younger siblings mumbled something along the lines of 'Happy birthday, tyrant brother' was awkward at best. The mood lightened considerably when the first bottle of champagne was opened, and Caroline found Klaus to actually look a little happy. She sighed and shook her head, bemused at how those weird siblings had managed to make each others' lives so difficult for so many centuries. And some quiet little voice inside her head told her she hadn't quite seen the end of that…

At some point, her excitement got the better of her. "Klaus," she whispered, a little anxious now. "I have a present for you. Would you like to see it?"

Klaus bent down and gave her a loving kiss. "I don't need any presents, least of all from you, my love. I have everything I'll ever need."

Kol made a gagging sound, and to everyone's eternal surprise, Elijah flashed over to his younger brother and snapped his neck without even blinking. The women stared at him open-mouthed while Klaus smiled at Elijah and raised his glass. "I could not have said it better. I am rubbing off on you, am I not?"

"Go look at your present, brother. We will wait here." Elijah replied, giving Klaus a genuine smile.

"I have a feeling that you are in on this whole present thing," Klaus remarked, a slight hint of annoyance to his voice. He hated not knowing things or being left out.

"Indeed I am. Now go. Happy birthday."

Caroline took his hand. "It's only a short walk. Come on." They left the house and flashed off in the direction of the abandoned stable, with Klaus on Caroline's heels. They stopped a few hundred yards from the small building, and she turned to face him.

"I'm not sure if you will like it, Klaus. But I really, really hope you do." She took his hand again and led him towards the stable. Elijah had set up a makeshift paddock behind it so Klaus would see the horse in all its beauty in plain daylight and not in a shady stable. When they rounded the little barn, Klaus stopped dead in his tracks.

And so did the horse.

The black cocked his ears and stood motionless, watching Klaus intently who had grown pale and released Caroline's hand. Oh God, he's mad. He'll hate me forever. This was the worst idea you ever had, Caroline Mikaelson!

Klaus took a couple of hesitant steps towards the paddock. The horse copied him, sidling about and staring at the Original who had now reached the fence. The black retreated a few inches, then moved forward. Both of them stared at each other, apparently oblivious to the world around them. Caroline silently stepped back to the wall of the stable and sat on a stump of wood. This was Klaus' moment, and she wanted him to remain completely unperturbed by her presence. She had never seen anything like this. It was like witnessing love at first sight, and she felt her old friends the butterflies making a guest appearance.

Klaus climbed the fence and sat on its top, his eyes never leaving the tall, beautiful horse that was eyeing him almost owlishly. He felt like his dead heart was beating in his throat, the exact way it had felt when he had first laid eyes on Tempest all those centuries ago. He was well aware that this was of course not Tempest, but the similarities were so uncanny it actually freaked him a little. The horse was watching him earnestly, eyes filled with a mixture of caution and defiance. The longer they tried to stare one another down, the more Klaus felt the excitement coursing all through his body. But there was also a flash of memories that invaded his mind. Mikael. The sword. Tempest's head. Pain. His hands clenched into fists for a second, and he was debating whether to just turn around and leave as fast as he could.

But the moment he had almost decided to leave, the black neighed at him defiantly.

He jumped down from the fence and walked towards the animal that was now throwing its head back. Exactly like Tempest had done whenever he approached him. When he was standing right in front of the stallion, he folded his arms over his chest and cocked his head.

"Well then. It is you or me, my friend. There is only one master of the house. Shall we?"

He grinned widely as the horse took a step towards him and nudged him rather roughly, trying to push him back. He grabbed the reins, wondering for a moment who had actually managed to put a headgear on this beast, and gave the black a quick pat on the neck before mounting the horse's bare back in one elegant move. The stallion immediately went wild, bucking and jumping and doing his utmost to throw Klaus off. Without effort, he held on to the black and let the horse vent its fury. Gods, how he had missed this! At some point though, he leaned over the stallion's neck and whispered in his steeliest voice, "Enough now!"

That was when they raced off, flying over the fence and the neighbouring field. Klaus' head was bent low over the black's neck as they flew over the ground. He reckoned that his laughter could be heard for miles, but he didn't care, spurring the animal on instead, and the stallion took the challenge. It was heaven. He felt the wind on his face, the exhilarating speed that no race car in the world, no matter how fast, would ever be able to match. This feeling of utter freedom on the back of a horse as spirited as this one! It was a rare moment of complete contentment. He had had no idea he could love his Caroline any more than he already did, but his heart was all but bursting with his feelings for her now. How had she known that this was the one thing that had been missing from his life when he hadn't known himself?

She was watching him race off. Her heart had almost jumped out of her chest when Klaus had mounted the black and the horse had started to try and throw him off. After a few moments of deep fear, despite knowing nothing could really happen to him, Caroline had recognized that no horse on this Earth would ever be powerful enough to throw Klaus off. He knew exactly what he was doing, and after a while the horse seemed to realize that, too. Her breath had caught when she saw the two of them fly over the fence and she heard his delighted laughter. Damn, he looks beyond hot on a horse! And even more so on this horse!

Someone was approaching, and she turned to see Elijah, leaning against the wall with a light smile. "Your worries were unsubstantiated, dearest sister. He is head over heels in love with that horse. And so is the horse with him, if I may add."

There was a lump in her throat. "Thank you again, Elijah. I could never have done this without you."

Elijah took her hand and kissed it. "No, Caroline. It is I who needs to thank you. For taking a chance and believing in my brother. But do me a favour, if you will."

Caroline nodded solemnly. "Anything."

"Tell him to teach his horse some manners this time around," he chuckled and left to flash off towards the mansion.

After half an hour, Klaus and the black returned, both looking exhilarated. How can a horse look exhilarated? No idea, but he does! Klaus jumped off the animal's back, giving it some rough pats and laughing when the black threw his head back again. He expertly took off the head gear after leading the horse back into the paddock, then stood and silently watched the animal for a few more minutes.

With a couple of long strides, he was in front of Caroline who looked up at him with a bright smile. He pulled her up to him and took her face in his hands before kissing her wildly, hungrily, his moans mixing with hers. Just when she thought he would take her right there against the wall, he released her face, his arms winding around her waist.

"I love you. My Gods, Caroline, you have no idea how much. Where on Earth did you find him?"

Caroline explained how they had been searching for weeks and then found the black right next to a Louisiana roadside.

"All those times you left with Elijah and Silv were actually about this?" he asked incredulously. "I thought it was all being too much for you, that you needed some time away from me and just didn't want to hurt my feelings."

"Elijah told you that to get you off our track. Klaus, you know it can never be too much – I miss you like hell whenever I am away from you for a few hours. But I figured… well, I thought it might be time for you to… also start getting over what happened to Tempest. I'm sorry, I should probably have asked you first."

"And I would have said no, so you did just the right thing, as always. Caroline, you make me so happy every single moment of every day, and I thought it could never get any better. But I didn't know that I had missed this so much, and you seem to have sensed it somehow. Thank you. Thank you, my darling. You have no idea how much this means to me."

She melted against him. "I was a little anxious that you might be upset with me," she confessed.

"A few months ago, I would have been. I loved Tempest, and I could never bear to own another black horse after him. But I think you have a point. It is time to move on and put the pain to rest." He smiled. "Besides, this one," he jerked his head towards the black who was watching them attentively, "seems to be even more badass than Tempest was in his time."

"So, what do you want to call him then?" Caroline asked curiously.

Klaus looked at the horse thoughtfully. "You want a name?" he called out to the animal. Caroline couldn't believe her ears as the stallion actually neighed in response and stomped a hoof. Klaus chuckled. "Oh yes, that one is badass indeed." He kissed Caroline tenderly before looking back towards the makeshift paddock.

"Caligula."

Caroline's eyes widened before she burst into laughter. "Are you serious?" she gasped, looking at the horse that was swishing its tail rather aggressively. The black actually looked almost insulted, which sent Caroline into a new round of laughter. Klaus smiled viciously and nodded, his gaze on his horse, and Caroline's heart swelled at what she read in his eyes.

"Trouble is, how am I going to distinguish my two Caligulas going forward?" she giggled, drawing him close again.

"Challenging indeed, especially when we are both hung like…"

"Ugh! I'm not listening, you pervert!"

He laughed out loud, his wonderful Klaus laugh that she had grown to adore so much. "You normally don't seem to mind, my love."

"Okay, okay – Caligula it is." She walked towards the fence, Klaus following on her heels. The horse slowly trotted to meet her, actually holding its head out for her to pat. "Aren't you a rare beauty, Caligula?" she cooed, running her hand over his nose. Caligula nudged her carefully and huffed quietly.

Klaus looked at his horse and snorted. "You are so whipped, m'boy. Well, can't blame you, can I? But a word of warning – this is my lady, and I will fight tooth and nail over her."

Caroline giggled again. "We will need to find him his own lady at some point."

Klaus pulled her into his embrace. "Let me pick that one. I have an eye for perfection, with the living example right here in my arms."

"You can be so cheesy." She smiled at him and lightly kissed his cheek. "Oh, and before I forget – Elena and the Salvatores will swing by tonight to celebrate."

He groaned in mock despair. "Can I give Caligula back if they don't come in exchange?"

With another giggle, she pushed him against the fence and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around him. "Be nice or I won't tell you just how hot you look on that badass horse of yours."

He flashed his dimples. "As it is my birthday, can I make another wish, my darling?"

"Greedy, huh?" Caroline grinned.

"When it comes to you, always." He paused. "Caroline, I love your present more than you could possibly fathom. But no gift in the world, not even Caligula, is worth the anguish I went through thinking that you needed space and didn't want to tell me. So my wish is for you to always be honest should you ever need more freedom or start tiring of me. Don't put me through something like that again, will you?"

"Promise. I'm sorry, I didn't really think… Forgive me?"

"On two conditions." There was a hint of mischief in his eyes now. Caroline smiled. Somehow, she had a feeling she would like his conditions, but she just cocked an eyebrow.

"What conditions?"

"First, don't tell Damon any details about Caligula. I want him to have the full-blown experience." She laughed, looking at Caligula who seemed to know perfectly well they were talking about him, giving an indignant-sounding whicker.

"And the second condition?"

He gathered her so close she could hardly breathe and whispered in her ear, "No sleep tonight."

With a light giggle, she pressed an open-mouthed kiss on his neck, pulling a delighted sigh from him. "Conditions accepted," she breathed.

Looking into her face intently, Klaus just let himself be filled with helpless wonder at the deep and unwavering love he could see shining in her eyes.