Author's Note: I am not even going to apologize or justify the long wait for this chapter. I think what I should talk about is the end of TVD, which I will at the end of this chapter.

Part One: Chapter Eighteen

"The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph." — Thomas Paine

Klaus knew this feeling. The rapid thumping of his heart, the itching of his skin, the coiling fire in his stomach. This feeling was familiar and he had honed it into a weapon. He found ways to make his senses sharper, ways to make the red tint his hands instead of his vision. He had honed himself into a weapon, pretty to look at, dangerous to touch.

But Mikael changed something. There was too much information flooding his senses. His heart was beating too fast, he couldn't control it. There were too many colors all of them too bright to focus. His pants were loud in his ears drowning out any other 's weight heavy against his side. Mikael was the singularity, the universe's fallacy, the variable unaccounted for that changed too rapidly to control for.

Mikael acted like he wasn't something to control, something that needed to be dealt with. He acted like a man, but Klaus knew all about acting like men when you were truly a beast. It was the skin they both lived in, predators identifying each other.

The patriarch of the Mikaelson's never moved, he assessed. His eyes flicked over Klaus but lingered over Kol. His eyes never once strayed to the body of the dead witch.

"A spat with the witches?" Mikael asked.

Klaus gave a rakish grin. It was all wrong, too much teeth and monster, not enough veneer of man. The intimidation came from the imagination, putting all his cards on the table took that away. "Good help is so hard to find these days," Klaus said. He rose from his crouch, unfolding himself to his full length, still shorter than Mikael by several inches.

"She served her purpose." Klaus showed his hands, the grin never losing teeth but gaining more heat. He was holding back the veins that wanted to spread down his cheeks, the fanged that wanted to slide into skin.

Mikael never showed emotion, never showed anything other than the darkest disdain for his bastard son's existence. Mikael's face was only filled with vitriol, it would be forever. Klaus remembered that face staring down at him, the same face that always drove him to be better and brighter, it was the same face that welcomed him at the end of every endeavor. The smell of leather and the sound of it cracking were close companions to that face.

"Rot and ruin is all you bring, boy," Mikael shot out. Mikael had a certain way of speaking to Klaus. Short, fiery insults, peppered with threats. "It is high time I erase the scourge of the Earth."

Klaus could still feel the leather hitting his back, raising welts and ripping blood from his veins, his own screams deafening him.

"I agree."

The first hit Klaus received almost sent him tumbling back. Mikael sent hit after hit towards his face, the bruises raising and falling as quickly as the punches landed. Klaus caught a fist heading towards his nose and spun, pulling the fist and the attached arm along with him. A snap and a pop rung out, but only a grunt escaped Mikael.

Klaus dived in again. A sharp kick to Mikael's side, threw him to the other side of the room. Klaus broke the legs of a chair and launched them. Mikael recovered quickly, dodging the wood. Mikael moved fast, grabbing a fire poker from the fire place and throwing it at Klaus. His eyes widened and he moved out of the way, hissing as the tip ripped through his shirt and grazed him.

Taking his eye off Mikael for a second was his biggest mistake. Mikael bowled into him, tackling him to the ground. Klaus's head hit the floor with a resounding snap, that made the world spin. Air escaped his mouth but Klaus's hand rushed up to halt the descent of Mikael's hand. The smell of the white oak burned his nostrils and Klaus breathed deeply. The burn centered him made the world stop spinning.

"Can't handle fighting face to face, can you boy? Always have to fight from a distant like a coward," Mikael hissed from behind gritted teeth. The force they were exerting was enough to shatter mountains, both of their muscles straining. Klaus panted harshly. He needed distance. Klaus raised his legs, bracing his against Mikael's middle and pushed. The force was enough to send Mikael smacking into the ceiling and it gave Klaus enough time to run to the other side of the room and regroup.

Klaus grabbed another iron poker from the fireplace and sent it through the chandelier. Just as Mikael's body fell, the chandelier followed right behind him, smashing into his body with crushing force. But Klaus knew that he would never get so lucky. Mikael rolled out of the way. The large glass and iron contraption only crushing the already dislocated and broken arm. Mikael let out a brief howl of pain and Klaus rushed back his hand, jabbing the fire poked into Mikael's other arm, at the hand.

"Nik!" Rebekah appeared at the doorway, her skirt bunched up in her hands, blue eyes wide and wild. Klaus looked at her and felt the heat begin to be smothered with something else, something that wanted to tremble and shake. He couldn't afford Rebekah here.

"Get Kol and run!" Klaus shouted. "Get Elijah too and don't look back."

Tears were growing in her eyes, his precious sister attempting to understand the implications of his words. Always and forever, was their vow, their creed. And he was going to make her break it. But vows and creeds were nothing in the face of Mikael. Nothing to the threat of death.

"Nik!"

Mikael had pulled his arm free and snapped it back into place. Klaus' eyes barely touched his form, before Mikael pulled the poker from his arm and used it to smash into Klaus' legs. Klaus went down, he softened his fall by turning to his side, falling on his arm. Klaus only had eyes for his sister though. He thought of her fear of thunderstorm and hatred of spicy foods. Her skill for botany and love of architecture. Her ability to love again and again and again even though she had been burned so many times. She would be fine without him. She would have Kol and Elijah and Finn if they decided to wake him. She would be able to live.

"Go!" Klaus said. He sat up, eyes on his step father. The man who he had wanted to be his father. Rebekah was fast, taking Kol and escaping the room in moments. Klaus stared down Mikael.

They would be fine without him.

She knew something was wrong the moment the large crash shook the castle. Kol had went to rescue Klaus but she knew that something was wrong when he didn't return. He wanted to leave when his business was done and she knew for a fact that he would not dawdle.

The crash only cemented her belief in something being wrong. Carolina opened the door to thee room and was met with silence. No maids or servants wandered the halls like they usually did. There was no bustle of people rushing to get everything perfect like there was this morning. There was only silence and the cacophony of noise upstairs.

And sobbing. Someone was sobbing. Carolina moved from the room following the sound of mourning. There beside the indisposed Kol was his sister, Rebekah if she recalled correctly. The blonde was beside herself, wailing over the body of her brother. Caroline froze at her end of the hallway at the sight of Kol.

His parlour was milk white and his chest was still. Carolina knew that while that was not any indication of death, she had seen death too many times in the depths of her madness, to ignore the stillness. She did not know what a vampire looked when they died, but she imagined that they looked quite human when they did. Still just as they were in vampire life, but even more so. Rebekah looked up from her crying.

Blue eyes still giving tears as she glared. "You should leave. If you want to live."

Carolina didn't know what to make of those words, thus she ignored them. Her tongue burned in her mouth, tears wanted to be shed, but she could not shed them. She had no right too. "Is Kol…? Is he…?"

"No? I don't know? He's not waking up! And if he was hurt he should-he should be awake! But he's not! He's not awake! And Nik's-" Rebekah's words transformed into unintelligible sobs. Carolina was by her side in moments. Arms wrapped around her shoulder, Carolina rested their heads together and they cringed at the sound of crashing upstairs. Rebekah sobbed loudly.

"We promised always and forever. Always and forever was supposed to be longer than this," Rebekah murmured under her breath. Carolina knew what it was like having a sibling or someone like a sibling. It was something sour and sweet, but something you could not live without. The sweet bite of sibling love something that could never be replaced when lost. Carolina thought of Katerina and her fleeing. She should be safe now.

"I'll be your sister until the end." Those were the words that Carolina's own sister had said before she had fully descended into her own madness and ceased to be. Carolina sighed. With all her posturing and proclaiming, she was exactly like her sister. She was mad and she enjoyed it. Carolina was mad and was going to embrace every second of it.

Carolina rose from beside Rebekah and headed for the stairs.

"What? Where are you going?" Rebekah squawked from behind her tears.

"To let loose," Carolina giggled as she rushed up the stairs. The world became a blur and mishmash of colors and Carolina sped by. She honed her ears to the sound of struggle and conflict. She knew that if Kol, someone years older, stronger, and more experienced than her stood no chance against whatever was lurking in the study. But she would leave a damn mark on the thing.

Carolina found herself in the doorway of Klaus's study, watching as he struggled underneath a man with a stake. The wood was decorated with ruins and pictures, it looked liked a piece for something sinister and ritualistic in nature. Carolina breathed deeply and pulled the knives that Kol encouraged that she kept with her always. And dived in.

Carolina's first stroke was a swift stroke of her blade against the wrist of the perpetrator attacking Klaus. The strike surprised him enough that he loosened his grip and that was all she needed, Carolina gave a kick and shot the stake away from Klaus' heart and the attacker's hand. Her other blade went for the throat and cut clean. Klaus pushed him off but was unable to avoid the large spray of blood. Carolina helped him up. He seemed exhausted but his eyes were hard. He wanted to finish this at any cost.

Carolina felt the hum in her veins. The scent of blood was heady, she felt light. Carolina let it guide her, a bird stretching for its first flight. Klaus said nothing and they threw themselves into the fray.

Carolina was flash with her knives, she went for the weak points her sister taught her dancing out of the immediate reach of her prey. Klaus was more brutal and direct. Hits landed on and were reciprocated, but nothing deterred him. The more blood that she spilled, the more wild and sporadic her movements became. She was getting closer and closer to cutting his throat again but he was wary of her and her dancing steel.

Eventually she got to eager and dived for his heart, her prey anticipated that, and with a sharp hit to her face sent her flying back. The hit sent her into the wall, the wooden bookshelf breaking underneath her. Breath forced out of her, Carolina landed on her knees harshly. If she was any weaker she would have died from that hit instead of winded. She hissed as she rose from the ground. She had her knives in her hands again ready to join once more, but the white stake caught her eye.

The symbols were swirling, intricately drawn and painstakingly issued. It was made for a specific purpose. Caroline grabbed it in her hands, just as Klaus gave another shout. The man had him pinned again, they were grappling on the floor, rolling towards her. Towards the stake. Carolina gave a dark smile.

She waited patiently for them to get close. The mass of dueling men inching closer and closer to her. When they dawned closer Carolina struck. Two broken leg chairs, protruded through the back of the attacker. Pinning both Klaus and him to the ground. Carolina never paused or hesitated, shoving the white stake right into the heart of the attacker.

Silence dawned.

In the space between time, they all stared at the stake that was stuck in his back, all wondering at its effects. Then without warning, the stake and the perpetrator burst into flames. Klaus pushed the leg chairs out of his body and shoved the body off of him. The attacker screamed as the flames licked at him, but Carolina and Klaus only stared in awe as he burned.

Was this how all vampires died? In a burst of hellfire and fury?

Carolina felt a laugh bubble up within her that should could not help, but let out. The thought was morbidly amusing and she had so much fun fighting and letting loose. She had never felt lighter and more free. Kol was right about letting go, losing control.

Still amazed, Klaus turned to her. It was without warning, the kiss and it was chaste in no way. Their lips smashed together, with fervor, the bloodlust turned carnal and they pushed their bodies together. They needed to be closer to get closer. Carolina ran her hands through his curly hair and Klaus gripped her waist, pawing at her dress.

Carolina pulled away, a smirk licking at her lips. "Is this what you do with friends?"

Klaus smiled. "I thought we established that friendship was never in the cards for us?"

The kiss they shared was earth shattering. Carolina felt as if she was on airs. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

Klaus pulled away, his head tilting as he assessed her. "How did you know?"

"Your sister is mourning you," Carolina said as she remembered the hallway. She thought of Kol, resting beside her and the bliss escaped her. Kol never woke up. She turned her eyes back to Klaus and saw the lust dim in his eyes at her stark expression. "Kol...he never. I don't know what happened, but he isn't waking up. Something is wrong."

"Bring me to them."

The two left the room in a flash, but not before Klaus could give one last look at the body of his father.

Author's Note: The Vampire Diaries ended, Friday and we got our endgame. We all knew Klaroline was gonna be endgame considering the amount of publicity that we give it. But I just wanted to talk about how important the Vampire Diaries was for me.

TVD was the first big fandom that I was actively involved in. It was the first fandom that I took seriously and watched religiously. TVD is actually how I got my best friend and how I learned to hone my writing skills. Even though I had long since stopped watching and talked badly about the story development, it still held a special place in my heart.

TVD gave me Caroline, the insecure, neurotic control freak, that spoke to me so much more than any other character on the show. The girl who wanted to be loved but felt she didn't deserve it. The girl who tried to be liked but came off as either awkward or bitchy. TVD gave me Klaus who was by no means perfect, but treated her as an equal and respected her choices and decisions.

TVD gave me Klaroline, the first ship that honestly reminded me a lot of the relationships that I really admire (Batman and Catwoman, etc), a relationship based on mutual respect and encouragement of each other to be better and reach farther. Klaroline gave me a muse to write about. A love that would stretch into eternity. TVD gave you, all of you who read my stories. And TVD gave a lonely girl who had just moved to Texas, an escape.

So despite everything. Despite all the problematic components of the show, all the disrespect the showrunner gave the Klaroline fandom, despite not seeing Klaus and Caroline together on a screen for years. I am so thankful for TVD because it gave me so much and it helped me when I was alone with only my brother for company.

So thank you, the Vampire Diaries for all the wonderful memories you gave me. For all the stories you told me. You will always have a special place in my heart.

Until Next Time,

wanderlust-bitethedust