I love when our eyes meet across the messy, toy-filled living room and we smile at eachother like we are the luckiest couple in the world. Because we are.

The wooden chess piece was knocked off the table and Hope protested strongly.

"Josie!" Hope cried.

"I didn't mean to!" Josie replied, then went to another game. Klaus came in the room, having left Caroline to finish making the beds in the girls' rooms.

"What happened, Hope?" He asked calmly, more to calm Caroline down for when she would come in, knowing she was listening in.

"Josie knocked over my knight!" Hope cried, pointing her finger at Josie.

"I said I didn't mean to!" Josie cried back, and threw her toy down.

"Now, girls, it's alright." Klaus replied, down knelt before his daughter, Josie looking over at him as well. "Hope, Josette apologized. And your knight is just fine." He said and Hope looked away. He plucked it from his daughter's hands and showed it to her. "You see? Not a scratch." He looked over as Josie and gave a smile. Then he stood up, and gave the knight back. "It won't get a scratch on it, as it is more durable the rest of your possessions."

"Okay." Hope said and looked over at Josie. "Wanna play with the legos?" Josie's face lit up and Klaus smiled again.

As odd as it was for Caroline to be living with him, it felt more like a vacation from everything else. Even when his daughter and hers fought most of the time. And of course this wouldn't last. Alaric was still the twins' father, and Caroline did not need to keep her family this safe for that much longer. Klaus pushed the thought away as Caroline came down the hallway, carrying an old toy Elizabeth didn't like anymore. He met her eyes and she gave him a small smile before glancing at the girls. Just as Josie and Hope started fighting again over legos.

"Girls…" Caroline began, going over to them. Klaus watched her talk to his daughter and hers, then looked over at Elizabeth, who was silently playing with barbies. Soon Caroline sent Josie over to play with her sister. Caroline looked up at Klaus and he gave her a look, prompting her to come over to him.

"The girls haven't had something to eat for a little bit. Do you want to make something or shall I do it?" Klaus asked her.

"No, I'll do it. They do better with you anyway." Caroline replied. He smirked.

"Now love, you know that's not true." He said

"Is it, I mean, they're always fighting. And I have to make them separate for them to stop." She protested.

"Hope and the girls always fight regardless of who's watching them. It's just a natural thing for them, I've discovered. I think when they get older they'll be inseparable." Klaus replied.

"Really?" Caroline asked, and leaned against the counter. He nodded as she watched the girls play. They stayed there, standing against the counter, for a while. Caroline felt how close Klaus's hand was to her body, as it gripped the counter. But this wasn't a good time. She looked down and tucked her hair behind her ear, looking back at Josie and Liz. She gave Liz a smile when she looked to her mother.

"Oh!" Caroline said suddenly, breaking Klaus out of his daze as he looked at her. "I forgot, the snacks!" She added, looking at him. He laughed at himself as she passed him to get the food. His eyes went back to Lizzie and the girls. Josie and Lizzie continued to play with barbies, and Hope now joined them, being handed one with a ponytail which she promptly took out, inciting Josie to whine. Another fight began. Klaus stepped over an expanding ball and a couple dinosaurs that Josie had asked for, to get to the three.

When the fight was resolved and the three were able to stay together, he turned back to Caroline who had been watching, both in jealousy and thinking of the future. He went back to her and saw she had gotten three bowls of cereal out.

"There's the off chance that they won't want to eat, you know."

"I know. If that happens we'll have something to eat already." Caroline replied. Klaus smirked at her and she held his eyes, smiling back. She knew how much he wanted to kiss her right then. And this was getting really hard to control. But she had to.

"Mommy?" Josie called and Caroline went to her immediately. She played with Josie and Lizzie, named their barbies and picked out clothes for a little while. But eventually she started to get hungry. Caroline put down Daisy, who she'd been putting a dress on for Josie.

"Girls, do you want a snack?" She asked them. Hope nodded and followed Caroline back to the counter.

"Daddy, could me and Lizzie go and play outside?" Hope asked, looking up at her father. Klaus took that moment to take a deep breath and looked at his daughter.

"Only if you take Josette out with you." Klaus replied lightly. Hope and Lizzie tried to hide their disappointment but let Josie follow them outside. Caroline went out into the room and started to pick up their things, tripping over a large orange teddy bear Hope loved. When she regained her footing, she looked back at Klaus. His smile escaped in seconds, and she felt as though it was just them in the world. Them and their girls.

Oh she loved that idea.

And so she smiled back.