Part four of 'Losing Your Memory'.

Caroline sighs, rolling onto her right side on the bed, her hands under her head on the pillow.

The past, few weeks with Klaus have been really amazing, so much more than she could have ever imagined. Even if neither of them had really mentioned the word 'dating', they were spending all their free time together and Caroline could honestly say that she had never been happier in her whole life before. He had shown her sides of himself that she had never thought someone like him could have, and she was really starting to see why she had fallen for him in the first place. He was so considerate and sweet with her all the time, so different from what she had always been used to see him as. Yes, there still were moments when she felt like strangling him or when she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, but she had grown to love even that little, arrogant smirk of his that she had always used to find extremely annoying before.

However, she still had some doubts, and the fact that she could see, no matter how hard he tried to hide it from her, that he was starting to become restless only added to her nerves. His lingering stares, all the times that she would catch his eyes lowering to her lips... they made her feel as excited as they made her feel anxious, and not in the good way.

It didn't help that her friends didn't seem to appreciate her getting closer to the Mikaelsons again. She didn't want to lose Elena and Bonnie—the three of them were supposed to be best friends forever—but a part of her felt like they weren't being very good friends lately, if she had to be completely honest. If Klaus really made her as happy as her mom had told her, then why was everybody else so against their relationship? She could understand that they didn't like him much, she hadn't either for as long as she could remember, but shouldn't they trust her judgment and support her decision? Maybe if he and his family tried to be nicer to them something could change, but she knew that would never happen. They weren't stupid and they felt the hostility that her friends constantly threw their way, why should they act any different?

Sometimes, she really wondered when, exactly, Klaus had started to feel and act differently around her, and she around him. It was such a sudden change to imagine when she thought about how much she despised him at the beginning, and how much he despised her (or so she had believed, at least).

Trying to push all these thoughts out of her mind, Caroline exhales heavily, slowly willing herself to relax under her blankets and eventually finally welcoming a much coveted sleep.

:

:

"Just a few more meters," Klaus promises, working his way around trees and bushes.

Caroline scoffs, folding her arms across her chest as she follows behind him carefully, worried that, with her infamous luck, she would trip over a fallen branch and sprain an ankle or worse.

In all honesty, she's feeling very excited and curious about where Klaus is taking her, but—of course—she has no intention of letting him know that.

So, instead, she says, "Yeah, well... if I had known you would bring me to the forest to kidnap me or kill me on our first date, I would have probably kept on saying 'no'."

She hears Klaus chuckle as he leads the way in front of her.

"So you admit that this is a date, sweetheart?" he asks, smugly, not for a second turning around to look at her.

Caroline immediately curses her big mouth and narrows her eyes at his back, even if she knows that he can't actually see her doing it.

Klaus had been basically begging her to give him a chance and get to know him for over a month now, but she had turned him down over and over again, although she could feel her resolve waning every time he looked at her with those damned puppy eyes of his.

After she and Rebekah had become very unexpected friends, bonding over the fact that they had been accepted into the same college (the friendship obviously hadn't come easily at all, at the beginning), Klaus had immediately seemed to take somewhat of an interest in her. At first, she had been wary, very much so. The fact that she and Rebekah had started to become friends didn't mean that Caroline suddenly liked her annoying brothers (a.k.a.: Klaus and Kol, the duo from hell) as well. Quite the opposite, actually. Rebekah had told her all about how neither of them had ever had a serious relationship in their whole lives and had straight away warned her about falling for their tricks. From her insistence, Caroline could tell that it wouldn't have been the first time Rebekah lost a friend because of one of her brothers' behavior, and had immediately pledged to herself to stay as far away from them as humanly possible.

Unfortunately, that had been a lot easier said than done. If Caroline thought she knew what persistence meant, then the word had definitely taken on a whole new meaning after she had really gotten to know Klaus Mikaelson and his inhuman amount of stubbornness. But, as flattering as his undivided attention could be from time to time, Rebekah's words kept ringing loud and clear in her mind and she had no intention to play what would be nothing more than the umpteenth challenge to chase after for him.

She had told him as much—well, more like yelled, probably—one afternoon at the Mystic Grill, after he had somehow scared away a cute guy who had done nothing more than politely ask her if she knew the way to the bathrooms and she had just about had enough of him following her around and bothering her all the time. Who did he think he was? He had immediately lowered his eyes to the ground, looking hurt and dejected for a moment before muttering a quick apology and leaving her alone. A part of her—because damn her for being too good for her own good—had felt slightly guilty and thought that maybe she had overreacted a little, but her more prominent half had reminded her of how much of an annoyance he had, sometimes (when he wasn't actually being charming), grown to be, and that it wouldn't take him long to find another prey to toy with anyway.

For some reason, that last thought had saddened her.

Nonetheless, when, the next day, Caroline had opened the door of her home to a very distressed and guilty looking Rebekah, she had definitely been surprised.

Her blonde friend had fidgeted on the spot for a few moments before going on a very much confused and way too long speech about how she should be giving Klaus a chance after all. To say that Caroline had been confused would be an understatement. For a split second, she had thought that maybe Rebekah was pulling a terribly tasteless joke on her, but she could see the seriousness of her friend's intent in her blue, pleading eyes.

It turned out that, after all, Klaus' interest in her was genuine, and Rebekah felt awful for having made her believe otherwise. According to her, Klaus had gotten back home the previous day looking distraught and angry, acting even moodier than usually. None of his siblings had understood the reason why until he had finally lashed out at Rebekah, blaming her for filling Caroline's head with fake, silly stories and with unfounded warnings about him. She had never before seen his brother look so helpless, and immediately set on trying to make things right for him.

Klaus and Caroline still didn't talk to each other for a whole week. He didn't want her to make an effort with him only because his façade had, at last, been brought down and his crush discovered. He could clearly see the mix of guilt and pity in her wide, blue eyes and he hated it. However, he liked her way too much to be able to really ignore her for long and, once again setting his pride aside for her, he soon enough started to try and spend as much time as he could with her again.

It had been a somewhat odd, definitely turbulent courtship, to say the least, but here they were now.

Finally.

"We have arrived," Klaus announces with a smile, bringing her back from her reveries.

"About–" Caroline stops, a small gasp leaving her lips as she takes in the romantic picnic laid down for them right in the middle of a beautiful, sunlit clearing. "–time."

Klaus' smile immediately widens at the sight of her amazed expression.

"Do you like it?" he asks coyly, almost hesitantly.

She turns to look at him with her eyes still wide. "I love it," she answers with a smile after a silent moment.

Klaus nods, satisfied. "Well, then... what are we waiting for?" he grins, offering her his hand.

She hesitates for a second, her eyes shifting between his face and his outstretched hand. His eyes look pleading, and she knows that, at the end of the day, she's here willingly, because she wants to spend her time with him just as much as he wants to spend his with her.

Finally, she accepts his hand and Klaus doesn't waste any time as he intertwines their fingers together—she feels a strange warmth spreading all over her body at that—and tugs her towards their prepared picnic.

When they sit down next to each other on the grass and he has to withdraw his hand from hers to open the wicker basket and lay the food down on the tablecloth in front of them, Caroline immediately feels saddened at the loss of contact, but she tries to swallow down her nerves and focus on their lunch instead.

Klaus clears his throat, trying to break the awkward silence. As bad as it might sound, this is the first time that he's on a date with a girl he really cares about, so he's finding himself in foreign waters. "Rebekah helped me with this," he admits, immediately chastising himself as the words leave his mouth. 'Way to impress her, dumbass!'

Caroline simply nods, and then they both start eating their sandwiches in utter silence.

Luckily enough, the awkwardness doesn't last very long.

Suddenly, they both burst into a resounding laughter and look at each other, the conversation starting to flow easily and comfortably around them. They talk about everything: their families, high school, college, what they wish they could change about their pasts and what they would want to do with their future. The day goes by much more quickly than either of them notices, and soon enough the sky is turning dark and they need to make their way back before it gets late.

It's such a cliché when they eventually find themselves on her dimly illuminated porch, both somehow unwilling to let go of the other.

"Well, thank you," Caroline smiles, fidgeting with her hands. "I had a great time."

Klaus' smile mirrors hers as it widens on his face.

"I did, too," he says, before pausing for a moment and then adding, "We could do this again, sometimes?"

She nods. "Yeah, I'd love that."

Her heart is beating like a hammer inside of her chest, and she feels like a silly, naïve teenage girl—which, hey, she is—when her gaze unconsciously shifts down to his lips.

He must notice because he takes a hesitant step forward towards her and bends down slowly, attentively gauging her reaction. This—she—means too much to him to ruin it over a kiss that he's more than willing to wait for.

Their eyes meet for a second and then hers close slowly, giving him the permission he needed.

His lips press down on hers not even a second later, his hands coming up to gently cup her face. They both smile into the kiss, happy. He tenderly captures her bottom lip between his own parted ones, sucking lightly on it before giving her one more chaste kiss and then releasing her.

He doesn't want to rush things, not with her. They will have time to explore each other further, anyway, he's going to make sure of it.

:

:

Caroline wakes up with a groan, feeling her head throb. She hides her face against the softness of her pillow, her mind still replaying her last dream. It's not the first time that she dreams about Klaus since she has started to try and get to know him again, but, somehow, this particular dream feels different, even if she can't quite pinpoint why.

She suddenly hears the doorbell ringing and begrudgingly leaves the comfort of her bed to shuffle downstairs, still in her pajamas.

Her mom has already left for her morning shift—on a Saturday, of all days—so she's alone in the house and it's her duty to answer the door.

She's rather surprised when she finds Rebekah on the other side of it. It feels a little bit like a déjà-vu of a part of her weird dream, but Caroline quickly dismisses the thought.

"Hey," she greets the other blonde with a small frown. The two of them are working on rekindling their friendship, little by little, but Caroline still feels a bit hesitant around her from time to time. "Is something wrong?"

Rebekah smiles. "Of course not, silly. But we were supposed to go shopping together?" she reminds her, eyeing her current state of undress.

Caroline closes her eyes with a sigh. "Damn, I forgot! I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry, Care," Rebekah nonchalantly waves a hand at her, even if Caroline can see the disappointment dancing at the corner of her eyes. "We can go another time."

"No. I want to go," she reassures her with a smile, gesturing her in. "If you can wait for me, I'll quickly get dressed and then we can leave?"

Rebekah's smile is beaming now. "That sounds perfect."

Caroline hesitates for a moment before moving towards the stairs and Rebekah frowns, worried.

"Are you okay?"

Looking a bit flustered, Caroline turns around with her eyes wide.

"Uhm, yeah. Sorry, I'm just–" she sighs, slightly shaking her head. "I just had a weird dream," she answers slowly, opting for the truth.

"Oh. Do you want to talk about it?" Rebekah offers with a kind smile.

Immediately, Caroline panics, her eyes widening even more. "No!" she almost yells.

Rebekah laughs. "All right, then."

The other blonde immediately looks more relaxed, but she's blushing and something suddenly clicks in Rebekah's mind.

"Wait—was the dream about Nik?" she grins, knowingly.

Caroline's stuttering and the nervous blinking of her eyes don't really help her case.

Amused, Rebekah laughs with fondness.

"Well, I guess it's a good sign if you're already having wet dreams about him. It's not like you two never... you know," the Brit winks.

"Oh my God—Bekah!" Caroline chastises, although she can't completely hold back her own laughter.

Rebekah's smile softens immediately at hearing Caroline calling her 'Bekah' again for the first time ever since the accident. She told her, once, that she didn't have to call her with her full name since she used to call her 'Bekah' like her siblings did, but Caroline never felt quite right doing that, they weren't back to that point of their friendship just yet and Rebekah could understand it, even though that didn't mean that it didn't hurt her. Just now, though, she had used her nickname in an act that had obviously been spontaneous and genuine, and, to Rebekah, it meant so much more.

"It's not like that," Caroline bites down on her bottom lip, still blushing. "It was just a normal dream."

"Then what has you so confused about it?"

"I... I'm not sure. It just felt weird. There was this, uhm, this sort of meadow and a picnic," she starts to ramble before she can stop herself, only pausing when she finally notices the slight widening of Rebekah's eyes. "What?"

"Caroline... I don't think that was a dream. I think it was a memory."

:

:

Klaus is adding some final touches to his latest painting, the door of his bedroom closed so that he can have some peace.

He really wishes that he could be with Caroline right now, but he knows that his sister deserves some time with her as much as he does, so he doesn't feel too annoyed at their decision to go shopping together today. They need each other as friends, and he really hopes that they can eventually get back to being as close as they used to be before the accident.

He really hopes that everything can eventually get back to what it used to be before the accident.

Wistfully, he sighs, just as the door suddenly bursts open, and he doesn't even have the time to process what's happening when a familiar, soft and warm body collides into his, arms thrown around his neck, a beautiful laughter next to his ear and a smell that he could recognize anywhere encompassing him.

His arms immediately, almost unconsciously, go around the body as well, bringing Caroline closer as he breathes against the warmth of her neck.

They have been trying to get to know each other again for the past, few weeks now, but there's never been much physical contact between them so far. Not that Klaus isn't constantly fighting with himself because he longs to hold her and to kiss her every moment that they are together, but he doesn't want to pressure her. He's willing to wait however long it takes for her.

"Is everything all right, love?" he eventually has to ask, slightly backing away and cupping her right cheek in his hand, tenderly drawing small circles there with his thumb. "I thought you were supposed to be with Rebekah?"

Caroline nods, smiling shyly as she bites down on her bottom lip. Her eyes are shining and Klaus can't help but wonder how she manages to look more and more beautiful every single time that he lays his eyes on her. One thing that he knows for sure is that he's never going to get used to her. How did he even ever get so lucky to meet her and actually be able to call her his? He doesn't care if it's going to take him forever, he will make her fall in love with him again.

Finally, a beaming smile breaking on her features, Caroline answers.

"I remembered."

The two words are enough to send Klaus' heart into overdrive. His eyes widen and he tries to say something, but no sound leaves his lips.

"Not everything," Caroline clarifies, still smiling. "But it's a start, right?"

Klaus immediately recovers his ability to speak.

"Yes. Caroline, this is amazing!"

And before he can think about what he's doing, he's pulling her in for a kiss. It's a light one, barely the pressure of his mouth on hers, but, as soon as he realizes what he's done, Klaus lets his arms fall down to his sides and steps back, terror clouding his features.

"Caroline, I–" he starts to apologize, but the blonde interrupts him before he can say anything else.

"Our first kiss."

Klaus frowns. "I'm sorry?"

"Our first kiss," she repeats. "That's what I remembered."

He can't help but smile, feeling immensely relieved that she doesn't seem to be angry with him.

"And, now, we've just had our second one," Caroline adds after a small pause, almost to herself, her smile widening as she lightly touches her lips with her fingers.

"We have had many more in between, love," he dares to say with a grin, and the way in which she immediately rolls her eyes at him feels so familiar that his heart is ready to burst with joy.

Caroline slowly approaches him so that they're chest to chest again, her arms going around his neck for the second time that day, urging him down, closer to her.

"Well," she says with a smile that doesn't look at all shy anymore, "maybe you should help me remember those, too"

His genuinely happy, relieved laughter mixing with her giggles is the last sound that can be heard before their lips meet again. It's not the first time, nor the second, nor the third, but they don't care. Every kiss is always going to special, because it's them and that is all that really matters.