A/N: I just realized I never clarified the "other future" timeline. Freya and Bonnie cast the spell in 2060 and Caroline was sent back to 2010, while Klaus was sent to 1910. I took some liberties with the years because I was too lazy to look up the actual TVD timeline so I made a guessimate since this is an AU anyways, so for the sake of this AU Caroline was 16 in 2010 when the whole Originals/vampire thing went down (as opposed to 18) and roll with that.
Warnings: Non-graphic mentions of torture and death. Possible trigger warnings for mentioned rape and sexual assault.
Be by Your Side (Keep Holding On)
Dahlia staked them, let them bleed out on the floor next to each other.
He looks at Caroline, regret filling him as he thinks about the promises he will never fulfill. "I'm sorry, Caroline," he says quietly.
She shakes her head, choking out, "I love you."
She reaches out a hand towards him, and he carefully tangles his fingers with hers as he responds, "I love you too."
He doesn't know what else to say, so he squeezes her fingers harder.
Everything hurts, and he can see the pain clearly on Caroline's face, but for the first time, he can't do anything about it.
He can't fix it. He's dying, the love of his life right beside him, and he can't do anything about it.
"Everything will be okay," Freya whispers fiercely, her voice so quiet that not even Caroline can hear. "I promise, brother."
Klaus doesn't think much of her last words, faintly wonders what she's going to do, what she can do.
His world goes black, and his last thoughts are of Caroline.
When he comes to, he's in Chicago, 150 years in the past. The year is 1910.
Instead of freaking out (because he's the Original Hybrid and he doesn't "freak out") he takes time to assess the situation.
Freya's last words come to mind: "Everything will be okay. I promise, brother."
He thinks back to his last moments, to the Bennett witch. She'd also said something to Caroline. "It'll be okay, Care. I promise, you'll be okay. Don't forget me, okay?"
Freya and Bonnie had done… something. To give him – and perhaps Caroline? – a chance.
He has an opportunity now that he doesn't intend to waste. He has 84 years to right the chessboard before Caroline is born, and he will not waste another moment.
He will have 100 years to prepare himself for the possibility that this Caroline will no longer be the Caroline he knew, but he's willing to take that chance.
But first, he has to fix things. He has to make things right, to ensure that he will be able to keep his promises to her this time around, however long it takes.
All he has left is hope.
He starts with his siblings: Elijah, Kol, Rebekah. He tells them everything; there will be no secrets between them, this time.
They listen with growing disbelief, concern on their faces that this is another plot; or worse, a trap.
But then they kill Dahlia and rescue Freya. He undaggers Finn and reunites him with Sage. Together with his siblings, they kill Mikael and Esther, trap their souls into spelled amulets along with Dahlia's, and ensure that they will never be found. He reconciles with Marcel, and his protégé returns New Orleans to him as a sign of good faith. He and his family ensure that every single trace of white oak is destroyed and is no longer a threat to them.
On a whim, he rescues Enzo from the Augustine Society. He remembers that the vampire was one of Caroline's closest friends, rather protective and completely loyal. For some reason, the vampire also has memories of Caroline, his Caroline, and the only explanation he can think of is the Bennett witch. Perhaps as a "just in case"? And if this vampire is loyal to Caroline, then Klaus has no qualms using him to keep her safe.
He hesitantly tells his family about Caroline, about Mystic Falls and about later, when their world ends.
This time, his family doesn't hesitate in their agreement to help him keep Caroline safe. Finn and Sage quietly volunteer to go to Mystic Falls when the time is right, to check in on the children as they grow up, and to ensure that the Mikaelson home is built to accommodate the rest of their family when they finally return to the place of their birth.
He entrusts Kol and Freya to destroy Silas' followers and the cure; to root them out and to destroy them, forever. Once they accomplish their task, Kol and Freya discover that two lines of doppelgangers exist: of Silas and Amara. They find Silas' doppelganger, a human wearing Stefan Salvatore's face.
Elijah and Marcel are tasked with tracking down Katerina Petrova and a werewolf; they also ensure that the Crescent Wolf pack remains whole and that they flourish, and that the marriage contract between Haley and Jackson remains intact.
He makes a deal with Sheila Bennett; a compelled human has already stolen the moonstone from Lockwood mansion and replaced it with a fake. He breaks his hybrid curse fifty years before Caroline is born. Sheila Bennett casts the spell to unlock Klaus' werewolf side, and as he shifts again for the first time, his family stands by, wearing identical expressions of triumph on their faces.
He is able to create hybrids by having Elijah track both Silas' and Amara's doppelgangers through the ages. The next Silas doppelganger doesn't appear until fifty-five years after he breaks his hybrid curse. He is able to use the blood to create his first hybrid, and afterwards, he compels the doppelganger into making monthly donations until his natural death of old age, during which the body is drained entirely of its blood before being disposed of.
He instructs a team of hybrids to watch over Caroline, to ensure that nothing happens to her. Several more hybrids ingratiate themselves into the town of Mystic Falls, posing as citizens.
His siblings spend a couple weeks in Mystic Falls, compelling all of the citizens to report odd events and new strangers appearing in town. Finn takes the Mikaelson seat on the Founder's Council and dutifully reports back to Klaus.
The rest of the Mikaelsons quietly move back into Mystic Falls sometime when Caroline is sixteen, and coincidentally, a month after the Salvatores return. Klaus isn't quite sure what spurred the return of the Salvatores this time, so he has to attribute part of it to the supernatural pull of the small town and the rest to sheer dumb luck. From what he remembers, in the previous timeline, his family came to Mystic Falls when Caroline was seventeen.
But no matter. There are still chess pieces to set up and to maneuver. If he plays his cards right, Caroline's friends will be no issue this time. He'll be able to keep them safe and relatively uninjured, for her sake.
He will do right by her, this time around, whether she is his Caroline or not. He will win her over again.
He vows it.
He never leaves the mansion without knowing exactly where Caroline is, courtesy of his hybrids. His reasoning is that if he sees Caroline with his own eyes, he won't be able to resist the temptation to snatch her up and hide her away, consequences be damned.
Instead, he tides himself over by listening to the reports from his siblings. They've all either seen her or met her at this point. Finn and Sage have had the most interactions with her, due to Finn's position on the Founder's Council and Caroline's involvement with the majority of the events that happen in Mystic Falls, and their reports always mention that she is polite, sweet, and well-liked by all.
He lets Rebekah plan a ball. He reasons that it's the perfect opportunity to see her, to meet her again. He regrets not gifting her that beautiful blue dress this time around, but he consoles himself with knowing that there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
He doesn't bother to turn Tyler Lockwood this time. Instead, he offers the Lockwood boy the opportunity to join a werewolf pack – the Cresent Wolves out in the Bayou in New Orleans. He accepts, and Elijah arranges for the transportation.
He originally thinks to dispatch of the Salvatores, but they've proven themselves useful in the past. Perhaps he and Stefan can remain friends.
But Damon…
Damon should be so lucky that the servers had been compelled to slip some of Klaus' blood into the champagne that Caroline drank.
If he hadn't, and Caroline had actually died a final death, Klaus would've painted Mystic Falls red with blood.
But because Caroline lives, he will be merciful.
He lets Kol and Rebekah bleed the vervain from Damon, lets them have fun torturing the older Salvatore for a couple days. And then Klaus compels him, smiling darky as the vampire repeats the commands of the compulsion: he can never return to Mystic Falls, can never be near Elena or see her, can never compel humans again and can only feed from animals, and he can never attempt to fight the compulsion; if he does try, he will remove his daylight ring and burn away in the sun. Once the compulsion sets in, Damon is released, disoriented and confused and angry, and on his way out of Mystic Falls forever.
Stefan and the doppelganger are also bled of vervain and compelled; they are allowed to live their happy, blissful lives, so long as they ensure that Elena makes monthly blood donations. They forget that Damon ever existed.
He ensures that Caroline doesn't transition alone.
"Why are you being nice to me?" She asks quietly.
"Do I need a reason to be nice to you?" He responds.
She finally looks at him, really looks at him, like she's searching for something. "…Klaus?" She finally ventures, her voice a quiet whisper, her expression both fearful and hesitant.
They both end up standing, just steps from each other. Her stance is rigid, like she's getting ready to run. He tries to keep his own stance relaxed and nonthreatening, tries to show her that she doesn't have to be afraid.
"But you died," she finally says, her voice trembling as tears start falling down her face. She wraps her arms around herself, her eyes wide and her tone bewildered.
"So did you," he responds.
"You're here," she whispers, her voice shaking. "Am… Am I dreaming? Is this real?"
She slowly reaches out, her fingers drifting over his cheek, over his stubble. She looks at him with wonderment and some measure of disbelief.
"Caroline," he whispers back. "How are you here?"
"Bonnie and Freya," she responds quietly, and then she breaks. Her legs give out and she collapses. He catches her before she falls to the floor, settles them so that he's sitting against the wall and she's on his lap.
Caroline falls apart, holding onto him, crying and clutching him like she's melting into him.
His Caroline is here with him.
His sister's words echo in his mind: "Everything will be okay. I promise, brother."
Freya kept her promise. He finally succumbs to relief, holds her just as tightly, his own tears hot and burning, and he doesn't feel ashamed of them.
Klaus doesn't know what he did to deserve a second chance with Caroline, with his family and friends, and he silently vows that he will make this time count. He will make sure that his sister's and the Bennett witch's sacrifices were not in vain.
He knows that his family is shamelessly listening in on his reunion with Caroline while pretending not to, and he'll deal with that another day.
For now, he's going to hold her. After all, he waited 100 years to see if his sister's promise held. And now that he knows it did, and that it's real, all he wants to do is to hold her.
Introducing Caroline to his siblings goes about as well as expected.
He can feel the way she trembles against his side, see the way she almost sits on her hands to stop herself from throwing her arms around his siblings.
He sees the way his siblings watch the way she looks at them, the way she reconciles the Mikaelson siblings she knew with the ones in front of her now. In this timeline, all his siblings know of Caroline is what he has – shyly, reluctantly, sparingly – shared with them.
Freya makes the first move, warm and accepting as always, calmly accepting the affection that Caroline lavishes on her as she pulls the Mikaelson witch into a fierce tear-filled hug. He has never loved his older sister more than in this moment, in the way she simply accepts Caroline and how she already count this baby vampire as part of their family and as part of their promise of always and forever, because of him.
He knows that every night Caroline closes her eyes, she sees Freya, chained and bound because of Dahlia, helpless to save them. Because he used to see the same thing. He hopes that seeing the Mikaelson siblings in the flesh, and the Bennett witch, will help alleviate Caroline's nightmares and help her heal.
He knows that they will never forget their loved ones from before, but perhaps she'll finally be able to seek closure and move forward.
When Enzo makes his presence known, reveals that he also has memories from before, it's like the other shoe drops. Klaus is mature enough to admit that in any other circumstance, he might be jealous of the other vampire, but Caroline has already lost so much, he can only accept this other vampire's presence in her life. And if he must be honest, he recognizes that he and Enzo have several things in common, including their shared interest in Caroline's happiness and safety. Enzo's, due to friendship and loyalty. Klaus', out of love.
He's had 150 years to come to terms with what happened, 150 years to grieve and move on, and he's been fortunate that he hasn't had to do it alone.
Caroline's only had a couple weeks, and she's been alone. She'll still emotionally raw and vulnerable, and she still needs time to grieve the loss of everyone she knew.
He knows it'll take her time for the nightmares to stop affecting her. Time for her to come to terms with the people in their life now. Time to build and re-build the relationships she has.
But she's not alone anymore. He'll be there to hold her through her nightmares and bad dreams, to guide her when she looks lost.
She'll never be alone again.
"Tell me everything." Caroline demands, her voice soft.
"Of course," he agrees. And he does. He tells her everything, soothes away any lingering doubts and fears about the horrible future they were sent away from.
Tears well up in her beautiful face as she listens, and when he is finished, she is quiet for a moment. And then she whispers against his skin, "I love you."
"I thought I'd never see you again," he confesses, his voice rough with longing. He kisses her, hard and fierce, and demands, "Tell me again."
"I love you," she repeats, kissing him back, her hands sliding under his shirt.
"I love you too," he responds, his hands tangling in her hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her.
It's enough, for now.
FIN.
A/N: Since Enzo's got a very tiny role in this, he was sent back (by Bonnie!) to sometime when he was still being experimented on by the Augustine Society (sorry!) until Klaus decided to jailbreak him. Initially, it was for Caroline's sake, until they realized that they both had memories from before, and basically became friends and allies over the years (for Caroline, they'll claim).