Oh my God, I am so so sorry for the delay guys. I literally don't know what to say to you. I have zero excuse, but I went through MAJOR writer's block.
I can't believe I still have people following this story and myself. Thank you so much for bearing with me.
Okay, this chapter is a long one (my way of apologizing) and I hope you enjoy it.
FOUR DAYS BEFORE
The Mikaelsons and their newest addition, Caroline, were having a quiet breakfast in their mansion –well, as quiet as it could be with those siblings.
"Can I have the pepper please?" Rebekah asked.
Caroline and Klaus reached out simultaneously for it, and consequently, their fingers touched. At the contact, their eyes locked. Suddenly, there was no one else in the room; they were two at the table, two in the world. They were conspicuously and completely unknowingly ogling one another. If the verb 'to eye-sex' was acknowledged, a picture of the couple right now would be associated with its definition in the Oxford dictionary.
Noticing a tension settle in the room, Elijah raised his head and as he caught Rebekah and Kol's gazes on the pair, he looked in the same direction as his two siblings. He looked at them the instant of one second and reported his attention back on his plate with a coy air. Rebekah looked at them tenderly at first, then tilted her head to the side after several seconds and stared at them as if silently asking them 'Are you serious?' As for Kol, he contemplated them with a large tightlipped smile on his face that was gradually turning into a grin.
"Okay, seriously, you're embarrassing us, right now." Rebekah intervened.
Caroline sheepishly looked away, down at her lap, her cheeks an interesting shade of red.
"Speak for you: I was enjoying that!" Kol objected.
Caroline closed her eyes: if she could have crawled under a hole in that moment… she would have.
"Oh, don't look so embarrassed, Caroline. Now can I have the pepper?" Rebekah asked impatient.
Klaus passed it to his elder brother who, at his turn, passed it to his little sister.
"So when exactly were you planning on telling us about your ongoing romance?" Kol questioned the two lovebirds.
Caroline who had been sipping some wine practically threw up in her glass. Her eyes widened at the youngest Mikaelson brother. "What?" she managed to utter in a tremulous voice.
Kol merely smirked knowingly at her and gave her a conspicuous look.
She turned her head to Klaus and they exchanged a brief confused look.
"What on earth are you talking about now, brother?" Klaus addressed his little brother.
The reason Caroline and Klaus were so dumbfounded at the hearing of Kol's words was that none of Klaus' siblings were supposed to be aware of their change in status.
Indeed, after Caroline agreed on going public, Klaus acting like a perfect gentleman actually told her that it wasn't necessary: he could tell she still wasn't thrilled at the idea of everyone knowing about them just yet. Since her being willing to assume their relationship for his sake was enough for him –at least, for the moment –he told her that they could hold off on the 'officialization' of their relationship until Caroline really felt ready. Finally, they both agreed on keeping it to themselves until people find out on their own. That way, they weren't lying; they just… weren't saying anything.
"Oh please, how blind do you think we are?!" Rebekah intervened. "He's talking about the fact that you're banging each other!" she said pointedly.
Elijah practically choked on his food. "Rebekah! Your tongue!" he rebuked his sister.
The latter merely rolled her eyes.
Klaus and Caroline exchanged a glance, embarrassed. In reality, she was shamefaced; Klaus was rather amused by the whole situation, but he didn't want his siblings to make Caroline uncomfortable. "First of all, it is really none of your business whether Caroline and I are sleeping together." He told them pointedly. "Second of all…" he stopped and looked at Caroline for this one seeking for her approval.
Caroline held his gaze a few seconds before she spoke. "Second of all, we are together." She confirmed their suspicions. "Though, that doesn't tell us how you know?" she interrogated implicitly.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't very gifted when it comes to discretion, either of you." Rebekah told them. "We've caught several glances, corner smiles, lustful looks…" she enumerated. "Not to mention your bed has missed you lately, Caroline." She added.
Caroline knit her brows in disbelief. "You have been spying on me?!" she inquired incredulous.
"No, not at all. I notice things; that's all." Rebekah said causing Caroline to nod half-bitterly her mouth half-open as though saying 'I see'.
"And you didn't say anything all this time because…" Klaus waited for his sister to complete.
"We were taking Mister Perfect on my left as an example." Kol responded in a sardonic tone. Elijah gave him a pointed look in response.
"Well, thank you, Elijah." Caroline acknowledged.
"You're welcome. I wish I could've had them to bear this good behavior for more than two days, but… It's better than nothing, right?" He responded.
"It definitely is; thank you." She thanked him again. "And now that you all know… I can do this." She said and turned to Klaus and leaned towards him. She attached their lips and held on to him by his scuff. Though he was caught off guard, Klaus didn't pull away; on the contrary, he actually accepted and deepened the kiss.
Rebekah smiled contently at the sight. She couldn't remember ever seeing Nik this happy, this… at peace with himself. It was almost heartbreaking to witness: it had taken him a thousand years to get to this point, but the essential was that he was there now. The exact same thought crossed Elijah's mind at the very same moment. The elder Mikaelson looked at his little brother and Caroline with a certain emotion in his brown eyes. This was by the far the less guarded he had ever seen Niklaus; it was touching… and kind of unreal.
Elijah never thought he'd see this day come. Klaus had lived such an evil life since his transformation; he had done so many wicked deeds –often even without valid reasons –Elijah, just like the rest of his siblings, had sort of become convinced that his little brother was irredeemable. He had always kept hope, but it was a small tiny hope, the kind that you keep all the while knowing it's going to be crushed. So it felt good to witness Klaus like this; it really did: Elijah was happy for Klaus. Caroline was truly a blessing to the hybrid. Elijah could only hope the latter wouldn't ruin it; if he did… Elijah knew he'd never recover from it: it would break him forever…
Even Kol who wasn't that close to Klaus and wasn't much of an emotive person could feel that they were living a moment. This was a day they would all remember he was sure of it. It was kind of weird for Kol to see Klaus so blissful and so into the kiss, him who had never been fond of public display of affection. Then again, this wasn't just any woman: this was Caroline Forbes.
/
55 HOURS BEFORE
"You little secretive person!" Caroline accused entering the secondary living room and finding Elijah reading a novel in his regular armchair.
"I beg your pardon?" Elijah said getting his nose out of his novel.
"I thought you and Miss-bitch who must not be named had parted on bad notes and that you hadn't heard of her since…" The blonde declared and Elijah glowered at her as she said 'Miss bitch' and then frowned at her statement.
She slid a hand inside her pocket and revealed a letter to him. "Now, I believe that this is someone's handwriting…" she asserted. "…and I am pretty sure that you are Elijah Mikaelson…" she said looking at the addressee's name written on the envelope as she uttered his name.
Elijah looked at the letter and his cheeks took a light pink tint as he effectively recognized Katherine's handwriting. He briefly looked away and tried to regain his composure swiftly. "You go through my mail now?" he asked in a rather convincing indifferent tone of voice.
"Absolutely not." Caroline defended. "I just happened to find this letter at the entrance, and I thought I would give it to its rightful owner." She explained and handed him the said-letter.
He took it silently not taking his reproving eyes off the blonde however.
"So you have been in contact." She noted more than she asked.
The elder Mikaelson merely kept staring at her in silence, his face as impassive as ever. God Caroline hated it when he put on that emotional mask! This man was an enigma to himself: he was the most mysterious individual she had ever known; he sure had a very abstruse personality. None of his siblings had quite his natural ability to conceal his emotions. Not even Klaus. He was unreadable! It was infuriating to a point that one couldn't imagine.
"A letter is hardly contact." Was all he said.
"Because this is your first epistolary exchange." Caroline stated nodding irony evident in her assertion.
"Do you have any piece of evidence that can attest of the contrary?" he challenged raising his brows at her.
She narrowed her eyes at him roguishly. He may be the world's best poker player, but she wasn't that bad herself: she knew how to bluff.
"I am aware of your feelings for Katherine, Elijah." She declared.
He raised his brows at her as if asking her 'Is that so?' and a sly tightlipped smile settled on his lips.
"And given your epistolary exchanges and the letter you're currently holding…" she continued pointing at the envelope Elijah had in his hands. "…I would say that Miss Sassy isn't exactly indifferent to you either." She conjectured.
"That's an interesting insight." Elijah commented ironically. "Now, I'm going to get back to my reading if you don't mind." He told her.
"Actually…" Caroline reached out to close the novel. "…I mind." She objected. "It's quite difficult to have any sort of privacy in this house, but right now, everyone's out and we're alone." She paused. "So I can't think of a better time to talk about this." She said.
"Except I don't want to talk about this." Elijah said in a rather sharp tone.
He honestly didn't see the point. Katerina wasn't there; she was far away and they were oceans apart. This would just be rubbing it in. Besides, he didn't wait for Caroline to think of Katerina: he did that very well on his own. He didn't want to talk about her; he just didn't.
"You can't try to make an effort?" Caroline asked him.
"No, Caroline, I can't." He told her. "I don't see the point." He declared.
"Elijah, this is what I think: when you love someone…" she started and Elijah raised his brows at her mid-sentence before looking away with an amused air, what caused her to stop.
"What?" she asked him.
"Nothing."
"What? You're not in love with Katherine?" she asked him dubious.
"You're not really expecting an answer to that, are you?" Elijah asked impassive.
"As a matter of fact, I kind of am." The blonde answered.
Elijah chuckled quietly. He was pretty certain he was speaking English, so what was it in 'I don't want to talk about it' that this young lady didn't understand? "You young vampires…" he started. "…you have an unfaltering boldness!" he commented. "… and you epitomize very well the new generation." He added.
"Thank you." Caroline ironically appreciated.
"That was not a compliment."
"We'll act as if it was one. Look, I'm not going to debate whether or not you have romantic feelings towards Katherine when I know that you do, Elijah. My point is…" she stated pointedly. "… true love is worth fighting for… no matter the odds." She paused. "It just is." She declared and didn't realize how true those words were before she spoke them.
She wasn't sure when exactly she had given up on love, when she had started to think that nothing resulted from hope except misery, that love was a stupid concept meant only for fools, but she had… at a certain point… until now, thanks to Elena.
Elijah listened to and focused on her intently her words sinking in his mind, having their effect, affecting something deep within him.
"I had forgotten that myself until recently…" she told Elijah. "…when a friend reminded me."
"And now, you're reminding me." He completed.
Caroline smiled at him faintly but earnestly. "That's right."
Caroline felt so bad for Elijah: he was such a good man, yet, he seemed to be destined to live a life deprived of happiness, and his own brother was the one destining him to such a life!
That was the side of Klaus that made her loathe herself for caring for him. How could he? Just how could he deny his own brother happiness? He of all people should value that feeling…
She thought that it sucked that in a thousand years of existence, Elijah probably hadn't experienced happiness for one year if one counted all his moments of joy. There was a very simple reason behind that sad fact: happiness resulted from love, and Elijah had never really gotten his shot at love –she was adamant on changing that.
"Why do you care so much?" he asked the blonde.
"Because you're my friend." She responded simply. "Because you're a good man, Elijah; you really are, and they say becoming a vampire only emphasizes who you already are, so I'm guessing you've always been this perfect." She explained.
Elijah smiled faintly and looked away seeming embarrassed.
"Woahhh, Elijah, are you blushing?" She noticed with a huge grin.
"Oh, be quiet." He ordered her still not facing her.
Caroline laughed. She waited for him to look back at her before she spoke again. "You know, you don't have forever, Elijah." She told him. "You may think you do; you may feel like you do, but you don't. Well, you do…, but Katherine doesn't." Caroline nuanced. "You are actually immortal; Katherine can be killed." She reminded him pointedly. "Although, that has proven to be quite difficult in the past." She added more for herself than for Elijah, but it caused the latter to chuckle, what induced her to chuckle as well.
"You don't have forever ahead of you…" she continued. "…and even if you did, why can't forever start today?" She asked him concern and care evident in her voice.
Elijah listened to Caroline intently taking in her words: she had a point; she had a very good point, but what could he do? He was powerless! He had already asked Klaus to grant him his wish of being with Katerina; the latter had refused… What more could he do?
"Ask my baby brother." He responded to her.
"Gladly!" Caroline said pointedly motioning with her head. "Can I?!"
"It would be to no avail." Elijah assured her.
"You are such a defeatist!" Caroline remarked.
"I am realistic." He corrected.
"Whatever." She said. "Just let me talk to him." She asked him. "Come on, what do you have to lose?" she insisted as he was satisfied with raising a dubious eyebrow at her.
"Me?" he asked her. "Nothing." he answered his own question. "You? Your head!" He told her and she gave him a look. "Niklaus can be a little touchy when it comes to Katerina." He explained to her slightly mockingly. "Trust me; you don't want to find out."
"No, you trust me. Let me handle this. I have my ways; I…"
"Which I do not want to hear about." He cut her off gesturing with his left hand before she could go any further. "Fine! As you please." He conceded.
"Really?" Caroline asked surprised. She didn't think she would get through to him before at least another hour.
"Really." He said. "But it's at your own peril."
"I'm not promising anything, you know?" she made sure. She had every intention of making Klaus realize that he needed to let go of the past and let his big brother be happy, but she wasn't completely delusional: she knew very well Klaus wouldn't be easy at all to convince, but she was up for the challenge.
"Oh, I know. I'm not expecting anything." He reassured her with a small laugh shaking his head.
"Okay, then. I'm going to get ready for tonight." She let him know and stood up to go to her room.
"Caroline." Elijah called her before she had left the room.
"Yes?" she answered turning around.
"Thank you." He acknowledged grateful. "…for doing this." He elaborated. "For caring. You're not only a blessing to Niklaus: you are one to this whole family."
Caroline looked at him a few seconds in appreciation before she nodded with a small smile. He smiled back at her, and she turned and exited the living room heading towards the stairs.
/
48 HOURS BEFORE
Contrary to what she expected, convincing Klaus and his siblings to host this 'housewarming party' for her and receive her friends in their home wasn't all that difficult. All it took was her best charming smile and saying that it would make her feel more like the mansion was her home too to convince Klaus. Elijah, being the gentleman that he was, didn't find any inconvenience to oppose. The second Bonnie's name was mentioned among the guests, Kol was readily in. In fact, only Rebekah was reluctant to the idea. Why? Caroline didn't understand though. However, after a talk with her favorite big brother, the Mikaelson blonde seemed okay with it –but still not thrilled.
That explained why Caroline was currently busy at applying make-up on her eyelids in Klaus' bedroom while the latter was slowly getting impatient at waiting for her to get ready.
"Love, you are aware that you're not attending a ball, aren't you?" Klaus asked her. "Neither are we going to dinner at a fancy restaurant. We're just hosting a dinner!" He pointedly reminded her.
"That's even worse!" She replied. "When people come into your territory, you have to be flawless!" She explained to him.
Klaus let out a loud sigh. "Love, you are flawless when you wake up." He told her sweetly.
"Awww… you're so cute…" She told him, and for a second, Klaus thought that he had gotten through to her. "…but I'm not done." She ended emphatically crashing his hope.
She was going ahead when she heard him sigh. Two seconds later, she heard someone collapsing on the bed and chuckled at the sound, amused.
"It's not funny, Caroline." He rebuked her in an emphasized annoyed voice.
"You know, you can just go and wait for me downstairs." She pointed out to him.
"No, I want to be the first one to see…" He said straightening himself up. He stopped at the vision before him. She really was a vision in her blue one-strap dress. "…you." He finished.
She shyly stepped out of the bathroom and went to him. Klaus raised his hand asking her to stop an instant and leave him a moment to fully appreciate the sight. His eyes wandered over her body from her head to her toes. She looked stunning, even more so than at his mother's ball what seemed to be a lifetime ago.
He had this way of looking at her that simply… consumed her. She felt as though he was undressing her with his eyes! It made her feel extremely self-conscious. But at the same time, he had this enthralled look in his gorgeous blue eyes. He looked at her like she was the only woman in the universe for him; and she had a feeling that she was. He never ceased to seem amazed by her. It left her breathless, and it made her feel powerful: she knew she was the one person to have that effect on Klaus.
Klaus extended his hand to Caroline and she gladly yet shyly took it. She advanced to him and once she was within his reach, he roughly pulled her to him and surrounded her waist with his arms. She giggled lightly and held on to his forearms.
He moved his head to her left ear and closed his arms around her in a hug. She reciprocated by holding his neck with one hand and his hip with the other. He buried his face in her hair and hummed her scent as if he was resourcing. Caroline knew that was what she was doing on the collar of his suit.
Klaus and Caroline hadn't seen much of each other today: Caroline had spent most of the day on the phone making sure everything would be perfect for the evening, and Klaus had been busy handling family business out of the mansion all day. Though, neither of them dared to admit it to the other, they both missed each other greatly. It was crazy what a huge part of each other's lives they had become.
She moved her head slightly and pressed a sweet kiss against his neck sending shivers of thrill to travel down his spine before she pulled away but remained in his arms.
"Can we make this a weekly thing?" He suggested.
Caroline slightly tilted her head to the side and frowned in incomprehension, so he elaborated. "Can we receive your friends once a week and, of course, have you dress so stunningly?" He asked.
Caroline laughed. "Of course." She said ironically. "Once a week, huh? You're willing to have my friends over once a week?"
"If you dress like this every time, then yes, why not?" He answered shrugging lightly.
"Once every week?" She repeated. "You are willing to receive Damon once every week?" she asked him. "You are willing to put up with the doppelganger once every week?" she questioned emphasizing the word 'doppelganger', more than skeptical if the look that she was giving him was any indication. "In your own…"
"Okay." He stopped her. "Maybe not once a week, but perhaps once every couple of weeks?" he proposed instead.
"Mmmhh." She hummed sardonically raising her brows. She brought her face even closer to Klaus'. Her nose brushed against his as she leaned in for a kiss.
Klaus closed his eyes and slightly opened his mouth, and then the next second, he felt a light touch at the corner of his mouth. Confused, he opened his eyes only to find Caroline opening his door. She turned her head to him and smiled devilishly at him before exiting the room.
He was at her side in the hallway and had turned her to him within seconds. "What was that?" he asked, clearly not amused by the stunt she just pulled.
"What?" she asked back innocently shrugging lightly. "I spent an hour in there, you really thought I was going to let you ruin my makeup with a few kisses?" she rhetorically asked him. "No." She answered pointedly shaking her head.
Klaus narrowed his eyes at her. Next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall and he was holding her wrists, his body pressed to hers, in an awfully suggestive way.
She heard him let out 'Well, that's too bad.' before he crashed his lips onto hers and sucked all the air out of her lungs. His tongue slid inside her mouth and met Caroline's in a wayward tangle. He freed her hands to press her body fully against his. Caroline took advantage of the release to grab him by the scruff and intensify the kiss. Klaus responded by bringing a hand inside her hair to reciprocate.
Caroline pulled him to her by his waist as they kept ravaging each other's mouths. Lacking air, she broke away one instant so she could breath. Her breathing landed on Klaus' lips and clouded the man's spirits causing him to almost completely lose it. He immediately pressed his lips back on hers and once again sought access to her tongue, which she happily granted him.
The pair was so caught up in the moment and so caught up in each other that they didn't even hear the door close.
"Oh for the sake of my sanity…" Rebekah started closing her eyes in revulsion and looking away.
At the sound of the other blonde's voice, Caroline immediately broke the kiss and pulled out of Klaus' grip bringing her hand to her mouth. "
There are a dozen rooms in this house, get one!" Rebekah remarked them before heading towards the stairs. She paused, then, walked back to them. "Actually… don't. We have guests arriving." She reminded them. "You have guests arriving." She specified. "It would only be polite if you were the ones to welcome them at the door." She told them and ended with a fake smile. She turned on her heels towards the staircase.
Left alone, Caroline turned to Klaus, perplexed, and raised her brows at him questioningly. He shrugged as a response to her silent question.
"What is the matter with your sister?" she asked him.
"Oh, it's my sister, now? It's not your accomplice anymore?" Klaus replied mockingly.
She simply rolled her eyes.
"I don't know. You're the girl: you tell me." He answered.
She tilted her head to give him a look. Then, she huffed and turned to join his siblings downstairs.
"Hey." Klaus spoke softly as he retained her by holding her forearm. She came back close to him. "Don't you for a second think we're not going to finish what we started here." He said in a warning tone.
"Oh, I'm terrified." Caroline feigned.
"Good." Klaus said. "You should be." He assured her, his voice deep, hoarse yet seductive.
His tone sent shivers through Caroline and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat at his words difficulty.
Klaus smirked devilishly at her as his words combined with his voice had the prospective effect. He walked past her and she remained there, speechless, dazed.
"Love?" He called for her at the top of the stairs. "Are you coming?" he asked, mischievousness laced inside his voice.
She opened her mouth slightly, and her face took a thoughtful expression as she already planned how she was going to get back at Klaus. Oh, he was so paying for this!
/
"Well, aren't you a busy man?" Caroline said bitterly to Stefan catching a grip of his arm near the buffet.
"What?" Stefan asked, confused, moving on to the meat.
"I left you like a zillion messages, where have you been?!" she reproached him through her teeth.
He turned to her and she gave him a pointed look. "Around." He responded shrugging. "I've been busy, and Elena said that you were okay."
"Yeah, well, that may be true, but you might not be once I'm done with you." She told him.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Stefan asked her understanding nothing about the situation.
"Drop your plate." She told him.
"Excuse me?" Stefan said.
Caroline let out an annoyed sigh and took the plate out of his hand. She put it down at the corner of the buffet table before grabbing Stefan's forearm and pulling him away from the others guests.
They entered a cool place and she shut the door behind them.
"What are we doing…" Stefan paused and took a look at his surroundings. "…in a cold room?" he asked seeming weirded out.
"It's sound-proof." She explained. "And anyway, we are out of the hearing range." She said. "So what's up?" she inquired.
"Why would you think something is up?" He asked her.
"I don't know. Is there?" She asked back.
"No." He answered not quite getting where this was coming from or where it was getting at if the tone of his voice was any indication. "Is there a point to this conversation?" he pointedly asked her.
"So you've been busy, huh? Doing what? Where at?" she interrogated. "The jeweler's shop maybe?"
Stefan stared at her in shock for a few seconds before letting out: "What?"
"I found your engagement ring!" Caroline exclaimed in the smallest voice she could manage given the circumstances. "Stefan! What the heck! How could you not tell me this?" she reproached.
"There was… is nothing to tell." Stefan declared.
"Then why do you have an…"
"Did Elena see it?" Stefan cut her off.
"No, of course not. I'm not that stupid." She answered emphatically. "But seriously, keeping it between two pair of jeans? That is hardly a hiding place." She informed him.
He rolled his eyes yet tilted his head in slight agreement.
"Stefan, what's going on between you guys? What's going on with you?" she asked him, obviously concerned. "Damon returns and two days later, you buy an engagement ring? Literally two days later?" She somehow accused, her brows knit together and her mouth half-open in disbelief.
Stefan frowned at her implicit accusation. "What are you implying?" He asked her.
"It's a little obvious, Stefan." She responded giving him a little conspicuous.
Stefan raised his brows at his mouth opened lightly in disbelief. "Wow… Okay, um… I've had this ring for weeks, Caroline." He told her. "…since before you returned to Mystic Falls actually, so Damon really has nothing to do with any of this, but thank you for the vote of confidence." He said to her and attempted to get past her to get out of the cold room.
"Wait." Caroline retained him by grabbing his arm. She looked down and had the decency to bear an ashamed air. She looked up at him and met Stefan's hard look. "I'm sorry." She apologized.
"Don't you know me better, Caroline?" he asked her and she could actually hear the hurt in his voice.
"I do. I just… I'm sorry, alright? I just couldn't help but notice the coincidence. I apologize." She answered.
Stefan looked away. "Never mind."
"So when are you planning on proposing?" She inquired.
"I was planning on doing it on her birthday." He answered.
"That's two weeks from now." Caroline said.
"I know; but I'm not sure anymore." He said with a fake smile.
The blonde lightly frowned. "Why?" She asked him.
He shrugged. "A lot has happened lately." He said simply.
Caroline narrowed her eyes at her friend. "By 'a lot happened', you mean Damon has returned?"
"There's that."
She tilted her head to the side. "What are you afraid of?"
Stefan heaved a sigh. "Well, for starters, she might react the way you did." He responded.
"I said I was sorry, and she would never think something like that. She knows you!" She tried to convince him.
"I can't propose to Elena in these circumstances, Elena." He affirmed. Caroline creased her brows and shook her head in confusion, so he elaborated. "Even if she doesn't think that, how will I know if she says yes that it's not only because she doesn't want me to think she's still in love with him?" He said.
Caroline narrowed her eyes at him in light confusion. Then, she pulled herself together and hit Stefan on the head.
"Ouch!" Stefan brought his hand to his head. "That hurt!" he exclaimed.
"I don't care! I take what I said back: you don't know Elena! You really think she would agree to marry you out of a sense of obligation or out of reassurance?!" She asked him, disbelieving. "Elena loves you, Stefan, so obviously she's going to say yes, but it'll be only and solely out of love!" She assured him.
Stefan half-smiled half-chuckled and Caroline could tell, he was only half-convinced, not of his girlfriend's love but perhaps of what her answer would be.
"Look, Stefan, I'm not going to tell you what do. Alright? Not about this?" She said. "…but please, whatever decision you make, don't let Damon influence. Do not take him into account." She asked him.
Stefan nodded.
"No, seriously, Stefan, I mean it." she insisted. "You gave Elena once because of Damon. You let him become a factor in your relationship. Don't make that mistake again." She advised him. "I mean, a relationship is complicated enough at two, so at three?!" she said in an attempt to cheer him up a little and lighten the mood, what worked because he burst out laughing.
"Don't let him ruin you. If you do…, you might lose her for good this time. This is about you and Elena; this is personal. Don't let him interfere or become a factor in any way… got it?"
Stefan was satisfied with staring at her for a few seconds, then, he nodded once. "Got it."
"Good." She said. "Now, let's get out of here before Klaus thinks I'm cheating on him with you."
Stefan laughed. "He's that jealous, huh?"
"For heaven's sake, he's jealous of his own brother." She answered and it took her a couple of seconds before something hit her. "Hey, you two could totally be friends again! See how much you have in common?" She joked.
"Ha-ha." Stefan laughed falsely.
Caroline chuckled and then turned around and grabbed the door handle. She didn't turn it though. Instead, she turned her head towards Stefan. "Seriously, wait a minute or two before coming or I'm going to have to deal with Klaus, and you might too."
With that said, she opened the door and left the cold room, without Stefan.
/
Caroline stood up to and cleared her throat before clicking her glass to get everyone's attention. "Before we get started, I want to thank you guys for coming. We've all had our differences… each and every one of us; and though that's all in the past, it has left marks. We've all lost loved ones; we've all been through hardships…" Caroline stated looking at
each and every one of her friends whose presence there tonight meant everything to her. "There's still a lot of animosity between us, I realize that. That's why I'm so grateful for your attending tonight. Thank you; thank you for putting you differences aside for the night to be there for me." She acknowledged.
She turned to Klaus before she continued. "This man here is… a pain in the ass." She asserted causing everyone to laugh. "About… ninety-five percent of the time."
More laughter filled the room. "But at the end of the day…" she said and turned back to Klaus as she voiced her feelings. "…He puts the biggest smile on my face. He makes me laugh and giggle. He makes me giddy." She said sweetly with an adorable expression on her face that convinced even the most reticent. Bonnie, Stefan, and Elena in particular stared at the new couple with attention. They caught visual exchanges between Klaus and Caroline. Although, they were several in the room, the two lovebirds seemed to be sharing a private conversation with their eyes! It was something to witness. There was undeniably something strong between them; they had something. At this point, as much as they wanted to, none of them could deny it.
"That's the reason I invited you over for dinner tonight: I wanted you to see just how good and safe I feel in this house." Caroline told them. "Thanks to Elijah, thanks to Rebekah…"
Kol cleared his throat loudly indicating to her that she was forgetting someone.
"Despite Kol." She added jokingly and they all burst out laughing. The main concerned frowned and Caroline gave him a teasing look and smiled at him. "But first and foremost… thanks to Klaus." She said gazing straight into the Original Hybrid's eyes. "Anyway, all that was just to say thank you! Thank you for putting me first by agreeing on coming here. It means everything; you guys mean everything to me, and I love you." She finished raising her glass to everyone.
"We love you." Bonnie said raising her own glass, and everyone did the same.
"Wonderful, we can eat!" Kol exclaimed breaking the moment and everyone except his siblings and Caroline turned to him.
"Actually…" Klaus said standing up making everyone turn to him. "I have something to say too." He declared.
So did you like it? Did you hate it? Do you hate me?
You totally get to message me and yell at me for keeping you waiting for so long.
For what it's worth, the next chapter is already written.
Just hit your keyboard, and it'll be up sooner than you know.