A/N: not mine-all belong to CW and co

-Starts the next day from where chapter 1 ends-

"No, Klaus didn't kidnap Caroline, he didn't compel her, and he didn't blackmail her into doing anything," Stefan growled, his hands fisted at his sides. "He cares about her, he listens to her…he treats her better than most of you ever have. And instead of trying to be understanding about it, trying to see where she's coming from, you ambushed her and tried to make her feel horrible for having feelings for him."

"We don't know for sure that he didn't make her leave," Elena protested. "He could have compelled her to write her mom that letter."

"He didn't, Elena," Matt said, the quarterback leaning against the door next to Jeremy. "He didn't make her do anything, she wanted to go and she wanted to go with him."

"How the hell do you know that?" Tyler demanded, the hybrid jumping off the couch with a growl. "Did you see her leave? And you didn't stop her?"

"We helped her," Jeremy said. "Helped her pack, waited while she called him, and then dropped her off outside of town so they could leave."

"How could you do that?" Bonnie whispered, the witch glaring at the two humans.

"She would have stayed in this town until it got her killed," Matt said. "Until we got her killed."

"She's our friend, Matt, we wouldn't get her killed," Elena growled, her hands fisted at her sides.

"A few months ago, I might have agreed with that but not now," Jeremy said as he moved closer to his sister. "You've changed, Elena, and it isn't for the good. You don't care about anything but yourself and Damon. I honestly think if Damon told you that sacrificing Caroline was something that had to be done, you would do it. You used her as bait how many times with Klaus? If he didn't truly care about her, she would have been killed a while ago."

"We've always treated her like she's expendable," Stefan said. "Like she's not as important as Elena, like it won't matter as much if she dies. And she let us. She probably would have continued to let us if she hadn't left. I understand why she left. Maybe if you guys hadn't ambushed her, or maybe if you included me I could have stopped her, but it's too late now. And if anything happens to her because of this, her blood is on your hands."

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Year 1-when it became official

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It was July 24, 2013, exactly one year to the date she left Mystic Falls with Klaus. The decision was a impulsive one, but at the same time, one that had been building for months. Mystic Falls was like a poison to her, it had slowly been killing her one day at a time. And she would have stayed, if it weren't for Matt and Jeremy. Her ex and her best-friend's little brother pushed her towards the border of Mystic Falls, both concerned that if she didn't leave then, she never would. They helped her pack, stood by her when she asked Klaus to take her, and were the only two that she actually said goodbye to. She left her mother a note, explaining her decision and why she made it. She didn't leave anything for her friends, knowing that no explanation she had would satisfy them. They made their position clear on the subject of her and Klaus.

Being with Klaus was unlike anything she had ever experienced before in her young life. He completely doted on her. He questioned her constantly to make sure she was happy or if she wanted to go home. He took her anywhere she asked to go, did anything that she wanted to, and seemed to be genuinely happy at her happiness. She tried all the time to get him to do something that he wanted to do, but he always said he enjoyed watching her discover the world.

They started off in Tokyo, where they spent three months just exploring the tiny islands of Japan. It was beautiful and modern and crowded. It was so different than everything she ever knew and she loved it. She loved sushi, loved how fast everything was in Tokyo. It was so hectic, and mesmerizing. But after a few months, it was too much, too fast, and too chaotic. She needed peace and could tell from Klaus's agitated state, that he did too. He was very rarely ever harsh with her, but he did lose patience with everyone around him when he was agitated. So, after 3 months, they left Tokyo and flew to Paris.

She always assumed Paris would be her favorite city in the world, and while she enjoyed it, it wasn't her favorite. It was beautiful and romantic, and so full of history, but it didn't bring her the peace she didn't know she had been searching for when she left Mystic Falls. Klaus showed her everything, took her to museums and stores and galleries. She saw beautiful paintings, even one of Klaus's that he snuck into a museum. She enjoyed their time in Paris, she grew closer to Klaus than she ever thought possible. It was probably when she really started falling in love with him, or more likely admitted she started falling in love with him. They spent three months in France before moving on to Italy, which became a soothing haven for her.

They spent five months just roaming around Italy. She loved the country, and could actually speak a bit of Italian now. Klaus owned a villa near the ocean, where they spent most of their time. It was refreshing, like a cleansing for her soul. She never realized how much damage Mystic Falls caused her, couldn't truly see it while she was there. In Tokyo, it was just as hard to think past all the activity. In Paris, it was about them, about discovering what it was about Klaus that made her so drawn to him. In Italy, it was about discovering herself and what she wanted. She adored her time with Klaus and knew that if she truly gave into him, it would be for eternity. He would never let her go. And it took her almost eleven months to admit that she was fine with that.

In Mystic Falls, when she tried to look into the future, she didn't see anything because she truly didn't think she had one. In the Italian country side, when she looked into the future, all she saw was Klaus. All she wanted was Klaus. It was daunting to realize that she would give up everything to be with him. She knew that if she left him now and went running back to Mystic Falls, her friends and mom would accept her back. It might take time, but they would do so. But, if she truly let herself be with Klaus the way she wanted to (and the way she knew he wanted to even though he never pushed her in any way), she would never be able to go back.

One month before the anniversary of their escape, Caroline asked Klaus to take her to Hawaii. It was somewhere she always wanted to go, and she knew Klaus would take her there. They were in the air within hours of her asking, Klaus sketching as he always did when they flew, while she was curled up against his side, her head resting on his shoulder. Like always, they were on a private plane, with only two pilots and one attendant aboard. The plane was small but luxurious, it even had a small bed in the back, along with a shower. She wasn't sure exactly how long the flight was, just knew that they stopped once to fuel up and they might have to fuel up again, she wasn't sure.

Klaus and her were close, almost always sitting together, and more often than not she crept into his bed instead of her own. He always welcomed her, anchoring her tightly to his side, his body wrapped protectively around hers. It was the safest she ever felt and she found that she never really slept if she wasn't tucked against his body.

They kissed on occasion, actually had a few make-out sessions over the almost year they'd been together, but had never gone past 2nd base. Klaus wanted to, she knew that, and she wanted to take that next step too, but she was a bit nervous. She'd only been with two guys in her lifetime; Damon and Tyler. She messed around with a guy when she was 15, but he dumped her when she wouldn't sleep with him. It broke her heart and made her feel so horrible about herself that she didn't risk letting another guy in until Damon. Sex with Damon was hard and rough, bloody and violent. She enjoyed it the first time, he did have skills, but after that, it became more about him feeding than anything else. She didn't enjoy it very much after that.

Her and Matt never made it past 3rd base before she became a vampire. After that, she didn't trust herself not to hurt him so she never gave him more than a few kisses. Her relationship with Tyler was based mostly on sex, and it was good. But she knew it would be nothing compared to 'hot, hybrid sex' with Klaus. Klaus made her tingle just by dimpling at her. His kisses made her heart thud and her panties wet.

"You okay, love?" Klaus murmured, nudging the top of her head with his nose. It made her giggle. Sometimes Klaus acted more wolf than man, like when he nuzzled her belly, sniffed her face, or nudged her with his nose. Instead of answering him, she turned her head and lifted her lips up to his. Klaus reacted instantly, his sketchbook hitting the floor even as he lifted her onto his lap. He deepened the kiss, his hands threading through her hair as he tipped her head back. He broke the kiss after a few minutes, his forehead moving to rest on hers. "What was that for, love?"

"Cuz I wanted to," Caroline glanced around them, biting her lip nervously. "Is that waitress lady coming back out?"

"No, she won't come out unless we need her to," Klaus said. "Do you need something, sweetheart?"

"You," Caroline whispered as she tugged her tank top/bra over her head in one smooth move, her bottom lip clamped nervously between her teeth. She was now naked except for the yoga pants she had on, having skipped panties this morning to keep from having lines. Klaus didn't say anything, instead just stared at her, his eyes raking over her naked breasts. She started to move her arms, intent on covering herself, but he stopped her, his hands gripping her wrists gently.

"Don't," Klaus growled, licking his lip like the wolf that he was. "You are so very lovely, sweetheart."

Caroline couldn't say anything, instead dipped her head, feeling the flush mark her skin.

"Are you sure about this, sweetheart?" Klaus's hands reached down to cup her breasts, his head descending to kiss each globe reverently.

"Yes," Caroline hissed, fidgeting on his body, moaning she came into contact with his hard bulge.

Klaus cupped her face, looking into her eyes. "Caroline, are you sure? I am willing to wait as long as you need, but once I have you, I will never, ever let you go. Do you understand?"

"I love you," Caroline stroked his cheek. "I'm sure."

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Klaus studied the sleeping wisp of a girl curled against his body, not sure how such a tiny thing could overwhelm him the way she does. The obsession he had with Caroline while in Mystic Falls was nothing compared to how he felt now. He absolutely adored her and would do anything to make her happy. He loved seeing her sunshine smile, the one that lit up her entire face. He loved watching her discover the world, how she greeted each new thing like it was the most amazing thing in the world.

He would never let her go. Now that he had her completely, he would never let her go. He would kill anything and anyone that tried to take her from him, and he would do anything to keep her safe and happy.

"Mmm, where are we?" Caroline murmured sleepily, her body nuzzling more into his.

"We will be landing in about an hour," Klaus nuzzled the top of her head. "Go back to sleep, love."

"You sleep?" Caroline opened her hers too look at him, a happy, sated smile still on her lips.

"Some," Klaus said, leaning down to kiss her eyelids shut. "Sleep, sweetheart, you look exhausted."

"Somebody wore me out," Caroline moved her head to his chest.

"We've only just started," Klaus promised. "Sleep."

"Mm, kay," Caroline murmured. "Love you."

His heart clenched at her words, wanting so badly to believe them but fearful of doing so. If he believed them, if he let her completely in, he knew he would never be the same again. But in reality, he wasn't the same, hadn't been since they left Mystic Falls. Caroline had somehow wiggled her way under his skin and nothing he did could get her out.

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"Mmm, you're nice and warm, cara," Klaus murmured, his arms wrapping around her from behind. Caroline leaned back against his chest with a smile, her head tilting back for a kiss. Klaus obliged immediately, his mouth nipping at hers.

"You're back early," Caroline said when he finally broke the kiss, unable to keep the huge grin off her face. "How was Vegas?"

"Quite boring without you," Klaus turned Caroline towards him, tucking her head under his chin while his hands wrapped tightly around her. "What did you do while I was gone?"

"Swam, sunbathed, ate, drank….got hit on by college boys, you know, the usual," Caroline murmured against his chest.

"What college boys?" Klaus growled against her hair.

Caroline giggled, her head tipping back to look up at him. "Stupid boys that don't mean anything. Don't worry, Ben did the male-posturing-hybrid crap as soon as a guy got close enough to actually talk to me."

"Good," Klaus kissed the crown of her hair, his hands digging possessively into her hips. "Mine."

While Klaus had always been overprotective of her during their travels, dissuading any males from even so much as talking to her over the almost year they'd been traveling together, she still wasn't quite sure where that left them now. She knew when she finally admitted her feelings for him, finally gave into the overwhelming physically attraction she felt for him, that it would change things, that she wouldn't be able to go back. And she didn't want to go back, but she wasn't sure exactly what being with Niklaus Mikelson truly entailed.

"Yours?"

"Yes," Klaus cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing over her cheekbone. "As you told you, I will never, ever, ever let you go."

"I know," Caroline turned her head and pressed a soft kiss to his palm, totally missing the soft, enamored look that crossed his face. "But what does…are we dating?"

"Dating?" Caroline almost laughed at the look that crossed Klaus face as he repeated the word, half confused, half horrified. "You are mine, as I am yours."

"So we're…monogamous?" Caroline said hesitantly.

Klaus pushed her away slightly, his head dipping to peer intently into her eyes. "Do you want to be with someone else?"

"No, god no," Caroline shook her head, her curls bouncing. "You're all I want…but won't you….isn't there going to be…..am I going to be enough to keep you happy?"

"Love, you are the only being that can make me anything remotely close to happy," Klaus cupped her face in his hands. "Sweetheart, you are all that I want and the only being I need."

"I love you," Caroline whispered, tears filling her eyes as she stared into his. Nobody had ever looked at her like he did, like she was entire world, his entire reason for being. Like she was his everything.

Klaus leaned down, his lips nudging hers, stubble brushing against her skin. "As I do you."

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