Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.

A/N: I don't deserve any of you and I sure as hell don't deserve any of your kind reviews, yet you write them anyway :) You guys are great and make writing this worth it.

-xxx-

It had been three weeks since Klaus had delivered his speech to Caroline, and she hadn't seen him since. She figured he was busy working on his house that was currently under construction and drinking the entirety of the Grill's liquor supply during school hours so it was ensured that Caroline wouldn't be there. Frankly, Caroline was glad he hadn't tried contacting her. It gave her room to think.

She had yet to tell any of her friends about Klaus's visit after the sleepover because she didn't want to face their judgement and she didn't want them to sway her in a direction she might regret later. As for now, they've just been trying to help her catch up with schoolwork. As far as everyone at school knew, she had been on a mission trip in Africa for the past couple of months.

She sat at her kitchen table now, finishing up the last of her makeup work. It had taken a lot of time and effort on her part, but she eventually completed all of the after school study sessions and private tutoring lessons. She had to admit, high school was a sheer downgrade from her vacation in Paris.

Unfortunately, her rank as cheerleading captain had been revoked due to her absence, but she was able to secure a spot on the squad, albeit as a backspot. She was usually a flyer, and she figured that she would be back in that position by the end of the week since the replacement captain, Olivia, found Caroline to be extremely intimidating. Caroline would bet money that she would even have her place as captain back sooner rather than later.

She closed her notebook after answering the last Calculus question. She let out a huge sigh and grinned in victory. If she read another problem asking about derivatives, she was going to pull her hair out. She stood up and pushed in her chair, organizing her folders and books when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and answered, realizing a second too late that she should've checked Caller ID.

"Hello?" she answered hesitantly.

"Hey, Caroline," said a familiar voice.

"Tyler," Caroline exclaimed in surprise. She thought he wanted nothing to do with her ever since he found out about her relationship with Klaus. Well, former relationship.

"I, um..." Tyler stumbled awkwardly. "I heard about what Klaus did, and I heard that you left him. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Caroline could feel the guilt eating away at her. Even though they had a rough breakup, he was still there for her. He would always be there for her because he was a good guy. "I'm coping," she sighed into the phone.

There was an awkward pause while Tyler thought of something else to say. "If you need anything..." He trailed off, not exactly sure how to end his sentence. Of course he would be there for her, but he didn't know if he could handle it if she wanted to talk about Klaus.

Caroline chuckled humorlessly. "Thanks, but I think I'll be fine." The corners of her mouth twisted up into a smile at Tyler's thoughtfulness. "How about you? Will you be okay?" she added as an afterthought.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"Well...I guess it was nice talking to you—"

"Wait. I called because I want you to know I still love you. I never stopped caring, and if there's any chance at all that we could just forget all about the Klaus thing, I'd be willing to go back to the way things were."

Caroline's mouth hung open at his words. She yearned for simpler times, and she wished she could tell him that she loved him back. Things would be so much easier if they could just return to normal. But if she told him that she reciprocated his feelings, that would be a lie. Too much had happened, and even though she and Klaus weren't together at the moment, she knew what her choice would be if it came down to him and Tyler.

That's when she realized what she was going to do. Shutting Klaus out wasn't doing anything but making them both miserable. He had done his part in trying to fix things, so now it was her turn. The ball was in her court, so to speak.

"Tyler, I can't. I have to go." She quickly ended the call and grabbed her keys, barreling out of her house and clambering into her car.

Elena had given her a vague idea of where Klaus was building his new place, so Caroline began driving in that direction, sure that she could find it from there. It wasn't hard to pick out. It was mostly finished, but the windows had yet to be put in. From what she could tell, it was the biggest house she had ever seen in her life. It was even bigger than the Salvatore boarding house.

She parked in the giant driveway and took in the grandness of the place before stepping out of the car and up the porch steps, knocking lightly on the door two times. She stood back, mentally preparing herself for when the door would open and she would see Klaus standing there, undoubtedly looking extraordinarily handsome with his dark blonde curls and disheveled appearance.

The door opened, revealing the hybrid in question. Of course he looked even more irresistible than she remembered, but that could've been from not seeing him for several weeks. His mouth was pressed into a grim line, as if he thought she had paid him a visit to tell him that she couldn't forgive him and she didn't want to be with him.

"Hello, Caroline," he greeted her emotionlessly.

"Klaus," she breathed. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't prepared a speech or anything, so for the first time in a long time, Caroline Forbes was at a loss for words.

"Would you like to come in?" he offered.

Caroline nodded and took a hesitant step over the threshold, taking in the inside of the mansion. It was even more grand than the outside, which was quite the achievement. It was pretty much complete, except, of course, for the windows. Klaus led Caroline into what she assumed was his study, passing the enormous marble staircase and into a room filled with mahogany furniture and shelves covered with books. He turned around to close the French doors before turning to face her again.

"I assume you have a reason for dropping by?" he asked.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Yes. I took into account what you said, and I've decided to forgive you." She peered at him from underneath her lashes.

His expression didn't change. "It's been three weeks." It wasn't an accusation. It was merely an observation, but Caroline felt the need to defend herself.

"I had a lot going on. I just got back to school and I've been trying to make up for all the things I've missed. Believe me, trying to cram months worth of information into your head in just a couple of weeks is no easy feat." She smiled sheepishly.

There was a long silence.

Caroline shifted uncomfortably. "You know what, coming here was a mistake. I'm sorry I bothered you." She huffed in annoyance at his inability to communicate and brushed past him.

Klaus caught her by her shoulders and, much to her surprise, simpered at her. "Thank you," he whispered. Then, a second later, he added, "I love you."

Caroline felt her heart swell at his words. "I love you, too," she returned.

She placed one hand on his shoulder and let the other hand tangle in his hair and his lips came crashing down onto hers. His arms encircled her waist and he deepened the kiss, pressing her closer to him as he lifted her up and laid her gently on the desk. He hovered over her and trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, lighting her skin on fire everywhere he touched. Caroline sighed appreciatively when his lips met hers again. She tugged at the hem of his shirt and he helped her by lifting it over his head.

Caroline felt her heart slamming in her chest as they reunited, right there on the desk in the study.

-xxx-

They say makeup sex is the best. Obviously, this was true. Caroline had so much adrenaline, she wasn't even tired afterwards. She stood up and began pulling her clothes back on while Klaus slipped on his jeans, not even bothering with his shirt.

Caroline placed a hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a goodbye kiss. It was light and quick, as opposed to what they had shared no less than five minutes ago.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked with a smirk.

Caroline returned his smile. "I have some things to take care of."

Her hand ran down the length of his arm and she clutched his hand, giving it a squeeze before letting go and spinning around to leave.

She checked herself in her car mirror before starting the ignition. Her hair was ruffled, but other than that, she looked fine. She turned the key and stepped on the gas, knowing that she had to talk to Elena. Caroline wasn't an idiot. She knew Elena would be pissed beyond belief, but Caroline couldn't keep this from her. Not again.

She paused to take a deep breath when she pulled up to Elena's house. She walked slowly towards the front door and knocked, suddenly fearful that Alaric would be there and would witness the intense discussion she was about to have with Elena. If that was the case, she just hoped it wouldn't turn into a shouting match.

Luckily, Elena was the one who answered the door, and it seemed that nobody else was there. A smile broke out across the brunette's face when she saw Caroline standing outside.

"Hey, Care." She opened the door wider and Caroline stepped inside. "I was actually just about to call you and see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat at the Grill." She noticed Caroline's nervous expression then. "What's wrong?"

It took Caroline a second before she could answer. "I talked to Klaus. We're back together, kind of."

Elena's face fell. Caroline expected her to start lecturing her or shouting at her or demanding that she leave, but nope. She did none of the above. She just took a deep breath as if she were expecting this.

Caroline wanted to believe that Elena was going to accept her relationship with Klaus, but she couldn't be sure, so she had to ask. "Do you hate me?"

Elena's eyes snapped up to meet Caroline's. "I could never hate you, Caroline."

"But?" There was always a but.

"But I'll never understand what you see in him," Elena answered.

"You don't have to."

"Which is why I'm going to be fair to you. I was wrong before. I shouldn't have made you pick between us. I can see that he makes you happy, and as your best friend, I just want you to be happy. Lord knows you deserve it after all you've been through."

Caroline could feel a grin slowly stretching across her face. "So I have your blessing?" It was important to her that her friends accept the relationship she's in.

Seeing Caroline's face light up made Elena match her friend's smile. "Yes."

Caroline practically knocked Elena over as she jumped towards her, pulling her in for a hug so tight, it was a miracle she didn't crush her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Just don't expect me to go on any double dates with you, okay?" Elena joked.

Caroline shook her head frantically. "I won't, I promise." She leaned back and held her friend at arm's length. "I love you, Elena. You're the best friend in the entire world!"

Elena flipped her hair over her shoulder and laughed. "I know," she teased.

Caroline laughed with her, grateful that she could have her best friend and the love of her life without losing one or the other.

-xxx-

Bonnie was the same as Elena had been, accepting that she loved Klaus but not wanting to hang around him. "If it's what you guys want, it's not about me," she said. "But I'm not going to kiss his feet if he ever comes around here."

Caroline was beaming. "Don't worry, he'll stay out of your way if you stay out of his."

Bonnie sighed. "Then you should probably know that my mom and I have been trying to get the coffin open. Stefan is going to kill me for telling you, but if it's a weapon that can kill Klaus, I don't want to see you get your heart broken if he dies."

Caroline was taken aback. This was completely out of the blue.

Bonnie continued. "Maybe we can reach an agreement or something. Tell him that we're willing to negotiate. I'll talk to the others."

It took a few minutes before Caroline could find her voice. Bonnie wanted nothing more than to see Klaus dead, so the fact that she was telling Caroline this to spare her the heartbreak was astonishing. "Um...wow. Thank you. I'll...I'll tell him." She made to leave, but Bonnie's voice stopped her.

"Caroline, please take care of yourself. A man like that is bound to have tons of enemies. I don't want you to get caught in a crossfire."

Caroline smiled at her friend's concern. "Don't worry about me, Bonnie. I'll be okay." She continued to her car, opening her door and sliding in. She began driving away after pressing a button on the dashboard and saying into the speaker, "Call Klaus."

Klaus picked up after the third ring, his voice echoing through the vehicle. "Hello, love. Miss me already?"

Caroline got straight to the point. "How willing would you be to propose a truce with the Salvatores?"

"Well, the last time I tried negotiating with one of them, it didn't end so well."

"I figured you would say that. What if I told you Bonnie and her mom are trying to open the locked coffin?"

There was silence on the other end as Klaus absorbed this new piece of information. "Continue."

"Bonnie knows how much you mean to me, so she's going to convince the Salvatores to give you the coffin for something in return, but I don't know what that 'something' is yet."

More silence.

"Klaus...what's in that coffin?" Caroline asked hesitantly, fearful of what the answer may be.

"Nothing of your concern."

"I thought we were past keeping secrets."

Klaus sighed before finally giving in. "It's my mother."

Caroline's jaw dropped. "I thought she was dead."

"She is, but her body was preserved. If they manage to open that coffin, there's no doubt she'll come after me."

"Then it's good Bonnie's trying to make a deal. Stefan may not be able to keep his word, but I've known Bonnie my whole life. She knows how to make good on her promises." Caroline held her breath, hoping Klaus would agree to give peace a chance.

It took Klaus a few minutes to answer. "If Bonnie can get Damon and Stefan to cooperate, I'll see what I can do about setting up a meeting."

Caroline grinned. "Thank you," she sang.

"You're lucky I love you," Klaus said.

"I love you, too," Caroline replied before ending the call. Now if they could just come up with a compromise that both parties could agree on, all would be well and good in Mystic Falls, and in Caroline's life.

-xxx-

A/N: I feel like this story is wrapping up, but it just needs some loose ends to be tied in the coming chapters. Thank you for sticking with me through this thing! All of you are wonderful and I hope you find $100 on the ground today!

Extra hugs for everyone who reviews :)