True Mates Chapter Five

Hi Everyone! It's been a bit since my last update, I know, but to make up for it I am posting two new chapters at once! Chapters five and six took me a lot longer to write than usual because I was struggling with how I wanted Caroline and Klaus' reunion to go, but I think I am finally satisfied as to how it turned out. So without further ado, here is the next chapter of True Mates!

Enjoy!

Caroline was waiting in line to board Flight 821 to New Orleans, mentally going over the checklist in her mind ensuring she hadn't forgotten anything. It was Thursday night, exactly three days after her disastrous phone call with Klaus, and Caroline's nerves were getting to her.

She was excited to see him again, but she needed to make sure she managed his expectations, and hers too. She was determined that this was just going to be a short visit, that they were going to talk about the 'Mate Bond' and figure some things out. She was not going to make any huge commitments or life changing decisions. She hoped.

Which is why she figured it was best that Klaus not know she was coming.

Just as she expected, the next morning after their phone conversation, Caroline received a delivery of one first class ticket to New Orleans. But Caroline figured he would be notified as soon as she used the ticket to book her flight, so she decided to buy her own ticket. His home address was written on the delivery form so Caroline's plan was to just show up and surprise him.

She hoped by showing up unannounced he would be less prepared and therefore not have a series of grand romantic gestures planned for the sole purpose of convincing her to stay in New Orleans with him. Although, she knew how charming he could be, so advanced notice or not she knew she would be in trouble the second she knocked on his door.

Which is why Caroline couldn't stop biting her nails and glancing at her watch as she moved closer and closer to the front of the line to board the plane. She was extremely nervous as she had no idea what was going to happen this weekend.

But she would find out soon enough.

Klaus was looking around at the dated furniture and tacky décor around him, waiting impatiently for the wolves that were hosting him to finish arriving. He was sitting in the living room of the Alpha of the pack in New Orleans, hoping to come to some kind of arrangement and form a temporary allegiance with the pack against Marcel.

Living for over a thousand years gave Klaus a lot of advantages, one of them being the foresight to know that he was going to need the wolves and witches of New Orleans on his side when he took down Marcel or he would never achieve the peace in his city that he desired. Klaus knew that if he were to just kill Marcel and all of the vampires loyal to him, he would end up just replacing him in their eyes and would have to wage two more wars against the wolves and witches in order to gain complete control over the city.

Klaus was hoping to avoid all of that by getting the wolves and witches on his side before he took down Marcel, meaning he could begin his reign over New Orleans on good terms will all of the supernatural groups in the city. Well, most of the groups anyway. He didn't expect the vampires would be too happy with him, but they would learn to accept it or pay with their lives.

That was the plan, anyway, but Klaus was finding it difficult to achieve alliances with the wolves and witches as they had all heard horror stories about him and were having trouble trusting him. Although most of the stories were true, Klaus suspected they were being spread by Marcel and his vampires in order to turn everyone in the city against him and hinder his progress in forming any alliances.

And they were working to an extent, but Marcel's rein of tyranny was taking its toll on the wolves and witches, which is exactly why Klaus was meeting with the leaders of the local pack that night. He had been trying to get a face to face meeting with them for a while now, but they had always denied him believing that he was just as bad as Marcel, if not worse. But after Marcel had killed two members of their pack the week previous, the wolves had decided to hear Klaus out.

As the last wolf arrived, the Alpha of the pack, a man named Abraham Chauvin, stood up from his place on the sofa and the room fell silent. Abraham was a tall, lean man. He was strong, but did not have an overly bulky physique. He had dark skin, and dark hair. His eyes were wise, filled with the knowledge and experience that can only be gained from leading a pack for many years. He was not a young man, and would probably hand off the title of Alpha to his son in another few years. But there was no doubting Abraham's strength and ability to lead. He was a true Alpha, and could take on any younger wolf challenger foolish enough to engage him. Experience always beat out youth, at least in Abraham's case.

Abraham turned to Klaus while addressing the whole room and said, "So Hybrid, we all know why you are here. Tell us why we should trust you and stand with you against Marcel and his vampires. It is your intention to become the new King of this city, is it not? How do we know that you will be a better King than Marcel?" Abraham asked, authority and candor ringing in his voice.

Klaus knew that Abraham had the absolute and unequivocal respect and loyalty of every member of his pack. They trusted him completely and would gladly lay down their lives for their Alpha. Klaus envied this devotion as he knew that it was real and not manufactured by a 'Sire Bond' like the ones each of his hybrids had with him. He made a mental note to himself that when this was all over and he was King of the city once again, he would find a way to take over Abraham's pack and gain the loyalty of these wolves for himself.

But for now all Klaus needed to do was convince them to support his plan of overthrowing Marcel and accepting him as the new King of New Orleans.

Klaus put on his signature cocky grin and addressed the wolves answering Abraham's question, "Well, as you mentioned, Abraham, I am a hybrid, meaning that I am just as much a wolf as any of you are. I understand and respect your customs and traditions, and would not punish you for them as Marcel does. Marcel is a vampire. He cannot understand what it is to be a wolf. Thus, he will always see you as the lesser species, unworthy of his respect. I will never see you that way, and will never treat you as second class citizens of this city. When I am King, you will always be welcome in my city, and will never be treated unfairly simply because you are werewolves," Klaus finished, a mix of smugness and sincerity sounding as he spoke.

"This sounds too good to be true," one of the wolves shouted out.

"Yah, what's the catch?" said another.

"There is no catch; all I require of you right now is your word that you will recognize my authority as King when I overthrow Marcel and the vampires loyal to him. When that occurs we will begin to work on a mutually beneficial relationship that all parties are comfortable with," Klaus responds.

"How do you plan on getting rid of Marcel?" one wolf asked.

"What do you mean by mutually beneficial relationship?" shouted another.

"How do we know you'll keep your word once you're King?" asked a third.

Just then Klaus' phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket to see who was bothering him. All of his hybrids and his family knew how important this meeting was to him, so they were all given explicit instructions not to bother him unless it was an emergency.

A text message alert from Connor popped up on his screen, so he decided to open it as he knew that Connor was the hybrid on shift tonight looking after Caroline.

The text message read: "Sire, Caroline is at the airport. She left her dorm room an hour ago with a suitcase and took a cab to the airport. I followed her inside and she bought a ticket for Flight 821 to New Orleans, which is scheduled to leave in 45 minutes. Should I continue to follow her on board the plane?"

Klaus read the text message with mixed emotions. He was confused as to why she would buy her own ticket when he had already sent her a first class ticket in the mail. He assumed it was her way of being stubborn and doing things her own way, which he greatly admired even though it could be extremely annoying at times when her stubbornness was directed at him.

Despite this, however, he couldn't help smiling as he read the text as it meant that in a few short hours his Caroline would be in New Orleans. As their phone call a few days previous did not end on a very positive note, Klaus was not sure how long he would have to wait for his Queen to be by his side once again.

He was pleasantly surprised that it was happening much sooner than he thought it would, although it didn't give him a lot of time to prepare. It had taken a lot of work to get the wolves to agree to meet with him, so there was no way he could leave now. He had agreed to hear them out and ease all of their concerns, which meant he was going to be here for a while.

Also, he needed to stop and get blood bags for Caroline as he knew that was the only way she drank her blood. He did not keep any blood bags at his house as his siblings and himself all preferred to drink from the vein. He knew that he would try and break her of her blood bag habit eventually, but knowing her, it was not going to be an easy task.

He typed a quick response back to Connor as he could feel all of the wolves in the room's eyes on him.

The text read: "Yes, compel yourself a ticket on her flight but make sure you are not sitting near her and that she does not see you. When she lands follow her and make sure she gets to the house safely. Text me when she lands and when she arrives at the house."

He hurriedly slid his phone back into his pocket and looked back to the wolves sitting around him. "It seems you have a lot of questions; let's see if I can ease your minds' a bit. Where shall we begin?" Klaus asked.

This was going to be one long meeting.

Caroline hailed a cab and gave the driver Klaus' address. Her flight had arrived on time and she was met with a warm breeze as she stepped out of the airport and into the Louisiana night. Her eyes were fixed out the window the entire drive, taking in all the sights she could see from the car. And from what she could see, Klaus was right. New Orleans truly was a beautiful city.

The taxi eventually drove out into a more residential area with huge houses spaced far apart. They soon stopped in front of a large gate which was so big Caroline couldn't even see the house it was surrounding.

"Here were are, Miss. Do you need help with your bag?" the taxi driver asked.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine," Caroline replied, handing the driver the money she owed and stepping out of the cab.

She saw a small intercom box by the side of gate and walked over to it as the cab drove away. She pressed the button on the intercom, which made a buzzing noise.

A second later a male voice she had never heard before came through the speaker.

"Name?" it asked.

"Ugghhh…Caroline Forbes," she replied, a little uneasy at the bluntness of the man's tone.

"Oh, Miss. Forbes, yes, one second please," the voice immediately changed into a very friendly tone as the massive gate began to open.

Just then a hybrid sped in front of her and extended his hand toward her.

"Miss. Forbes, it's so lovely to meet you. My name is Benji. Sire has left instructions that when you arrive I am to invite you inside and show you to your room. Please let me take your bag," he said, shaking her hand.

"Ummm..it's nice to meet you too. Thank you," she said handing him her suitcase. "Were you expecting me?" she asked, a little confused as thought she was going to surprise Klaus.

They began walking up the long driveway as Benji answered her. "Not tonight specifically, no, but Sire said that you would be coming at some point and whenever you arrived we were to invite you in and make sure you had everything you needed," he responded.

Caroline just nodded her head and kept walking up the massive driveway. There were many trees all over the property so Caroline couldn't get a clear view of the house yet, but knowing Klaus, she knew it was going to be impressive.

"So, is Klaus here?" Caroline asked after a minute, curious as to why he hadn't been out to greet her yet.

"No, Sire is out right now. But don't worry, I have let him know that you have arrived," Benji replied, politely.

As they rounded a corner the house came into view and Caroline's jaw dropped. It wasn't a house at all. It was a freaking mansion. Sure, Klaus' place in Mystic Falls was big, but compared to this it was nothing. It was all white, and had beautiful columns at the front and several balconies leading from the upper levels. It was honestly the most beautiful home Caroline had ever seen.

They walked up the front steps and Benji opened up the huge front door. The main entrance way was massive, as expected. There was a small table in the middle of the room with a large vase of beautiful red roses. Off to one side Caroline could see a grand dining room, and to the other side a living room. But her eyes were immediately drawn to the set of grand staircases leading up to the second floor.

"Wow, this place really is something," Caroline muttered to herself, looking around.

"Would you like a tour, Miss. Forbes? Or would you prefer I show you to your room? I'm sure after your travels you must be getting tired." Benji asked, watching her as her eyes roamed around the place.

Now that he mentioned it, Caroline was actually getting tired. Her nerves had been keeping her feeling pretty wired back in Virginia, but now that she was actually here she was feeling better overall; although she was starting to feel a bit drowsy.

"My room, please," Caroline replied with a smile.

She followed the hybrid up one flight of stairs, and then another.

"How many rooms are in this place, anyway?" Caroline asked.

Benji furrowed his brow for a moment, looking deep in thought. "You know, I've never actually counted. The first floor has the kitchen, living room, dining room, and the study. The second floor has Sire's sibling's rooms, and many guest bedrooms. And the top floor is Sire's floor," he replied.

"If the guest rooms are on the second floor, why are we going to the third floor?" Caroline asked, her turn to look puzzled.

"Because your room is on the top floor," he said matter-of-factly.

They reached the top of the staircase and turned right, heading down a long hallway. They suddenly stopped in front of a set of large oak double doors, and Benji held the doors open for her as she walked in.

Caroline's jaw dropped for a second time that night as she saw her room. The room itself was very large, the walls painted a light shade of blue. The floors were hardwood, but there was an enormous white area rug covering most of the room. At the far end of the room Caroline could see a set of double doors leading out to a balcony, while the other side of the room held a pale blue couch and matching armchair.

Right in the middle of the room, however, stood a beautiful canopy Queen sized bed, complete with light blue curtains hanging from the top. The bed held a white comforter, and light blue pillows matching the colour scheme of the rest of the room. Hanging over the bed was a huge painting of what Caroline immediately recognized as the falls from back home. Caroline knew Klaus had painted it, probably because he wanted her to have a piece of Mystic Falls here with her.

Looking around, Caroline could tell he had decorated this room specifically for her. It was so her, every detail was perfect. Caroline was so touched; she knew he must have put a lot of thought into this room.

Benji coughed behind her, clearly trying to get her attention after she had been distracted looking around the room. "Can I get you anything, Miss. Forbes?" he asked politely.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. And you can call me Caroline, by the way," she responded, smile on her face.

"As you wish. Please just shout, if you need me. Goodnight, Caroline," he said, turning around and leaving the room.

"Goodnight," Caroline said, as he shut the doors behind him.

Caroline walked up to the first door she saw inside the room and opened it, revealing a large closet. The next door lead to a huge en suite bathroom, complete with an oversized mirror, double sinks, and a glass walk-in shower.

Caroline came back into the bedroom and crossed the room to the only doors she hadn't opened yet. They were a set of double doors, but these ones had locks on them that could be locked from her side of the doors. She opened them, revealing what she immediately realized must be Klaus' room.

His room stood in stark contrast to hers, the walls painted a dark shade of red, black leather furniture surrounding a lavish fireplace. A few paintings were scattered around his room as well, all of which Caroline could tell he painted himself. "He really is such a talented artist," she thought to herself.

Klaus' bed was off to one side of the room, and had dark red silk sheets that matched the colour of the walls. His bed was larger than hers, and looked even comfier too. She walked over to the bed and got in, pulling the sheet up over herself. The feeling of the silk against her skin felt amazing, but what was even better was Klaus' scent enveloping her. She could smell him in the sheets, in the pillows, and all over the room and it felt amazing. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until that moment, and now she didn't want it to end.

She smirked as she had an idea, getting out of the bed and walking over to Klaus' dresser. She looked in the drawers until she found one of his signature Henley's. She then used her vampire speed to flash back into her own room, removing all of her clothes except her thong, and put his Henley on. It was a little big on her, of course, reaching part way down her thighs, making it the perfect night shirt. But her main motivation for wearing it was that it too, smelled like him.

Caroline then re-entered Klaus' room through the adjoining double doors, closing them behind her. She climbed back into Klaus' bed, feeling more comfortable than ever. The combination of the feeling of his shirt clinging to her, the silk sheets against her bare legs, and the overwhelming Klaus scent in the air was making her feel better than she had felt in a long time.

In the back of her mind she knew she should be reminding herself that she was only supposed to be there for a weekend and she was only supposed to be TALKING to Klaus, as she knew that him finding her half naked in his bed wearing his shirt was definitely going to send the wrong message. But in that moment, Caroline couldn't even begin to care. The way she was feeling, how good it felt to be in his bed, Caroline threw all thoughts of consequences out the window. And as she drifted off to sleep, she thought of nothing else except the fact that being there in that moment just felt RIGHT.

Klaus was feeling impatient, wanting nothing more than to be reunited with his beautiful Queen. The meeting with the wolves had been a long one, but he must admit a pretty productive one as well. The wolves had not yet agreed outright that they would support him, but the meeting ended on a good note with them promising to talk it over with their entire pack and get back to him within the next few days. Klaus was very confident, however, that they would side with him, as it really was their best option. He knew that they just needed to look like they were dragging their feet in order not to look weak. He understood their motives completely, and was eagerly awaiting their final word of support.

After the meeting he quickly procured some blood bags for his Caroline, which he was now stocking in the kitchen fridge for her. It had been about two hours since her plane had landed, and after checking in with his hybrid Benji who said he had shown her to her room when she arrived, Klaus was eager to see her in person once again.

He flashed up both sets of stairs, stopping just outside her door and knocking lightly. When he did not get a response he assumed she was sleeping and figured he'd just check in on her quickly before heading off to bed himself. He silently opened the door and crept over to her bed, heart skipping a beat when he found it empty.

He flashed over to her bathroom but found it empty as well. He was confused as to where she was as her suitcase was still there, so there was no way she had left without any of his hybrids seeing her. Listening with his superb hybrid ears, he noticed he heard breathing coming from his own room.

He flashed over to his room and that is when he saw her, curled up his bed, wearing his shirt nonetheless. He smiled at his sleeping angel, thinking about all of the times he had pictured her exactly this way, asleep in his bed. He quickly undressed, wearing nothing but his sleep pants, and slid into the bed beside her, careful not to disturb her.

She was a vision, blonde hair sprawled across the pillow, his sheet draped across her waist. He just laid there, staring at his Caroline, feeling like the luckiest creature on the planet. His wait was finally over. His Queen was by his side once again.