2 days ago...

'Elena!' Caroline walks through the door and slams it behind her cursing under her breath. 'You were supposed to help me study!' Her words bounce back on an empty dorm room, carefully decorated with three beds- they were all empty, as was the bathroom. 'Ughhh!' flicking her hair and stomping her foot, she turned to see a pink square of paper with a hastily scribbled sentence, crafted in an entirely recognisable and feminine scrawl.

Gone to Lakehouse with Damon for the weekend, sorry -E.

Bonnie was also away visiting her mum over the next week so that left her alone for the next couple of days. Caroline didn't like being left alone. She liked to party, get drunk and score well on her next exam without compelling anyone. This was, of course, an impossible task without a study buddy. Or so she told herself. Sighing she hopped onto her bed and dug out her phone from her shorts' pocket, typed her passcode in and scrolled through the messages from Tyler. They had had another fight on Tuesday; a major one. After breaking up over a year ago you'd think that they would be on better terms, but now that things had settled down after the travellers left it was more awkward than ever before.

He was still angry about Klaus. Klaus. The name hung on her mind. The most dangerous man on the planet and she had gone and slept with him. She didn't blame Tyler for hating her... Wafting her hand in front of her to clear her mind, she slipped her phone back on the bedside cabinet and went to grab a cardigan from the large wardrobe they all shared, slipping it around her shoulders before preparing to go back outside. It was a cold day for June, the weather being unusually downcast and although the cold didn't bother her, it would look strange pacing around in only a pair of shorts and a tank when the sun was in.

She needed a walk. Every time she thought of Klaus she got an annoying feeling that she couldn't get rid of. Klaus. 'Nooo', she groaned as she shook her head. 'Bad Caroline!' Running her hands through her soft, golden locks of hair she walked out the door. Thunk. She landed on her arm and got up even more annoyed than before, looking around to see if anyone had seen. Vampires don't fall over, they gracefully sit down, but they do not fall. Luckily the corridor was empty, well of course it would be, because she was the only one left for the weekend.

Groaning again, she picked up the thin envelope that had caused her humiliating moment and was about to chuck it back inside the room when she noticed the lettering on the front. This was handwriting she had not seen since shredding that drawing of her and a horse at last year's bitter ball. On the surface of the crisp, waxy paper was a name, in black ink; her name.

Cautiously turning it over, she broke the paper and pulled out a thin strip of parchment.

Caroline, I am a man of my word and in that sense I am not so unlike my brother. I promised to show you the world and it would give me no greater pleasure than to keep that promise. Please meet me this Sunday at a cafe called 'Geeovana's', I understand if you do not wish to see me, but please give me a chance to explain.

It was signed off with a name she least expected to see and enclosed with the parchment was a first class ticket, by plane, to Paris and a small map directing her from the airport to the small bistro that was the suggested meeting point.

Turning the now empty envelope over in her hands, she checked the front again and saw a stamp that confirmed the sign off. It was posted from New Orleans. She had received a letter from Klaus.

Present day.

Reaching into her pocket, she drew out the map that had arrived with the letter and looked down the street to see that it was the one that matched the description. She was suddenly very nervous. A jumble of questions stirred around in her confused head and her emotions were running rampant. She was scared, she had just travelled for hours to get to a man that she had wished away and it was not a good idea. So why didn't she turn back now? Or this morning? Her legs were rooted to the spot, she couldn't leave even if she wanted to. There was something stopping her.

Zooming in around a hundred metres down the street, she could see the cafe's door. A small sign gently swayed above the entrance, the paint was peeling slightly and the entire street was deserted. Placing the map back in her jacket and wrapping her silk scarf tight around her, she made her way down the narrow walkway. She stepped over the porch and into the most delightful room she had ever encountered. How he had discovered this place was beyond her; furnished with vintage stools and tables, all made from wood. A large watercolour of the skyline had been placed on the far wall and this completed the look perfectly.

After a quick glance around, she concluded that the cafe was empty for the time being, although muffled sounds were coming from the kitchen door, alerting her to the presence of another being. She decided to take a closer look at the painting, marvelling at the intricate detail and blend of colours that could only be achieved by a master. It also looked vaguely familiar, the style, not the painting itself. She checked the bottom right corner and noticed a small 'N' followed by another letter or shape that couldn't be made out due to the age of the artwork. Still checking that nobody was around, she placed a hand over the painting and let her hand trail delicately across it, feeling the texture of the aged surface that must have been over a hundred years old.

Klaus.

He had been standing there for half an hour by the time she eventually arrived and she still had not turned and seen him. As soon as she walked in, her eyes had lit up at the sight of it. Little did she know that it was Klaus who had discovered this outlet over a hundred years ago, injected some money into it and that it was he that had painted the work she was now entranced by. The cafe was one of the best in Paris; this was only the backroom that he used for his own personal visits, if you went through the kitchen and through the doors or the other side you would enter into a large room that was filled full of businessmen, tourists and locals. You had to book well in advance to even get a seat here, but he didn't care about his surroundings, it didn't fill him with joy that he had returned here after forty years.

Niklaus Mikaelson was terrified. That was the real reason that he hadn't stepped out of the shadows that he now resided in. He had prepared himself for this over the last few days, ever since he decided to send her that letter and now it had all gone to mush. All he could remember is the heartbreak he felt deep inside him the day he returned to New Orleans and left her at Mystic Falls to continue her life with Tyler. He told himself it was the right thing to do, he promised her that he would not return until he was welcome. But first he had promised to show her the world.

He intended to keep his word, he knew that he had missed her, but the burning desire that he now felt for this blue eyed blonde was overwhelming him. He had never felt like this about anyone before, his feelings for her had always been there, but they had never been that intense. The whole time he stayed in New Orleans he had kept these feelings buried and now that things had calmed down with the witches, he had had time to think. And thinking led to Caroline. And that led him here.

Mustering the courage that he had never needed before, he stepped out into the light.

Caroline.

She was still examining the painting when she heard a noise behind her, from the corner of the room, guessing who it was before turning around. Hesitating a moment longer to process what was happening gave him a chance to speak.

'Caroline'. The word came out of his mouth like a whisper, hushed and difficult to pick up on, even with super-sensitive hearing. She froze in place, still and statue like as thoughts tumbled through her conscious mind. Klaus. He was here. How long had he been here?

Cautiously, she fixed a neutral expression on her face and turned towards him. She stifled a gasp, hoping that he had not heard it and resumed her emotionless front. After over a year of not seeing him, here he stood, radiating power, control and danger. She was scared of him. Why had she been so foolish as to come here? He was the man that had killed hundreds of innocents over the years; Tyler's mum, Jenna and all those hybrids to name just a few. She was rooted, but not by love or desire.

He was closer to the exit then she was and would surely stop her from leaving which only left her one choice; stay and listen to what he had to say. And so, politely tipping her head, she left the painting and stepped two paces towards him; showing that she was not afraid, when in reality she had never been more frightened in her life.

Klaus.

As soon as he stepped forward she stiffened. When he murmured her name, she turned with a look of complete indifference written across her face. For a moment he swore that he heard her gasp, however, it seemed to be wishful thinking. She stepped towards him, a look of defiance on her face; she was not scared.

He took her in one feature at a time, she looked wiser and more guarded, although the Caroline he knew and adored was still there, she looked different; there was an edge to her now, a dangerous one. He liked it, the change suited her.

'Do you like it?' he enquired.

'Do I like what?' she was quick to reply, almost too quick.

'The painting you were attempting to rub away.' At this comment she blushed ever so slightly, clearly embarrassed at being caught. This made him smile slightly, but he was careful not to let to much emotion show on his features, for it could scare her off and then he would be back to square one.

He met her eyes for a brief second before she averted hers, turning her sapphire like gaze to the floor. Her behaviour intrigued him. They had left things unfinished and there had been so much more that he had wanted to say to her in that forest, but the only thing that he had desired at the time was to hear how she truly felt about him. Expecting rejection, he prepared himself to let go and the only way to do that was to hear it straight from her mouth that they never had a chance. Instead she had given him that tiny bit of hope to cling to for these last months. She had wanted him then, but had it been through love or to simply retaliate against Tyler?

This was the question that now decided to taunt him. He was here to find out the answer.

Caroline.

The smile he sent her way caused her stomach to do a little flip. He looked guarded, although it was obvious that he was pleased to see her. There may have even been worry etched into his brow; he was nervous and this fact gave her the courage to speak.

'Why did you invite me here?' she said strongly, albeit calmly.

'Well, why did you come?' he gave her one of his hopeful smiles, immediately shot down with her returning frown. Clearly seeing the flare in her eyes, he took a step towards her, hands grasped together in almost a prayer. 'I wanted...No, I needed to see you and explain something that has been on my mind for the last three years', he begged her to listen.

She walked over and perched on one of the stools, waiting for him to continue.

'I promised you that I would walk away and never come back', he spoke quietly. 'It took everything in me to return to New Orleans after the time we spent together. I hoped you would change your mind. You didn't and now I have spent the last year awaiting some type of message from you, somehow knowing it would never come and it has been torture.'

This speech surprised her and suddenly there was this rage. A rage inside of her that she had never known. He had left her. The man that was supposedly in love with her had left her in a forest with leaves in her hair and it was all because she had asked him to. She didn't love him. He had killed too many of her friends and hurt her too many times to deserve that from her.

When she looked him in the eye, he flinched back slightly. She stood up and leaned on the table, never breaking eye contact with him.

'Okay', she whispered. 'You've said what you wanted to say. Now it's my turn.'

Klaus nodded at her to go ahead, a nervousness somehow contained behind the surface of his eyes.

"You have done terrible things, things that could maybe be forgiven, but right now I'm in college and I'm doing okay, you know? I didn't mean to... Ughh! Just... I can't do this. There are complications in my life; Tyler, work, normal boring problems and I just don't think I can forgive you for everything after a year."

She stops to take a breath, rushing through her words like her life depended on it. The difficulty was making him see things from her point of view. When she mentioned Tyler, he had stiffened and bitten back a wolf-like snarl. She needed to make him see that he had to work for her forgiveness, no matter how harsh her explanation had to come across.

"After months, you send me a letter that literally made me fall over!" Caroline inwardly cringes at this last part; she babbles when she gets frustrated. "And I came, I don't know why but I felt I had to give you a chance, a chance to win me over." Bowing her head slightly and feeling dizzy, she sits back down on the old stool. Klaus, meanwhile, was staring at her attentively, hanging onto every word. He had hope and a mixture of sorrow written on his face; his full lips were pinched shut in concentration and his brow had drawn together in an attempt to keep up with what she was saying.

She couldn't decide, in that moment, whether she wanted to kiss him or hit him. He looked so vulnerable and innocent that she could almost forget that he was a monster of sorts, almost...

"But it was a mistake and I'm sorry that you have to deal with all my crap right now. I just... I need more time. The problem with that is I don't know how much time. That's the problem with immortality. How much time does a vampire need to forgive?" She looked down at her lap, processing everything that had come tumbling out of her mouth in a mad rush. It felt as though a weight had been lifted off her, a weight that had been dragging her down since they had gone their separate ways with things left unsaid.

Klaus.

There she went again, making excuses and trying to explain why. Why they would never be together. Why she couldn't forgive him. It was what he needed to hear- not what he wanted to hear- to finally move on. It could take a year, it could take a decade or even a century to get over her, but he knew that he would never give up. As long as he was alive, each year he would seek her out and take her somewhere new; he would show her the world.

This trail of thought was quickly forgotten. She wanted to forgive him, she wanted him to win her over. She had openly admitted that she could forgive him. He stepped forward, making her look up.

"I have all the time in the world. That is the beauty of immortality."

And it was true. If the time ever came when she would love him like he loved her, he would wait for it.

Caroline.

After all that and he still wanted to be with her? She would never be able to wrap his actions around her brain. He would do something truly awful and then say something like that to her. She didn't understand it. Thinking about everything like this bought on a headache and right now she had a killer one.

When she looked to the immediate future, all she could see was Tyler. He had been her first love and would always have a hold on her. What she had done to him was wrong. You don't kiss his mother's murderer, you don't make out with him and you most certainly do not sleep with him. But that was what she had done and now it had left her in state.

The first step in unravelling this situation was to admit to herself that she cared for Klaus. She most certainly did not love him. She loved Tyler. Tyler was being a jerk. That led her here. To Klaus. She needed to stop doing this; she needed to stop coming to Klaus every time she hit a rough patch with Tyler because it wasn't fair on either of them. She had to return to Mystic Falls and set things right. She had decided on her path.

"Look… Klaus. This place is lovely and I am really grateful that you contacted me, but… What I'm doing isn't fair on you or Tyler and I don't want a repeat of what happened last time. I need to return home and sort things out, things that I didn't realise needed fixing until coming here. I'm sorry" She winced slightly through saying this, knowing that it would hurt him and, unbelievably, she didn't want to hurt him, she wanted him to be happy.

With the final word, she darted out of the café and onto the narrow street outside before he even had a chance to register what had happened. She turned back at the end of the walkway to see that he hadn't followed her, which was a relief.

"Goodbye," she whispered. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she continued on her journey to the airport. Home…

To be continued…