Fallen

Chapter Twelve

A.N. High five for me updating before two months had passed! Scoooore!

So the general consensus I got from the last chapter was that everyone died, everyone cried, and we all hate Tyler. Does that sound right? Because that's pretty much the mindset I went through when I was writing it.

So here we are again! We get a little more glimpse into Caroline and Matt's story, as well as fluff. Lots of fluff. And Elijah being commanding and in uniform. Because that's an image I very much enjoy. Le sigh.

This chapter is pretty much dedicated to Nicole over on Tumblr (nfinneman...she makes amazing graphics and she drunken liveblogs lots of shows, so you should all totally check her out) because she bribed me with Michael Fassbender bringing me tacos if I updated. And I'm just that easy, so I did.

Thank you, as always, to my wonderful beta team, Miranda, Becky and Katie, who every day keep me from throwing in the towel.

Catch you guys again at the bottom, and do enjoy!

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The water was scalding as it pelted her numb hands, the white porcelain of the sink staining red as the blood washed from her hands in rivets and ripples.

Caroline's gaze blurred with tears as she watched her husband's blood drip and circle the drain, sobbing as the washcloth she scrubbed against her hands nearly took the skin away as well. All she felt was red-it stained her skin, her nails, the cracks around her knuckles. No matter how hard she scrubbed, it wouldn't fade away.

The door to the bathroom swung open, and she jumped, her gaze snapping up to the mirror. A breath of relief slipped past her lips when she met Matt's gaze in the glass.

His piercing blue eyes were turbulent as they looked her over, and even through the glass Caroline could see that he was barely holding himself together. Not that she could blame him-it wasn't everyday you learned your little sister's picture perfect life was nothing but a lie.

He was fumbling with the plastic First Aid kit in his hands as he made his way towards her, the sleeves of his blue plaid shirt rolled up to his elbows, his short cropped blonde hair sticking up in disarray. His jaw was clenched tight, his knuckles white as they gripped the white box in his hands, and Caroline knew his eyes were shining with unshed tears he refused to cry. She knew Matt Donovan better than anyone. She knew his moods and his quirks, and she knew that in the small bathroom of his one story house, he was wrestling with an anger she'd rarely been witness to.

He set the First Aid kit on the bathroom counter next to him, hesitating for a only a moment before he reached out and gently grasped her elbow, turning her to face him.

She looked everywhere but directly at his searching gaze, wincing when he cupped her face in his hands, tilted her head from side to side as he took in her split lip and the ugly bruise already forming on her cheek. His fingers skimmed the small scrapes on her forearms, briefly touching the fingerprint sized bruises on either side of her jaw. His hands lingered on her wrists, placing his fingers directly over the spots where Tyler's grip had bit into her flesh, and the broken sob that escaped his lips snapped her eyes up to his face.

"Care," he whispered, shaking his head, and he lifted his eyes to hers, and that was all it took for the dams to break.

Caroline collapsed against his chest, her fingers clenching in the fabric of his shirt. She desperately breathed him in, her big brother, allowing his familiar scent to wash over her and she felt the first ounce of safety she had in hours. His arms wrapped around her, one tightly around her waist and the other buried in her hair, crushing her to him.

She cried in his arms-cried for everything she'd lost in such a short amount of time. She cried for the lie she'd been living, and the hopes she so desperately clung to that things would change. She cried for Matt, who felt her pain as if it were his own, and despite herself, she cried for Tyler, for everything he had stood for when she was young and naive and dreaming of a life that had seemed so far out of her reach.

She didn't know how long they stood there, but eventually her sobs subsided. She pulled away, letting her hands linger against Matt's chest, her eyes watering when she caught sight of the blood still caked beneath her fingernails.

Matt's hands closed around hers, pulling them away from him, and he caught her eye as he lowered his chin. "Why didn't you tell me, Caroline?" he demanded quietly.

Caroline sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know," she whispered. "I just...hoped it would stop. I hoped he would stop, and…when he didn't I was just afraid no one would believe me."

Matt nodded, swiping a hand down his face as he sighed. "Jesus, Care, I'm so sorry." She blinked up at him in confusion. "The only reason you even met Tyler was because of me. I introduced you. I kept pushing you guys together when we were in school."

"Matt…"

"If I'd just kept my nose out of it and minded my own god damn business, this wouldn't have even happened."

Caroline shook her head. "No, Matt, this isn't your fault. You didn't do anything. I made my own decisions. Me and Tyler, we made our own decisions. This isn't anyone's fault." Her voice was barely above a whisper, though the sound seemed to reverberate against the plaster walls, and she watched him nod, feeling his hands rubbing up and down her arms in a show of comfort. She took a breath, seeing the blood on her hands again, and she sighed. "What am I going to do, Matty? What if...what if he's dead? What if I killed him?" she sobbed.

Matt's hands reached up, cupping her cheeks and drawing her attention to him. He tilted his chin down, catching her eyes, and he lifted his brows. "Listen to me," he said. "I'm going to fix this. Okay? I swear to God, Caroline, I'm going to fix this." Her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "I couldn't help you before, Care, but I'm going to make sure you have a future now."

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Caroline's hands were clenched tightly in her lap as she exhaled quietly, forcing her eyes to remain focused on Elijah as he sat behind his desk. She'd always found the eldest Mikaelson to be intimidating, but sitting before him at that moment, she found him downright formidable.

They'd come straight from the bus station, Klaus' fingers laced reassuringly with hers as he'd led her into the police station. Her legs had been shaking when they'd seen Stefan and Elijah standing in the doorway of the Sheriff's office, and every instinct inside of her was telling her to run, but then Klaus had wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing a kiss to her temple and whispering that he'd be by her side for every second.

Elijah had been silent as she'd recounted her tale from start to finish. His eyes never wavered from hers, their dark pools evaluating every word she spoke. His brow was furrowed, his expression never changing, and she wondered at what point in his job he'd become able to mask his reactions so well. He sat straight in his chair, one hand resting on the arm of his chair, the other bent at the elbow on the other, fingers of his hand tracing the outline of his lip as he listened.

Occasionally his gaze would switch to Klaus, who sat at her side, or towards Stefan, who she knew was leaning against the wall behind them, just as aptly listening to her retelling as Elijah. She hadn't missed the way the deputy's eyes had narrowed when he'd seen her walk in with Klaus, or the look the two friends had shared when she'd announced that she needed to make a report. She'd managed to avoid his gaze since they sat down, keeping her back towards him, but halfway through her speech, she'd felt his hand on her shoulder, and she'd glanced over to see him handing her a small box of tissues, his eyes soft and understanding.

Throughout the entire report, Klaus sat at her side, his chair as close to hers as possible. His hand would reach over and cover hers when he noticed her picking at the hem of her blue jeans or wringing her fingers, and she would relax under his touch. He didn't speak, and she never even glanced at him, not wanting to see the pity or shame or disgust or the million other things she'd imagined she'd find on his face as he listened to her whole story through and through.

"The first time it happened was our honeymoon," Caroline continued quietly. "I tipped the room service attendant too much and Tyler...grabbed me." She clenched her fingers around her knee to keep her hand from reaching up to trace her upper arm, still so easily able to feel the bite of Tyler's fingers as they dug into her skin. "It was always things like that. Grabbing or pushing. Even pinching sometimes. It didn't start getting worse...until later."

Elijah's chair squeaked as he sat forward, clasping his hands on his desk as he leveled his gaze with hers. "When did it start to escalate, Caroline?" he asked, his voice quiet but authoritative.

Caroline dropped her gaze to her lap, her hand reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her fingers slipped down the side of her neck and rested, her nails scraping absently at her skin as her mind flashed back, memories she wished would just fade away and disappear screaming to the surface. "When we'd been married about a year I found out I was pregnant." From her peripheral vision, she saw Klaus' head turn towards her, and she forced her gaze to stay focused on her lap. "Tyler was just starting out in the Raleigh Police Department. He was always working and we'd...we'd talked about it. Having kids. And he always said no, there wasn't any time. I knew he didn't want kids; I'd always known. But it still happened, and I guess there was a part of me that just hoped…" She closed her eyes, shaking her head, her fingers quickly swiping at the tears she felt welling in her eyes once more. "He was so angry," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He screamed and he grabbed me. And I tried to push him away and then he hit me." It was the first time he'd ever hit her. She could still hear the resounding slap; could still feel her cheek burn and ache…

"He pushed me and I fell and hit the edge of the table. Tyler just...stood there. He just stood there, staring down at me, and then he just...stormed out. I didn't...I couldn't believe…" She trailed off, shaking her head again. "I don't know how long I just lied there, but eventually I got up...and that's when I noticed the blood." Klaus' hand came into her line of vision, his fingers gently curling around her own, and she felt her lips tremble, clenching her teeth to hold back the sob she knew was threatening to escape. "I called my brother Matt and he took me to the hospital. I lost the baby…" She sighed, swiping at her cheeks again. "Everything set him off after that."

She heard Stefan push away from the wall behind her, the creaking leather of this gun holsters seeming to echo in the silence that had settled around the room. "Your brother Matt," he began, walking towards the front of Elijah's desk and leaning against it. "He knew? About...everything?"

Caroline looked up at him, shaking her head. "I told him and the doctors at the hospital that I fell down the stairs."

Stefan nodded. "So there were no witnesses to the abuse?" Caroline shook her head, and he frowned. "No one else knew about it?" When she shook her head again, slowly, he nodded. "What about hospital records? Incident reports?"

"No," Caroline said quietly. "I didn't...I couldn't let anyone know, so I just...made up accidents or falls or...sometimes when Tyler would calm down, he'd apologize and...patch me up himself."

Elijah shifted in his seat then, clearing his throat softly, and his eyes turned towards his brother for the briefest of moments. Klaus sat in his chair quietly, one hand entwined with Caroline's while the other rested in his lap, clenched into the tightest fist he may have ever seen. The knuckles were white, straining against his skin, and though he sat ramrod straight in his seat, the occasional twitch of his foot or shift of his hand indicated just how tightly wound his brother was. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his jaw clenched, and in his blue eyes, Elijah could see a war of emotions occurring. He was trying to keep it reigned in for Caroline's sake.

He only hoped the blonde's influence on his brother would last.

"Caroline," he asked, turning his attention towards the young blonde woman again. Something tugged in his chest when she lifted her shadowed gaze towards his, and he cursed himself for not having seen the signs before now. How many domestic violence cases had he worked over the last decade? How many victims and battered wives had he questioned, all of them having that same hollow look in their eyes that Caroline Forbes had? "It's very important that we have all the details. This is a sensitive case, especially considering the...position...your husband holds. There's no easy way to ask this, so I apologize, but...did the abuse ever turn...sexual?"

The quiver of her lips, the way her face crumbled, the hitched sigh that tore its way up her throat were indication enough. He watched as Caroline lifted a hand to her mouth, her eyes closing as tears slid down her cheeks, her head jerking just once in the affirmative before her shoulders began to shake with her sobs.

Elijah's eyes shot to his brother when his chair scraped against the floor, watching as Klaus leapt from his seat, a growl tearing from his throat, his hand slipping from Caroline's to run through his hair as he turned his back, walking a few paces towards the back of the room. The tight clench of his shoulders, the rigidness of his spine, the telltale sign of a clenched jaw-Niklaus was barely holding on by a thread.

"Niklaus," he warned quietly, his gaze flitting to Caroline, seeing the young woman's sobs worsen with his brother's outburst. He didn't blame his brother-it was taking everything in him not to forsake protocol and go hunt down the lowlife that was responsible for this in the first place-but the last thing Caroline needed was her anchor losing control. He had no doubt that Klaus was the only thing keeping the young blonde as composed as she was.

Glancing towards Stefan, he jerked his chin in Klaus' direction, watching as the younger man nodded and made his way towards his friend, placing a hand on his shoulder and talking to him in hushed tones.

Klaus was turning back towards them a moment later, nodding, as he made his way to Caroline's seat. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he leaned down, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, though Elijah could still see the rage that lingered just beneath the surface of his brother's concerned demeanor.

Nodding, Elijah turned his attention back to Caroline, leaning further in his chair and catching her eye. "Caroline, did you believe your life was in danger when you attacked your husband?"

Caroline lifted her head, meeting his gaze, and he watched as she lowered her hand to her lap, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffled, letting out a shaky sigh. "He would have killed me," she said quietly, brokenly, and it was all the vindication he needed.

Shifting back in his chair, Elijah nodded, running a hand over his mouth before jabbing a finger towards the forged Wanted notice that rested on his desktop. "Frankly speaking, Tyler Lockwood should be drawn and quartered, strung up in the center of town to answer for what he's done," he spat, shoving the paper away with disgust. "Unfortunately, none of this is our jurisdiction. We can't lift a finger against his abuse here in New Orleans. His forgeries, however, his cutting of red tape, are an entirely different matter." He looked up at Stefan. "Stefan, I do believe a call to the Raleigh police chief is in order in regards to Tyler Lockwood's activities."

"What?" Caroline exclaimed, her voice tinged with panic as she leaned forward in her chair. "No, you can't-you can't do that. Elijah, he'll find me. You don't know how far up Tyler's connections go."

Elijah turned towards her. "Tyler's 'connections' mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, Caroline. Not after everything he's done; everything he's managed to get away with. He was given a badge in order to protect people, and hiding his actions behind it is an insult to the entire institution I've dedicated my life to." He could still see the uncertainty in her eyes, and he rose from his chair, stepping around his desk and stopping before her. He knelt down until he could meet her eye to eye, watching her blue gaze search his face. "I will not let him hurt you, Caroline. And I will not let him get away with what he's done. He needs to be made an example of. He needs to answer for his actions. Being an officer of the law does not excuse any of it. And I promise you, Caroline, he won't find you."

Caroline stared at him, desperately searching for the truth in his words.

He nodded. "You have my word."

His word. His word. A promise. A promise to protect her, the one thing no one had ever offered her when it came to Tyler.

It was a promise she believed Elijah Mikaelson would keep.

She nodded, offering him a half hearted smile, and she settled back into her chair, feeling Klaus' thumbs rubbing comforting patterns against her shoulders as he kissed the crown of her head once more, and her eyes closed of their own volition at the simplicity of the motion.

"I'll get Raleigh P.D. on the phone," she heard Stefan say, followed by his fading footsteps and the opening and closing of the office door.

Elijah made his way back to his seat as Klaus knelt down next to hers, his hand pushing her blonde curls over her shoulder and his fingers traced her cheek. She saw the question in his eyes, and she smiled at him, leaning forward until her forehead rested against his. His hands cupped her cheeks, holding her with a tenderness that was still so foreign to her, and her chest tightened when she realized all she'd nearly lost by getting on that bus today.

"Take her home, Niklaus," Elijah said quietly, and they broke apart, both turning their heads to look at him. "It's in my hands now. I'll see it through."

Klaus nodded, and Caroline felt his arm slip around her waist, pulling her to her feet and tucking her against his side. She let him lead her towards the door, leaning into him, and as he reached to pull open the door, she glanced over her shoulder, seeing Elijah reaching for the phone on his desk. "Thank you, Elijah," she murmured, clutching at Klaus' hand as it rested against her hip.

The eldest Mikaelson looked up at her with the hint of a smile. "You're family now, Caroline," he said with a shrug, smiling at her surprised look. "Family above all."

Klaus' breath ghosted across the shell of her ear. "Family above all," he echoed, pressing a kiss to her cheek, and Caroline could only nod mutely, smiling at them both as he lead her from the room.

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Things had been silent since they'd left the police station.

Klaus had insisted that she stay with him, and she hadn't put up much of an argument. There was a pain in her chest when she thought about being away from him right then, an unspoken fear that somehow she'd get ripped away or he'd realize his mistake in chasing after her. And as much as she just wanted to be alone with him, even though she was dreading the talk she knew they'd have to have, there was one other person who had also tried to stop her from running. One person who weighed heavily on her heart whom she'd hurt in her attempt to flee. When Klaus pulled up in front of the apartment, her stomach dropped at the thought of facing Bonnie.

Bonnie Bennett had become her friend in the loneliest moments of her life, and she had said such horrible things to her. She'd done nothing but try to help her-to understand her-and in a moment of panic and regret, she'd pushed her away as far as she could. She hated the idea they wouldn't be okay again.

But as soon as she pushed open the door, Bonnie's arms had closed around her, her tear streaked face breaking into a relieved smile as she'd said her name and crushed her in an embrace.

The sobs came unbidden from Caroline's lips, her own arms cradling her friend close as she watched Kol rise from his place on the couch, his brows raising as Klaus silently made his way towards him, motioning for them to move towards the kitchen and give the girls some space.

"Bonnie, I'm so sorry," Caroline whispered, pulling back slightly so she could look her friend in the eye. "I'm so, so sorry, I didn't mean any of what I said."

Bonnie only shook her head, hugging her again. "It's so not important, Care," she said with a small, quiet laugh. "I'm just so glad you're okay."

Caroline let the tears spill down her cheek as she melted into her friend's embrace, her eyes looking past Bonnie's shoulder to land on Klaus and Kol across the way. Their heads were bent close as they spoke, Kol's face a rare expression of seriousness and attention, but Klaus' gaze remained trained on her. There was such a concern that she saw in them, as if he feared she would disappear again if he were to look away for even a second.

She watched as they spoke, and then Klaus was at her side, telling Bonnie that Caroline would be staying with him for awhile, and Caroline wasn't the least bit surprised when her roommate agreed readily, squeezing her hand with a promise that they would talk later-whenever she was ready-and that she needed to take care of herself right now.

And in that moment, Caroline wondered how she had been so lucky to stumble into this misfit family she'd become a part of so quickly.

And now, later that evening, she found herself sitting on the couch in Klaus' living room, her fingers tracing the lip of her coffee mug as she peeked at Klaus from the corner of her eye. He sat next to her with his head bowed, his eyes focused on the floor as he was lost in thought, his own mug slowly rising to his lips.

There was something so domesticated about it, the simple gestures of a couple enjoying a cup of coffee in silent company, that had Caroline letting out a quiet chuckle, a smile pulling at her lips. The reality was so far from the truth.

Her laugh pulled Klaus from his thoughts, and he lifted his head, looking over at her with raised brows and a small smirk, a question in his eyes. She only shook her head, cradling the mug in her hands, letting the ceramic warm her cold palms. "Nothing," she said quietly, biting her lower lip as she sighed. "It's just...this is so much more than you should have to deal with, Klaus."

Klaus sighed. "Caroline."

"No, seriously, okay," she cut him off, looking up at him as she shifted on the couch, shifting her coffee mug to the table next to them before tossing her arms up in the air. "This, all of this, is so much for one person to process. I mean...we literally went from being so happy and so content, just being with each other, to you accusing me of murder and...I can't even be angry about that, because, let's face it, I kind of brought it on myself by lying about everything."

"Caroline."

"And then you were chasing me through a bus station like some movie scene and telling me you loved me, and then you have to hear every ugly, sordid detail of a life I never wanted you to have to know about..."

"Caroline."

"And I mean, my brain feels like it's going to explode, so I can't even imagine how yours-"

The feel of Klaus' lips on hers cut off her rant, and she flinched in surprise before she felt his hand in her hair, pulling her close. His lips gently caressed hers, small gentle pecks that left her sighing, and she closed her eyes, relaxing into him.

"Caroline," Klaus whispered as he pulled away, his lips still brushing against hers as he spoke. "Stop." He heard her sigh heavily, and he smiled, pressing his lips to hers once more. "It's a bit to process. But I have. And I'm here. With you. And nothing will drive me away. Do you understand?"

He opened his eyes to see her blue orbs peering at him intently, and he watched her nod after a moment, her teeth nibbling at her lower lip again, a sure fire tell of her nervousness if he ever saw one. He smiled at her, cupping the back of her neck and pulling to her to him once more, brushing a feather light kiss against her lips before pulling away, settling back into the couch cushions and letting his hand clasp hers tightly. He let his eyes drift across her, watching as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "Where does Forbes come from?"

Caroline let out a laugh, shaking her head. "It's...my name." She looked at him, seeing his confusion, and shrugged. "Matt and I aren't biological siblings. His parents adopted me when we were four, after my parents died in a car accident. They all went to high school together and were the...atypical suburban group of friends. Anway, I legally became Caroline Donovan after that, but they always made sure I knew where I really came from."

Klaus nodded. "That night we had dinner for the first time. You mentioned not having parents around very often…"

"Yeah, Kelly and Zack kind of became absentee after a while, when Matt and I were older. Zack took off with some secretary or someone like that and Kelly became more absorbed in her liquor bottles than her kids, so…" She shrugged. "Matt and I stuck together after that. He was always looking out for me…"

He toyed with her fingers, smiling at the affectionate tone her voice had taken when speaking of her brother. "Remind me to thank him one day."

She smiled. "One day...You know, sometimes I think it'd be better if 'one day' never happened." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she spoke, and the vision of their joined hands began to blur as her eyes welled with tears for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Sometimes I think Matty would be better off if he didn't have me as a sister anymore. I mean...I already ruined my life. Why should I ruin his too?"

"Ruined your life how?" he asked quietly, sliding closer to her on the couch.

Caroline shrugged, sniffling. "Tyler," she laughed. "Me trusting Tyler, and me loving Tyler. I gave a part of myself to him. And he corrupted and destroyed it and I'll never get it back." A sob stuck in her throat, and she swiped at her damp cheeks. She raised her head. "That part of me...Klaus, I could feel it staining everything and everyone around me. And I couldn't...I can't let it. Okay, Matt helped me run. He gave me the shove, but I really ran because i couldn't imagine letting that dark part of me destroy him. And now you?" She let out a laugh that sounded an awful lot like a sob to her ears, and shook her head. "You and your beautiful family. I just...I can't…"

His fingers closed around hers in a vice grip, his eyes narrowing when he saw the fear cross her face once more; heard the shake in her voice and the panic in her eyes. He sat up, pulling her towards him, ignoring the way she feebly tried to escape his grasp as he leaned towards her, cupping her face in his free hand and tilting her chin until she was looking him in the eye. "Caroline…"

She shook her head. "You don't know Tyler…"

"I know you," he said to her quietly, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek reverently. "I know you, Caroline. Your hopes, your dreams...your imperfections and your fears. Past and present, and believe me, sweetheart...I love them all. Because I love you." He heard her quiet gasp, and watched as her eyes closed at his words, and he pressed his forehead to hers, lifting his other hand and resting it against the back of her neck. "I love you, Caroline. You're everything to me, and to Declan. To my family...you're a part of us now, love. Nothing will ever tear you away. Not even Tyler Lockwood."

"Klaus," Caroline sighed, leaning into him, her own hands reaching up to rest lazily against the sides of his neck. Her lips were turning up, the stifling, heavy weight in her chest dissipating, and her heart raced in her chest. She pressed her lips to his, their breaths mingling, and her fingers curled into the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

The front door opening and closing loudly pulled them apart, and they turned when they heard Declan's voice calling out for his father, Caroline swiping hastily at her tear stained cheeks as she smiled, watching the small boy round the corner. His face lit up when he saw the two of them, and he called her name as he raced towards them, throwing himself onto the couch and wedging between them with a giggle that had Caroline laughing.

"Are you staying with us today?" he asked excitedly, his brown eyes wide as he looked between her and his father.

Klaus grinned down at him as he shrugged and nodded, stretching his arm out across the back of the sofa, his fingers dancing across Caroline's shoulder as he met her gaze over his son's head.

Declan grinned, shoving his hands underneath his legs as he shifted on the couch, turning his attention back to Caroline. His smile slowly slipped from his face as he caught her red rimmed eyes. "Why are you crying, Caroline?" he asked softly.

Caroline only smiled, shaking her head as she ran a hand through his curly blonde hair. "Nothing, buddy," she said. " I was just telling your dad a...silly sad story."

The little boy stared at her for a long moment before he nodded, reaching out with one hand and letting it rest atop her own that sat on her lap. "You shouldn't be sad, Caroline," he said with a smile. "Know what I do when I'm sad? I watch my favorite movie. It always makes me happy. Do you want to watch it? Maybe it'll make you happy too."

Caroline laughed, her heart swelling at the way Declan looked up at her with such a light and affection in his eyes, and she nodded, tilting her head down so she could press a kiss to the top of his head. "That sounds like a great idea, Deck."

In an instant, Declan was on his feet, his arms swinging at his sides as he whirled around to face them. "Can we watch it in your room, Daddy? Daddy's TV is so much cooler than the normal TV," he explained, glancing over at Caroline. When his father nodded, he grinned and spun on his tiny heels, racing from the room with a holler for them to follow over his shoulder, the sounds of his feet pattering against the stairs echoing through the otherwise silent house.

Caroline watched him run off in a cloud of energy, and she couldn't help but smile, running a hand through her hair as she pushed herself up. Klaus rose to his feet first, and she looked up at him when he held a hand out to her. She grinned up at him, placing her palm in his, and she let him pull her to her feet, his arm wrapping around her waist and tucking her against his chest.

She lifted herself onto her tiptoes, capturing his lips in a chaste kiss, the weight of his hand in her hair and his arm on her waist making her sigh against him.

"Daddy, Auntie Bekah says I'm not allowed to touch the T.V. so you have to do it!"

Klaus pulled away from her with a chuckle, pecking her lips once more before lifting his eyes to the ceiling, an affectionate sigh slipping past his lips when he heard the familiar thud of his son jumping onto his four poster bed. "He'll tear the room apart if we're not up there in a few seconds, love. I don't think you quite fathom his penchant for this particular feature."

Caroline laughed, rolling her eyes, and laced her fingers with his, pulling him towards the staircase just in time to hear another excited shout come from the next story.

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The muted sounds of Wreck-It Ralph's credits drifted through the darkened bedroom, the light from the moon and the faint sounds of street performers trickling in from the opened veranda doors.

Caroline's eyes were heavy as she shifted her head on the pillow, looking down with a fond smile at the slumbering child that rested between her and Klaus in the center of the bed. Declan's chest rose and fell, lifting the entwined hands that rested on him in time with his steady breaths.

Klaus' thumb was caressing a pattern against the top of her hand, and she sighed as she lifted her eyes to look at him from across the pillow. His eyes were closed, though she knew he was still awake. His head was tilted towards her slightly, resting just above the crown of Declan's head.

"I can practically feel you thinking, sweetheart," his deep voice whispered to her through the darkness, and she lifted her gaze from his lips to see his eyes blinking back at her.

Caroline shrugged, smiling softly as she shifted on the bed, careful of the small figure cuddled between them. "You can't feel me thinking," she murmured.

"Shows what you know," he murmured with a chuckle, and she rolled her eyes, tightening her hold on his hand as she looked down at their joined hands.

"I came to New Orleans to disappear," she whispered quietly, feeling his head shift closer to hers on the pillow. "To just fade out. I thought, with a city like this-big and vibrant and so unlike anything I'd ever been around-it wouldn't be hard. To just disappear. Who knew that instead...I'd find where I'm supposed to be."

She lifted her gaze, seeing his face leaned close to hers, and she shifted, brushing her nose against his. "I love you, too, Klaus," she whispered, sighing when she felt his face turn up into a smile against her skin. "I never want to leave."

In the darkness, their lips met, chastely at first, and then growing in passion, pouring everything they were able into the kiss. His free hand wrapped itself into the curls at the back of her head, pulling her closer, cradling her as if she were the most precious of creations, and she let herself get wrapped in his strength and security.

In the darkness, Caroline Forbes thought about the darkness that she had escaped from. She thought about all the horrors she witnessed, and the pain she suffered. She thought of all she'd lost at Tyler's hands.

And then she thought about all she'd gained the in last few months. She thought of Bonnie and Cami, and the friendships they'd forged. She thought of Rebekah and Kol and the endless banter and teasing that the two brought to her. She thought of the relationships she'd built in this town over the last few months, and of the love she felt surrounding her everyday since. She thought of how at home she felt in Klaus' arms, with his son nestled closely between them.

As Klaus' lips brushed over her forehead, and he pulled the blankets up around the three of them, Caroline wondered if all of her trials were meant to lead her here. She'd walked through fire, and she'd escaped a life she never thought she could, and as she snuggled further into the warmth of the bed, there was a small part of her that thought about how she'd do it all again, if it only meant she would end up right where she was.

Home. Safe. Happy.

Exactly where she should be.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Don't even lie. Elijah being all commanding and frank as the sheriff totes got you all. Admit it. This is a safe space, and no one will judge. Unless you didn't enjoy it, then I'm gonna judge you just a little bit.

So. The I love you's were said. Declan is thrilled Caroline is hanging around. Bonnie and Caroline are friends again. Everyone's happy.

Wouldn't it be a shame if someone...threw a wrench...into their...happiness...hmmmm.

Coming up soon-Tyler gets confronted back in Virginia, Caroline and Klaus maneuver around the new stage of their relationship, and someone drops a bombshell that's going to change everything.

Hope to hear what you all thought in the reviews, or feel free to let me know via the cray cray that is my blog, klarolineepiclove over on Tumblr.

You all are incredible, and once again I thank you for reading!