Fallen

The Epilgue.

A.N. Wow. We've reached the end. I want to thank you guys for taking this journey with me. This story was something completely different for me to try, and it's been so fantastic to see you all responding so generously to it. So thank you, my lovely readers, for your words of delight and encouragement, and thank you to everyone who voted in this year's Klaroline Awards. Fallen took home the Best Thriller/Mystery/Crime Fiction award, and I can't express my thanks enough.

Thank you to my wonderful beta team, all of whom helped me step by step through this story: Katie, Becky, and Miranda. There passion for this story kept me going many a time.

So...without further ado...enjoy the end of Fallen.

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Caroline didn't remember much about that night.

After the shots rang out, it all started to blur together. She remembered clutching Declan close as she watched the love of her life fall to the ground, and remembered the little boy's muffled sobs against her chest as his hands flew up to cover his ears.

She remembered staring in horror as a parade of officers circled the two fallen forms, guns trained on Tyler's unmoving body. She watched as Elijah fell to his knees next to his brother, his deep voice already barking orders to the uniforms around him as his hands reached out to press against Klaus' chest. Stefan was crouched next to Tyler, a hand pressed to his neck, and she'd watched as he let out a sigh with a shake of his head, wiping his brow and standing to his feet.

Paramedics swarmed the scene, and Caroline had been vaguely aware of a fresh faced young woman tugging at her arm, but even though her lips were moving, Caroline heard nothing but murmurs. The woman shone a light in her eyes, and she flinched, recoiling away from her with Declan still nestled in her arms.

Stefan was at her side then, hands grasping her shoulders and his head bending so he could meet her eyes. His hands brushed the hair from her face, swiping at her tear stained cheeks, his voice a low comfort as he ushered her off to the side, his hand sliding down to rest against Declan's back.

She didn't remember Stefan ushering her into a patrol car as the paramedics flew past them, Klaus' prone form on a gurney, the deathly pallor of his skin chilling her to the bone. She'd caught a glimpse of the dark red staining his shirt, the garish color a sharp contrast to the crisp white of his top. Elijah's hands were much the same, and she had to bite back a sob she watched the elder Mikaelson hurry alongside the gurney, his eyes never leaving his younger brother.

She didn't remember the drive to the hospital, or the argument Stefan had with the emergency room doctor who tried to pull the traumatized child from her arms. She did remember Declan's grip around her neck, his quiet whimpers and pleas for his father, and she'd closed her eyes and pressed a kiss to his head, her own internal pleas quite similar to his own.

Caroline had held him close as the doctor reluctantly examined them both at once. Apart from a skinned knee and being terrified, Declan was fine, while she herself had just a few minor scrapes and bruises.

They'd been led to the waiting room after that, and Caroline had stopped in her tracks when she spotted the blonde man pacing the corridor ahead of her, Rebekah at his side. She'd murmured his name, a question in her voice, and when his head snapped towards her and her eyes met his own familiar blue, a hysterical sob slipped past her lips and she started to shake.

Matt and Rebekah had rushed towards her, the latter shifting Declan into her arms as she held Caroline in a brief, one-armed hug, and then Matt was crushing her to his chest. She'd curled up against him, her sobs echoing throughout the empty hallway.

Hours had seemed to pass in the sterile waiting room.

She remembered Kol and Bonnie arriving shortly later, both enveloping her and Declan in their arms. She briefly recalled the story of how they'd met Matt in the heart of the Mardi Gras celebration, and how they'd arrived at the Mikaelson estate just in time to see the ambulance race from the scene, Elijah's patrol car on its tail.

She remembered Stefan quietly excusing himself later into their wait, and Bonnie murmuring to Kol that he was most likely heading to check in on Cami. In the back of her mind, Caroline knew she should have asked how her friend was, knowing that Tyler had used the bartender to get to her, but she'd only stared straight ahead, rocking a silent Declan, who was back in her arms.

The time dragged on, the hours never ending. Matt's quiet reassurances did little to dull her panic, her fear for Klaus and the pieces that had been left of their happy new life. She blinked back tears as she replayed Klaus collapsing to the ground again and again, watching as Tyler met her eyes as he lifted the gun. The shots still echoed in her ears, the sheer panic and fear lacing through her chest…

Slow footsteps tapped across the hallway, and they'd all glanced up, watching as Elijah's weary form made its way towards them.

Caroline's arms had tightened around the child in her lap, and she found herself praying harder than she ever had as she watched him draw closer and closer, each step another moment of holding her breath.

Elijah ran a hand down his face, letting out a sigh as he stopped before them.

Caroline took one look at his face, and she knew.

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"Caroline?"

Caroline snapped out of her reverie, twisting in her seat at the end of the bed, turning her head towards the doorway. A small smile tugged her lips upwards as she watched the small figure shuffle towards her, his tiny hands tugging at the sleeves of his freshly pressed suit.

She watched as Declan made his way towards her, his feet fitted in a pair of black socks that matched perfectly with his suit, his tousled blonde hair in usual disarray atop his head, despite the time she spent in trying to tame it earlier. He stopped before her, shuffling on his feet as he looked up at her. "I feel like a penguin," he murmured quietly, bringing a soft laugh to her lips.

"Well, you certainly don't look like a penguin," she replied, reaching out to push a wayward curl off of his forehead. Her own blonde curls fell over her shoulder as she tilted her head, dropping her hand to settle in her lap, fingers tracing the fabric of her black dress as she sighed. "You look very handsome."

Declan shrugged, reaching up to fiddle with the tie knotted tightly at his throat.

As she watched him, Caroline wished for the millionth time that she could make the shadows in his eyes disappear. That she could bring back the light to his bright brown gaze, and have him look at things with the pure innocence he'd had when their lives had first become intertwined. She wished she could stop him from having to flinch anytime someone came too close, or that she could wish away his nightmares as he lied tucked into her side every night.

She wished she could take back everything Tyler had stolen from him.

She smiled when he peeked up at her again, his eyes wide as he met her gaze. "Do I really have to go?"

His question was quiet and hesitant, and Caroline's smile softened. "Come on, buddy, we talked about this…"

Declan dropped his head with a sigh. "I know…baby steps forward and no steps back."

Caroline nodded, running her hand over his unruly curls once more. She turned at the sound of the floor creaking behind her, smiling when she saw the figure standing in the doorway of the adjoining bathroom.

"Uncle Kol did promise you the biggest slice of cake, Deck," Klaus said as he fiddled with his cufflinks, his lips turning up into a smirk at the slight shine in his son's eyes at the mention of the sugary dessert. He chuckled as he stepped further into the room, the edges of his shirt fluttering around him as he moved towards the bed. "Besides, I thought we'd agreed that you'd be there to keep him in line, hmm?"

Caroline watched as he came to her side, her eyes drifting across his toned form, eyes lingering on the pink, jagged scar that rested just below his ribcage. The familiar pang of guilt hit her for a moment as she focused on the fading remnant of that night six months ago.

She felt the pads of Klaus' fingers graze the nape of her neck and she sighed, closing her eyes, letting his gentle movements calm her still seemingly frayed nerves.

Declan's fingers were still tugging at the sleeves of his suit, his toes curling into the carpet beneath his feet as he chewed his lip, gazing up at his father.

Klaus sighed, pulling his hand away from Caroline and kneeling down in front of his son. He rested his elbows on his knees, lowering his chin as he caught the boy's gaze. He raised his brows, lacing his fingers in front of him as he nodded. "I know you're nervous, Deck. There's going to be quite a few people, and noise and lots of activity. I know it might be a little scary, but I also know that you don't have to leave our side unless you want to." He glanced back at Caroline, seeing her smile and nod in agreement with his words. He turned back to Declan with a smirk, leaning towards him. "And let's be honest, son…we're never ones to turn down free cake, are we?"

He watched as a small smile spread across his son's face, spotting the dimples so similar to his own in both cheeks, and he grinned, chuckling as he ducked his head and pecked a kiss on Declan's forehead. He glanced towards the hallway as he heard the front door open and Kol's voice echoing through the lower level. "Why don't you go down and wrangle your aunts and uncles? Tell them we'll be down in a bit."

Declan nodded, turning and shuffling towards the door, his hand reaching out and tugging the door behind him, leaving a small crack as it rested against the doorjam.

Klaus shook his head as he straightened to his feet, turning with an arched brow as he smiled down at Caroline. "Don't think I didn't see that look, love."

Caroline looked up at him, tilting her head. "What look?"

"That look of pure guilt you get any time you see the scar." He watched as the familiar shadow flickered across her face, the light in them dimming, and he sighed, reaching out and gently tracing the curve of her cheek. "Caroline, how many times do I have to tell you none of it was your fault?"

Caroline scoffed, eyes widening. "Oh yeah? Was it somebody else's deranged ex-husband that terrorized your son and shot you in the gut?"

Klaus sighed. "Caroline," he chided.

"I know, okay?" she replied, shaking her head and taking his hand in hers, settling them both on her lap as he shifted to sit next to her on the bed. "Everyone has told me again and again 'it's not your fault' and 'Tyler was crazy' and 'everything ended up fine,' but all I can think about is that if I'd never come to New Orleans or I never said yes to going to dinner with you, then they wouldn't have had to say any of those things, because they wouldn't have happened." She sighed as she stared down at their laced fingers, her thumbs tracing the calluses on his palm, the heat of his gaze boring into her. "I just keep seeing Tyler grabbing Declan, and hearing him cry, and seeing you…"

"Caroline," Klaus said softly.

"I know...Klaus, I know," she laughed, lifting her chin to smile at him. "It's over, and it's done. Tyler's gone, but...yours isn't the only scar he left behind." She reached out with her free hand, fingers softly grazing the upraised flesh on his torso. "Cami almost died. Declan just started sleeping in his own bed last week. Those aren't just minor things, you know? They're going to carry what Tyler did to them for the rest of their lives, and, say what you want, but I'm the one that led Tyler straight to them."

"Well, you'd best pray Cami didn't just hear that, because I'm fairly certain she promised you a world of pain should she hear you feeling remorseful about her attack ever again." He watched her roll her eyes, and he smirked. "Sweetheart, I think you'll find that the only person who truly places any blame on you for Tyler's actions is

. Cami doesn't. And Declan certainly doesn't."

She nodded, nibbling on her lower lip, and didn't lift her gaze again until she felt his fingers tucking beneath her chin. She looked into his eyes, so full of love and adoration, and couldn't help the slight skipping of her heart.

"I think you're forgetting who it was that took care of Declan in the time I was in the hospital. Who it was that comforted him through every nightmare, wiped his tears, made him feel safe...Rebekah and Elijah, Kol, Finn-they were all there in the background, but it was you, Caroline. Declan was able to wake up and face everyday...because of you, Caroline." His fingers slid up the side of her neck, resting against her cheek as he held her gaze. "You pieced us all back together again...so if you're going to take responsibility for anything, take it for that."

Caroline stared at him, smiling, before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his. Her hands slid up his chest, caressing the sides of his neck before draping around his shoulders. She sighed as they parted, resting her forehead against his, opening her eyes when she heard him chuckle.

"And I hate to break it to you, love, but saying no to dinner wouldn't have done a bloody thing...I would have chased you to the end of the world."

She giggled, shaking her head. "You're still so cheesy," she murmured, kissing him again, her fingers toying with curls at the nape of his neck. She felt him smile against her as he lifted his head, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

They stayed like that, entwined together, before Caroline shifted, peeking up at him from beneath her lashes as she pressed kiss to his jaw. "You know...despite all of my guilt and remorse and whatever...there is just something about this," she said, letting on hand fall to his torso to trace the scar once more, "that is just...sexy."

Klaus grinned, catching the familiar tone of her voice and the slight glint in her eye. "You don't say?"

Caroline nodded, trailing her hands across his chest as she peppered his jaw with kisses. She heard him growl softly in his throat as she shifted, tossing a leg over him until she straddled his lap, lifting a challenging brow as she pushed against his chest.

She followed him down, her hair casting a golden curtain around them, and she held his gaze as she slowly pressed her lips to the center of his chest. "And I seem to recall a night not so long ago when you claimed to want to know everything about me." She pressed another kiss further down his chest. "Every dream." Another kiss to the skin just above his navel. "Every fantasy." She hovered over the pink skin of his war wound, her lips grazing against it delicately. "Every little kink."

Klaus let out a strangled laugh, his fingers curling into the duvet beneath him as he grinned at the ceiling, feeling her fingers dance a path down his torso until they wrapped themselves around the buckle of his belt.

"So I did," he moaned, his mind reeling at the feel of her lips and teeth nibbling at the skin above the waistband of his pants.

He closed his eyes as he heard her giggle join with the clinking of his belt, and he silently thanked that flakey babysitter whose name he couldn't even recall for leading him straight to the golden haired goddess moving above him.

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"They do know we have reservations?" Rebekah complained, leaning against the back of the couch as she crossed one ankle over the other, her stiletto heels sliding against the marble floor.

Matt laughed as he crossed his arms, coming to stand next to her, his crooked smile in place as he turned his head towards her. "Caroline is probably still primping. She takes forever to get ready. You know something about that, so give her a break."

Rebekah arched a perfectly sculpted brow, tilting her head. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That means that we would have been late if I hadn't rushed you along tonight. Your hair can only get so straight, Bex. It's always confused me how much you girls go through just for a night out."

She smirked, matching his stance and crossing her arms over her chest, the sequins of her top glinting under the light. "Well, we can't all be so lucky as to just run a hand through our hair, throw on a decent shirt and be ready to go, now can we?"

Matt grinned at her, blue eyes dancing, and Rebekah ducked her head, lips pressing into a happy smile.

Matt had temporarily moved to New Orleans during the weeks after Tyler Lockwood's attack on her family. He'd wanted to stay close to his sister, make sure she had recovered. They'd been torn apart for too long, he and Caroline had claimed, and Rebekah couldn't deny how his presence had seemed to alleviate some of Caroline's anxieties. So he'd bunked in one of the guest rooms of Klaus' house, keeping a watchful eye on Caroline as she tended to Declan, and when Klaus had been released and been on his feet again, Rebekah had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Matt had decided to make his move permanent.

Mystic Falls, as it turned out, held too many demons for either Donovan sibling to take. He'd taken Caroline's place at the bar, holding down the fort until Cami had come back from her medical leave, eventually taking a more prominent role in the business when the bartender decided to turn in her notice. It wouldn't be long before he owned the establishment, everyone was sure.

Determination seemed to be a family trait.

Over the days and weeks, Rebekah and Matt had continually crossed paths, conversations in passing turning to shared coffee breaks in the morning. Coffee breaks led to lunches and dinners, hushed conversations over late night burgers and stolen kisses when no one was looking.

The sound of Kol clearing his throat shattered Rebekah's reminiscing, and she craned her neck to look over at her brother as he strided towards the center of the foyer. His tall form was clothed in a dark suit, a bright crimson tie knotted at his throat, his hair in its usual disarray. His brown eyes were perusing the room as he wrapped an arm around Bonnie's waist, tucking her into his side.

"Now, need I remind you riffraff that tonight is not about you," he crooned, ignoring the eyeroll from the woman at his side and the various expressions of annoyance on the faces of the room's other occupants. "Yes, we all may be young and happy couples, but let's not forget that this is our rehearsal dinner. So please, keep all attention on us." He raised his brows as he pointed at the couples in the room, narrowing his eyes when he saw Katherine smirking as she leaned into Elijah's side. "No sassing." Finn and Sage both rolled their eyes when he jabbed a finger in their direction. "No boring married couple talk. And you two," he exclaimed, turning towards the corner of the room where Stefan and Camille stood, the blonde giggling quietly as the deputy nuzzled the side of her neck. "Absolutely no snogging. There are young, impressionable eyes present after all."

It was Declan's turn to roll his eyes as he rocked from side to side in the center of the room, causing the adults around him to chuckle.

"But honestly, where are Nik and Caroline?" Kol complained, pressing a kiss to Bonnie's cheek as he disentangled his arm from her, ruffling Declan's hair as he headed towards the stairs. "Did they say they'd be down, Deck?"

"Yeah, but they were looking at each other in that gross way you and Aunt Bonnie do," Declan stated, dropping his chin to his chest as he tugged at his tie. "So I don't know what they're doing."

"Oh, bloody hell," Kol muttered, hand wrapping around the bannister as he bounded up the stairs, and Elijah coughed to mask his laugh as he crouched down in front of his nephew, taking the askew tie in his fingers and righting it with practiced precision.

"What are they doing?" Declan asked him, looking up at his uncle with wide eyes.

Elijah hesitated, his lips parting to answer in some cryptic response that wouldn't tarnish the boy's childlike innocence, when a door slammed open on the floor above them.

"For fuck's sake, you two!" Kol's voiced echoed down the stairway, muffling the sound of Klaus' irate curses and Caroline's scolding. "There is a child in the house!"

"SWEAR JAR!" Declan cried, hands flying up to his ear as he scrunched his nose, watching as the adults around him laughed and shook their heads.

The door slammed again, Kol's feet thundering against the stairs as made his way down. "At least make sure the bloody door is closed, honestly," he was muttering, the heels of his hands rubbing against his eyes. "Alright, let's go. We can let the nymphomaniacs hitch their own ride, the animals."

Declan was scolding him with a glare when he reached him, and Kol stuck out his tongue, reaching out and sweeping his nephew into his arms. "Yeah, yeah, swear jar, I heard you," he said as the little boy giggled, and he grinned at the sound, happy that they'd started hearing it once again. "Your univeristy really will be good and paid for, mate."

He stepped towards Bonnie, winking when she smiled at him, and laced their fingers together, pulling her after him as he led their brood to the dor. "Now, let's go celebrate Bonnie's wise decision to tie herself to me for the rest of eternity, shall we?"

Katherine snorted as she fell into step with her husband, leaning her head against his arm. "I don't know about 'wise,'" she murmured.

"WHAT did I say about sassing?"

Matt and Rebekah watched them go, both straightening from their positions. "Still happy you decided to stay?" Rebekah asked, glancing up at him as he straightened the collar of his shirt. He smirked at her, holding out his elbow, and she smiled as she tucked her arm in his.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything."

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Did I have you going there for a second?

Thank you once again for reading, my lovelies. Until next the story. I am yours.