Chapter 15: Light Will Guide You Home

Thanks, reviewers, for all your kind words: Amy, denielapple, fanfictionfanatic18, MyloveforKlaroline, kool. smiles. are. kool , and jessnicole!

The next morning, Klaus woke as Caroline slipped out of bed. The sun was already shining outside but it was low, so he could tell that it couldn't be past 6am. He watched, pretending to be asleep, as Caroline changed into some comfortable jeans and a top and began packing her pink plastic suitcase. When she headed to the kitchen, he groaned and tossed the covers off, following Caroline's example. She came back for her suitcase a bit later and jumped when she saw him awake packing his own case.

"I didn't realise you were up already," she murmured, intensely aware of the other occupants of the apartment.

He beamed his movie star smile at her and said, "I wasn't going to let you go by yourself, sweetheart." Was it just him, or did she look disappointed? "Unless... is that not what you want?"

Caroline seemed to be nodding and shaking her head at the same, her curls trembling around her face as spoke, "No, I do. It's just that nobody at home knows about us being a couple yet and, with everything that's already happened, it might not be the best time to bring it up."

As selfish as it might seem to think, Klaus was completely over Tyler's death and he couldn't wait for Caroline to get over it too. Of course he wanted her to stop being so sad but, on top of that, he didn't like that another man took precedence over him in Caroline's agenda, hindering him from taking full advantage of having Caroline as his girlfriend. He said, "We don't have to tell anyone. I promise that I will be the soul of discretion. I just want to be able to support you right now."

"Okay," she agreed at last, cupping his face and bringing his lips to hers.

That afternoon, Caroline was sitting next to Klaus by the baggage claim at Richmond International Airport flipping through her emails on her shiny new Blackberry. As far as he could tell, she was trying to select a tombstone at the same time as she was arguing with Elena over IM about how she hadn't bothered to drop a line over Tyler's passing. Her face was red, though Klaus couldn't tell whether it was from exhaustion, anger or grief. He tried very hard to keep his eyes on the baggage carousel because every time he looked at her, he want to torment and torture Marcel for eons for doing that to her. I simple death would be too kind.

Once they'd gotten their bags, they went to the arrivals lobby where Matt and Rebekah were already waiting for them, having gotten in from Guatemala early that morning. Matt rushed to Caroline's side, wrapping her in a one-armed hug. He looked even more grief-stricken than she did. "Hey," he said softly. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Caroline said, not really meaning it but not wanting to add onto his burden. "How was your trip?"

Rebekah jumped in, not liking to be excluded from the conversation. "Well, as good as a flight can be when it's booked at midnight and in coach." Matt shoved her playfully. Caroline thought he looked great. Despite the bags, his eyes seemed animated and he'd gotten a really nice tan. Rebekah wasn't stopping there, though. "I didn't expect to see you here, Nik."

Matt noticed Klaus for the first and crossed his arms over his chest. Of course, Matt didn't like him, even more so now that Caroline, his ex and the ex of his best friend, did. Finally, he held his hand out for a handshake. Klaus shook it.

Bored by the awkward meeting, Rebekah led the others to Matt's car. They drove in silence until they arrived in front of the Mikaelson Mansion. Rebekah slipped out first, leaving Matt with a sweet kiss on the cheek. She waited for Klaus who, rather unwillingly let go of Caroline's hand. He didn't get out, however, until Caroline told him, "You know my mom isn't going to let you stay over, right?"

They left the two siblings as Matt drove Caroline to her house. Liz was already waiting outside as Caroline rushed towards her, mother's arms finding daughter's. "Honey," Liz said, "I'm so sorry about Tyler but I'm happy that you're back."

"I am too," replied Caroline into her mother's hair. Arms around each other, the two headed inside.

Earth to earth

Ashes to ashes

Dust to dust

As the minister finished the service, with tears in their eyes, Caroline and the small group of mourners who'd attended the ceremony threw their clutches of dirt onto Tyler Lockwood's closed casket. Caroline thought about how different this funeral was to Bonnie's less than a fortnight ago. Hers had been so full of life, a celebration of the witch's time on earth but this one felt like all time had stopped and would never begin again. Her heart felt too heavy to carry and just when she thought she would drop from exhaustion, Hayley, who'd arrived just a few hours ago, embraced her in a hug. They both cried together under the hot summer sunshine.

Caroline hadn't had time to organise a proper reception but fortunately, Elena had stepped up to host a small party at the Salvatore house. The tables weren't very full, only bearing a few store-bought baked goods, some chips and a few of Damon's cheaper bottles of vintage wine. Very few people were there: Hayley, a couple of Tyler's cousins on his mom's side and only the shadow of the old Mystic Falls gang - Caroline, Matt, Jeremy, Elena and Damon where Jenna, Alaric, Bonnie and now Tyler had once stood. But being with other people who'd known and loved Tyler was better than sitting at home feeling depressed.

But she stayed because she wanted to make sure that her friends felt needed. If she left, it would feel to Elena as if she were failing in her job of supporting her best friend, which she admittedly had been for the past few months. They traded anecdotes on Tyler from when they were kids. She'd stayed fairly quiet until the subject of Klaus' hybrids was brought.

"He was a natural born leader," she testified, her voice shaking with grief. "You trusted him. I could trust him more than anyone. I told him so, and to never forget because I always thought he would live longer than I would." She choked on her own voice. Elena came to sit by her and tried to put her hand on her shoulder but Caroline shook her off. "No!" she shouted with more ferocity than maybe even she expected. "We don't deserve to mourn Tyler. We've been forsaking him completely since he left months ago. You all abandoned him. This is a joke." She leapt onto her feet and headed for the doorway.

"Says the girl who's living with the man who tried to kill him," said Damon's voice behind her.

"Oh, I'm doing a lot more than just living with him," spat Caroline. It had slipped out. In her rage, she'd revealed the secret she'd come here swearing would never come out. There were collective expressions of shock and horror from the assembled party. She felt slightly intimidated but assertively she said, "I know that Klaus has done some really horrible things but I genuinely think that he's changed-"

"You think that Klaus, the guy who's been terrorising the planet for centuries, has changed?" said Damon sarcastically. "Why would he change? Because he's in love with you?" he sneered. "Come on, Blondie!"

"Well he might have terrorised the planet but at least he didn't rape me," she said lowly.

"Caroline, that's not fair-" Elena started before Caroline cut her off.

"No! You guys don't get to judge me because, when it comes down to it, we're all just as bad as him. Only you pretend you're better." Without another word, she stalked out of the room. She never wanted to come back to this town again.

As soon as she was outside, she began to run with vampire speed through the forest. The fury which boiled inside her veins energized her like a adrenaline. She was seeing red. How dare her friends judge her like that. They were supposed to be her second family so why didn't they understand her connection with Klaus? Why did they try to stop her? They were hiding behind this angelic facade when all she could see when she looked at them was the hurt they'd caused others.

It was Damon who troubled her the most but she didn't quite understand why. It was obvious that he wouldn't be happy for her because, for one, he didn't care about her, and also because Klaus had wanted to tried Elena. But Caroline's relationship with Klaus felt so similar to hers with Damon years ago and yet was everything it hadn't been. Did that make sense? Human Caroline had been drawn to Damon because of the danger that he represented but also because she felt freer being let out from under the magnifying glass of high school and under her mother's strict gaze. She'd fallen for Klaus because of the humanity behind the danger and, like Damon, because he represented a type of freedom that she'd never known before. She should have known Damon didn't care enough to understand or to empathize. Did it matter that he'd done the same thing with Katherine? Maybe that was why he couldn't believe that Klaus loved her.

She wasn't surprised by Elena. She wasn't even mad. Klaus had done horrible things to her and to her family. She could't imagine ever being able to forgive someone like that.

Caroline was slightly hurt by Matt. He should have stood up for her. After everything that had doubtless happened between him and Rebekah, he hadn't done anything to help. Still, she got the impression that things were infinitely less serious with Rebekah than her and Klaus. It still hurt though.

When she arrived at the Mikaelson Mansion, she was comforted to find Klaus's car parked in the front. She slipped through the front door and within a second, Klaus' arms were wrapped around her like a blanket. All her emotions from earlier spilled forward and he let her cry in his arms for awhile. Eventually, she spoke, "Can we go now? Please? I don't think I can be in Mystic Falls right now."

Klaus nodded. "Of course. We'll leave right now if that's what you want," he promised. Almost subconsciously, he took her right hand in his and kissed it softly, like a butterfly.

"I told them," she sighed. "I said that we were together. Damon got mad and said that you couldn't change, ever. Elena defended him. I don't know if I can come back to a place where my friends treat me like that but I definitely can't be around it now. Can we go someplace new, where I can forget?" She smiled slightly and suggested, "Rome, Paris? Tokyo?"

Klaus wanted more than anything to return that smile but he couldn't because he couldn't show her the world like he promised. "Sweetheart, I want to, I real want to. But there's the baby, and I can't leave things with Marcel the way they are."

Caroline couldn't help but look disappointed. A small part of her still felt as if she didn't quite know Klaus and she'd fantasizes about the perfect vacation in Europe, where she would envelope herself in art, culture and, of course, her boyfriend. But just the word 'baby' made her feel as though a little warm bundle was sleeping in her own womb. Just the word 'Marcel' made her thirst for revenge. Still curled in his chest, she stared into his eyes and said, "Okay. If that's what you feel is right then we'll stay in New Orleans and take down Marcel together."

A grin slipped onto Klaus' surprised face. Then he caught himself. "You don't have to do that, love."

"I want to. We can take New Orleans together." She kissed him on the cheek, hurrying off to pack her suitcase and say goodbye to her mom. Before she left, she said, "I love you." As Klaus watched her go, he felt as if he was on cloud nine. At least, he was until Rebekah entered the room. She had obviously been listening in.

"How long have you been there?" He exclaimed angrily.

"Long enough to hear Caroline commit herself to a relationship with you," Rebekah answered directly. "Why would you let her do such a thing? You know very well that it won't work?"

"Oh, yeah?" he challenge, realizing that he probably sounded like a whiny grammar school kid.

"She's too good for you and you're all wrong for her. Girls like Caroline Forbes don't go for the bad guy."

"I've changed, Rebekah," Klaus said.

His sister gave him a look like 'yeah, right,' complete with an eye roll. By this time, her brother had realized that she had been crying herself recently. It didn't take long to connect her behavior to the Mystic Falls quarterback. That made sense: Rebekah always got very righteous after she got her heart broken. This was when he realized he had been right, he had changed. He had witnessed a thousand years worth of his sister's heartbreak and he hadn't cared. Now, he realized he'd wanted her to be happy with Matt and was genuinely sad. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What about?" she asked coldly before slamming the door behind her.

Thanks for reading! I can't believe there are only two chapters left! Make sure to vote for Klaus' baby's name on my poll on my profile and, as usual, please follow, favourite and review.

Brianne