A/N: WHAT AN UPDATE WITHIN A WEEK OF THE LAST CHAPTER?! Must be because I got some nice reviews from last time, they seriously made me get in gear.

I just want to address a couple things that people have been asking in reviews. Yes, Klaus remembers everything but he believes Caroline to be dead. Caroline cannot remembers anything (well...except for the not-so-great things she has remembered). As to why their friends & family concocted this terrible plan to keep them apart...? Well, that would just ruin it =D

Also, addressing the use of italics, I use them to represent thoughts and memories/flashbacks. My readers are smart enough to discern between the two so that I don't have to write out out ****new memory coming out**** every time, so I thank you for that.

November 2018

Nashville, Tennessee

Caroline woke up, and immediately squeezed her eyes closed tighter. If there was one thing she did not want to do, it was face the light of day. She didn't feel like doing anything at all today, which didn't stray from the way she felt most days lately.

After a few moments, she pulled her covers down and peeked at clock that sat on her nightstand. 9:07AM. Stefan and Elena would be at class right now and Damon….she couldn't hear any movement in the house. He was probably off doing whatever it is that he did all day long until Elena came home.

She reluctantly got out of bed and made her way down to the kitchen, grabbing a blood bag from the freezer. She tore open the top and began to sip it slowly, savoring the rich taste as it slid its way down her throat. She always felt strange feeding when they were watching her and tried to drink it as quickly as possible so she relished the times they left her alone in the house so she could feed as she pleased.

Caroline's thoughts turned back to the memory that plagued her yesterday. The image of the man mercilessly snapping Holly's neck replayed in her mind over and over last night as she tried to fall asleep. She wondered who he was. Holly had done nothing wrong, but Caroline hadn't done enough to stop her. She hadn't done anything at all, just laid in her bed as it happened. The thought made her stomach twist and fresh tears well up in her eyes all over again. She swiped at her tears and tried to focus on something other than Holly.

She couldn't remember who the man was, and she hated herself for it. She knew she would feel better if she could put a name to the face. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of thoughts of him. She couldn't do anything on that front either.

But there was Stefan's mysterious box. Or rather, her box that Stefan hid from her in his room for some reason. It was the perfect time to explore the contents again and do a little research on the items she had shoved in her shoebox before returning the empty box back to Stefan's hiding place. No one would be home for a little while yet, allowing her the privacy she suspected she needed since they were hidden to begin with.

Caroline quickly made her way back to her room, not wanting to waste a minute. As soon as she stepped inside her room, she pulled the shoebox that contained her passport, letter, drawing, and buttons out from underneath her bed.

She placed the box on top of her desk and shoved all the pictures she had dumped out yesterday back into her photo box and dropped it on the floor. She opened the shoebox and stared at its contents. They all were as unfamiliar to her as they were two days ago. Where to begin?

The colorful little buttons caught her eye. A few had a large M in the center with a circle and three intersecting lines inside the circle. There were also little circles at the edges of the M. That design….

She picked up one of the buttons with the M printed on it, there were so many of them. She was certain had seen this design before she just couldn't seem to remember where or when. She decided she would find out with a little help from the internet. She booted up her computer and continued to examine the button in her hand. There was a little part of the button that folded over…to place on your clothes for when you walk around the museum, Caroline surprised herself by remembering. They allowed admission into a museum.

Once her computer was started she opened up her browser and went straight to Google images and typed in "museum m button" and hit enter. Instantly, a slew of images popped up on her screen. One of the images in the top row caught her eye. It was a photo of a bunch of buttons on the left then they buttons were placed together in a jar on the photo in the right, and among the many buttons were a few colorful M ones that matched hers.

She clicked on the photo, to find out if they said what museum it was and a new page appeared. There was a new photo featuring more buttons at the top of the page, but she scrolled past it, only stopping when she found the original photo. Beneath it was a paragraph, describing the Metropolitan's Museum of Art's button with a giant M diagrammed like Leonardo's Vitruvian Man.

Caroline blinked at the page in front of her and clasped the yellow M button in her left palm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art…

Suddenly, there was a stabbing pain in her head, and Caroline dropped the button and grabbed her head. She slowly lowered her head, resting her elbows on her desk and closed her eyes, wishing for the pain to stop.

..

"Love we've been here for hours, surely you're ready to move on?" he whispered in her ear as he moved he pressed his body behind hers, causing shivers to run down her spine.

She chose to ignore him and instead focused on the painting in front of her. It was Charlotte du Val d'Ognes. The girl in the painting, Charlotte, appeared to be looking straight at Caroline for disrupting her in the middle of her sketching session. She loved the soft colors and the details in the folds of her dress; everything about the painting was simply gorgeous.

"I see Charlotte has captured your attention as well," he interrupted her thoughts, taking a slight step back from her and she knew she had won; they would be staying until she was done wandering around the museum. Caroline didn't say anything and she knew he was about to tell her more than was on the little plaque.

"Charlotte was originally attributed to another painter, Jacques-Louis David and it wasn't until 1951 after the MET got a new curator, Charles Sterling, who decided to look into the origin of the painting since he did not believe David painted it. He found out the painting was shown at the 1801 Salon; there were a couple other artists who sketched the exhibit and this painting was among them. He attributed the work to Constance Marie Charpentier, one of the artists who were shown at the Salon. The art world seemed satisfied with this conclusion, until 1996, I believe, when Margaret Oppenheimer proposed Marie Denise Villers as the painter. Ms. Villers was also shown at the Salon in 1801 and her other paintings have similar characteristics." She knew that infuriating self-satisfied smirk was gracing his face as he continued to stand behind her. "Now are you ready to go, love?"

She didn't respond for a second, pretending to think it over. "No," she decided as she turned and began to walk towards the next section of galleries, the American Wing if she wasn't mistaken.

She only managed to take a few steps when she felt his fingers grasp her forearm. She immediately stopped walking, but he walked past her, straight ahead and away from the American Wing. She had no choice but to follow him, his grip on her was strong and while he would let her go if she really wished, she was intrigued by his sudden change in mood.

He led her through the galleries to the Great Hall and down the steps to the first level. She couldn't help but glance up towards the impressive ceiling where pools of sunlight were streaming through the upper windows. It had seemed impressive when they first walked in several hours earlier and it had not lost its appeal in the late afternoon. He continued pulling her forward and out the front doors of the museum. Once they were outside on the steps he picked up his speed, leading them down the sidewalk and into Central Park.

"Where are we going?" she asked him. She thought he was going to take her to the Empire State Building after the MET and while she had never been there before, she was certain it was not in the middle of Central Park.

He didn't answer her but quickened his pace even more, and Caroline was torn between playing along with his little show of dominance or pulling her own and making him tell her where they were going. She sighed and decided to play along as long as it didn't continue on for too long. He led them down a couple of paths until they reached a giant rock wall which was flanked on one side by a hill: a totally secluded spot. She should have known.

He pushed her against the wall and buried his face in the crook of her neck, pressing kisses to her collarbone.

Caroline couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, "You dragged me out of the museum for this?"

He placed a kiss to the slope of her shoulder, "We were there for five hours. That was long enough without touching you."

"But I wasn't done," Caroline whined.

He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes, the corners of his lips curving into a smirk. "I'll make it up to you."

Before Caroline could protest, his lips were over hers, his tongue swiping at the seam of her mouth, begging for entrance. With a small sigh Caroline obliged, and his tongue danced over hers.

He pressed his body closer to hers, one hand settling on her waist, the other cushioning the back of her head from the wall.

He wasn't close enough. Caroline lifted one leg and hooked it around his hipbone and pulled him closer. She broke free from his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted both of her legs up and around his waist, grinding down on him and creating hot friction between their bodies.

He pulled her tighter as he ran his fingers down her back and press her up against the wall once more. Caroline could feel his attraction pressing into her stomach and it increased the ache that had started to build between her legs.

"Why didn't you wear a skirt love," he complained as he pinned her hips to the wall with his and snaked one hand up her shirt to cup her breast over her bra. He squeezed gently and nipped her earlobe before placing a kiss below it on her neck.

Caroline couldn't help the moan that escaped her mouth. "Mmmmm, don't stop Klaus."

..

Caroline's eyes shot open as the name escaped from her mouth in the memory. But was it really a memory?

I didn't think Holly was real until Stefan and Elena said so, it has to be a memory. But who is Klaus and why was he groping me in Central Park?

Klaus

The name was familiar, very familiar. Caroline turned towards the shoebox that contained the rest of the secret documents and buttons and pulled out the rolled up drawing. She unrolled it slowly, careful not to mess up the drawing itself, or the name in the corner….Klaus.

She looked back to the drawing and a whole wave of emotions overcame her: anger, lust, yearning, wonder, remorse, affection, disgust, happiness, excitement, and…love?

Did she love him?

Who was he?

And where was he now?

She rolled up the drawing and placed it back into her shoebox. She then grabbed the acceptance letter and unfolded it, scanning it again. The words were the same but the stain that covered half of the letter is what kept her attention. What was it? Who would spill something on her acceptance letter?

..

"Klaus!" she yelled as she sped into their house. She paused for a moment then ran into the kitchen where he was leaning against the kitchen island, a glass of wine in front of him.

"Hello love," he said as he stepped towards her to give her a proper greeting. .

Caroline quickly pushed him away with one hand and waved the letter she held in other hand in front of him, "It came!"

"What is it?" he asked, obviously irritated that something had taken precedence over his greeting.

"It's from Vanderbilt," she explained, as she held it in front of her, reading her name on the envelope again. Miss Caroline Forbes, that was her.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" he inquired.

"I…I don't know," she said softly, biting her lip. What if she didn't get in? Vanderbilt was a very prestigious school after all. Their acceptance rate was only about 14%. What was the chance that she got in?

"What do you mean? Would you like me to open it for you?" Klaus offered as he plucked the letter from her fingers.

"No," Caroline cried, "don't!" He let her take the envelope from him and she tossed it onto the counter, deciding that she wouldn't open it. She didn't particularly feel like reading a rejection letter from her number one school at the moment.

"Why aren't you opening it?" he asked as she moved to get herself a wine glass, deciding that alcohol was the best way to deal with the letter.

She took a breath, how to explain it to him without sounding exactly as old as she was? "Because...it's a rejection letter, I know it and I don't feel like reading 'Sorry we can't accept you, maybe next year.'"

"And how do you know it's a rejection letter?" he queried as he slid the letter on the counter so that it was closer to her.

"You get a big packet if you're accepted, everyone knows that. And mine is regular-sized," she explained as she grabbed his bottle of wine and poured it into her glass. He didn't say anything which caused her to pause. She turned around and looked at him and saw a smirk was beginning to form on his perfect lips.

"That's ridiculous love. Just open the letter or I will," Klaus informed her as he grabbed the letter from the counter.

Caroline let out a little huff of frustration at his ultimatum and grabbed the offending letter from his hands. She quickly peeled open the envelope and set it on the counter. Her stomach twisted as she unfolded the letter itself and began to read: Dear Caroline Forbes, On behalf of Vanderbilt University, it is my pleasure and honor to inform you that you have been offered admission to the Vanderbilt University Class of 2020. Her face broke out into a huge grin at the words. She was accepted to Vanderbilt! Vanderbilt University!

She felt his hands settle on her waist. "So you got in then?"

"Yes!" she replied as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his neck, the letter still clutched in her hands.

"Of course you did, love."

Caroline immediately tensed at his words. What did he mean? He couldn't have…

She pushed herself out of his arms and looked him in the eye, "What did you do?

Klaus simply raised an eyebrow at her in response.

Reality sunk in. "Oh my god. I didn't really get in," Caroline gasped as she threw the offending letter on the counter, and rounded on Klaus, seeing red. "Do you have to compel everyone? I was okay not getting into Vanderbilt. I knew I wouldn't get in. I would have rather gotten a real rejection letter though than this stupid acceptance letter that I got because you compelled someone for me!" Caroline yelled at him, hoping he realized how much he had hurt her by his actions.

"I didn't," Klaus replied as he picked up his wine glass and took a sip calmly, seemingly unaffected by her little tirade.

"You didn't what?" Caroline narrowed her eyes at him.

"I didn't compel anyone to get you into Vanderbilt," he explained, setting down his wine glass so he could decrease the distance between them. "You did that all on your own."

She couldn't help the smile that returned to her face at his words. She had managed to get into Vanderbilt all by herself.

"I don't know why you can't accept that you got in on your own merit. You're brilliant, Caroline. Admissions saw your light, how much you have to share with the world and how much you have accomplished in your academic career. They saw how far you are willing to go to accomplish your goals and they wanted that amazing person to earn their degree at their University. They gave you a place based on your own achievements, Caroline. They would have been fools to reject you."

Her smile only grew at his little speech and she launched herself at him, cementing her lips to his. He responded eagerly, picking her up and placing her on the counter in front of him. Caroline leaned back as he un-buttoned her shirt and kissed his way down her chest. Her arms splayed out behind her and hit his wine glass, tipping it over and onto the counter and her acceptance letter. Caroline let out a little cry as she realized what she'd done, and squirmed away from him trying to reach her drenched letter.

He was faster than she was, however, and picked it up from the puddle before she could. He held the dripping letter in between his thumb and pointer finger, turned, and dropped the letter on the counter next to the sink. "There, it'll dry. Now, where were we?" he teased as his hands settled on the next button to be undone.

She wanted him to continue but she remembered that she had yet to tell her mom. "Oh my god. I have to tell my mom!"

"Tell her later," he suggested as popped open another button and kissed her stomach.

Her stomach clenched at the contact, but she needed to focus. She got into Vanderbilt! "No, I need to tell her now. And Stefan and Elena! I wonder if they got in," she wondered aloud as she pushed him away and began to redo the buttons that he had undone. "I need to call them," she declared as she started to walk out of the kitchen. She paused at the doorway and turned back to him. "But we will be celebrating later," she informed him with a wicked grin of her own and sped out of the kitchen before he could make her forget all about the phone calls she had to make.

..

The pain in Caroline's head began to recede as she opened her eyes. She had been so happy in the memory. He, Klaus, had said such wonderful things about her, and in that moment, she believed him. Did he really think that highly of her?

She turned to the box of photographs that she had dumped on the floor earlier. She eased herself onto the floor and started flipping through the various photos looking for the telltale dimples, curly golden hair, and sea-blue eyes that she adored in her new-found memories…but there were none.

Not a single picture of Klaus.

She couldn't wrap her head around it. She had been with him before Vanderbilt, evident by her last memory, and she was even with him during her first year. The memory of Klaus and Caroline getting hot and heavy before he snapped Holly's neck took place in their freshman dorm as did the memory of them getting prepared for her first cheerleading game. And she didn't have any pictures of either of them. Why were there no photos of two people who she obviously cared so much about? And the better question, why didn't she remember them until now?

Tears started to well up in her eyes at her frustration and she kicked the photo box away from her in frustration but it tipped and sent the glossy photographs all over her floor.

She crawled to the mess of photographs and began to pick them up when she heard the front door unlocking. She glanced at the clock noting that it was 10:11. It had to be Stefan at the door and he would be coming to check on her any second.

She rushed to her desk and only managed to pick up the letter she had left open on her desk when the door to her room swung open, "Caroline?"

A/N: Did I forget to mention that this lived up to its rating a little bit in the middle there? Ooops. I'm a little nervous about it because I normally don't write sexy scenes so I apologize if it was not that great.

This chapter was mega-long because you guys were awesome at reviewing last chapter.

Is there anything specific you guys would like to see/read? More klaroline memories? More Elijah/Rebkah bonding? More of what Elijah is actually up to? Stefan's woes of trying to register for class? Maybe what Damon does all day?