AN: This is the third part of the story. Thank you for reading until this point. I am grateful for every one of you who wasted some of your precious time to red my words. I do not own anything other than parts of the plot.

January 1st

Then he knew.

Klaus could not believe it as he paced on the balcony running his hands through his short curls, still oblivious to the sounds that could be heard from underneath. No, he simply refused to believe it. It has been so long since…No, to his mind it was simply impossible, but yet a small glimmer of hope was slowly making an appearance.

There used to be a time when he would secretly hope everyday that tomorrow will finally be the day he would see her again, but after the 50th anniversary of his departure he finally convinced himself that she would never show up at his doorstep, especially after the things he last heard from Stefan. She had her own life and he was definitely not part of it. She was happy and he was glad, but that did not mean he did not miss her. Sure, he made a life for himself with Cami and yes, he loved her dearly, but the other blonde left such an impression that no one, not even Camille was able to erase. She was the only thing he never told Cami about, even though they discussed everything else, the good and the bad. She simply was a part of him that was his and his alone. He assumed that Elijah had always known about it, yet he never, not once, brought it up since his last return from that old, small, forsaken town that the Mikalesons once called home.

Every instinct was telling Klaus that it could not be true, that it was a cruel lie, but yet deep inside he knew it was the truth. He never felt as confused as he did in that moment and yet as soon as he stepped inside his bedroom and closed the door that led to the balcony, his steps directed him to the nightstand where he kept a sketch book hidden, for Cami's benefit as well as his.

A few decades back he burnt all of his old sketches in a fit of anger, but this one, this one was the one he could not give up on. This particular book contained all his memories of her and no matter how hurt he felt, especially after learning about her predicament from Stefan, he could not find it within himself to give up on her completely, not even when he decided to move on. A part of him, no matter how small had always hoped that one day she would be ready, that one day her steps would lead her right to him. Going from a theoretical maybe to a clear yes was too much even for a strong, immortal hybrid such as Klaus.

As he sat down on the bed, Klaus started running his fingers through the layers of dust that covered the old, torn cover of the book. It had been a long time since he last touched it and even longer since he last drew a sketch of her. Even though he could never forget her and her features, he could not stand the pain of thinking about her, especially since it was becoming clearer and clearer that she would never be his again, that she would never be his, period. That little vampire with her light and bright smile warmed her way into his heart like none of the others ever managed to, not even Cami whom he loved, truly loved.

As soon as he opened the book, Klaus was assaulted by all the memories, by the time they spent outside talking about their dreams and expectations after they had just moved back, by the time he first saved her life. That night was a special one as that is when he first realised just how much he cared about her; she was the first one he could not bare to let die despite the fact that she was his greatest weakness.

When Camille decided that it was time for her to leave this Earth he was assaulted by similar feelings, however then he understood as it was her choice, she wanted it, whilst the little vampire he had not seen for over a century was brutally attacked, her choice was taken away from her, someone else decided how and when her life should end and on top of that he would have been unable to live with the thought that it was his fault.

The next couple of hours were spent the same way, Klaus allowing himself to remember her and her smile that would light up an entire room. He had never met anyone as bright and as full of light as her. To his mind, she should have been an angel and not a monster of a vampire, but still, somehow she found a way to be the happiest vampire he had ever met in all his long life. Her light did not stop shining when she died and turned, it became even stronger. That was what made him promise her that he would be there for her when she was ready, but that he would leave her alone and not look for her no matter how much he wanted to do just that.

By the time he reached the last page his eyes were slowly closing due to the tiredness that the emotional events have caused, but before he fell asleep a white piece of paper stuck to the last page caught his eye. Klaus' eyes narrowed, looking at the small note, as he was certain that he was not the one who placed it there. With trepidation he opened the note and the words shocked him to the core as a feeling of guilt and remorse as well as gratitude was slowly taking over.

All the note said was: You are ready. Love Camille

Even from beyond the grave, Cami was able to calm him down and tell him exactly what he needed to hear in that moment. It is like somehow she knew that he would be looking at the sketch book at this exact point in time.

"Oh Camille, I am so sorry." Klaus had been convinced he did a much better job at hiding his feelings for the other blonde from Camille, but now knowing that she knew, that she had to live with that thought and that she still rooted for him was too much too grasp. He was simply unable to understand how someone was able to love him this much while knowing that he would have never been able to love her the same way in return.

With that thought in mind, Klaus finally fell asleep.

TBC

AN: Please read and review. I am really curious of what you think thus far. Happy Valentine's Day!