A/N 1.0: hello, friends! forgive me for taking so long to update. exams and a broken computer charger and RL shenanigans got in the way. I actually really liked 4x20 so if you were thinking I gave up...no shame on you at all but I'm still here and still plan on being here:D

Thanks to Fallendarkangel693, musicalfreak, driver picks the music, xxxLeanniexxx, tyluv3, antsB, Estel la Rodeuse, and whisperslove for reviewing! I think I replied to some of you but I can't remember and my inbox is much too full for me to go back through and try to remember who I replied to and who I didn't lol. so thank you all for being amazingggg.

anyways, I'll stop talking and catch ya on the flip side:D (fair warning...I think this is quite terrible so...yeah.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries.

Title courtesy of Mumford and Sons' 'Broken Crown'

10

no one saw the moon that bled in my mouth

or the blood that rose into silence

O Love, now we can forget the star that has such thorns.

She did the clasp on her necklace and sat, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Caroline sighed as the early summer breeze drifted though her opened window. The morning sunlight danced around her walls and on her bedspread, it played in her mirror, making it look as if a halo was floating just above her blonde head. She looked up at the circle of light with a pout full of disdain and really wanted nothing more than to find a way to tear it off and be gone with it. With an indignant huff, she jumped up and moved away from the mirror to gather her cap and gown off her bed.

It was unfair, Caroline had worked so hard to get to these milestones and now she couldn't even enjoy them. First, her eighteenth birthday- her boyfriend tries to break up with her and tried to kill her upon their reunion due to a werewolf bite resulting from some freaky Sire Bond. Then there was Prom, her senior Prom, and that had been a complete disaster- not that it was entirely her fault but a disaster nonetheless. And now she was upset the morning of Graduation. These were supposed to be the best days of her life, the days she would remember forever, eternity be damned. She frowned as she slipped the blood red robe on over her white sundress.

With a deep breath to push her angry feelings away, Caroline pasted her brightest Miss Mystic Falls smile on her face before walking out of her bedroom.

She smiled at her mom and Stephen, who had come down to support her on such a big day. She smiled as they took pictures out on the lawn. She smiled, posing with Stefan who had offered to drive her to Graduation.

"Ready for today?" Stefan asked as they climbed into his car- he'd traded the motorcycle in for the day and Caroline was grateful. Having bad hair on top of a bad mood wasn't exactly ideal.

"No," she bit out and Stefan just looked at her. "I just…it just…it's not fair! These are supposed to be good days, the years I'm going to remember for the rest of my life and my senior year was complete shit!" she exclaimed. "My eighteenth birthday- I almost died. Prom- I actually had a pretty good night but I got my mind wiped. With our luck, Godzilla's probably going to stomp through the town and rain on my parade today."

Stefan chuckled. "It's going to be fine, Caroline. We took care of Silas. The only people capable of raining on parades here are our normal crew which will be down two later today after Klaus and Rebekah leave."

Caroline sighed. She remembered Stefan telling her about Klaus' escapade to New Orleans and the plot against him he'd discovered. It'd been two weeks since they'd defeated Silas and she'd gotten her memory of Prom night back. She'd barely seen Klaus and according to Stefan he was splitting time between the French Quarter and Mystic Falls until Rebekah graduated. She'd barely seen him but whenever he was in town, she felt his eyes on her, watching her every move, every smile. Listening to her laugh and speak with her friends and (try to) be normal.

She wished he would just stop. Every time she caught him looking at her from across the Grill or the Town Square a cloud of guilt weighed her shoulders down. She knew they needed to talk, she knew there were things that needed to said otherwise she would explode once he left but she just couldn't bring herself to approach him. And he seemed content to keep his distance.

She groaned out loud.

It wasn't Klaus' fault. It wasn't her fault. And it just wasn't fair.

"Hey," Stefan said, turning to look at her after he'd parked and pulled the key out of the ignition. "Just enjoy today. It's sunny and you're graduating high school. You survived the literal and figurative hellhole that's been our lives for the past year and a half, Care. And kicked some ass while doing it," he reasoned with a tempting smile.

Caroline cracked one in return. "You know what? You're right. We're graduating. It's a beautiful day and if Godzilla comes then we can take him out. No biggie." She sighed and looked at her friend. "Thanks, Stef."

"I'm just looking out for you. I haven't done that enough."

"Oh God, please stop with this sentimental stuff right now. Just because we're vampires and doomed to walk around earth until the end of eternity does not mean I won't cry on Graduation."

Stefan threw his hands up and chuckled. "Okay, okay. Forget I said anything and wait until you get around Bonnie and Elena to let the waterworks start."

Caroling giggled and elbowed him before climbing out of the car into the warm morning. "Ready?" she asked as Stefan joined her.

"Ready."

With a deep breath, Caroline linked her arm through his and they started walking off towards the football field. She smiled the whole way despite the increasing amount of dread that filled her up.

She pushed through it, like she always did. With Stefan, Bonnie, Elena, and Matt by her side, Caroline smiled. She met each set of bright eyes when she climbed the stage to give her speech. She smiled at each of them after accepting her diploma…well, the folder that would hold it at least. She cheered and laughed when they were announced the Class of 2012, official graduates of Mystic Falls High School, and the bright blue sky was filled with red graduation caps flung high above the students heads in excitement.

They made it.

Just like Klaus' hummingbird in a daily battle to overcome the hardships for his life, through the numerous almost-apocalypses and all the living in the realm of the unknown and fighting to live another day, they made it out. They could go off to new adventures, meet new people, see new places. Time was of no consequence- to her friends at least- and it was upon them to go out and spend it, to live their lives free, like the kids they were supposed to be.

Time was of consequence. She felt a certain, intense pair of eyes on her throughout the entire ceremony and she was doing her best not to give in to the pull of looking back, of meeting his earnest eyes to find some form of comfort, some way of knowing that everything would turn out alright. It was like there was a clock, set to the pace of her dead-undead heart, beating slowly and pounding loudly in her ears as a constant reminder that, yes. They had made it and this was it.

Time was running out.

But the more Caroline ignored it, the more she smiled and laughed and enjoyed these last few moments on this football field that held so many memories (both happy and sad), the longer she could keep the illusion and, without her realization, the eyes boring straight into her hammering heart disappeared.

"Is that all of them, Mrs. Rankin?" Caroline asked, setting a stack of empty manila folders down on the card table.

The kind, elderly woman in charge of distributing diplomas looked up at her with a confused gaze. "There's one left."

"Really?"

"Rebekah Mikaelson," she said, peering through her oval shaped glasses as she held the piece of cardstock in front of her nose. "She walked, though. The poor dear must have forgotten in all of the excitement," Mrs. Rankin said with a small laugh. "I saw her with her brother and another nice looking boy."

"Yeah," Caroline said, her breath catching in her throat- this was it. "I can take it and drop it by her house on my way home."

"The school can just mail it, don't you worry. You just go home and spend this time with your friends and your family, sweetie."

"Is that the last of it?" Klaus asked as Rebekah stomped down the stairs carrying two more bags.

She dropped them on the marble floor and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her brothers. "Yes. Once again, your wish is my command, your highness. Always and forever."

"Rebekah. We've discussed this numerous times. The situation in New Orleans is delicate and a threat to this family. You will be joining us so you might as well drop your petulant tantrums now," Elijah warned, pulling his stern gaze away from the chandelier to eye the blonde.

She huffed and strode to the door, pulling it open to walk out and wait in the car and came face to face with Caroline. "And what do you want?"

Caroline opened her mouth to speak but looked over Rebekah's shoulder into the ornate foyer of the massive house. "I…uh. You forgot to pick up your diploma from Mrs. Rankin at the ceremony. I thought I'd just drop it by."

Rebekah took the paper from Caroline's outstretched hands and flashed her a fake, tight-lipped smile. "Thank you. I'd offer to invite you in for a drink but we're not really taking visitors today. Off you go, then."

"Yeah. Okay. I guess I'll…see ya around. Sometime," Caroline shrugged, fighting the burn of tears in her eyes as she turned around to head back to her car.

"Rebekah, don't be ridiculous," Klaus said, pushing past his sister. "Caroline, love, wait."

She turned around in a heartbeat and choked on her tears when she found his gaze, forever looking like a lost puppy, and the solace she'd learned to find in the stormy yet clear blue-green depths. It was the first time they'd made eye contact in days and Caroline released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. They stood there, simply looking at each other, Klaus standing on the front porch and Caroline below, neither making a move for fear the moment would be lost somehow.

"We'll give you a moment," Elijah said, joining them outside. He looked between his brother and the young vampire for a moment before squeezing Klaus on the shoulder. Eyes never leaving Caroline's, Klaus nodded as Rebekah stomped past, following Elijah and dragging her bags to the black SUV waiting out in the driveway with a disgruntled huff. He gestured inside the house, Caroline accepting his invitation with a tightlipped smile.

Still clad in her maroon graduation robe, Caroline watched him go and slowly crept into the foyer of the mansion, her heels clicking on the tiled floor. Klaus shut the door behind her.

"You're leaving? For good?" she whispered.

Klaus nodded, keeping his gaze on the floor.

"And you weren't going to say anything?"

Silence. Deafening silence filled the mansion from floor to ceiling and it was suffocating in the very worst sense of the word.

"You know what? Fine. Go. Just…just go. I don't even know why I came since you're apparently too much of a coward to say anything to me after everything. You owe me that."

"And what could I have said?" he asked, the words no more than a strained whisper as he finally lifted his gaze up to meet Caroline's with stormy, troubled eyes.

"I don't know." A tear escaped and fell down her cheek and Caroline looked to the floor to hide her tears. "I'm sorry," she choked. "So sorry."

"Hey," Klaus said, tilting her chin upwards with two of his long fingers. "You have nothing to apologize for."

Caroline shook her head. "I know, I know but you…you and Tyler and then Silas-"

"Is dead now. You don't have to live in fear anymore, Caroline. You're safe."

"But you're leaving," Caroline whispered. "And I said all those terrible things. I know it wasn't my fault but I can't help but feel bad and I don't know what to say to make it okay."

Klaus smiled. "Then don't say anything. I've heard far worse, believe me."

"That still doesn't make it okay because none of it was true! You did everything for me and then you didn't even say anything when it was over! You just let yourself believe that…that I think of you like. And I don't. I th-"

Klaus' large hands captured her face and his lips crashed down onto hers, insistent and soft- just like him in a strange way. Caroline froze as they glided over her own, assisted by her light colored lip-gloss. He breathed into her, gave her life and Caroline pressed herself up against the planes of his chest to anchor herself to him, never wanting to let go as she started to kiss him back with closed eyes.

It was reminiscent of them. Klaus acting out and Caroline responding, letting him know where she stood. And just like them it was over before it really began. His tongue, warm and wet, traced her bottom lip lightly and when Caroline opened her mouth to allow him entry, he captured her bottom lip gently between his blunt teeth, and pulled back with a light, sensual nip. Caroline kept her eyes closed, resting their foreheads together with brushing noses, and leaned into him even more, as if placing herself in front of him and the door could delay the inevitable. They stood in the silence, calm yet still deafening. It roared in Caroline's ears, her heart pounding, matching the hybrid's beat for beat. They were the same, they were connected and she wouldn't ever be the same again.

"Come with me," Klaus whispered, warm breath fanning over the dried tears marks on her rosy cheeks.

Caroline clenched her eyes shut even tighter; the tears building up again behind the closed lids as a sob threatened to escape her throat. She started shaking her head against his, small and short movements, "I can't."

Klaus nodded once, Caroline could feel him press his lips together as she once again, and unintentionally, stomped over his heart. He began to pull back, Caroline clutching at him, not wanting him to go but not ready to go with him, and placed a lingering kiss to her forehead while lifting his hand to disentangle hers from his shirt.

And then he was gone, his heavy footsteps echoing through the marble-filled foyer and out the door as he jogged down the steps to meet his siblings. Spinning around, Caroline ran after him. She'd done too much, too much to hurt him, to laugh in his face, to plot against him, to only realize her feelings and let him leave like this.

"Klaus?" she called, bursting into the bright light shining on the front entryway. He turned around in an instant, looking back up at Caroline expectantly with such hope in his bright eyes that Caroline smiled. "Perhaps one day…maybe in a year or even in a century."

He smiled, a genuine wolfish grin that lit up not only his dimples but his entire countenance as she threw his words back at him. It turned into a mischievous smirk before he turned back around and continued on his way, climbing into the back of the SUV.

Caroline watched it disappear down the driveway with a smile before she turned and shut the door.

A/N 2.0: the end! Sadly, I've decided against an epilogue. when I got back around to writing this chapter, all the hate I've been seeing on tumblr gave me some serious writer's block and I just really like how this leaves off...I did say it would be a wistful story after all;)

but anyways, THANK YOU. all of you for giving this hair-brained idea of mine a chance and sticking with it to the end. I really appreciate every single review, follow, and favorite from the bottom of my heart:) oh, and i-enjoy-you made some AWESOME cover work for this...she's the author of 'Seduction', 'Need', and 'Run You Wicked Souls' aka one of my fav authors/graphic makers in the fandom so you can imagine my surprise when I'm casually strolling through my tumblr dash and it pops up. I didn't even realize it was my own fic until I clicked on the link lol. but it's awesome and I love it:D so ya, credit for the graphic goes to her and thank you all for being supportive:)

soundtrack for this chapter was a bit different. 'Losing Your Memory' by Ryan Star fueled it and the goodbye scene was kinda inspired by the POTC Love Suite (aka 'One Day' from At World's End when Elizabeth and Will say goodbye).

thanks again guys! I'll be continuing In Shadow I Hide and a new short piece I have in the works about TO so I hope to see you guys around for those. love y'all!