*GASP* I'm alive!

More notes at the end.

Chapter 27

2012

Now that everything was back to normal for Klaus and Caroline, or at least as normal as it could ever be in Mystic Falls, they were both beginning to feel comfortable for the first time since they were first married. Klara and Carina were happier than ever with all the attention they were getting from both of their parents.

After spending a few days just the four of them, they decided to go out and do something as a family. Klaus would never admit it to his wife, but he was looking forward to showing her and the kids off to the rest of the town that had watched him struggle while she was gone.

"You coming?" Caroline asked as she led the girls to the car, stopping to kiss him on the cheek and shoot him a smile. As he closed the door behind him, Klara ran back to him and jumped into his arms, snuggling into his shoulder. "I love you Daddy," she said softly. Yeah, he thought, he could definitely get used to this.

When they got to the Grill, Caroline spotted Matt and Tyler playing pool and decided that enough was enough. She knew that she had to make amends with Tyler, she at least had to try. Standing up straight, she made sure the girls were situated in the booth with Klaus. "I'll be right back."

Tyler couldn't believe his luck. He had just wanted to spend the afternoon playing pool with Matt when Caroline and her new "family" walked in.

"You're glaring," said Matt, breaking him from his apparent trance.

"Why is there only one place to hang out in this town?" Tyler asked, rubbing his hand across his forehead.

Matt sighed, understanding where his friend was coming from. "You know, she probably doesn't understand how you feel about all of this. Not really."

"What do you mean?" Tyler really hoped Matt wasn't going to go the logical route.

"I mean that it has only been a short time for us since she left, but for her it has been much longer, and she came back with a husband and two kids."

"I know, man, but that doesn't mean that I don't have the right to be upset. She left and we were pretty much together, and all of a sudden she is married with twins and I'm still here trying to get over her," he said, a little too loud, which made Matt's eyes grow wide. "What?" he asked and he heard a throat being cleared behind him.

He turned slowly, already knowing that it was her. "Hello Caroline."

Caroline smiled, almost pitifully, which Tyler hated. He really shouldn't have said the part about still getting over her.

"Can we talk?" she asked, pointing to the door.

"Yeah, sure," he said, following her out.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked hesitantly.

"Uh, okay. Well, I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry that I went back in time without saying goodbye and that I was gone for so long and that when I got back I had a whole new life and more time had passed for me and you were still waiting for me to tell you if I really wanted to be together and I'm sorry."

"Wow. That was… okay, then. To be completely honest, I didn't understand all of that, but what I did understand, I accept? Look, Caroline. It's true that I am still pretty upset about the whole situation, partly because I hate Klaus and partly because of my feelings for you, but I just want to say that I'm happy for you, because you're happy," he rubbed his neck, looking at the floor. When he looked up, he saw Caroline crying and his eyes widened.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry-." He was interrupted by Caroline throwing her arms around his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered. She pulled away, smiling, and walked back inside to join her family.

"So?" Nik asked expectantly, eyebrows raised.

Caroline gave him an annoyed glare. "I know you heard everything," she said. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Now, let's order. I'm starving."

When they had finished eating and socializing, they decided to go back home. Unfortunately, when they got there they found the entire Mikaelson clan sitting in the living room.

"Finally!" Rebekah shouted as they walked in, making Caroline jump. "We've been waiting here forever."

"How long?" Klaus asked Elijah, knowing his sister's impatience.

"Half an hour," Elijah whispered, but Rebekah still glared at him.

"Well, half an hour seems like forever when you're waiting to see the two cutest nieces on the planet," she said crouching down to Klara and Carina's level and fluffing their hair.

The girls smiled at their Aunt, and Carina jumped into her arms, much to Rebekah's delight. Klara, however, ran to her recent favorite, Uncle Kol. He was surprised, but caught her nonetheless. His look of pure shock made all the adults in the room chuckle.

"She has been pointing at your picture since we last saw you, brother," Klaus said, making his younger brother grin.

"Glad to see I'm someone's favorite!" he said, lifting Klara above his head and making her giggle.

After a little while of musical toddlers, Caroline took the girls to bed.

"What a crazy few months," Elijah said.

"Few months? Try thousand years," said Klaus, shuddering as he remembered his past without his girls.

Rebekah nodded in agreement, yawning. Kol looked at his phone. "It's getting late Nik, we should probably leave," he said, getting up and heading for the door.

"Thank you all for coming. It may seem chaotic, but it means a lot to me to have all of you here with me," Klaus said, getting a little too emotional.

Elijah clapped him on the shoulder on his way out. "Always and forever, brother."

Rebekah gave him a tired hug and squeezed his hand. "Tell Caroline we said goodnight." Klaus nodded in response.

As Caroline headed down the stairs, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"Mom?" she answered quietly. "Is everything okay?" she asked, worried.

"Yes, honey, everything is fine. I was just calling to see how you were doing. I heard that you were at the Grill today, how'd that go?"

"Well, it went okay, all things considered. I apologized to Tyler, and managed to keep him and Nik from ripping each other apart. Speaking of which, his family just left, so I should probably go and find him."

"Okay Caroline. Goodnight. See you tomorrow? Lunch?"

"Yeah, that sounds great, Mom. Night, love you."

She hung up smiling. She was so grateful for her life. She had her Mom, who was so supportive in spite of everything, and she had an amazing husband who, although sometimes temperamental, really did love her and treat her well, not to mention his whole family which had turned out to be such a blessing. She also had her sweet twins, who would someday understand how they have been alive since 995, but for now, they brightened up her days.

"Nik? Where are you?" she whisper-yelled, trying not to wake the girls but unable to find her husband.

"Studio!" he yelled, without thinking. Then he heard a loud "SHHHHHH!" coming from his wife. "Sorry," he whispered.

When she entered the studio, she almost started crying, which seemed to happen every time she entered that room lately. "It's beautiful," she whispered, coming up behind him and resting her chin on his shoulder.

It was a drawing of all four of them, one toddler on each of their laps. The girls were looking up at their parents, who were looking at each other. Klaus was turning the drawing into a painting, adding small bursts of color to one or another corner of the piece.

"You like it?" he asked, unsure of his own work. His style of art had changed immensely since his daughters were born. It was as if he finally knew his place in the world, and his art really reflected that.

Caroline nodded into his shoulder, placing a kiss at the base of his neck. Her arms were wrapped around his waist.

Placing his paintbrush on the easel, and turned around fast enough that Caroline stayed in the same position. When their eyes met, he saw her smiling, which made him smile. He leaned forward to kiss her lips. "Mmmm," she moaned into his mouth, having waited for this moment all day.

She broke away briefly, "You know, as much as I think that socializing is so, so important, and even though I love your family, I really enjoy this so much more," she said, weaving her fingers through his curls.

"Noted," he said smugly, reaching to pull her legs around his waist. His hands were tracing small circles on the small of her back as they kissed. With every movement he pulled her closer and she did the same. It was as if neither of them would ever get enough of this, of each other, and they were perfectly fine with that.

"I love you, Caroline," he said, walking towards the hallway.

"I love you, too!" she squealed as he sped them to their room.

Okay, so here goes. I am the absolute worst for making you wait TWO YEARS. Even as I type that, I'm dying inside. I am so sorry! I truly never intended to go that long without updating, but things happen. To be honest, I haven't been very active in the Klaroline fandom at all, pretty much since the scene we got in the crossover, but now that we are getting another mention/scene/whatever, I am finally in the mood to update!

Even though I intentionally made this chapter seem like it could be the end (which I did because I don't know how many people are still following this story), THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THE END! I am completely willing to continue, but please let me know by reviewing! Also, if you read this chapter and are still wanting something else to happen in the story that hasn't even been approached, give me a suggestion! Otherwise, if you want to see Klaus, Caroline, Klara, and Carina in a cute situation, AU or in canon of the fic, I'm open to suggestions for that as well! And if the consensus is "let this be the end!" I will definitely be writing an epilogue or two! So either way, let me know what you think, and stay tuned! Until next time~