Title: Three Wishes Granted and One That Wasn't

Author: Razorbackgal0225

Rating: T—for slight language and discussion of character death

Disclaimer: I have a mortgage and a car payment. Since I have those, it should be obvious that I don't own anything connected with the Vampire Diaries, book or TV, or the Originals. If I did, well, a certain pairing would be much more front and center.

Author's Note: So I'm extremely hesitant about his chapter. It has something in it that I've never done before. I apologize in advance to Liz Forbes. I, in no way, want this to actually happen, as she's my favorite parent on the show. I do want to say thank you again to everyone that has reviewed, followed and favorited. I am blown away by the response to this idea that wouldn't leave my head and glad to know that others like these characters as much as I do.

Wish Three

Caroline sat on the bed in her old room, desperately wanting to forget where she was and why. Even though she hadn't lived in Mystic Falls for almost fifteen years, this house had always felt like home to her, no matter where she was currently hanging her hat. She had been traveling back from visiting a small town in France Klaus had recommended, but the minute she received the phone call, she had dropped everything and raced back as fast as possible. She had even compelled a couple of police officers to keep from receiving speeding tickets.

She stared at her phone, thumb hovering over the saved voicemail, but playing it was unnecessary. She had listened to it a million times on the drive back, hoping she had misheard or that it was somehow a mistake. She could hear the man's voice in her head and wondered if it would ever go away.

"Ms. Forbes, this is Deputy Sanders. I'm sorry to contact you this way and I hate leaving this type of news in a message, but your mother was in an accident. It was a drunk driver, on the way home from a town council meeting and I'm very sorry, but Liz didn't make it. If you'd like to call me back, I can give you more information. Again, Ms. Forbes, I'm very, very sorry."

Caroline had been in the shower when she missed the call. She barely had a chance to listen before her phone was ringing again, this time it was Bonnie. Bonnie and Jeremy still lived in Mystic Falls; as quasi-humans they were aging normally and could stay in their hometown. Her best friend was already crying when she answered and the girls then cried together. From Bonnie, she learned the driver of the other car had died as well, which Caroline couldn't help but be glad. She wasn't sure she would be able to control her actions if the man responsible for her mother's death had been around when she arrived in town. Bonnie had asked if there was anything she could do and for once, Caroline was at a loss. She had no idea what needed to be done except that she had to go home.

She had thrown her most somber clothes in a bag and left immediately. Now she sat, staring at her phone as if it were going to give her the answers of how to process her mother's death. She had text messages she should answer, but she couldn't force herself to do so. She would talk to everyone at the funeral tomorrow morning. She had let Stefan know she was safe at the house; that would have to enough for the evening.

Sitting in the silence of her old room, her grief finally hit Caroline. Tears fell steadily as she dropped her phone and covered her face with her hands. Her mother was never going to come walking down that hallway again to ask Caroline if she needed anything as she had on her visits home the last few years. Liz had been elected mayor and was as busy as ever, but when Caroline was visiting, she made it a point to be at the house as much as possible. Caroline gave into the hurt and sobbed.

Klaus heard Caroline crying when he turned on her street and gave a sigh of relief. He had left New Orleans as soon as he received a phone call from the younger Salvatore regarding Liz Forbes's death. He had been in the air when Caroline had called to tell him the news and what was left of his heart broke at the tone of her voice. She was shattered after losing her last relative and he worried all through the trip that she would make the same choice Elena had when faced with a similar situation. The characteristic which made Caroline so special was how human she still was, even after fifteen years. It was what gave her the light, the light that entranced Klaus from their first meeting and kept him waiting on her. It was fear of losing that spark which caused him to drive like a maniac from the airport. Hearing her cry, while sad, meant she hadn't flipped her emotional switch.

He pulled up to her house, parked and walked up the steps. He entered the house as quietly as possible and followed Caroline's sobs to her old bedroom, the same room where she had first sparked his interest as he saved her life. She was sitting on the bed, face covered, but she froze as soon as she detected his presence. She moved her hands to see who had intruded on her private moment.

For a minute, she looked happy to see him, a tiny smile gracing her face. Then her expression changed dramatically, her eyes growing black and the dark veins appearing below. Her fangs descended as she lost the precious control she worked so hard to maintain. "This is all your fault," she spat angrily, her voice almost a growl. She hadn't moved from her seat, but her body was practically vibrating with fury.

Klaus was completely caught off guard. Liz had been hit by a drunk driver, according to his information. If she had been killed by a hybrid or even a vampire he had turned, he could understand Caroline's anger. He didn't have time to ask her meaning before she continued.

"You…you kept telling me about all the beautiful places in the world, all the things I was missing, sending me those postcards. So I went! I traveled and because of you I wasn't here! If I had stayed in Mystic Falls I would have been here and I could have saved her!" She rose from the bed and took a giant step towards him, her fists balled up at her sides. "My blood could have saved her, you dick!"

Klaus breathed out heavily, counting to five in his head. Anyone else would be missing a limb after yelling at him, but this was Caroline, who was lashing out in pain. "Sweetheart, even if you had been in town you might not have been with her." He didn't want to add the detail Stefan had shared; that Liz had died on impact and had not suffered.

"How do you know?! If I had been living here, I could have been giving her blood all the time!"

"And what would you have done here Caroline?" he asked, louder this time as his temper grew. "You would have to hide away from anyone who might notice you haven't aged since high school. Surely you didn't think you could live here all your life with people growing old all around you?"

"It wouldn't have mattered because I would have been here with her!" With this statement, Caroline launched herself at Klaus. She attacked him in a flurry of arms, teeth and fists, her words unintelligible as her voice broke in pain. He couldn't tell what she was saying and he was sure she didn't know either. He caught her rather easily, even as she flailed against him, still ranting about how he was at fault. Her blows had no power behind them; she wasn't hurting him at all. So he let her fight. She continued to scream and punch and cry for a few minutes, railing against the injustice of the universe. Finally, her fists struck his chest and then stayed and she swayed on her feet. The minute she clutched at his shirt, his arms came around her.

"Oh Caroline, sweetheart," he pulled her to him. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, love. I'm so sorry."

"She's gone, Klaus," she cried. "I don't know what to do."

He stroked her hair, not knowing what to say or do to comfort her. He had absolutely no experience with this, as he was not the person people came to when hurt; he was generally the person inflicting the hurt. But for Caroline, he made an exception. "I'm sorry, love. Tell me what to do to make it better."

At his request, she looked up, tears still streaming down her face. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

Klaus didn't answer her, instead wiping her tears before lifting her off the floor and laying her on the bed. He brushed her hair out her eyes. "When was the last time you ate?" When she frowned as she tried to remember, he flashed out of the room and came back in a second with a blood bag. "Here, drink this and then you can get some sleep." He shrugged off his jacket and turned back to Caroline. She was sipping her drink, her blue eyes blinking slowly as she did. It was obvious she was exhausted and he wasn't sure how she had managed this far. He moved towards the chair to settle for the night.

"No," Caroline protested softly. "Stay here with me," she patted the bed next to her. "Please."

As usual, Klaus found it impossible to refuse a wish from the girl who stole his heart. He lay down next to her and was pleasantly surprised when she curled into him, burying her head in his chest. He folded his arms around her, dropping a kiss on top of her blonde curls. She sniffed a bit, still crying a little, but in a few minutes, she stilled. He thought she had drifted off to sleep from her even breathing, so he was startled when she asked, "How's your son?"

"He's doing well, thank you." He didn't offer any more, knowing she needed rest.

"Tell me about him. Tell me about New Orleans." Then he understood. The quiet was bothering her, giving her a chance to think too much about what would happen tomorrow. So he started talking. He told her about Henrik and how he was doing in school and his new paintings and anything else which came to mind. Somewhere in the midst of his speaking, Caroline fell asleep.

The next morning wasn't as awkward as it should have been. Caroline woke, at first confused by the man in her bed, but as the memory of the night before came back, she relaxed, still in Klaus's arms. They had stayed intertwined for a few peaceful moments, before Caroline's phone rang. Giving him a sheepish smile, she whispered, "Thank you," and then answered Elena's call.

They had readied to leave in comfortable silence. Klaus could tell Caroline was struggling to keep her emotions in check. He escorted her to the cemetery, Caroling clinging to his arm as they approached the burial site. Stefan shook his hand as Caroline hugged her friends and accepted condolences, even Damon nodding in acknowledgement. If her friends thought it odd that she was with the Original, they didn't say anything about it. And if any of the citizens of Mystic Falls noticed some people hadn't seemed to age much in the last decade, no one mentioned that either. Once the ceremony began, Klaus moved to the back of the crowd, allowing Caroline to be comforted by the people who were now her family.

A parade of cars returned to Caroline's house after the brief, but touching service. Klaus and Caroline were the last pair to get to the door, her steps dragging a bit. Before they entered, Klaus stopped. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm going to head out, love. You need to be with your friends now and I'm not quite sure that I'm entirely welcome by everyone."

"But you're welcome by me," she answered, placing a hand on his arm.

"And that means more to me than you can imagine. But you need them now," he gestured towards the open door. He stepped close to her, enough that he heard the slight catch in her breath. Brushing his fingertips across her cheek, he said "As I've told you many times before, we have centuries." He gave her a subdued smile and turned to go.

Before he took very many steps, Caroline called after him. "Klaus, wait!" Once she was standing in front of him, she opened her mouth and then closed it, trying to find the right words. "Thank you," she finally said. "Actually thank you doesn't seem enough. For last night and for today. Just for…everything."

In a replay of her graduation night, he leaned forwarded and kissed her cheek. "You are welcome Caroline. My door will always open to you. When you're ready." With that, he walked to his car and left.

Caroline stood in the yard, eyes watering as she watched his car disappear. Her sorrow and confusion were the reason she didn't hear the man behind her until he put a brotherly arm around her. "It's okay to care about him, Caroline," Stefan said. At his comment, she gave into her tears and leaned on his shoulder. The pair turned and walked into the house.