AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'M SO SO SORRY! I've been sort of inspirationless for quite some time and it was with a lot of effort that I managed to write this one. But, here's a little over 2000 words for you.

I hope you like it!

"It was for the best, wasn't it?" Caroline asked Kol.

"Honestly Care, I have no idea, but I have to believe that it was and that somehow, we'll find our way back. What's done is done. We'll just have to learn how to move forward from here."

Caroline nodded in defeat. It had been the only thing that they could've done. Kol was right, it is what it is, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Katherine sighed as she fell back on the bed.

"How many stars does it take?" The brunette wondered out loud.

"What?" Two heads turned into her direction.

"It's something my mother used to tell me. It was a folk tale, I can't remember the exact details. All I remember was that it had something to do with a princess looking for something." Katherine had no idea why she thought of that particular story. She'd been only a child, seven or eight when her mother had last told her that story. It had slipped away, along with other memories from her human years.

"This is the worst quest ever." Kol commented after they'd spent two hours just lying in bed.

"I'm sorry if I don't feel up to it, Kol."

"Leave her be." Katherine said, knowing that Caroline would need some time to come to terms with what had happened.

The blonde got up and exited the room. "I'm going to organise a party." She informed the others while walking through the door. She needed some normalcy right now and since organising parties was normal for her, she decided to do just that.

"What's the occasion?" Elodie asked when she heard that Caroline was planning on pulling a party together.

"We're young and we're free. Why not celebrate?" The blonde vampire's normal bubbly nature was apparent, but her soul wasn't really in it. She was simply going through the motions trying to forget. Caroline took a breath to calm herself. Party and uni. That would be her priorities right now. The search could wait for a moment. Besides, it wouldn't do. The next clue wouldn't reveal itself anytime soon. They had messed that up, royally.

Klaus noticed that something was off with his lovely Caroline. She was still acting like herself, but there was something missing. Perhaps it was that her eyes didn't shine as brightly as they used to, or the way her smile didn't entirely reach her eyes. Something must've happened in Greece. But when he'd asked, she'd just given him one of her bright smiles and told him that everything was fine. He wasn't fooled, though. Klaus had even gone as far to ask Elijah whether he knew anything, but that was a dead end. While his brother had grown closer to Caroline, he couldn't read her as well as Klaus could. Elijah didn't notice the small changes that Caroline seemed so intent on hiding. And then there was the fact that the doppelganger was still hanging around. He knew they came as a bit of a package deal, Caroline had made it very clear that Elena was here to stay and that if Klaus even as much as raised a finger at her, she would take great offense and they wouldn't be hanging out. But the hybrid had also noticed a difference in dynamics between those two.

In Mystic Falls, Caroline had always appeared to be a bit less bright in the company of Elena Gilbert. It was as if she opted to fall into the background, be second to the brunette. Klaus knew that Caroline had often felt as if she was second to Elena, as if she wasn't as good. It had been evident in some of the conversations that they'd had. But this time around, they were equals. Caroline had grown and wasn't afraid to be her fierce self. She didn't stand in the shadow of Elena Gilbert and, this time around, Elena didn't expect Caroline to. Their friendship had grown. Elena seemed to have finally accepted who they both were. She had grown as a person. And while Klaus would never admit it, he found himself begrudgingly starting to respect the presence of the doppelganger in Caroline's life. It was evident that they relied on each other and that they truly cared and respected one another.

*** almost is never enough ***

It had been twenty two days since Caroline, Katherine and Kol had returned from Paris. It had been twenty two days since Klaus had reappeared in her life. And in all honesty, Caroline was starting to enjoy his presence. But she knew that she wasn't being fair to Klaus. She knew what he wanted and she wasn't ready. Not yet. Especially not now. Her studies were going well. And while she still felt the weight of what they had done in Greece, she was trying to pick up her life from there. It was the only thing she could do.

Katherine hadn't enjoyed herself in such a long time. She wasn't suffering as much as Caroline was, but she did feel it. She could hide it well though. Then again, she had done unspeakable things before, all for the sake of surviving, so this was nothing new. And yet, she felt the remorse. It probably had something to do with spending so much time with Caroline and the righteous, moralistic Elijah. And here she was, watching as Elijah explained to Klaus how he was once again sharing his bed with a doppelganger. It was quite amusing. Klaus' face on walking in on them making love on the kitchen counter had been priceless. He'd actually stammered, as if he couldn't believe this to be happening. And then his disbelief had been replaced by anger. They were used to Klaus' yelling and him lashing out. But then, something had happened that neither she nor Elijah (and Kol if he'd been present) would have seen coming. Niklaus Mikaelson had simply accepted that Elijah and Elena were now a thing and had, for the first time in forever, let his brother be happy.

"That was unexpected." Elijah commented once his brother had left the apartment.

"It's Caroline. She brings out his softer side." Katherine said.

"Perhaps he can still be redeemed." Elijah sound wistful. Katherine closed the distance between them. This was something she was familiar with. Elijah fervently believing that his little brother can still be saved. That there is still something worth saving.

"Why would you still believe that a broken man such as Niklaus can be saved?" Katherine asked softly.

"Because, to me, the very definition of the word 'broken' suggests that something can be fixed. I have a whole eternity to accomplish one single task: my brother's salvation. If I surrender this, then tell me, what value would I be to my family? To myself? To you, my darling Katarina." She felt Elijah's hand on her cheek, a small caress, telling her that this was truly happening. Katherine caught Elijah's hand.

"You wouldn't be any less of a man if you didn't feel this need to save your brother. And I do not need saving, though it is nice to be reminded of what once was." The brunette let go of her lover's hand and took a step back.

"Katarina…" He warned.

"No, Elijah. You know the rules. I love you." And she walked out the door.

"That was cruel, even for you." Kol commented.

"It's the way we play the game, Kol."

"What game?" Caroline asked, joining Katherine at the bar.

"Love." Katherine whispered.

"I don't think I understand."

"What our lovely Katarina didn't tell you is that she just pointed out the rules to Elijah, told him she loved him and walked away." Kol explained to the young vampire.

"Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because I don't need a knight in shining armour. Elijah's got this obsession with being good, noble and true. This obsession translates into his need to prove that he can save people, put them back on the right track. It's one of the reasons why he fell for me. Why he keeps calling me Katarina. Elijah needed to believe that he could save me, that by loving me, guiding me, I could become good and pure. This White Knight complex is there because he feels the need to set himself apart from the monster, the vampire. Elijah uses the belief that he can grant me absolution for all the bad things I did, because it's the only way for him to prove that he isn't like his brothers, that he isn't evil, nefarious and cruel. And that he might be able to save his brothers from themselves. Maybe that's part of what I liked so much about it, about the game we were playing. I saw through it, I turned the tables on him, used his knight in shining armour complex and played it out against him. I never wanted to be cleansed. He would never be able to own me. I only play by my rules. But at the same time, Elijah did remind me of who I used to be, reminds me that this Katerina is still in here. He made me believe that I could still be redeemed." Katherine explained, realising that even after all those years, it still held true.

"But why walk away?" Caroline pressed. Sure, she could understand this need that Elijah had, especially with a brother like Klaus, she could understand wanting to save him. She still believed that Klaus could be saved, she had told him that, not that long ago, when she had been dying. Anybody capable of love is capable of being saved.

"Because, Elijah needs to get over his fucking demons. He needs to realise that not being good all of the time is okay. And that to me, it doesn't matter. I love him. I have loved him for five hundred years and I refuse to give up. But it's up to him as much as it is up to me. I don't want a knight in shining armour. I like a little darkness, and the world won't end just because he decided to let it in." Katherine told the blonde, knowing that this was true for her as well.

Caroline didn't know how to respond to that. She was faced with a very interesting statement and one that might even hold true.

"It is only in the dark of night that one can see the stars." Kol stated. He knew that like Elijah, Caroline would need time to accept the darkness. They were vampires, after all. It came with their being. But Caroline had high morals and though they were shifting ever so slightly, it would take time for her to be ready. He knew that this was why Nik loved her so much. She was light, but she was already starting to be tainted with darkness. Kol knew that one day, her light will be all the more radiant because it would shine through the dark. She would shine golden, like starlight, huddled in the darkness of the night.

Niklaus Mikaelson watched as the blonde stared up at the sky. It was quite the sight to behold. The small light coming from the stars and the not yet full moon bathed her in this silver glow and if someone asked him, he would say it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He took out his sketchpad and pencilled this scene down. He committed it to memory, but he wanted to capture this as well, promising himself he would make a painting out of it once he was back in his studio. Klaus could see the small frown in her features. Something was bothering her. Hesitantly, he made his way to her. He wasn't sure if she would want company.

"Hello Caroline." Klaus' voice shook Caroline from her thoughts. She didn't look at him, she kept looking at the stars, replaying what Kol had said. Truth. That was what this night had been about. She had learnt a truth that she wasn't ready to acknowledge, yet. "Klaus." She whispered, her voice betraying her emotions. They were all over the place tonight. "If you'd rather be alone, I can leave." Sometimes it surprised Caroline how well he could read her. Judging from his reaction, he must've known that something was up. And here he was giving her an out, giving her the choice. "No, stay." She didn't know why she said that, or why she reached out to him, intertwining their hands. Caroline didn't say anything, too many thoughts were rushing through her mind. But in that moment, looking at Klaus, she found some inner peace.

I kind of forced myself to write this, because I know that my followers and favouriters are waiting on it. I can't promise an update soon, because I just don't know where to go with this one. I've kind of fallen out of TVD and the fandom. I'm still a Klaroline shipper, but just not as invested anymore. I hope that I might be hit with something soon, but I'm not sure. I've been kind of stuck on most of my stories and I'm sorry for that.

As always, thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favouriting. I'm always surprised when I get an email saying that someone found this story good enough to follow and favourite. So thanks for the support. I really appreciate it and I feel guilty for not being able to continue writing this story. I really wish I could tell you that there's another chapter ready, but there's not. And I'm sorry it's not as lengthy as the others have been and I do apologise if you don't think it's up to par with the other chapters. It appears that this storyline and I are currently having a seperation. I hope we can be rekindled soon.

Thank you for your patience and thank you for the support. I hope you can forgive me for not updating sooner.