Authors Note: Here is the next chapter!

I also just wanted to give you guys a fair warning that there will be a few more chapters before Klaus and Caroline meet. Please don't kill me lol :P

Thank you for the lovely reviews! Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think, it really keeps me motivated to write.

- To the guest that asked about Caroline being aryan - It will come into play later in the story!

- Klarolineshipperxoxo and Clarity23 - I know Katherine and Caroline do not really fit the Polish description or any of the other characters I will introduce you to for that matter but I really wanted to use these characters in this story and hopefully can make it somewhat believable. Thank you for the support!

If you want to talk to me directly about this story follow me on tumblr at .com

I hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 2 – Homecoming

Poland, April 1941

Caroline Forbes woke up to the sound of a rooster at the crack of dawn. She grunted and rolled over, pulling the covers over her head in an attempt to block out the surrounding noise. Caroline wished she could just spend the day doing nothing in her bed as she was dreading the day of work that was ahead of her; farming in order to fulfill quotas as well as traveling to town in order to try and sell some goods in exchange for money. The completion of these tasks were essential, it was a matter of life or death for her. After a few more moments of stillness, Caroline eventually opened her eyes and peered out the window. The sky was a magnificent pink and purple colour with streaks of golden yellow and orange breaking through the clouds. She stared at the sky mesmerized by the beauty that dawn brought and how peaceful she felt; all of her fears and worries drifted away for the moment. If only she could take this feeling with her throughout the day. Sighing one last time, Caroline slowly got out of bed and prepared herself of the day awaiting her.

Traveling downstairs Caroline's nostrils became engulfed with the warm smell of fresh bread. Curious as to who was up at this hour, the blonde strolled into the kitchen where she witnessed her friend attempting to knead dough. This should be interesting, Caroline thought as she paused in the doorway and leaned on the frame in order to watch the scene unfold in front of her.

Her friend seemed to be working in quite a frenzy. A cursing and muttering Katherine had on a white apron that was mostly covered in flour and other sticky substances which were unknown. The brunette's hair also turned into a shade of grey as the flour somehow covered a majority of the long dark luscious curls that were currently tied back.

"Shit!" Katherine swore as she dropped the dough and ran to the oven in a hurry. Caroline watched with a smirk as Katherine wiped her dirty hands on her already filthy apron before opening the oven. When she did, a thick cloud of smoke escaped which left Katherine coughing as she reached for the oven mitts and removed the bread.

That is when a laughing Caroline decided to step in.

"Having trouble, are we?"

"Hmm what?" The brunette stated as she quickly composed herself in order to hide the fact that she was struggling. "No, I got it. Everything is fine." Katherine kicked the oven closed in an attempt to hide the burning smell of bread and plastered a fake smile on her face. Caroline knew that smile all too well; one that secretly read, I am not getting into any trouble at all or doing something that I should not be doing.

Sighing, Caroline began to make her way over to her friend. "Please Katherine, the bread is burnt. I do have eyes, you know." Caroline reached over to turn off the oven and then grabbed the pan out of Katherine's hands and placed it on the counter.

"Hey! I am getting better, look at the first batch I made. It's not perfect but at least it's not burnt to a crisp!" Katherine was truly excited with her work, she thought she deserved some sort of recognition.

Caroline couldn't help but smirk at her friend, how could someone be such a bad cook? "Well then I guess we have breakfast. Can you cut some up and put jam on it please while I attempt to salvage what dough is left."

Katherine nodded and began cutting the bread while Caroline began to clean up the mess her friend made. Ever since Katerina Petrova entered into Caroline's home, it seemed she was cleaning more messes than usual. However, Caroline wouldn't have it any other way.

Katherine's actions this morning then made Caroline curious. The household was already struggling to maintain a steady food supply; Katherine would not be foolish enough to waste what they had. "What are you doing up so early anyway, and why were you cooking?"

"Couldn't sleep." A long pause lingered after the brunette's words. "I had a nightmare." Shrugging her shoulders, Katherine attempted to pretend like it was no big deal. But the truth of the matter was, the same nightmare plagued her mind every single night since the last Great War. The only way she could shake the horror from her dreams was to keep her body and mind busy in order to create a distraction; this morning it just so happened to turn out to be baking.

Not thinking much of it, Caroline put her attention back to the task at hand. Nightmares were reoccurring for all people living in an occupied land. She had listened to too many of people's worries and fears that had plagued their minds at night to think anything of it.

The young women worked in silence in order to complete their duties. When the kitchen was finally back to its normal state, Caroline made her way to the dining table to sit with her friend. She took a small bite of the bread in order to secretly test the waters without Katherine noticing. However, she wasn't as stealthy as she thought she was.

"It's not poison for crying out loud! Just eat it." Katherine huffed and crossed her arms as she noticed her friends hesitant face.

Bracing herself, Caroline took a big bite. Here goes nothing. After chewing the bread longer than normal, Caroline finally swallowed wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. Looks like I will live after all, Caroline thought.

Noticing her friend's reaction, Katherine relaxed in her seat while a triumphantly victorious sly smile spread across her face.

After finishing her slice, Caroline knew it was time to get to business. Plenty of work was in store for the day. "Can you help me in the fields this morning? I want to gather as much as I can so I have time to fill the quotas as well as go into town and sell whatever we have left."

Katherine reached over and reassuringly took hold of her friend's hand. "Of course Caroline, I'll do anything for you. I will tend to the animals as well when you go into town."

"Thanks!" Caroline smiled. "But first you should probably go and wash out your hair, you have flour and god knows what else in there."

The two girls couldn't help but burst out into laughter after Caroline's statement.

After the young women finished consuming the newly baked bread, and Katherine's quick shower, they made their way out to the fields. The cool breeze of the April morning winds welcomed them to the fields ensuring that the first couple hours of work would be rather comfortable. By the time midday rolled around, the scorching sun beat down on their backs as they gathered all they had extracted from the fields and placed them in the quota bags.

This had been Caroline's life for the past two years.

At the beginning of September 1939, both Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia began their invasion of Poland, and by the end of the month, Poland had been completely partitioned. All of Poland was divided up between Germany and Russia, which left the citizens with little free will. You either did as the Germans said, or watched them shoot you or the ones you loved. Caroline had seen horrors she never dared of seeing. Innocent people were being thrown out of their homes so German soldiers could occupy it which left them homeless on the street. She'd seen innocent people getting beaten and humiliated publically for breaking a minor rule such as stealing a loaf of bread. People were also being transported to other parts of Europe or located in ghettos in Poland. Caroline did not know what happened to those people, but as of now once you were moved, you never came back. Much of Poland was in a state of poverty due to the fact that all of their food supply and farming goods had gone to the German soldiers in order for it to be shipped back to their homeland. This left little to no food for the people in Poland, but the Germans could not care less. Germans believed themselves to be superior to the Polish people.

Caroline spent her days as a slave to the German's orders. She would wake up, pick potatoes, beetroot and barley from her fields, then package them up only to hand them off to the German soldiers. She would then prepare dinner with what little rations she had left and then spend the rest of the hours waiting for her love to finally return home. Working on the edge of her farm away from civilization, Caroline took a seat on a haystack and closed her eyes in an attempt to escape her exhaustion and absorb the peacefulness of her surroundings. She drifted back to a time where she heard birds chirping, instead of gunshots and screaming. The past two years had made Caroline numb to all of her surroundings. She desperately tried to remember a time when she had been truly happy; at the moment she could not think of one.

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Katherine looked over to her friend and found her sitting with her eyes closed. She wondered what she was thinking. It looked as if she was concentrating hard, trying to remember something. Whatever it was, the brunette did not want to disrupt her thoughts.

After a few more moments of stillness, Katherine decided to speak up. She knew how neurotic Caroline could get if you ran off schedule, or if something did not go according to plan. "If you don't need my help anymore, I am going to go tend to the animals. Your lovely horse is starting to develop quite the odor."

The sound of her friend's voice broke Caroline from her thoughts and reality sank back it. No matter how much Caroline dreamed of escaping this place she knew she never would be able to, at least not until the war was over. And at this point, it seemed that the war would drag on forever. Hitler had spread his influence over so many countries; all that really remained free were Britain, America and Canada. For all Caroline knew, Hitler would win the war and her life would forever be enslaved to the German people.

Another question also remained, if she was freed, would she really leave? Caroline did not know the answer.

Sighing, Caroline stood up and began to fumble with the packages of food. "You're right. No time for breaks, I'm going to make my way into town and deliver the quotas and then head to the market. Will you be alright here?"

"I got it under control Caroline." Katherine placed her hands on the blonde's shoulders in an attempt to ease her worrying mind. "Just relax."

"Okay." Caroline took a deep breath. "But please whatever you do, don't cook. I would like to come back home and see my house standing. With your luck you would end up burning it down."

Katherine couldn't help but laugh at her friends words. "Alright I won't, I promise."

Caroline gave her friend a quick smile before she made her way into town. If there was anything Katherine was good at it was keeping a promise.

During her walk into town, Caroline kept on thinking about the day that she found Katherine and how her life had dramatically changed ever since. Having a companion in her home had made the war so much more bearable for Caroline. Not only did she have an extra pair of hands on the field but she had also found someone who she could confide in and trust during the war. Sure, it was nice being able to stress less about the quotas and not fear the penalties and retaliation from the Germans, but she also had someone to talk to at night. Prior to Katherine, Caroline was all by herself during the war and was forced to cope with the anxiety, stress and fear of occupation on her own. Neighbours turned against each other in order to detach themselves from people the German's may have considered trouble. German soldiers were unpredictable; innocent people could be accused of participating in some sort of crime and those who had relations with them could also suffer the consequences. Caroline no longer talked to her old friends and if she did, it was a quick hello and how are you. During those times, Caroline felt infinitely and utterly alone.

When Caroline arrived in town the atmosphere was drastically different than it was on a daily basis. It was buzzing with life; more bodies were packed into the market square than usual. Continuing her pursuit to the quota truck, Caroline also noticed that people were talking with excitement and hope than their usually dull and fragmented voices. Observing her surroundings a bit more intently, she mentally noted that happiness and longing were present in everyone's facial expressions. How Strange, Caroline thought. She hadn't seen this many people in the market square and excited since before the war. Some sort of event must be occurring that Caroline was not informed of. After she cast aside her quota bags in the drop off area, the curious blonde decided to investigate.

From a distance, she spotted an old family friend. "Jenna!" Caroline called out.

Jenna quickly whipped her head around at the sound of her name. Moments later, she noticed a graceful blonde waving to her from the quota area. "Caroline!" Jenna smiled as she lifted her skirt from the ground and ran toward her old companion. When the two girls finally met they embraced themselves in a long and lingering hug.

Several minutes passed before the two women slowly released each other from their grasp. Jenna took a long and hard look at Caroline. The girl looked worn and tried, no doubt from a long day of work, but she still carried an aura of optimism and confidence with her. Jenna was constantly amazed at how Caroline could take care of that farm by herself and still hold such a positive attitude. "How have you been?" Jenna asked. "It has been awhile."

"I'm alright; you know taking it one day at a time. How are you? How are Elena and Jeremy doing?" Caroline had been friends with Elena since she was born. The two were inseparable but that was until Elena's parents died during the invasion of Poland. Not only did Elena keep to herself from that moment on, but the fear of German soldiers kept people indoors. Being the only relative left in Poland, Jenna decided to take in her sisters children.

"They are doing better, still hurt but day by day getting better. I'm worried for Jeremy though. He turns eighteen in a couple of weeks and I am afraid the German's will send him off to war." Jenna began to nervously play with her sandy brown hair as worry and fear began to overshadow her face.

Being all too familiar with conscription, Caroline could sympathise with Jenna. Not only was Jenna's husband Alaric sent away but she couldn't imagine what it would be like worrying about two family members at war, wondering if you were ever going to see them again. It was hard enough worrying about one.

"Hopefully the war is over by then." Caroline stated as she placed a reassuring hand on her old acquaintances shoulder. Those were the only words Caroline could think of that would comfort her friend.

Jenna silently nodded her head with a defeated expression on her face.

That was when Caroline noticed a tall brunette man in the distance behind Jenna. He seemed to be carrying one large bag and looking for someone. There was something oddly familiar about this man as Caroline squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look.

Her eyes sprung open as her mouth gaped. "Jenna…" Caroline began but could not finish. She was at loss for words.

Noticing the blank expression on her friends face, Jenna became alarmed. "What. What is it Caroline, is something wrong?" Caroline looked like she had seen a ghost.

The blonde did not move her eyes from the figure as he began to make his way towards where they were currently standing. Shock overcame her. "Is that…."

Noticing that Caroline's eyes were locked on something in the distance, Jenna turned around in order to see what her friends mind was currently occupied with. Happiness and excitement suddenly overcame Jenna as her gaze fell to the figure approaching them. "Alaric!" Jenna cried out as she ran toward her husband and embraced him with a long and passionate kiss. Jenna had been waiting for this moment all day.

It was the type of kiss that you would normally see during theatre productions or films; no one ever expected to witness them occur in real life. As soon as Jenna reached Alaric, he lifted her up in the air and swung her around before he gently lowered her and planted his lips on hers. It was a slow kiss; it seemed that they both were trying to savour the moment. Caroline was half expecting to hear music begin in the background; the way the two of them looked at each other made it seem like there was no one else in the world but them. How Caroline longed for that feeling.

After witnessing the display of affection, Caroline ran over to the couple and welcomed Alaric with a warm hug. "Oh my god, you are okay!" Caroline could not believe her eyes, there wasn't even a scratch on him.

"Nice to see you too, Caroline." Alaric smiled as one arm instinctively wrapped itself around Caroline. After several moments, he slowly released the blonde and threw his arm back around his wife.

"What are you doing here?" An excited Caroline questioned. "I thought you were conscripted."

A confused Jenna began to answer before Alaric could even get a word in. "Didn't you hear Caroline? Polish soldiers got a three day pass to come home and regenerate."

What. Caroline thought. Her heart suddenly stopped beating. Jenna's words kept on replaying in her head. Soldiers…. Three day pass… Home. Butterflies began to accumulate in her stomach to the point where she was nauseous with excitement. He could be home; he could be in Poland right now!

"Matt," was all Caroline could whisper as she came out of her thoughts. After another long pause, Caroline realized what Jenna's words truly meant and began to frantically look around the market as she began to yell Matt's name, "Matthew!"

Realization suddenly clicked in Caroline's head. That's why there were so many excited people in the market square today. Soldiers were coming home; it wasn't for good but they were home none-the-less.

Not seeing his face anywhere in the market, Caroline turned her attention back to Alaric. "Have you seen Matt? How come I did not know about this?" Caroline was at the point of hyperventilation.

Noticing how worked up Caroline was getting, Alaric placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders in an attempt to calm her down. "Relax, Caroline."

Caroline took a few steady deep breaths which slowly relaxed her body. Stressing would not do her any good.

"I haven't seen Matt, but I am sure he wanted to surprise you. He is probably home right now waiting for you." After hearing Alaric's words, Caroline did not want to wait a moment longer.

"Home… right, yeah he would be there!" Caroline quickly kissed both her friends on the check before she ran off. "Thanks!" She looked back and yelled as she began her frantic pursuit back home.

Adrenaline was coursing through Caroline's body, she was sprinting the whole way home not wanting to waste any time that she and Matt may have together. She could just picture him sitting in the living room now reading a book or sitting outside under the willow tree, silently waiting for her to return home. Matthew is home. A permanent smile continued to grow on Caroline's face. She could not wait to see him, to touch him, to kiss him, to be with him. God it's been so long. I need him.

She could just imagine the shock that would be on Matt's face when he walked into the house and noticed a brown haired and brown eyed stranger roaming freely around the house. That will be tough to explain to him, Caroline thought as she exclusively remembered that Matt told her to stay out of trouble and away from strangers while he was away. It was a good thing that Matt was a very understanding and genuine person; he would come to accept Katherine into the family just like she did. The only thing that worried Caroline was that Katherine was scaring Matt off before she could even introduce the two. Katherine has a very free spirited personality and loved to play tricks on people. Hopefully she didn't damage anything beyond repair.

Caroline paused outside her home in an attempt to catch her breath. A few more steps and I will be with Matt, An excited Caroline thought. A few more deep breaths and she began her climb up the path to her home.

That was when Caroline noticed her friend Katherine running from the front door toward her. She wondered what was wrong considering how frantic she looked. Maybe she thinks Matt is a German soldier and is coming for her. They after all did wear the same uniform. Caroline eventually picked up her pace in order to meet her friend.

"Katherine, is everything ok? What's wrong?" Caroline asked the girl.

Katherine shook her head frantically, her lips slightly trembling. "I don't know Caroline, but there is a German officer at your door wanting to speak to you."