A/N: Big huge thanks to Miranda for betaing this. And thank you to all of you for reading, reviewing, etc-ing.
This is the last chapter to this before the epilogue so I hope you enjoy.
"Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift."-Mary Oliver
Waiting for the boat to dock at the pier on the mainland had been difficult for Bonnie. At least they were off the island and she no longer needed to deal with the smell of her grandmother and the other two burning or the sight of them becoming nothing more than ash. There would be no forgetting that smell, the burning of flesh would be seared into her memory until she died. It had been one thing to endure it with the strangers they had needed to burn, but doing so to her grandmother had been traumatic to say the least. She'd waited though, needing them to become nothing but those small grey pieces, because none of them could afford some new twist to bring Silas back. They needed to be certain that he was gone forever, that the sacrifices of countless others hadn't been in vain.
She had been able to scatter her grandmother's ashes but the other two she'd obliterated; using magic to make sure not an ounce of them was left in the world. Bonnie didn't want there to be any chance that someone could utilize any part of Silas or Amara in any kind of spell in the future.
"You don't have to look for witches if you don't want. You could come with me. You know my mom would love having you around too," Caroline tried as the two stood on the deck of the boat, looking out at the water around them.
"I love you and I'm trying really hard not to condone your choices here, Caroline," Bonnie started, turning a little to face her friend. "I can see that he does care about you. Probably even loves you in whatever twisted way that guy can love. But I don't want to be around any of them unless I need to be."
Especially Kol. After what he'd done to her, how he'd used her, she wanted nothing more than to be an entire continent away from him. Even if he held more knowledge about witchcraft than half the witches in the world could hope to possess. She'd figure it out on her own. Wasn't that what she had done all of these years anyway? And without the Spirits meddling in her business maybe she could really see all that she could do.
"They're definitely an acquired taste," Caroline murmured with a shrug. "But we'll just need to schedule time for you and me every so often, okay? Like girls' weekends every other month or so. No family allowed. Just the two of us catching up."
"And don't forget you need to call me once a week so I know he's not keeping you captive somewhere," Bonnie reminded, and Caroline nodded. "I'll let you know if I hear from Elena."
"I'll do the same," Caroline promised, though she looked about as doubtful about that being an actual possibility as Bonnie felt. Elijah had made it back from the Other Side only to be brought back to it. Considering everything that Elena had done in the last few weeks, Bonnie hoped their friend hadn't stepped foot back in the real world, that she'd gotten to die without knowing what she'd been forced to do.
"I don't like that you're going to be out there all by yourself," Caroline continued with a sigh, and Bonnie smiled at the concern in her friend's voice. "Like we still don't know who all did manage to come back through the veil and is still like lurking around the edges. So you just have to promise me that you're going to be extra careful and really look out for yourself, okay?"
"I'm not the one with a long list of enemies who might want payback," Bonnie pointed out, glancing over at where Klaus was standing, chatting to the youngest Mikaelson. Whether or not they would need to deal with any remaining Silas followers was yet to be seen but she would deal with that kind of scenario when if it happened.
"I don't believe that was a promise to be extra careful and look out for yourself, Bonnie Bennett!" Caroline countered, hands on her hips as she gave Bonnie a pointed look.
The boat docked and Bonnie gathered Caroline up in a hug, knowing it would be difficult for the two of them to let one another go. "I promise," she murmured, hearing Caroline sniffle at that.
It was difficult to let go of her best friend, even more so once they were all on the dock and she was going to be walking away a different way from the others. "Don't be a stranger, darling," Kol drawled out, and she fought back the urge to sneer at him, deciding it was better to simply ignore his presence altogether.
She stopped at Klaus though. "If you hurt her, I'll find a way to unlink you from the bloodline and then kill you," Bonnie told him, not really all that surprised when he smiled at her, almost as though he respected that.
With a quick mouthed 'love you' to Caroline which was reciprocated, Bonnie headed away from the others, needing to distance herself as much as possible from them. She would call her dad once she was far enough away; get him to wire her some money and then head back to Mystic Falls for a bit. Then she'd gather all of the grimoires that Luka and his father had collected, her Grams' one, use the money her grandmother had left her and get out of that town.
Bonnie wasn't quite sure where she would go after that but she had a feeling the magic would show her where to go.
"I give her a year a before she comes crawling back trying to find me," Kol commented as Bonnie disappeared into the crowd.
"I give you six months before you go looking to bother her," Rebekah countered, and Caroline tried not to snort at that. "You would think that finally getting the power you wanted would lessen your fascination with witches."
"Now now, Bekah, don't worry. I'll be happily spending the next year by your side so you don't throw any tantrums over being left alone. We both know what these two will be off doing together," Kol waggled his eyebrows as he looked over at Caroline and Klaus.
"Not in front of Henrik!" Rebekah growled and glanced over at their youngest brother who was looking between the lot of them, trying to understand what was happening.
"Oh he doesn't even understand my insinuations yet," Kol shrugged, smiling brightly at the boy who reciprocated it.
"Now what though?" Rebekah asked, deciding it was better to ignore Kol's antagonizing than play into it.
"We're going to go find my mom and compel her memories back." At least that's what Caroline thought they were going to do. She looked up at Klaus. "Right?"
"She's at the villa we own in the Tuscany countryside. I thought the rest of you could head to the apartments in Florence and we'll meet up there," Klaus informed them, and the tension Caroline didn't even realize she'd been holding seemed to lift off her shoulders, making her feel infinitely lighter.
She yearned to see her mother, to know that she was well, and that the compulsion had been worth it. Even though her mom had wanted it to happen, that it had been the best way to keep her safe, Caroline still didn't like the fact that she had done it.
"You're not going to be heading off on some worldwide tour?" Rebekah asked the surprise evident in her voice as she looked between the two of them. "I thought that had been your plan once all of this was over."
"Plans change, sister, I'm sure you're aware of that phenomenon," Klaus replied, his gaze landing on Henrik. "I am entrusting that the two of you can get Henrik and yourselves there without any incident."
"We're not children, Nik," Kol pointed out and Klaus grimaced at that.
"And he's not immortal yet. So do remember that when you decide on doing any of your antics along the way," Klaus replied, turning his attention back to Henrik. "Du vil være trygg med Rebekka og Kol. Jeg vil se deg i et par dager." [1]-You will be safe with Rebekah and Kol. I will see you in a few days.
Henrik hugged him and Caroline watched as Klaus hesitated for a moment before reciprocating the gesture. "We'll get the apartment ready for everyone then," Rebekah started, looking over at Caroline. "I take it that I'll need to make a room for your mother as well and that you'll be in Nik's room."
Okay, that was a little too fast. How was she supposed to answer that question without creating doubt in Klaus' head? But automatically sharing a room with him from the start was like a huge step that she wasn't quite sure she was even ready to make. "Caroline will be in the room next to mine. Set up one for her mother as well. It'll be up to Liz to decide if she joins us or not," Klaus replied, saving Caroline from having to make that decision.
Henrik stepped over, giving Caroline a hug as well, and while no words passed between the two of them, she felt as though she understood that he was wishing for her to be safe. She hoped he picked up English quickly. She really wanted to be able to understand what was going on in that boy's head.
"You know what to do if you do not hear from us in three days," Klaus looked between Rebekah and Kol who both nodded, and Caroline looked at him, wondering what the hell the protocol was for that as the other three headed off into the crowd.
"So what are they supposed to do if that happens?" she asked as they started walking as well.
"After a thousand years on the run, Caroline, my siblings and I have come up with multiple plans on what to do if any of us were to go missing," Klaus replied, offering his arm to her which she took without hesitation, slipping her hand into it. "Considering we still do not know all that is waiting for us because of what the cracks in the veil could have let crawl back to our world, extra vigilance is warranted."
"Not many people even know you exist though, right?" That's how she remembered it. "You're like the boogeyman of stories. Hell, I don't even think most realize that you guys are an actual family. Cause at first we so didn't. That was like a big reveal."
"I'd say word has gotten out about certain aspects because of my seeking werewolves to turn into hybrids. But you're correct, most don't know even a fraction of what your Mystic Falls' circle was privy to," Klaus murmured. "Most of those who did were dead but I can't guarantee that they stayed that way any longer. Then there are those who hold personal grudges for one reason or another."
"People tend to take issue with someone who murders their loved ones. Surprising, right?" she replied, and he arched a brow at her sarcasm. "Just saying, it's your own fault that you've got a long list of potential enemies that could be lurking around. You could have spent a thousand years raising puppies."
"I think you'll find, Caroline, that our nature has a way of pushing us down a certain path," Klaus informed her and she frowned at that. "We're predators by nature. You may be able to squash the urge to kill as you feed but it is always lurking there, just below the surface. We will be the ones to survive when the civilizations you see around us are nothing but paintings in museums, these buildings you see nothing but an archeologist's dig site."
It was daunting to think about their life in such a way, to see everything around them as nothing more than a memory that she would carry about and that the history books would never quite be able to capture. "Let's just go and find my mom."
She wasn't quite ready to take in everything else beyond that just yet.
Everything was happening too fast for Stefan. One second he'd had his brother at his side and the next he'd watched him get pulled away, practically swallowed into oblivion. He had tried to go after him, to find the hole in the rift that Damon must have been dragged through, but that had proved to be a useless task. A witch had been able to bring Elena back though so a witch had to be able to bring Damon back as well.
He hadn't always had the best relationship with witches over the years, mostly he'd steered clear of them, but there were a few that Lexi had told him about just in case he ever needed the help. Stefan wasn't sure how his dead best friend would feel about him using one of her friends to bring back the person who had murdered her, but Damon was his brother. He had to try and save him before the Other Side ceased to exist.
"I can offer you no promises, Stefan Salvatore," the woman told him as she allowed him into her home. "I am only doing this because you've said he was dragged there instead of it being his time to die."
Stefan nodded, not wanting to say much more. Technically Damon had already been brought back once from the Other Side by Silas but the witch didn't need to know all the details. He watched her set up her alter before looking around the room, stopping as he spotted an old photograph of the woman and Lexi. Was she still on the Other Side too? Had she tried to come back over? Or was she content to be where she was now?
"I'm sorry," the woman started, breaking Stefan from his thoughts and he turned back to her. "It's not there."
"What do you mean?" He refused to give words to his suspicion. It couldn't be gone already. There had to be a chance. Damon was coming back. There wasn't an alternative.
"I won't be able to locate him any longer," the woman continued, and he tried to shut her voice out, to not hear what she was telling him. "The link to Other Side is gone."
The pain of losing Damon forever, of never being able to make amends with his brother, pierced through the very heart of Stefan and it would have brought him to his knees, it would have torn him apart if he let it. The constant drumming sound that always followed him in a room with humans grew louder and he focused on that instead of the woman's voice. Perhaps he should have taken off his ring and walked out into the sun to greet death like an old friend or staked himself or partook in a million other easy deaths that would have joined him with his brother.
Instead he flipped that little switch, shutting off the emotions, morals he clung so tightly to flying out the window as the puttering of the witch's heart pounded in his ears, urging him toward her. She was gathering up her materials and murmuring condolences when he attacked, fangs in her neck before she could lift a hand against him. He ripped himself away once he'd drunk the last drop of blood, letting her fall lifeless to the floor.
Lexi's face stared back at him from the photograph on the wall and while that should have brought about some form of guilt, Stefan didn't feel a single ounce of emotion and simply walked out of the witch's house, looking for his next kill.
Klaus could practically breathe in Caroline's excitement as he drove the car he'd procured down the winding roads in the Tuscan hills. They were nearing the small village where her mother was, the houses finally visible in the distance. Vineyards dotted the landscape on either side of them, green hills rising to the north of them, and he watched out of the corner of his eye as she sighed happily, taking in all of that breathtaking beauty.
"This is what she's seen for the last few weeks?" Caroline looked over at him and Klaus enjoyed how carefree she looked in that moment. It was a stark contrast to the worry that had been embedded in her features since her mother had left them.
"I figured this would be an ideal setting for her to be. Not quite a contrast to Mystic Falls. It is a small town, but considering how easy it is to get lost in a big city I thought this would be easier for her to acclimate to." The villa had already been prepped for her appearance and Klaus had made sure that when Liz left them that she had enough money to get by for years if needed. The villa and all of its bills were already handled and what Liz would need to buy at the local farmer's market to eat would hardly put a dent in the funds she'd walked away with back at that airport.
"She'll have made friends, won't she?" Caroline murmured as they arrived at the outskirts of the small town. "She'll have started a whole life here."
"A fake life. One that doesn't hold a candle to the one that has you in it," Klaus replied, noting the sag in Caroline's shoulders as she settled back against her seat.
"She won't have to worry about vampires here though. Or remember about my dad leaving. And dying. And every other horrible thing that's happened," Caroline started and Klaus pulled the car over, thankful that there had been a space available.
"You're forgetting that she won't have the good memories either, Caroline. Compulsion takes away the memories but it doesn't quite fill that hole that's in her heart at the moment," Klaus told her as he shifted to get a better look at her. "She doesn't remember you right now, but her body remembers your hugs, it remembers the smell of your hair, the lilt of your voice. You're an ache she can't explain and will never be able to soothe until she remembers you."
"You don't know that though," Caroline protested, shaking her head at him. "Maybe there's no ache."
"There is one, Caroline." He reached out and brushed her cheek, smiling as she leaned into the touch. "She will be happy to see you once she knows who you are. Now, nightfall is nearly upon us. Let's go find her so we can get back on the road soon."
She nodded and the two of them exited the car. Caroline was still looking around the village, taking in all the different architecture. Perhaps they could stay for a day in the small town, give her a chance to soak it all in and allow Liz to say goodbye to anyone she'd met. That was if the Sheriff even wished to leave with them. She was free to stay if she wanted, but Klaus had a feeling she'd want time with Caroline more than to stay in the small town. She could always return to it once she was ready.
He started leading Caroline down the winding cobblestone road in the direction of where Liz would be residing. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a face he hadn't seen in centuries, one that belonged to a vampire he'd compelled to tear out his own heart. Up ahead he saw the man's former companion, the one who he had compelled to walk into a burning building and stay there until he was nothing but dust.
Their gazes weren't on him though, locked instead on Caroline, following her every movement and Klaus had an idea of what they were planning. They had no hope of going against him, but she was a baby vampire, easily overpowered by two four hundred year old vampires if given the opportunity. He meant to ensure they never got within a foot of her.
He lifted a coin from his pocket and flicked it at the first vampire, embedding it into the man's skull, the force of it causing him to fall. The second one chose that moment to attack, trying to get at Caroline as Klaus grabbed him around the neck and pushed him onto the road. It was Caroline's hand that went through the man's chest and ripped out his heart though, her breathing heavy as she looked at Klaus, trying to figure out what was happening.
There was still the other one to deal with, he'd simply incapacitated him for a moment and with the chaos of people screaming and shouting prayers as they scattered from the open plaza, Klaus didn't want to chance that he'd be able to sneak up on them. He grabbed Caroline and flashed them back to the car, pushing her inside the vehicle as he spotted where the other one had gone.
Klaus was on him in a second, impaling the man on the gate that surrounded one of the houses. "You should have known better than to strike against me, Gregor," Klaus patted the man's cheek, pushing him down further on the spike, enjoying the wheezing sound the man made.
"Three," the man got out and Klaus quirked his lips at that, wondering what he was talking about, not liking the smile on the man's face as he tore his head off.
He whirled around, spotting the vampire that was headed toward the car Caroline was in, easily cutting him off before he got anywhere near her, Klaus tore the man's arm off in his rage, annoyed at his own error of underestimating the men, before slamming him into the car. "How many of you?" he compelled, needing answers, to know if there was more of a threat around.
"Only the three of us here," the vampire sneered even though he was in obvious pain. "There will be others though and one of them will destroy her just like you destroyed us."
Klaus dug his hand into the man's chest, enjoying the strain he saw in the vampire's eyes as he tried not to scream in pain. "You're going to walk down the road and keep going, even as the sun starts to rise in the sky. Keep going until you are nothing but ash, old friend," he compelled the man, patting his cheek before releasing him.
"Someone will get to her," the vampire muttered and Klaus kicked him forward, wanting him out of his sight.
Caroline was still in the car, her gaze on the now empty plaza, and he could see her hands shaking. "My mom…"
Klaus opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat beside her, trying to think of what the best course of action would be. "There's no way for them to see what we're doing now. Those ones have probably been waiting here for the opportunity to strike."
"What if they already hurt her? What if she's…?" He could see the panic starting to set in her eyes, in her breathing as she looked over at him.
"We'll find her, Caroline, but I believe we may need to wait a bit before uncompelling your mother, sweetheart," Klaus told her and Caroline shook her head at that.
"What if there are others here to try and hurt her?" It was a possibility and they would need to scour the area to make sure that wasn't happening.
"We need to leave this area, Caroline. Those three were here to harm you. I doubt they even knew of her presence," Klaus started, not surprised that she interrupted him.
"But you don't know for certain. What if they did? What if someone else does?" her voice was rising, panic beginning to set it.
"Then we'll compel the town to protect her," he replied, hands moving to her face, cupping her cheeks as he tried to calm her down. "She'll have everyone here watching out for her, ready to let us know whenever a stranger sets foot into town, ready to kill any who dare look at her wrong. But here is still the safest place for her until we get rid of any threat that came through the veil."
Because if they couldn't get to Caroline to hurt him then his enemies would eventually realize that they could hurt Caroline by killing her mother. Klaus wouldn't risk that devastation destroying the woman he loved, wouldn't risk how that could tear them apart if she blamed him for what his enemies did. "It just means you'll be parted from her for a little longer, but we will return for her."
"I don't want to leave her." Not when they were so close to finally being reunited.
"If she comes with us she'll only have a bigger target on her. She doesn't have your added strength or healing abilities," Klaus rationalized. "I'll speak to some witches who owe me a favor near here. I'll make sure she's protected."
"But for how long?" Caroline asked and Klaus wiped at the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"It won't be long, I promise you. I'll have Kol use his newfound power to track down those who slipped through the veil." Considering the amount of power his brother now had at his disposal that should be doable and then they would kill them. It hardly mattered to Klaus if they were a threat or not, all of them could die for his peace of mind. "I'm going to need your help to compel the town, Caroline. Are you up for this?"
She took a deep breath before nodding and he watched in awe as she pulled herself together. He wondered how often she'd done this before in her young life considering she'd been able to quickly brush off the tears and fix her hair so that when she forced a smile it didn't even look like she'd been crying moments before. "I am."
Caroline Forbes was far stronger than she knew and no matter what else might happen, Klaus meant to make sure she learned that about herself in the next few years.
It took them nearly half the night to compel the town and by the time they finished Klaus could see how emotionally drained Caroline was from the experience. Especially when she spotted her mother speaking to another woman, passing right by them and not even noticing that she was there. "Come on," Klaus gently urged, leading Caroline back to the car and out of the village.
They wouldn't head off to meet with the others just yet, not with how emotional she was. Klaus knew that she'd appreciate a day to be able to build up her strength again before facing anyone else so instead of heading toward Florence he headed toward the sea. He knew the perfect place to show her so that she could calm down and be ready to carry on like she always did. Though this time he would make sure Caroline knew that she had him on her side.
Getting the call from Klaus that he needed all of those who had ventured over from beyond the veil tracked down had been the highlight of Kol's day. Not that he didn't want to spend time with Henrik, but with Rebekah doting over the boy and trying to get him acclimated to the twenty-first century, it wasn't quite where he wanted to be at the moment. He wasn't ready to come down off the constant rush of the last few weeks and jumped at the chance to use his newly regained powers.
What Klaus wanted was no simple task though. It needed more than one witch and while he could have probably called upon a few old friends that were scattered around the globe, there was one witch in particular that he wanted to bother for help. Hardly his fault that she'd only just left the rest of them.
"Hello, darling," Kol greeted as he slipped onto the chair across from Bonnie Bennett. She'd been in a small cafe in Athens and the scowl she offered up as she looked at him had Kol grinning brightly.
"I don't put up with stalkers," she hissed, looking ready to try and blast him from existence with a mere look.
"Klaus needed me to find you." Not quite the truth. "Seems the leftovers from the veil are causing quite the ruckus already. I'm sure you don't care one iota about that, probably even think we deserve whatever is thrown at us, mmm?" From her pursed lips and crossed arms he was going to take her answer as being an affirmative. "Except it seems that they're all quite interested in harming what they perceive to be Klaus' weakness—and honestly she is one. So unless you'd like to leave Caroline vulnerable to all manners of attacks…" He lifted his arms in a shrug before reaching across to steal a chip from her basket.
Kol could tell that she didn't want to help, that she was dying to tell him to go to hell or something similar, but a threat against her friend was something that Bonnie Bennett wouldn't be able to ignore, no matter how much she didn't want to work with him again. "What do you want me to do?" she finally said with a sigh, narrowing her eyes when he rubbed his hands in excitement.
"Simple enough tracking spell. All of their energy will be a tad skewed, should allow us to pinpoint them fairly easily." At least in theory it should, they'd find out soon enough in practice how true that was.
"And then what?" Because tracking wouldn't exactly solve the problem.
Kol leaned forward, smiling brightly at her. "And then we'll kill them. Each and every one of them."
"Not all of them are threats," Bonnie countered, shaking her head at them. "Some of them probably have no intention of ever coming near any of us."
"Yes, but unless you have a way of weeding out all of those quickly, we'll be tracking down various people for months, possibly over a year. I personally would have no issue working with you for such a long time, but I'd think you would want to be free of me as soon as possible," Kol replied, enjoying the way she bristled at the alternatives. "Technically none of them should be here. It's all by happenstance that they're even walking around again."
"Won't Henrik be affected?" she countered and Kol strummed his fingers along the table.
"Good thing I already cloaked him from what we'll be doing." His brother would remain untouched. It was the rest of them that needed to die.
"I'm not killing innocent people who aren't a threat to Caroline," Bonnie told him and Kol smirked.
"Well then I guess you and I have quite the journey ahead for us." Kol leaned forward to snag another chip and Bonnie hit his hand away.
"Let's see how many are even left over from the rifts and we'll figure it out from there," she replied and he leaned back, nodding his head at the idea. "And rule number one, you keep your hands off my things."
"There are going to be rules?" Kol asked as she rose, watching her dump her trash before following after her. "I do so love those. So much fun to break each and every one of them."
Her annoyed sigh was like music to his ears and Kol didn't think he'd ever been so pleased to have people threatening his family. Looked at though he wasn't quite done with the rush of the last few weeks just yet and that suited him perfectly. The fact he had such amusing company to enjoy it with was a nice bonus. He'd need to remember to thank Nik later on for the new task.
The hotel was exquisite, better than anything she had ever stayed in before, but Caroline barely paid attention to any of the details. Her mind was on her mother, on how she had been right there, close enough to touch, and she had needed to leave her behind. She knew it was for the best, that pulling her back into the chaos that was her life at the moment would most likely get her killed. That knowledge didn't quite soothe the ache in her heart though, the worry that was only going to continue unabated until she was finally able to compel Liz's memories back into place.
She was grateful that Klaus had decided to bring her somewhere else instead of heading directly to where his siblings had been going. They would meet up with them in a few days but Caroline needed the time to pull herself together, to stitch her emotions back into place after she allowed all of them to come pouring out.
They were in a beautiful seaside room, the ocean practically right outside of their door but she had headed straight for the bed, not seeing any of it. She had needed to cry, to let out every ounce of frustration and turmoil that was stirring inside of her, and under the covers seemed the best place to do that.
Klaus had let her be at first, calling his siblings to get Kol to start to work on everything and letting Rebekah know it would be a few days before they met up. Eventually though she felt his presence on the bed. She peered up at him from the cocoon she had made for herself with the cover and sheets, crying harder at the sympathy she saw in his gaze.
He pulled her against him and she curled into his arms, hands leaving the safety of the sheets to hold tightly to his Henley. His arms wrapped around her, anchoring her to his body, and while he didn't say a word, his presence was soothing. Caroline never thought she would think that about Klaus, but somehow along the way he had learned how to calm her when her emotions were spinning out of control.
She was emotionally spent from the day and it didn't take long for her to fall asleep on him. It was a mostly peaceful sleep, one not full of nightmares about her mother as she had expected. Caroline had a feeling she had Klaus to thank for that. He hadn't been present but she remembered the field of horses that had played out for her.
Caroline woke curled up against his chest with his arms still around her, holding her tightly to him. Klaus was still asleep and she took the time to admire him in that moment. She didn't know how she had gone from steadfastly loathing him to wanting to see the world with him. He had been chipping away at her walls since that night in her bedroom, giving her glimpses of a world out there for her with his words, and while at first she had firmly believed it had all been a ploy, that he had been playing with her, she knew now that what he felt for her was real. Caroline knew that he truly did want to show her the world, to give her practically everything that she wanted in life, and that he didn't expect anything in return. Asking about her hopes and dreams hadn't been a line for him.
The depth of Klaus' feelings for her still frightened Caroline a bit. He had been able to control his wolf in her presence, fought off a Coven witches to be able to help her, and tracked her down when Silas had her.
She brushed her fingers against the stubble on his chin before letting her hand move down to play with the necklaces he wore. Klaus loved her and it was so very different than what she had thought love would be. It was possessive, it was longing, and there was an endlessness to it that was overwhelming and comforting all at once. It was nothing like what she had felt from Matt or Tyler. She couldn't quite give name to every aspect of what it was to be loved by Klaus but Caroline did know that as much as it did still frighten her that she never wanted to be without it.
She wasn't quite there yet; it would probably take a few years before she felt that same depth for him as he did for her. She did know that she wanted to be with him though, that when she did think of the distant future and even the near future, it was him that she saw herself with in her dreams. Forever was a long time though and a concept that she still couldn't quite wrap her head around. The only thing that would probably help with that was time and she meant to make sure that the two of them had plenty of that together.
"Should I worry that you're planning my demise in that head of yours?" Klaus quirked a brow as he looked down at her, voice full of mirth for a moment before his gaze turned concerned. "How are you feeling now, sweetheart?"
This man could pull out another's heart before she could even speak a word and yet he looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. It was enough to make a girl's head spin. "Better than I was yesterday. Thanks." For being there, for knowing what she would need.
She rested her head back on his chest, not ready to leave the bed or his arms just yet. It still surprised her to see how much had changed between the two of them in the last few weeks, how instead of leaping away from his touch she welcomed it, needed it. She shifted slightly after a moment, moving so that she was hovering over him. Long blonde hair tickled his cheeks and he watched her, no doubt wondering what she was doing.
He didn't have long to wonder, not when she was gently pressing her lips against his. Her hands moved to his cheeks, thumbs stroking the stubble they found there as his moved to the nape of her neck and buried themselves in her hair. The kiss had started out slow, barely there really, but neither seemed content with that for long. There was an urgency to it now, an almost consuming quality to it that had her moaning into his mouth.
Caroline broke away, moving so that she was straddling his chest as she gasped for air for a moment. She had her shirt over her head before he could blink, her mouth against his neck before he really had time to appreciate the view. She wanted to explore his body in all the ways he'd done with hers so far, to give him the pleasure he had always made sure she had.
It seemed Klaus had other ideas though and had her flipped beneath him before she could utter a single protest. "I've barely begun to explore your body, Caroline," he murmured against her ear and her eyes widened at that. Had she said the last part out loud without realizing it?
Not that it mattered when he nibbled on her ear before making his way down her neck; tongue, teeth and lips being used in ways that had her moaning and threading her fingers through his hair. She shook her head when his fingers stroked the skin under her bra strap. No no no. She wanted to give as good as she got this time, to not be a puddle of mess while he made every nerve ending of hers ignite with fire. She wanted to do that to him as well.
Caroline shoved Klaus back, knowing she wouldn't have been able to do such a thing without him allowing it. He would always have more strength than she ever could dream of getting. Her hands were on the ends of his Henley, tugging it over his head and tossing it to the side in seconds. The necklaces against his bare chest had featured in countless fantasies she'd had about Klaus. Enough so that she had cursed their existence back when she had been trying to suppress her desires. But now she could fully embrace what she wanted without worrying about the consequences she would face with her friends for giving into her own needs.
His mouth was on hers again, hot and demanding and she curled one arm around his neck, the other hand twisting in his necklaces as they each fought for control. Klaus' hands easily got rid of her bra; though she was thankful he didn't break it. She only had the one right now and while they could always get another, she didn't want to deal with anything but him right then and there.
Klaus pressed her back against the bed, never letting up with the kiss as she felt her head hit the pillow. Caroline knew that as soon as her back hit the mattress again that he was going to win the fight for control. A thousand years of experience was at his fingertips and Klaus seemed intent on showing her everything he had learned. There was almost a desperation to his touch as his hands slid down her curves, one hand pressing gently against her stomach, lazily drawing his fingers across her skin there. She didn't know which direction it was intending to head next and as his mouth left hers to nip at her neck, Caroline couldn't think of which way she wanted it to head.
He pulled back for a moment so that he was hovering over her and the adoration that she saw in his eyes as he looked down at her took her breath away. She would never get over how he looked at her, even in a thousand years she would never understand how anyone, especially Klaus who had seen so many wonders throughout time could look at her as though she was a mystery he would spend forever trying to uncover.
His necklaces brushed against her skin and god that was like just out of one of her dreams, feeling them gliding down between her breasts before moving even lower as his mouth was on her skin again.
She needed to try and regain control, to flip him back over so she could continue with her own ministrations but any chance of that happening was obliterated as soon as Klaus' mouth was on her breast. "You so don't play fair," she whined, pressing her head back into the pillow as his tongue moved over her already hardening nipple.
"I highly doubt that's a surprise, Caroline love," Klaus murmured, before his blunt teeth brushed against her breast causing her eyes to shut. He kept up his movements, alternating between breasts but when his fingers drifted down to her pants, Caroline forced herself to snap out of the delicious daze that she was currently in.
She flipped them over again, pushing Klaus down against the mattress, refusing to be denied her own ounce on control. Even if her body desperately wanted to allow him to continue the journey his hands had been on. Caroline pressed her hands against his chest, giving him a hard look to which Klaus arched a brow. "My turn."
Caroline dragged her nails down his chest before he could comment, smirking at the hitch in his breath that she managed to elicit from that. "One day I'm going to need to hear the story behind each and every single one of these necklaces," she told him as she ran her fingers along the various threads and chains before moving to press her chest against his, grinning at the way his hands moved up her bare back.
Her mouth was on his neck, reciprocating the motions he had done before, knowing that it was a sensitive place on any vampire, and while Klaus was a hybrid, from the way his hands tightened their grip on her as they glided over her back every so often, Caroline had a feeling it worked on hybrids as well. Sex with Tyler wasn't any help for what worked and what didn't as they had always been pretty straight forward, minimal foreplay involved, and Caroline was coming to learn that Klaus seemed to really enjoy riling her up before ever getting the main course.
Not that she was going to complain. It was mutually beneficial.
Though she did let out a sound of protest when he flipped them back over again, removing her jeans from her body before she could do more than that. The fact he was able to tear her panties away as if they were nothing but paper had her making a face at him. "Hey!" Now what was she supposed to wear?
From Klaus' devilish smile Caroline wouldn't be surprised if that was the point. There wasn't much time to be annoyed though not when his mouth pressed against her stomach and one hand drifted across her pelvis, causing her legs to open slightly of their own accord. His fingers brushed against her sex and Caroline shut her eyes, knowing that the chances of her gaining back any control now were below zero.
"So wet for me already," Klaus murmured and she really shouldn't have looked down at him. Seeing him lick her juices off his fingers was so not helping her maintain any kind of control.
"Oh god," she muttered as his mouth was on her skin again, hot and demanding as he moved up her body. His fingers brushed against her sex though, ever so lightly and the gentleness of the movement was driving her mad. It was such a contrast to how his mouth moves as if it was trying to cover every inch of her skin, to taste every part of her.
But then she felt a finger dip into her, stroking her for a moment before one finally pushed into her and then another as his thumb found her clit, brushing it in small, entirely too gentle circles. It wasn't enough pressure; she was desperate for more and tried to move her hips to get that across to him. From the way Klaus grinned against her breast she had a feeling he knew it wasn't enough. He was toying with her, driving her insane with need.
Caroline was close to demanding more from him when the pressure finally increased but he was no longer at her breast, his mouth moving its way back down her body. She didn't expect the piercing of his fangs into her thigh but the combination of that as he pumped fingers into her and brushed at her clit was more than enough to send her reeling over the edge. Her hands gripped the covers beneath them, fabric tearing as he continues to feed and press into her.
She was barely coming down from her high when his fingers were replaced by his mouth, tongue practically lapping up all of her juices. One of his hands was under her ass, the other pressed against her stomach in an effort to hold her still. Her orgasm just won't seem to end with what he was doing to her and Caroline wondered if it was possible to black out from pleasure. She's certain that she might, her senses on overload.
"Drink, Caroline," Klaus ordered and that was what brings her back to reality and she dug her fangs into his offered neck. She could hear him shedding his own pants and underwear as she took her fill, countering the venom that had begun to flow through her body, not at all deterred by her tightening grip.
Her mouth found his, dueling for control as her hands roamed over his back, through his hair, over his chest, needing to touch as much of him as she possibly could. Klaus pulled her back, looking down at her, his gaze demanding to know that she was sure and her answering smile seeming to be all the answer he needed.
There was a completeness Caroline had never felt before when he pressed his cock into her, but that was quickly pushed aside as they worked to find a rhythm that worked for the two of them. Her legs wrapped around his waist, trying to pull him in deeper, needing him closer.
His forehead pressed against hers as he tugged at her arms, his hands sliding up until they were against her wrists. Klaus pulled them up above her head, maneuvering so he could pin them there with one hand. The other pressed to the bed beside her head as he pulled back to look her in the eye. Caroline wasn't surprised by the dominance he was displaying. He was the Alpha male and she would rolled her hips in a way that had him moaning, reminding him that she was very much the Alpha female.
His smile was contagious before his mouth was against hers again, teeth and tongued fighting for dominance between the two of them. Klaus didn't relinquish the hold on her hands even as she strained against him, wanting desperately to draw her nails down his back.
The veins around his face were darkening though, causing her own to do so again, fangs dropping down as she saw his own come out to play. Hers pierced the flesh of his neck almost at the same time as his did her own, the addition of the blood sending them both careening over the edge. They both drank until they had their fill even as their bodies stopped moving. Tasting her blood in his mouth, having their blood intermingle like that was something Caroline knew she wanted to experience repeatedly as he kissed her.
Klaus released his hold on her hands and she drew them down his back, unable to stop touching him. The second time was much slower, no fight for dominance between the two of them as they easily moved together toward that highly sought after end. She wondered why it had never felt like this before. It had always been good, she had always gotten what she wanted out of sex, but the completeness was back, the feeling that she was right where she was supposed to be was overwhelming. From the way that Klaus touched her and moved with her Caroline had a feeling he was feeling the same.
"I'm never giving you up," Klaus murmured as he pulled her close, pressing his lips into the mess that was her hair.
That kind of phrase would have terrified her before, had her running for the hills and trying to stay out of his path for as long as she could. Now it had her curling her fingers in his necklaces and pressing a kiss to his chest.
"Good."
Because Caroline had no intention of ever giving him up either. Whatever else lay ahead, no matter how long it took to be able to get her mother back, or however many twists and turns were still left for them to face, somehow she knew it would all be worth it. It was hard not to think that when she was lying in bed with Klaus who loved her more than she could ever comprehend and while it still terrified her a bit, she could start to see that she was coming to feel the same about him.
"Do I want to know what's going on in that head of yours?" Klaus murmured, looking down at her and she rested her chin on his chest as she looked at him.
"I'm just really glad I decided to give you a chance," Caroline told him with a smile. "I have no clue where this all might lead." Though she knew where she would like it to lead. "But I'll never regret choosing you."
He was staring at her strangely, with an emotion she couldn't quite name, before he was kissing her senseless all over again. It dawned on her that Klaus had never really been chosen before. He had demanded loyalty from his hybrids and she wouldn't be surprised if he saw his siblings being with him out of familial duty instead of choice half the time. But someone choosing of their own free will to be with him because they wanted to was something he hadn't really experienced before.
They broke apart, Klaus looking down at her with a genuine smile and Caroline grinned up at him, not even realizing that she was looking at him like he always looked at her in that moment.