As Long As it Takes

Sorry the first two are so short and it took so long for another one to get written! It was finals week, but now I'm on vacation and I should have more time to write. Anyway, 4X23 Reaction drabble.

"There's a letter from a Miss Forbes for you Niklaus. Do you want it?"

His control had nearly snapped. He had nearly given himself away to his brother, nearly revealed his innermost feelings, feelings that he didn't trust Elijah with. So he continued painting, eyes never leaving the canvas when all he wanted to do was rush across the room and tear it from his brother's grasp. "Leave it on the table."

An agonizing ten minutes followed, and he counted every second of them, as he forced himself to wait. But that was all he could take. As soon as his internal clock hit the ten minute mark, he set down his brush. Somehow, though he wouldn't know how, he managed to walk calmly to where the letter lay, opening it with caution, not ripping into the envelope as he longed to do. To say he was surprised at the contents would be an understatement.

You are Cordially Invited to the Graduation Ceremony of Caroline Forbes

She wanted him to be there with her? He tried to quash the hope that was bubbling in him; she would never want him, would she? But why had she invited him then? He would go, if only to see if there was an ulterior motive behind her invitation.

Klaus hadn't thought he would be here again; he had thought that he had left Mystic Falls for good, though he would never forget her. He smiled slightly when he pulled out his phone; honestly, she was worse than Stefan with the number of messages left on his phone. He sobered quickly though.

His plan here was simple; find a seat, watch Caroline graduate, deliver his present, say his goodbyes. Break his only remaining tie with this place as it were. Leave this town for good, and maybe try to move on past her.

And then he heard Caroline's cries of pain; he knew they were hers, he would know it anywhere he was sure. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest, and he fought his inner panic. Without hesitating, he picked up a handful of graduation caps, rushing toward the sound.

And the smile she gave him after he killed the witch? It was worth it. It was worth everything that he had gone through to know that she invited him here on what she considered the most important day of her life, that he was important enough to have there with her. That she smiled at him when she saw him. She was, and she would always be worth it. And he knew that he couldn't just say goodbye.

"He's your first love. I intend to be your last. However long it takes." He knew this was the right choice; he would always love her, always wait for her, always accept her with open arms, but the timing wasn't right. He had been expecting her to move on past Tyler to him, because he wanted her to. But one of the things he admired most about her was he loyalty. What he would do to earn that. He would wait for her; there was no moving on, not for him, not past this.

And he told himself that a kiss placed on her cheek would be enough if he was wrong and she never came to him. That the hand she placed without hesitance in his was a sign that she would chose him eventually.

It was the hardest choice he had ever had to make; to let her go. To put it in her hands; to have the chance that he would never be with her. But he had to do this right; he wouldn't have her chose him just because she couldn't be with Tyler. If she chose to be with him, he wanted it to be because she wanted him over Tyler. That she wanted him for him, like he wanted her for her.

Still, he nearly jumped when she leaned her head into his arm. "Thank you." She whispered, and he tightened his grip on her hand in response. Caroline stopped moving though, and pulled her head away. He turned toward her, looking at her curiously. "I'm not saying that you're right or wrong. I'm only technically seventeen though Klaus. And you're, you're a thousand years old. That's a little terrifying for me honestly. But I can't shake you, no matter how hard I try or how hard I pretend I really want to. I'm not saying yes, because I can't right now, but maybe."

It was enough.