Room 302 was exactly like Caroline had left it and she couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of how close she had been to leaving, when she saw her packed bag on the bed. The letter and the diamond bracelet hadn't been moved either and Caroline let out a sigh as she studied it all from the door.

She frowned when something in front of the bed caught her eye and she moved closer to find a stain of dried blood on the wooden floor. Her dried blood, she realized with a small shiver and quickly moved to the bathroom to find something to wipe it off with.

After cleaning the floor to her satisfaction Caroline threw her bag off the bed without unpacking it and grabbed the letter as well. She stared at it for a long moment before tearing it in half and hiding it in the drawer of the small table beside her bed.

The diamond bracelet was still staring at her from its place on the bed and Caroline picked it up carefully. As her fingers mindlessly brushed over the diamonds Caroline couldn't help but think of a night previously forgotten.

The night that had been the end of life as she knew it. At that time everyday had seemed like that sort of day, but this had been different. This had been a thousand year old hybrid coming to save an eighteen year old baby vampire. And then for some reason gifting her with diamond bracelet once owned by a princess.

And now Caroline felt like she had reached that end again. What happened between her and Klaus during the last 24 hours wasn't something entirely new and yet it felt so different from anything she had experienced before. They had had many beginnings and endings, but maybe it was time for another one. One last new beginning.

Caroline was silently freaking out as she played with the bracelet and couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by everything that had had happened. She had kissed Klaus not only once or twice, but three times and the significance of it only seemed to hit her now.

Being alone with Klaus had felt like being in a small world of their own, but outside the walls of his bedroom there were choices to be taken and consequences to be faced. Caroline had gotten so used to running that the prospect of staying in one place for a long time almost seemed terrifying.

She knew that this was it. If she stayed there was no going back to whatever life she had led before. If she chose to be with Klaus it would be for eternity. And that was a long time for two immortals.

Caroline had told him that she wasn't going anywhere, but was she really ready to commit to this kind of relationship? Was she ready to spend millennia with the same person and then Klaus Mikaelson of all people? The evil hybrid who had blown into Mystic Falls and turned Caroline's world upside down.

Caroline fell back onto her bed with a heavy sigh and studied the bracelet for a moment longer before clasping it around her wrist. She was tired, but there were a few things she needed to do before she could go to sleep, so Caroline forced herself to get up.

She quickly found the phone she had stolen from the tourist in her packed bag and was surprised to see the battery was half full still. Caroline bit her lower lip thoughtfully as she typed a phone number she hoped was still in service. The phone ringed four times before someone finally picked up.

"How may I help you?" a deep male voice greeted casually and Caroline smiled just at the sound of his voice. She couldn't believe that she had actually missed her horrible murderous friend.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" Caroline retorted in an offended manner and placed her free hand on her hip even though he couldn't see her.

"Hello, gorgeous." Enzo replied with an apparent smile in his voice and Caroline rolled her eyes at his nickname for her. She then realized with a blush that the reason why she had initially liked this Englishman so much might have been because of another Englishman she couldn't remember at the time.

"I can't believe I actually missed you a minute ago." Caroline laughed as she shook her head and Enzo gasped dramatically on the other end.

"Caroline Forbes missed me? Hang on, darling, I need to go tell someone immediately." Enzo said in a teasing voice and Caroline forced herself not to roll her eyes at him once more. One day they would get stuck up there because of him.

"Enzo!" Caroline chastised as it sounded like Enzo was actually putting his phone down and the older vampire laughed at her bossing tone. He had genuinely missed her at least. "Where are you?"

"In the States. Why?"

"Great! I need a big favor, actually."

"Skipping the pleasantries as usual I see. What can I do for you?" Enzo teased and Caroline could easily imagine him smirking to himself. But she also knew that he wasn't just joking around. Caroline rarely asked for a favor and when she did it was never a small thing. 'A big favor' was not words she used lightly and Enzo knew that.

"I need you to come to New Orleans. And take everyone with you." Caroline told in a serious voice and then held her breath for whatever comments Enzo had to make about that. He knew who lived in New Orleans even though he didn't know Caroline actually knew said person.

"New Orleans? You haven't gotten yourself into trouble, have you?" Enzo asked worriedly and Caroline smiled softly at his concern.

Despite her being the more powerful of the two he had always been strangely protective of her. Like a big brother… who flirted with her. Which seemed like a very wrong image to have of him, but fitted them both surprisingly well.

"Not the trouble you think. I am actually working with Klaus Mikaelson. It's a very long story that I'll tell you once you get here. And you need to get here fast. There's a war coming, Enzo, and I need someone I can trust." Caroline explained in a voice that was more intense than what she had intended. But it was the truth; they were going to war. And after her run-in with Colin she didn't trust any of Klaus' vampires.

"Gotcha, Blondie. We'll be there by noon tomorrow."

"Thank you." Caroline said with a small sigh and felt some of the tension leave her body. She hadn't really relaxed properly since she had come to the city, but the prospect of having someone she completely trusted close helped. "Come to the big townhouse on Royal Street. And leave the others outside the city to begin with. No one but you and I should know that you're coming."

"Understood. See you in a few hours, gorgeous." Enzo replied and Caroline smiled as she could clearly picture him doing the mock salute he always did when they said their goodbyes.

She threw the phone on the bed after having hung up and calmed her fingers through her unruly curls. She knew that Klaus – or any of the others for that matter – wouldn't like her going behind their backs and contacting some outsider, but if they were going to war they needed soldiers. And Enzo could provide exactly that.

She had met him after falling over the so-called Augustine Society and had rescued the tortured vampire from his prison. It had taken her a long time to persuade him not to kill everyone holding him captured and Caroline had spent a long month bringing him back to life.

They had spent another two months dismantling the organization, which apparently had its roots not far from Mystic Falls. But during the decades it had spread across the world and when the Augustine Society was finally no more, Caroline had found herself the leader of a group of 20 practically emotionless vampires.

But with the hunters always on her heels she couldn't stay with them and Enzo – noticing her hesitation to leave – had taken it on himself to help them like Caroline had helped him. Thus creating what Caroline referred to as Enzo's own S.W.A.T. team of vampires. And she had a strong suspicion that they were somehow following her around the world since they never seemed to be more than a day's journey away every time she had called for their help.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts Caroline roamed through her bag once more and found some clean underwear. She seriously needed to take a shower and preferably one where she didn't have to think about the Original hybrid on the other side of the door.

Caroline couldn't help but glance at her naked back as she passed by the mirror, but the pale skin was as smooth as it had been before her near-death experience. She had also looked much healthier than from the last time she had looked at herself in a mirror.

She tried hard not to think of Klaus and everything happening between as she stood under the hot water, which resulted in her wondering about Colin's fate instead. She had been acutely aware of the screams coming from the basement, but couldn't really get herself to pity him. Caroline figured that he probably would be dead by the night's end.

She stepped out of the shower after fifteen long minutes and slowly dried herself with the soft towel. Her face was clean from any make-up and Caroline placed her wet curls over her left shoulder. She pulled on her panties with lazy movements and wrapped the towel around her to cover the rest of her body.

Caroline didn't mind walking around naked when she was alone, but she was quite certain that some of Klaus' vampires were keeping watch not too far away, and even though they wouldn't peek, she still felt exposed.

As if thinking about not being alone was enough to make it so; noise came from the bedroom as Caroline was about to open the door. She froze at the door with her hand on the handle and the other moved up to secure the towel around her half-naked body as she listened intently. She was certain she had heard a door open and now someone was moving towards the door she was hiding behind.

Caroline couldn't sense who was intruding on her and she glanced around in search of some kind of weapon. Time seemed to run out as the person stopped outside her door and she frowned when two knocks landed on it.

"Caroline?" a familiar voice called from the other side and she pulled open the door without thinking about her undressed state.

"What the hell, Klaus?!" Caroline yelled at the surprised hybrid, who was suddenly faced with the fiery blonde. She felt a mix of irritation and embarrassment well up inside her as Klaus' eyes slowly travelled down her towel-clad body and she quickly crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Sorry, love. I didn't mean to startle you." Klaus apologized as his gaze finally returned to her face and it seemed as if his blue eyes had become a shade darker.

"Haven't you learned to knock?" she snapped at him in the hopes of making him irritated as well, because she could much better deal with that than the lustful look in his eyes.

"I did knock as you might recall." Klaus replied with a smirk and his hands casually gathered behind his back. Caroline needed to move past him to get to her clothes, but that required him either moving or her passing closely by him to get through the doorway.

"I mean on the hotel door. Not the door to the bathroom while I'm showering." Caroline said with a roll of her eyes and smiled despite herself.

She eyed the small space between Klaus' body and the door frame, and then Klaus, who clearly knew what she was thinking. She sent him a pointed stare before he finally took a step back to give her space.

"I thought someone was breaking in or something." Caroline continued as she quickly walked passed him and into the more comfortably large room. When she couldn't decide what to do next, Caroline paused in the middle of the room and turned around to face him.

"I think you could have handled a burglar or two, love." Klaus mused as he moved away from the bathroom as well and closer to her.

"Well, I'm not exactly dressed to fight anyone." Caroline retorted as she gestured at herself with one hand while the other still held the towel tightly in place. She regretted her choice of words as his eyes glided down her body once more and felt stupid for bringing attention to herself like that.

"I've noticed." he said teasingly with a raised eyebrow and the smirk still in place. Caroline crossed her arms in front of her once more and frowned as she realized he hadn't explained why he was now standing in her hotel room like he owned the place.

"What are you doing here?" Caroline asked exasperatedly since she recalled specifically telling him that she needed some time alone. Were a few hours too much to ask?

"You left before I could tell you thank you." Klaus answered with a suddenly serious tone of voice and Caroline blinked in surprise.

"For what?"

"For what you did for Henrik." he explained with a soft smile and Caroline inwardly cursed her body as her stomach and heart did a flip-flop at the same time. It wasn't fair of him to look at her like that. It made her irrational and all of those reasonable doubts about him disappeared like snow in the sun.

"Well, I meant what I said. Being scared isn't a bad thing and he needs to know that. Especially with a father who 'isn't afraid of anything'." Caroline replied with a tilt of her head and quirked eyebrow. Poking fun at Klaus probably wasn't the best idea in her state of undress, but as always she couldn't help it.

"I don't mean just that, sweetheart. I mean everything you did from the day he was born. I don't know which sort of father I would have been today if it wasn't for you, Caroline." Klaus told her in a strong voice as he came closer to her and she felt herself smile at his words. She doubted that she had influenced him that much, but it felt nice to know that she had had some role in it all.

"I think you would have been quite a decent father. Although I must admit you're kind of a great one now." Caroline said in a self-appraising voice that made Klaus smile at her adoringly. Somehow they had come to stand quite close and Caroline could clearly see the dimples that appeared with his smile.

"Well, I once knew this beautiful and brutally honest woman, who convinced me that love wasn't a weakness and fear not necessarily a strength. And then she told me to get over myself." Klaus reminisced with a small chuckle and Caroline's treacherous stomach flipped once more.

"That woman sounds kind of amazing." Caroline pointed out with a bright smile and then laughed when Klaus lifted his eyebrows at the compliment she had just paid herself.

"She is." he then told her in a low voice and held her breath for a short moment as he moved a slightly bit closer. She could easily reach out and touch him now if she wanted to. Not that she did. But she could. "But also quite the mystery. You see, she disappeared for five years without a word and all she left behind was this note."

Caroline subconsciously leaned closer as Klaus slowly reached within his jacket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. It looked worn and as if it had been folded and unfolded many times. She wasn't exactly sure what he was talking about since she couldn't really remember leaving any note behind.

Klaus already knew its content by heart but the confused look on Caroline's face made him realize that she probably didn't have any memory of the words written in the letter. Carefully he unfolded it for her and she took it hesitantly as he offered it to her.

"This is my handwriting. And the wording…" Caroline breathed as her eyes darted across the page; reading and re-reading the letter over and over.

"It does look quite familiar, doesn't it?"

"You said those exact words to me and then I wrote them down in a letter I can barely remember writing, and that's after having lost all memory of you. This is insane. And I can't believe I was that unoriginal." Caroline rambled as she read the sentences about genuine beauty, turning up at doorsteps and going to Tokyo of all places. Klaus let out a low chuckle at her last words, but didn't say anything as he kept studying her.

"'P.S. Take care of the puppy, will you?'" Caroline read out loud and then glanced up at Klaus with a confused frown on her forehead. "What does that mean?"

"You called Henrik a puppy the first time you heard about him." was all he said and Caroline's eyes widened in surprise as she stared down at her own words once more.

"I wrote it for you." Caroline stated numbly as the realization hit her and the world stood still as she felt something click in place inside her head. She hadn't remembered ever hearing the name 'Klaus Mikaelson' when she wrote the letter and yet her subconscious had managed to write him a message.

Klaus opened his mouth to say something – he wasn't entirely sure what – but Caroline turned her back on him before he got the chance. The quick spin had made the bottom of towel ride up the tiniest bit and Klaus tried his best not to think about how it only barely covered the top of her thighs. He was already having a hard time concentrating on keeping his eyes on her face as it was.

"It actually makes sense in some weird way. And it sure explains a lot. The choices I've made, the people I've spent time with. You ruined me." Caroline laughed to herself and shook her head in disbelieve. Even after literally forgetting about him, he was still stuck in her mind; she just didn't know it.

"Caroline." Klaus spoke from behind her and she turned around when she heard the strained tone his voice had taken. He wasn't smiling at her any longer and she placed the letter on the bed as she moved towards him; realizing that he had misunderstood her words.

"The persons I've been with while I was away; there was always something missing." she quickly told him and grabbed his hand without thinking; weaving her fingers through his. Klaus' mouth had become a thin line and his jaw was clenched as he waited for her to continue.

"The hair was too dark, or their eyes not the right shade of blue." Caroline muttered as she let her eyes glide over his features and then down to their connected hands. She could feel his eyes burn into her, but didn't feel able to meet his gaze. "And none of them were capable of infuriating me as much as you are."

Caroline couldn't help but look up at him as she heard him chuckle and she smiled at the amused look in his eyes. But there was also something guarded about them that made Caroline move even closer and she absentmindedly let go of his hand to play with her wet curls.

"Before you came here I thought I had a decision to make. I had to decide whether I was ready to be with you or not. And I started thinking in endings and beginnings, and how this would be a new beginning, but also the end of life as we know it. Life as I know it. Because if I stay here with you I know it's forever and I want it to be. But when did I want forever to start?" Caroline rambled nervously as she stared into his eyes and felt as if she was being swallowed whole.

Klaus was clearly listening to what she was saying, but didn't seem to comprehend where she was going with it all. Caroline wasn't quite sure herself.

"What I am trying to say" Caroline continued after taking a deep breath and having forced herself to leave her hair alone, "is that there actually is no decision to make. Forever has already started. And this is it. This is what I want. It's actually really stupid that it took me an old letter to realize all of that and I really need you to say something because otherwise I'll just keep talking."

Klaus stared down at her in astonishment for a long moment before he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her forward. Their lips met in a slow kiss that quickly deepened and Caroline pressed her body against Klaus' as her hands met behind his neck. They were both breathless as their lips parted, but they remained close as they looked into each other's eyes.

"You will stay here then? With me?" Klaus questioned in a low voice and a wide smile had spread on his full lips.

"If you'll have me." Caroline replied in a seductive voice as she looked at him through hooded eyes and let her lips briefly brush over his.

"Always."

As their lips met in another kiss, Klaus' hands made their way down her bare thighs and in one swift movement she was wrapped around his hips. Caroline broke the kiss to smile down at him, but Klaus was already busy trailing kisses down at her neck and she moaned when his hands reached under the towel.

Caroline thought briefly of how different this felt from the other times they had made it this far. This felt final and most of all right. And this moment had been more than five years in the making.

Heat was spreading from Caroline's core to the rest of her body and she registered how the towel disappeared as Klaus sat her on the vanity in the room.

This was going to be a long night and Caroline was going to enjoy every second of it.

A/N: So that finally happened. Sorry about the long wait for this chapter. Is it just me or is the ending for this chapter awkward?

It was a bit hard to keep it T rated. If anyone's interested I've written a M rated ending as well that I can upload as a story on its own. Or as an alone chapter on this story? I don't want to rate the whole story M because of this one scene because I feel like I'm just fooling everyone who comes here to read a M rated story and then get one short smut scene 30-something chapters in. Tell me what you think and I'll upload the alternative ending asap.

Btw, this isn't the end of the story. Tyler still needs to have his ass kicked!