AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well here is the third and final epilogue for this story; it focuses more on the twins as I said before. Glad to see that most people enjoyed the last part and weren't too upset at the turn in the story. And I hope no one got cavities from the sweetness of it all (Though prepare for more fluff). Sorry it has taken me so long to update, writing issues regarding inspiration.
Thanks to klarolineepiclove, hybridlovelies, jomosfamilyjewels, and a-little-blonde-distraction for their betaing help, I don't know what I'd do without them. This part is dedicated to Jomosfamilyjewels as a belated birthday present.
In case you didn't know, the Klaroline Awards were just completed and this story received two nominations, Best Fluff Story and Best Completed Story, both which they won! Thank you for everyone who nominated and voted for it, it means a lot to me.
I'll let you guys read now, but I hope that you'll meet me at the bottom for another author's note.
Epilogue 3
The Mikaelson house was never known to be a quiet one, not with two sixteen year olds and an energetic four year old running around at any given time, but on nights where Klaus' siblings and their families came over for dinner, it was utter pandemonium, including the prep work beforehand. Which is why Caroline had not only her husband but her oldest children helping out as well, at least until the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Henry announced quickly before heading towards the door.
"Why are they always early when we host but on time or late at everyone else's?" Caroline asked, directing the question to her husband who just shrugged but before he could say anything, Lexi spoke up.
"It's probably Lee, Henry told him to come over before everyone else." The words were barely out of Lexi's mouth before Henry reappeared in the doorway, one of his best friends Lee standing next to him.
Caroline smiled at the new arrival before saying, "Lee, I'm starting to think we might as well get you a key so you can just let yourself in. It might save on the wear and tear of our doorbell."
"My mom has said almost the same thing about Henry." Lee replied before he returned the wave that Charlotte gave him from her spot at the counter where she was coloring. "Thanks for letting me come over this weekend; I know that tonight is family dinner night and all."
"Not a problem mate," Klaus stated, knowing that the boys' parents had been called out of town unexpectedly and didn't feel comfortable leaving Lee on his own when he asked not to go with them. "Besides once everyone shows up, you'll just become part of the masses and adding one more mouth to feed doesn't make much of a difference.
"Mom, do you need more help or is it alright if I go? I want to show Lee something before everyone gets here." Henry asked.
"Go on, I think we have everything handled down here." Caroline told him, laughing when Henry rushed towards her, kissing her on the cheek in thanks before returning to where his friend was waiting and disappearing out of the room. She watched her daughter for a moment, before adding. "You can go too Lex, your dad and I will finish up."
"Are you sure Mom?" Lexi inquired though her parents could tell that she really didn't want to stick around.
"Sweetheart, have you ever known your mom to send help away when she needed it?" Klaus asked, earning him a smack with the end of the dishtowel Caroline was holding.
"Yes sweetie go on, your dad will take up any slack left when you go." She declared earning a rolling of his eyes from Klaus.
"Why don't you take your sister with you?" Klaus suggested but Caroline shook her head.
"Charlie's fine let her finish her picture before Rebekah and Stefan arrive and she's off running around the house with Zach. Right, pumpkin?"
"Yes mama." Charlie replied, not taking her eyes away from her paper, her little face screwed up in concentration reminding Caroline very much of her father when he was working on a new piece in his studio. Not needing any more encouragement, Lexi followed out the same door her brother had disappeared through a short time ago and Caroline couldn't help the smile on her face as she did.
Klaus noticed the mischievous grin on his wife's face as she watched Lexi leave the kitchen. He had no problem recognizing the look on her face; he had seen it many times both on her face as well as their children's. "What are you up to love?"
However instead of answering, she merely looked at him, her face appearing innocent though her eyes told him a different story. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play innocent with me." Klaus commented. "Your smile says something that is quite the opposite of innocent."
However Caroline just shrugged, "Can't I just smile because I'm happy? After all, everything is ready to go before our house is invaded by our family, that's cause for a celebration most times."
"True, but you weren't smiling like that until a minute ago." He stated, his eyes narrowing as things started to fall into place. "Something is going on with Lexi and you know what it is."
Biting her lip in indecision, Caroline knew that she had already given away too much and Klaus was not going to relent until he knew what was going on. "Promise me you will just listen and not go off all crazed over protective Dad on her."
Klaus' eyebrows rose in surprise at her statement, his curiosity piqued even more, though now he was also concerned. "Now you have me worried."
"No, no it's nothing to worry about. I mean, I'm sure you will worry about it but it's nothing say life-threatening." Caroline rambled for a minute before blurting out. "Lexi is interested…in a boy."
All of the tension that had taken up residence in his shoulders minutes before left as quickly as it appeared as a chuckle spilled from his lips. "No, she's not."
"Yes, she is." Caroline replied, her eyebrows furrowed as she fixed him in her steely glare.
Despite the way she was looking at him, Klaus simply shook his head. He wasn't naïve; he knew that his daughter was a typical sixteen year old girl. One who unfortunately did find certain members of the opposite sex attractive and he was sure that they thought the same of her. They'd be imbeciles not to and that wasn't just a father's bias, she received compliments on her beauty often. She kept her blonde hair cut so that the ends just touched her jaw, the style highlighting her eyes, making them look that much bluer under the minimal makeup she used. At times, she ate as much as her brother, though she was half a foot shorter than him, but all of the hours of practice burned it off leaving her slim but still had a young woman's curves.
He knew Lexi most likely captured many boys attention at school but that was the extent of it. She never acted like he remembered Bekah acting as a teen, chasing after boys, no Lexi was always too busy with school, school events and gymnastics to worry about dating. A choice that he appreciated greatly, so Caroline's announcement was hard to believe. "Who is this boy? Anyone that we know?"
"I think so."
"Either we do or we don't, I don't believe there is an in-between." Klaus retorted.
"Well when we talked about it, she didn't tell me his name. But I have my suspicions thanks to my excellent detective skills. " Caroline explained, earning a snort from Klaus that she ignored. "Do you want my answer or not?"
"Forgive me, please continue."
Caroline smiled triumphantly before answering. "Lee."
"Lee?" Klaus repeated letting the name sink in before he realized exactly who his wife was talking about. His head snapped in the direction of the kitchen door, where he had seen said boy not but minutes before. Had that been why Lexi had seemed so anxious to leave when Caroline had dismissed her earlier? Now that he thought about it, was that why she had been so insistent that Lexi leave? Was she playing matchmaker? And with a boy who was going to be staying with them for the next couple of days?
As she watched him absorb what she had said, his thoughts on the matter were plainly seen on his face. "Klaus, stop it."
"Stop what?"
"Stop thinking of whatever you are thinking." Caroline stated. "From the expression on your face you are either thinking of ways to torture that poor boy or how to lock Lexi away until she's 20."
""More like 30." Klaus grumbled before saying. "Why are you so agreeable to this?"
"Because there's nothing wrong with her liking a boy, it isn't the big catastrophe that you seem to think it is. It's what most teenagers go through, Henry does all the time." Caroline said with a shrug. It was true, it seemed like Henry was interested in a new girl or one interested in him every week or so. Kol had told her that it was a burden that all the Mikaelson men had to bare, and she had to admit there was something to his words. Her son was quite handsome, still showing a strong resemblance both in face and body to Klaus though thanks to his last growth spurt, Henry was now a good inch taller than his father, even with his curls trimmed short. Pair that with the sweet charm he turned on or off when he wanted to, the girls didn't stand a chance. Much to her chagrin.
Ignoring her comparison between their teens, Klaus asked. "Did Lexi say if she thought Lee returned her affections?"
Caroline opened her mouth to answer but before she could, the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of one or more of his siblings. The sound was like a starter pistol for their youngest, causing her to shoot up out of her chair and abandon her picture as she bolted to the door. "They're here!"
Klaus knew that the conversation was going to have to be put on hold at the moment, not at all happy to not know the answer to his question. Instead his attention was focused on their family as they invaded their house, though he did keep an eye on his daughter and her possible suitor when they reappeared for dinner.
Throughout the meal, Klaus kept a close eye on Lexi, especially any time he saw her near Lee, which much to his dismay was throughout most of the evening. Their interactions appeared innocent to the casual observer, they looked just like they always had, like a girl who was talking to her brother's friend. Yet he saw something else; the way they stood just a little closer than they normally would, the way that Lee teased her causing Lexi to swat at him while she blushed or how she would touch him just a little longer than necessary and lastly, the way Lexi's face lit up in a smile when she looked at the boy.
"Why such the sour face, Niklaus?" He heard Elijah ask from his seat next to him. He turned his attention away from his daughter and noticed that not only had he had become the focus of not only Elijah's attention, but Kol and Bonnie's as well.
"Nothing to upset yourself with brother."
"I am not the one who looks upset." Elijah replied. "And considering that the look of irritation on your face that I was just commenting on was directed towards Alexandria, I have to wonder what is going on. Did the two of you have a falling-out?"
"No, Lexi and I are not arguing."
"Maybe it's not Lexi that he is scowling at; maybe it's that mate of Henry's, Lee." Kol butted in, his voice thick with mischief. "And he's thinking about what kind of naughtiness the two gentlemen get into."
"Kol." Bonnie said a hint of warning in her voice.
"After all, we remember what we were all like at that age, don't we?" Kol teased. "The trouble we'd get into, the parties, the girls…."
"Kol." Bonnie repeated, the warning more pronounced in her voice.
"I can't tell you how many girls we charmed, just like that boy." Kol stated before he exclaimed. "Ouch, damn it darling what was that for?"
"Maybe you should just shut up and stop rubbing salt on the wound." Bonnie chastised her husband. Unlike him, she could clearly see what exactly was bothering Klaus and they didn't need him poking the bear.
"What are you talking about? I was just teasing Nik about how boys will be boys." Kol said glancing over again at the teens. At that moment, Lexi let out a loud laugh at something that Lee obviously had told her and he paled. "Wait a minute…"
"Now he gets it." Klaus stated as he saw that his little brother was now realizing the reason for his foul mood.
"So why haven't you thrown that cheeky little bastard out?" Kol asked.
"Why would he, he hasn't done anything." Bonnie declared though she knew it would do no good. Kol, like all of them, was fiercely protective of his family but more so of the second generation. Given that they had decided years ago not to have any children of their own, their almost dozen nieces and nephews were the closest thing that they had. "They are just talking."
"I agree with Bonnie, the two of you seem to be blowing something as innocent as a conversation between the two of them very much out of proportion." Elijah concurred.
"What are your brothers blowing out of proportion?" Katherine asked as she joined them at the table causing Klaus to sigh as the others filled her in on what was going on.
While he generally appreciated the closeness of his siblings and their spouses, there were times such as this that he wished they weren't so involved in each other's lives. Something he was still wishing for hours later when they were gone and he was left alone in the living room. Caroline was upstairs putting Charlie to bed; the two boys were downstairs in the den playing one of those obnoxiously loud video games while Lexi was upstairs in her room, something he'd made sure of before fixing himself a drink and thinking over the night. That is until someone joined him.
"Dad?" Lexi called from the doorway.
"Yes sweetheart."
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She asked.
"Of course." Klaus answered, motioning for her to join him on the sofa. As they sat, he noticed that she seemed a bit off. Not nervous but not the easygoing girl she normally was either. Though it was eating at him not to ask her what was wrong, so that he could do whatever was needed to fix it, he kept his mouth shut and waited for her to speak.
"Okay, I talked to Mom a little bit about this but I realized I should talk to you too. Because I need to ask some advice but not advice as my dad but as a guy, which you are and I can't talk to Henry since that would be weird." Lexi said, her voice going so fast that he wasn't sure she even took a breath as the words tumbled out.
"Sounds serious."
"Well kind of, not serious but it's kind of a big deal for me." Lexi stated before taking a deep breath. "Okay, here goes. How can I tell if a boy likes me?"
Of all the questions she could have asked him, Klaus was pretty sure that was the last one he would have thought she'd ask. It threw him off, not able to think of an answer, he decided to buy him some time by playing ignorant. "That's easy Lexi; everyone who's ever met you has liked you."
He could tell by the look on her face that he had not given her the answer she was looking for, smiling at him slightly in thanks but also looking slightly frustrated at the same time. "No, not like that. I mean as…more."
"More?"
Lexi could tell that her father was being purposely vague and she couldn't help but glare at him. "You know what I mean Dad."
Despite the fact that he had irritated her, Klaus couldn't keep the chuckle in but then stopped when her glare increased. "Sorry sweetheart, I shouldn't tease you."
"Thank you."
"As to answer your question, there is no simple answer because everyone is different." Klaus answered as he thought over what to tell her. A part of him wanted to say something to scare her off the idea of pursuing anything with Lee, but the other part of him stopped him. She had come to him for advice and he didn't want her to possibly alienate her by using that to manipulate her. "The best answer I can give you is that if he is interested in you, and doesn't boldly state it, he will show it in his actions, at least if he is a gentleman. The way he goes out of his way to see you, if even for a few moments, how he finds a reason to talk to you or says foolish things if only to make you smile."
"Or knows what your favorite things are?" Lexi asked.
Klaus nodded. "Is that something Lee does?"
He wasn't sure but he was fairly positive that his daughter's eyes widened to twice their normal size in surprise, as her mouth fell open. She gaped at him for a moment before recovering. "How did you…"
"Father's intuition." He replied, though it was a bit of an exaggeration. He didn't tell her that he wouldn't have seen the obvious signs had it not been for what Caroline had told him, at least not yet anyways. "I could not help but notice the way you two acted around each other earlier, it was quite obvious that he is just as interested in you as you are in him. Unfortunately."
"I'm surprised he's still in the house then and not banned from ever coming back."
"I had considered both of those, as well as a few other things. But I knew that you and your mother would not agree with them and you are both quite formidable when focusing your anger at me at once." Klaus taunted. "And I'm sure your brother would have an issue as well with it given that he and Lee are mates."
"Yeah." Lexi said absently.
"As much as it pains me whenever people remind me of it, you are growing up and I know that the day you would deem a boy worthy to spend time with would come though I had hoped it would be a little while longer." Klaus confessed. "Moreover I cannot complain about your choice, Lee is a good young man who I'm sure has a healthy level of fear of me."
"Daddy!" Lexi exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Which will hopefully deter him from any thoughts of hurting you, because then he would see quite a different side of me." He explained. "Friend of your brother or not."
However his daughter just rolled her eyes at the threat, not believing his words, so he dropped the topic and broached another one, or two. "Lexi, speaking of Henry, before you think of telling Lee of your affections, talk to him about it and make sure he approves. Otherwise it might cause issues between the two of you that I know you would both regret. Remember, family above all."
Once Lexi nodded in agreement, he went on. "And if things progress beyond friendship between you and Lee, there will be some ground rules both when you are out but especially when the two of you are here. You will only spend time in the public areas of the house, not in your bedroom or your brother's, this goes for when he spends the night as well, he will not be over every night, and when he is here, you will not ignore your family or responsibilities here. Your mother and I will let you know of any other rules that we might come up with at a later date. Is that understood?"
Lexi nodded again, before launching herself at him, wrapping her small arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you Daddy."
"Yes, well we will see if you are thanking me at a later date when I tell you no you are not allowed to go out or don't extend your curfew." He replied as he returned the hug. They sat there for a minute longer before Lexi pulled back and stood up. "Abandoning me already in favor of that boy?"
"No, going back to my room to call Lucy, I have so much to tell her."
Klaus watched as she all but scampered from the room, and he took a deep breath. It seemed not so long ago, Lexi's biggest issue was that she wouldn't eat her vegetables or arguing that her friends got to stay up later than her when it was bedtime. Now it was a whole new unknown that Klaus felt was a bit overwhelming. However it was the arrival of another blonde that pulled him out of his deep thoughts when she wrapped her arms around him from behind. "You are a great father you know that right?"
"Mmmnnn… we'll see if they agree when they are older."
"I'm serious Klaus, not every father would be so composed if their daughter came to them like that. Especially considering I know that you'd rather lock her up in a closet until she's older than think about her dating." Caroline explained as she walked around the couch so to take the seat that Lexi had just vacated.
"Oh I am sure there will be times in the future when I am anything but composed when dealing with our children and their…romantic lives." Klaus griped, causing Caroline to laugh.
"Same here, hopefully though we will balance each other out at those times." Caroline stated. "After all, you are the other half of me."
"And you of me." Klaus replied, before pulling her close, kissing her soundly.
/
Two years later
As Caroline exited the SUV, she was grateful that the sun shone so brightly, it gave her an excuse to wear the large sunglasses she has on her face. Sunglasses that she knew would help hide any red swollen eyes or tears that were surely to come. She knew this day was coming, had done everything she could to prepare herself to try and make it easier both on herself and Klaus but there was only so much she could do. It was time to let their children continue to grow and that meant living away from home for the first time. The twins were going away to college.
Though they had both applied to many of the same schools, ultimately they had each chosen different ones. Years of hard work in the gym had paid off in the form of an invite to join the gymnastics team at Stanford for Lexi while Henry had chosen Duke for their outstanding zoology program. It was hard for her to believe that her two oldest would not only not be living at home anymore, but they were going to be so far away. And to make matters worse, Lexi was leaving a month and a half earlier than Caroline had anticipated due to having to commitment to the team. So the day had come and it was time that she officially moved in.
"The movers are here!" Lexi squealed excitedly as she hopped out from the backseat, followed by her scowling brother.
"Good, maybe now she'll stop whining about how they might lose or break her stuff." Henry grumbled. "I swear that is all she's talked about for the last week."
"Well sorry." Lexi replied in a voice that clearly told them she was anything but apologetic. "My life for the next year is in there and I would prefer not to have to it in pieces."
"Maybe you should have just driven out here with all of it yourself." Her brother snapped back. "Then we wouldn't have had to fly all the way out here."
"If you hadn't flown out here, how would you have been able to groan and complain about every little thing? You would have been so bored." The blonde declared. "Though I'm sure you could figure out how to be an ass via text with no problem!"
"Lexi!" Caroline butted in, glancing over at where Charlie still sat in the SUV, thankfully not listening due to the distraction her father was creating. "Watch your language."
"Sorry Mom, but that's what he is and you taught me not to lie." Lexi argued.
"Well at least I'm not acting like a spoiled brat who has to have everything be about her!" Henry continued. "That is all I've heard for the past week, the past month even! Stanford this, and Stanford that and when I get to Stanford… It's like she wants to make sure that no one will forget that she was leaving!"
"Okay that's enough you two." Caroline commanded as she stepped in between the two of them. "This is not how we want to spend our last couple of days together that we will have for months."
"He started it." Her daughter mumbled.
"And your mother is ending it before you regress more to the age of ten or the two of you come to blows." Klaus stated as he stepped up to join them. "Sweetheart, why don't you go over and talk to the movers? I'm sure they want to get your stuff unloaded. And son, we need to get the bags out of the back."
Both twins looked like they wanted to argue; instead they simply glared at each other before parting to attend to the duties that Klaus had given them. Once they were gone, Caroline spoke.
"I don't know what has come over them, especially Henry. He's been nitpicking and making jabs at her for days, he knows that she wasn't going to just take it."
"Oh, he was counting on it, I'm sure." Klaus stated before explaining when Caroline looked at him questioningly. "Henry is trying to make Lexi mad, he wants to hurt her."
"What? Why would he want to do that?" Caroline asked confused.
"Because he's going to miss her."
"That makes no sense." She said with a small shake of her head.
"You're an only child, Caroline, so you wouldn't understand but basically Henry is going to miss her and it hurts. So he is trying to make it easier on himself. If he's mad at her and she's mad at him, then he won't think about how she's leaving. " Klaus affirmed. "Even if he himself will be going away to school soon, he sees her leaving first as desertion."
At his explanation, Caroline could only shake her head. "Mikaelsons and their complex sibling relationships. So how do we fix this? I don't want them not speaking when we leave."
"I'll take care of it." Klaus assured her before he left her and headed to back of the vehicle where his son had the door up and was viciously tossing around several of the bags though he was pretty sure Henry was doing it only to blow off some steam rather than actually looking for something. "Be careful, I don't think Lexi would be happy if one of her bags burst open and her clothes fell out to be damaged."
"Yeah, it's not like she didn't bring plenty of them, she pretty much emptied her closet." Henry griped but it only made Klaus chuckled.
"That is your sister for you, always worried she won't have what she needs." Klaus commented. "And what she needs right now is her brother being happy for her on her big day."
Henry moved to say something but Klaus cut him off by continuing. "I remember how I felt when Elijah went off to school. Granted his school was somewhat nearby, and I had planned to join him when I graduated but I still felt like he was abandoning me, leaving me to protect Kol, Rebekah and Henrik from…everything."
Henry listened attentively to his father, and nodded in understanding at what he was implying. While they didn't know most of the details, they knew that the man who raised their father was a cruel man and it was that cruelty that had bonded his aunt, dad, and his uncles together. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Klaus replied. "What I mean is that I completely ignored him. For weeks before he left, I acted as if he did not exist. He tried to talk to me, but I refused. It wasn't until after he left that I realized how stupid I had been. Nevertheless I was too stubborn to admit it because a part of me felt that if he was so upset about how I acted towards him and he still left, then he really didn't care. If your aunt hadn't grown tired of our squabbling, I don't know if we'd have talked for a long time."
"So this is you channeling Aunt Bekah?" Henry asked.
"I believe I am, but don't tell her that please." Klaus beseeched, causing both of them to laugh. "I know you son, you'll be a mess if we go back to Boston with you and Lexi mad at each other or not speaking."
"Possibly." Henry said before rolling his eyes. "Okay, yes I would be. It's just, Lexi and I have done almost everything together, including being born and I think it's part of why we are so close. Now not only are we going to different schools but she's on the other side of the country. And I'm not saying that she has to be glued to my side every second, I'm just worried what might change because of the distance."
"Henry, you're both growing up and going away to school, things are going to change regardless. Something your mom and I have had to come to terms with ourselves. But that doesn't mean that the change necessitates you and Lexi drifting apart, if you don't want to, you'll find a way. Hell between all of the tech on your phones and laptops that I spent so much money on, you two can talk so much that you'll feel like she's just in the room next to you." Klaus stated. "But none of that is going to happen if you don't go over and apologize for being a huge wanker."
"I know." Henry agreed. "Of course, you know that when I tell her it's because I'm going to miss her, she's never going to let me live it down, right? Her teasing will be merciless."
Klaus only smiled knowingly. "Consider it penance."
He waited for Henry to leave to apologize to his sister before making his way over to the open grassy area where Caroline and Charlie were, the latter spinning around in circles until she'd lose her balance, only to pick herself up and do it again. Caroline turned her attention away from the mini-blonde hurricane to look at him over her shoulder. "Everything good?"
"Yes, everything's sorted."
"Good." Caroline replied just as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "As sad as I am that the two of them are going to be away at school, I know it's good for them. And though I worry about them, I know they will be okay. They are good kids, thanks to you."
"Well, I did have a little help." Klaus replied as he placed a kiss against her hair.
"Damn right you did."
THE END
Wow, can you guys believe that it's over? I can't. This fic has been such a big part of my life for the last almost two years that it's hard to imagine it's done. When I came up with this story, I thought a few people would like it but the response to this has blown my mind. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for every reader who took the time to read this, follow/favorite, or every person who also left a review, you have no idea how much it means to me. You guys helped me make this story more than I originally envisioned it, and I'm very grateful for that.
I've had some people ask me via reviews or PMs if I have any plans to write another story. I do, and it's pretty much all outlined and I hope that I'll be able to write it (I've been having issues with writing lately but I have an awesome support system) as well as continue my First Times drabbles. And while First Times is like TOHFMIY in that it's set in AU/AH, my next big story will be a canon story, set in at the beginning of S3. I hope you'll check it out when I begin posting it, whenever that may be.
But again, thank all of you for reading!