CHAPTER 2

Klaus was looking at Caroline waiting patiently for the test results with her mom through the glass window to Liz' room when Elena and Stefan showed up.

"Klaus. Thanks for calling me. How are Caroline and her mother?"

"I called you Stefan, because she's going to need all the support right now."

"What are you talking about, Klaus?"

"I know what the test results are going to say, because I know what the initial results showed. Caroline's mother has what they call Glioblastoma."

Stefan was shocked as he realised what it was, but it took Elena a minute to understand, "That can't be. Because that's a brain tumour."

"Looks like you are catching on fast with your medical training." Klaus quipped.

"You knew about this Klaus? And what else do you know? Is it treatable?" Stefan asked Klaus.

"No. It's too big to operate and they don't think chemotherapy is going to help either."

"So she is just going to DIE," Elena said.

"Keep your voice down, Elena. Caroline doesn't know yet."

"Oh my god," Elena got teary eyed.

"She doesn't deserve this. Klaus, if her mom going to die, it's going to destroy her." Stefan told Klaus.

"I know. And no, she doesn't."

Elena and Stefan went to compel someone to tell them everything about Liz's condition and then Caroline got out of her mother's room, she was surprised to see Klaus there.

"Klaus, you are still here."

"Of course. Sweetheart, we have to talk."

"Okay, let's talk then."

"Let's sit down, okay."

When they had sat down, Klaus told her, "It's very important that you listen to me closely."

Caroline nodded, not knowing where it was going exactly.

"Sweetheart. I know about what your mother has, for weeks now. She has what they call Glioblastoma, it's a brain tumour."

"What? No that can't be, mom would have told me."

"Maybe she didn't want to worry you…"

"Okay, when are they gonna operate then?" Caroline asked Klaus

"They can't, it's too big already."

"So they'll give her chemo." Caroline said, getting frustrated with this conversation.

"They don't think it's going to work, Caroline."

Caroline was at the loss of words. She didn't want to admit herself what Klaus was trying to tell her. "So, we'll give her vampire blood."

Klaus shook his head, "Caroline, love, cancer is one thing that the vampire blood can't cure. I know how people have tried it in the past and it actually accelerated the process of-"

"No, Klaus, don't say it. Don't say that my mom is going to die." Caroline said bursting into tears and Klaus hugged her as she cried. While Stefan and Elena looked on from afar, they also got teary eyed looking Caroline realise how bad the situation actually was.

Caroline was at the Salvatore boarding house looking at the bear that Bonnie had sent over from the prison world. Elena wanted to celebrate Bonnie's birthday even when she wasn't really there, so Caroline had come over to help with the preparations.

"What's that, love?"

Caroline turned around for a second to see that the Original Hybrid had suddenly appeared.

"Klaus, what are you doing here?"

"I came to your house to check up on you. Your mother told me you were here."

"I see. Klaus, is it just me or are her eyes staring directly at me."

Klaus chuckled, "You are sleep deprived, sweetheart."

Caroline took it in her hands and said, "It was Bonnie's. This is 1994 version on the bear. The original one I stole from her about 12 years ago after a little spat we had. I buried the bear in the forest and marked the grave with some M&M's.

Klaus laughed.

"Stop laughing, okay. It's still hunts me." And then added after a pause, when he had stopped laughing, "You know what, I'm going to go and find the Miss Cuddles. It still has to be where I buried it."

Klaus turned to serious in an instant, "What?"

"Yeah, it's Bonnie's birthday."

"Wait, wait. Hold on. Caroline, you've been going through a lot lately. Just relax and celebrate your friend's birthday. And I'll-"

"You'll what? Have someone go and fetch it for me? Klaus, my mother is dying and my best friend's is stuck in some prison world. I can't do anything about that, but I can do something about the bear situation. I can find Miss Cuddles. I have to."

Caroline shoved the shovel into the ground, while Klaus appeared behind her

"You know, if are going to continue stalking me, you might as well help occasionally."

"That's all I have been doing since returning."

"Well, then you can take the shovel."

Klaus smirked but hesitated to take it.

"Come on, I was raised on the principle that women have children while the men do the digging."

Klaus chuckled but took the shovel and started digging.

"Look, I know what you must be feeling but this is just plain insane." Klaus quipped.

"Hey, look is that M&M right there, near your left foot?"

"Where?" he started to look for it.

Caroline started laughing hard and Klaus realised she had played him for a fool.

Klaus dropped the shovel and as he walked closer to her, he said with fake threatening "This is the last time you play me for a fool, Caroline."

"I don't have to play you for anything, you are a fool, Klaus. A lovesick fool." She said seriously.

"Why are you deliberately picking a fight with me, love?" He asked, his tone suddenly serious.

Caroline wanted to say something and then thought better of it.

Klaus inched closer to her, "Why, Caroline?"

"Because fighting with you is something I know. I know how it works between up, all the steps. But with mom or Bonnie, I'm clueless."

"You may be many things, Caroline, but you are not clueless." Klaus was now inches away from her as he touched her chin and tilted her head, so she would look him in the eyes, "You'll figure it out. And I'll be there for you every step of the way."

"Thank you," She said as she closed the distance between them and kissed him. Slowly at first, but as she felt so good kissing him, she tried to deepen the kiss to what he obliged at first. Then he pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes.

"Caroline, I don't want to take advantage of you."

"Who's taking advantage of who," Caroline murmured as she kissed him again.

Klaus wanted to say something else when her phone rang.

"Sorry. The others are probably wondering where I've gone to."

"I seriously doubt that." Klaus quipped and Caroline looked at him questioningly.

"They're too busy with their own lives to notice you."

Her eyes showed she was hurt by that but couldn't say anything as Damon on the other end of the line said, "Carebear, you're mom collapsed and she's in a coma now."

"Elizabeth Forbes, what room is she in?"

"Caroline," Damon came to them.

"Damon?"

"She fell asleep. I couldn't wake her up. They said she slipped into a coma. They said they can make her comfortable."

"She's not comfortable, she's dying." Caroline snapped and started crying at Liz's bed, "I didn't get to say goodbye, I didn't get to say goodbye to my mom."

Caroline was in her mother's room and Klaus was with her, while others, Damon, Elena, Stefan and Matt stayed outside looking in.

"I should have been with her." Caroline sobbed.

"You didn't know, sweetheart."

"But I know she was sick and I knew she it was bad… I was suppose to be with her in her final moments, Klaus."

"You still can."

Caroline looked at Klaus as realised that he was right.

"Take her hand and clear your mind." Klaus instructed her. "Think about your favourite memory of your mom."

"There's too many."

"It's ok. It's ok. Just relax. Close your eyes. Open up your mind. We're gonna live in her memories."

"Okay," she sniffed.

Caroline took her mom back to her memory how she taught her to ride a bicycle.

"Don't let go. I'm not ready." Young Caroline told her mom.

"Yes you are sweety." Her mom told her.

In the real life Liz flatlined then.

"She's gone." Caroline broke down as Klaus held her close.