Hey guys! So, I am finally back with an update and I would like to apologize for the extremely long wait. I have midterms coming up and there were some other things I had to deal with, but hopefully in a week or two I'd be able to get back into the flow of things.

On another note, who watched that finale!? Isn't it absolutely wonderful that Klaroline may very well have a chance to be canon in the near future? It's wonderful, truly it is!

Please enjoy this chapter even though it is a little shorter than usual.

Caroline looked over at Klaus and gave him a slight nod before she approached his family members cautiously.

They didn't look too happy to see her and she could feel her anxiety getting the better of her. Just as she was going to back away from them, she felt a light pressure on her lower back and looked over at Klaus's reassuring face.

They certainly had their fair share of disagreements, but at the moment he was the only one she knew he her best interests at heart. Her cousins did as well, but that was different. They were family…

The blonde cleared her throat and took a deep breath before she shut her eyes for several seconds. When she opened her bright blue eyes, her gaze moved between the men and women standing around her. A woman with curly brown tresses had a smile on her lips as well as a woman with orange hair. They looked at her without judgement and she sighed in relief. However, that quickly shriveled up when she met the thunderous look in a blonde woman's eyes. Her doe blue eyes were shooting daggers at Caroline after all.

"Hello," Caroline said again nervously. "Welcome to my family's vineyard." She added as she gestured towards the vast amount of outdoors and the manor that stood in the middle.

"Why thank you, darling." A young man with mischievous brown eyes said as he approached her and took ahold of her hand. He pressed his lips against her knuckles and gave her a rakish smile. "We're all very happy to be hear." He reassured ignoring his siblings protests.

"That is wonderful to hear. Let me guess… You are Kol."

"I am indeed." He nodded as he smiled widely.

Caroline immediately felt comfortable in his presence. He seemed to be so easygoing and kind. At least one of Klaus's siblings seemed to like her…

"So tell me, were you going to keep my brother's children away from him forever?" Rebekah asked and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bekah," Klaus warned as he shot her an angry look.

"It's okay." Caroline said, looking back at Klaus. "I am certain you all have questions and I would love to answer them all, but first, perhaps you may all come in and settle into your bedrooms. I know the flight must've been exhausting." She said, looked at the kids that stood by their parents.

"We are." Little Eric whispered as he gave her a shy smile.

"Well then please, make yourselves at home and once everybody is settled I would love to introduce Emmett and Amelia to you all."

"How old are they anyway?" Finn asked, the curiosity evident in his voice.

"They are four." She answered. "Around your daughter's age, I presume."

"Very well." He nodded without saying anything else.

Caroline swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and quickly swallowed it down. Right now, she had to be strong. She realized that Klaus and his family had the right to meet their kin. After all, family was family at the end of the day- or so she hoped.

Soon thereafter, the men, women, and children entered the manor. Caroline took them to their rooms and then left them to their own devices. Her cousins and children waited in the living room without saying a word.

However, Emmett and Amelia seemed nervous. Of course they would be though.

Klaus caught up to Caroline on the bottom of the staircase and placed his on her shoulder.

She looked over at him with a questioning look in her eyes and he smiled at her.

"I know that you must be overwhelmed, but thank you for being so kind to my family. They haven't come around yet, but I have no doubt in my mind that they will love you."

"They don't have to love me, Klaus. All I care about are the children. I don't want them feeling as though they are unwanted by their aunts and uncles."

"My siblings aren't like that. Right now they're just angry because they didn't know anything. They will come around though, I have no doubt in my mind on that."

"Alright," she sighed. "I'm going to go into the living room and check on the kids. Do you mind getting your siblings and escorting them when they are settled in? I want to get the kids ready."

"Of course. Don't even worry about it. I'll grab them and we'll be in the living room within half an hour."

"Okay, thank you." She said before she turned away from him.

She took a step away from him, but he stopped her and spun her around. He looked directly into her eyes and placed his hand on her cheek gently. He caressed her cheek and she leaned into his touch because it just felt good. These past few years have been difficult and right now she wanted a shoulder to lean on. If that shoulder happened to be her former lover's then so be it.

"Everything is going to be okay. I won't let anything bad happen, Caroline. I'd like you to trust me on that that."

"I do," she reassured as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Good," he smiled. "Now, I'll go check on my siblings."

"Okay," she nodded.

Klaus turned on his heel and walked away from the blonde in order to make his way up the stairs. He heard Caroline's receding footsteps and realized that he had missed her. He had missed her a lot and he'd make it his life's mission to get her back. She was his soulmate, he was absolutely certain about that, but he doubted the blonde felt the same way.

Just because she had leaned into his touch didn't mean that she fancied herself in love with him. She simply wished to feel something that wasn't so draining.

Nevertheless, Klaus would make sure that his siblings treated her with the respect she deserved. She was no bimbo. She was the mother of his children and deserved to be respected.

It shocked him that he was willing to take her to court if she refused his parental rights. He knew Caroline. She was the kindest, most generous soul he had ever known. And hopefully, he wouldn't be the one the ruin the relationship that they were slowly beginning to mend.

Half an hour later, Caroline sat between her children and heard the approaching parade of footsteps.

The door was pulled open and the Mikaelsons' filed in. Caroline urged them to sit down and they did just that. Klaus moved in the direction of Caroline and their kids. He stood behind them and Amelia gave him a toothy smile.

He smiled back at her and ruffled Emmett's hair.

Emmett and Amelia began fidgeting in their seats, but Caroline gave them reassuring looks while Klaus gave them reassuring squeezes.

"Are my lovelies ready to meet their daddy's side of the family?" Caroline asked as she looked first at Emmett and then Amelia.

"Yeah," they said in unison, their eyes wide and worried.

"They're very nice, kids. I promise," Klaus reassured and they nodded, believing him.

Emmett and Amelia stood up and approached their aunts and uncles with curious looks in their eyes.

"Well aren't you two just the sweetest." Katherine said as she reached for her hands and introduced herself. "I'm Katherine, you can call me Auntie Kat if you want."

"Nice to meet you, Auntie Kat." Amelia said and Emmett smiled shyly.

"You too, my dears. I'd like to introduce you to my husband Elijah and our son Eric."

"I have a boy cousin?" Emmett cried out, the excitement evident in his voice.

"Yeah," Eric answered as he stood up and smiled up at the taller boy.

Emmett moved closer to Eric and took ahold of his hand.

"Wanna go play with my toys?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Eric cried out excitedly.

"Mama, can we go play please?" Emmett asked and Caroline gave a slight smile before she nodded.

Amelia said nothing and moved towards Arabella with curiosity in her blue eyes.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," the girl nodded as a smile appeared on her lips.

"What's your name?" Amelia questioned, smiling back at her.

"Arabella. I'm your cousin." Arabella said as she looked at her shyly.

"Awesome! Want to go and see my dolls? I have so many of them."

"Sure!" The other girl announced and the two girls left the room hand in hand.

"Now that the children are out of the room, I'd like to know why you kept our kin from us." Elijah said as he looked directly at Caroline.

"Excuse me?" Caroline said, unsure of how she should respond.

"Klaus had the right to know that he had fathered two children. You kept that from him and you'll pay for that."

"Elijah!" Klaus shouted as his jaw dropped slightly. "Mind your tone. You are speaking to the mother of my children and I forbid you from speaking to her as though she did something wrong."

Elijah opened his mouth to answer, but Caroline responded faster.

"He's right," she simply said.

"No, Caroline. I understand why you didn't tell me and I forgive you."

"Thanks for that, but I do believe I should tell you all why I decided to keep my pregnancy from Klaus."

"Go on," Finn urged, speaking up for the first time.

"You see, I wasn't in a good place then. I was torn between my feelings for your brother and knowing that he would never leave his wife for me. I wanted to tell him, I really did. But I also knew that his wife would find out and I didn't have the heart to face her. I was the other woman in this scenario and I should have known better. I shouldn't have allowed our relationship to progress, but I did."

"Why did you keep the children?" Rebekah asked, the curiosity evident in her voice.

"Because they're mine. I would have never aborted them. It wouldn't have been right and I wanted them. I wanted a family of my own and even though it wasn't a full family, I think I did pretty well with the help of my cousins." Caroline said, looking towards Damon and Stefan.

Damon and Stefan gave her tight smiles and she knew that underneath they were furious. They didn't want their cousin to be spoken down too after all."

"They're wonderful children- so open and friendly and so well mannered." Katherine said, a smile on her lips. "You did a wonderful job raising them."

"Thank you," Caroline nodded. "I really appreciate your kind words."

"You're welcome, Caroline. We're family now and I for one am looking forward to our new kinship."

Caroline smiled at the brunette and then looked at the faces of Klaus's siblings.

Some of them were smiling at her, but most of them were looking at her with blank stares.

"I understand that you think what I did was wrong, but I don't. Klaus was married and his company was thriving. I wasn't going to ruin that by causing a scandal. However, I didn't regret my decision. I made a life for myself. I got to spend more time with my family and I grew."

"Nevertheless, Niklaus had a right to know about the children. You shouldn't have kept it from him."

"Perhaps, but I cannot go back in time now and frankly, I wouldn't. What would I have become if I told him? A kept woman that wondered when he would come see me next? No, I didn't want that and I don't regret my decision. If you do not think you can move past this then I'm sorry to hear that, but I won't be breaking my back over this. I did what I had to do. If you do not agree then you may talk down on me and think of me as the lowest of all people, but I won't let you take it out on my children. They are innocent and if you can't see that, then I shall show you the door."

"You have heart, I'll tell you that." Rebekah said, a sneer on her lips. "But she's right, Elijah… The children are not at fault."

"Thank you," Caroline said before she changed the subject. "Iced tea, anybody?"

There you have it, lovelies! So, Elijah, Rebekah, and Finn have to get used to having Caroline in their lives, am I right? But I think Caroline makes a wonderful protector of her children.

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~Hana :p

PS: I really want to start updating my other fanfics, so please tell me what you want me to update and I will try my best to do just that.