The Way We Were

Chapter One: Love, I'd Burn This City Down For You

If I had a gun, I'd shoot a hole into the sun
And love, I'd burn this city down for you
If I had the time, I'd stop the world and make you mine
And everyday would stay the same with you
Excuse me if I speak too soon
But my eyes have always followed you around the room

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds – If I Had A Gun

Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye. It sounded like a lifetime, but when compared to forever, eight years really wasn't that much of a big deal. But it still felt odd to say that it had been eight years (two thousand nine hundred and twenty days to be precise) since I had last stepped foot in my cheerful hometown of Mystic Falls. And yet, I could still remember everything about that day as though it was only yesterday. As though I had only just begun my world travels as a free and impulsive vampire.

I did not regret the decision to leave. Hell, I had never been so sure of anything in my entire life. The one thing that I felt remorse over was the fact that I never stopped to say goodbye. The vague and non-revealing note left on my mother's bedside table hardly sufficed. I tried not to imagine the look of despair on my mother' face as she read the words I had scribbled down on the back of a local beauty spa gift certificate. I shook the image of Bonnie and Elena's disappointment out of my mind. I knew that one day, no matter how far away, I would be so far removed from that place that no memories would ever stab at my mind ever again.

It had been time for me to leave; time for me to move on. I had gained everything that I could from Mystic Falls; there was nothing left for me there. The world beyond the small town called out for me, and I needed to experience it for myself. But the main reason for my abrupt departure was the fact that I refused to sit back and watch the people I loved age, wither and die. I was not strong enough to endure that. It had hit me a few days before my decision was made. The knowledge that I would out live those who I loved the most had never really registered with me until that pint. I didn't know why it happened then. I was just led in my bed about to slip into my dreams when suddenly the concept had formed in my mind as sharp as an electric shock.

And that was why, when he held out his hand to me, there was never any doubt in my mind. I grasped at the future he had painted for me and we fled that very same night; never once looking back at the past that we had left behind.

Our first stop was New York; I had always dreamed of living in a penthouse apartment overlooking the most fabulous city in North America. And that's exactly what we did. The most luxurious two story apartment at the very top of the most prestigious apartment building in the Upper East Side became our home for the duration of our stay in the 'Big Apple'. Our purchased real estate automatically ensured that our names were on the guest lists to all of Manhattan's most exclusive soirees which soon granted us the reputation of being the most envious couple in the whole city. We were young (physically), beautiful and filthy rich; the epitome of class.

We stayed there for two years in total. But although I adored New York, my thirst for experience soon made me long to travel out of America. And so, two hours after I brought the subject up in conversation, the plane tickets were booked and in less than three days we found ourselves touching down in the beautiful and delicate Paris.

It was fall when we arrived. I could remember clearly the way the gold and yellowing leaves danced in the wind; I remember thinking it was breathtaking. Once again, he purchased the best apartment that the city of love had to offer. Our marble balcony overlook the Eifel Tower itself and at night when the man made marvel lit up we would spend hours on that balcony, simply admiring the joys that the immortal life granted. Sometimes we would sit in complete silence and yet be completely at ease with one another. It was as though we didn't even need speech, as though our minds were in complete syncopation with one another's.

After an extended four years in Paris, it was he who grew bored. I was happy to move on though and we soon found ourselves in Rome living in a large modern villa on the outskirts of the city. The villa had been built especially for us as my companion informed me that he wanted somewhere that he could be himself; but I knew that he really just wanted his own pool. My fondest memory of Roma was two or three months into our stay when we broke into the Coliseum in the early hours of the morning when the city was asleep. We explored every crevice of the ancient ruins. We laughed; we joked and we were almost caught when he made me jump and screamed. The thrill of hiding in the ruins as the guards searched the place was possibly the most thrilling experiences of my entire existence...so far. It was our seventh month in Rome when I saw a glossy picture of The Tower Bridge in a gossip magazine. We left for London that very same night.

And that was where I was now: the traditional and exquisite capitol city of England; home of the Royal Family and The Globe Theatre. We had been there little over a year and loved it. I loved everything about it; the accents, the black cabs, the beautiful gardens and the living history. I loved how every time you stepped foot outside, you could see a variety of people from street entertainers to upper class noblemen. I loved how the weather was always terrible and how the sun was known as a yearly appearance. We resided in a three story town house in Kensington. Across the road from our home were the world famous Kensington gardens. We had covered every square inch of that beautiful place since our arrival.

I prided myself in our home. I had picked out everypiece of furniture from the king sized four poster bed in our room to the hand crafted chandelier that hung from the ceiling in the centre of the living room. It had a modern classic theme, with chez longues complimented by fifty six inch plasma screen televisions and oak wood doors placed against lightly coloured wallpapers.

At that current moment in time, I was seated in the study with a first edition copy of Great Expectations clutched firmly in my hands. I was trying to get through all of the classics. Three of the four walls in the study were lined with floor to ceiling bookshelves, and what with the extremely high ceilings of the wall, I had had a wheeled ladder installed which ran on tracks along the shelves. It was all very Bed knobs & Broomsticks.

Henderson, the butler was busy in the dining room polishing the already immaculate silverware. I knew this because the frequents clinks and clangs that the cutlery (due to my advanced vampire hearing) sounded as though he was completing his task right next to me. It was beyond irritating.

"Henderson, you can leave that for now. Take the rest of the afternoon off; I'll speak with you tomorrow." I heard the familiar accent and smiled, knowing that he felt exactly the same as I did.

"Why thank you, Sir. Until tomorrow." I heard the blessed old man put away the silverware, grab his coat and depart quickly. I liked Henderson. We didn't even have to compel him. He asked no questions and due to the overly generous pay that he received each month; he was happy to keep anything odd that occurred to his discretion. He was a dear, truly.

I shifted slightly, not out of discomfort but rather out of habit. Humans noticed if you stayed too still for too long so a routine was needed in order to blend in. My feet were currently cured up to my chest as I sat in the oversized mahogany leather armchair, my tight dark grey skinny jeans rumpling at the knees. I was wrapped up in a large (and much too big) red wrap around knitted cardigan due to the harsh November air and my feet were tucked snugly into a pair of UGG slippers. When venturing outside, I never looked anything short of immaculate, but when it was just us in the house I tended not to care much for my appearance.

I stared intently at the pages before me, absorbing every last syllable at four times the average reading speed. It was a Wednesday afternoon, the clouds had covered the entire sky and the constant heavy rain tapped endlessly against the window pane. I didn't mind it though; it was somehow soothing to me. That night we were to attend a charity gala at Sir. Richard Bleakly's manor on the outskirts of the city. It would be boring, as per usual but we wouldn't be there too long. I planned on suddenly coming down with an 'illness' after an hour and a half of painfully dull conversations.

I heard him before I saw him. It amazed me how, even after all these years, he could stillcause my heart to flutter and my lips to curl into a smile. His soft footsteps padding gently against the marble hallway informed me that he was on his way to the study; looking for me no doubt.

"Oh Caroline?" I didn't look up at him as he entered the room. "Shouldn't you be upstairs preparing yourself for tonight's festivities?" His voice chimed across the room like bells and his soft accent sent chills down spine.

"What are you talking about? I am prepared." I looked at him as I joked and smiled at the familiar sight of him. I had not seen his visage in three hours and I was far too long. "Don't you like my outfit?" I looked like I was hurt by his question.

"I see nothing wrong with your attire whatsoever. In fact, if it were up to me, you would never dress yourself up just so you can parade around sensible suitors." Klaus seated himself in the armchair opposite mine as he spoke.

"Yes, but if it were up to you I'd never even leave this house; so you see my predicament." I raised one eyebrow at him in an 'I'm right; you're wrong' kind of way.

"That is true." We shared a knowing smile, "Don't worry about tonight by the way; I'll get us out of there after an hour or so."

Sometimes, I thought that Klaus knew me too well. It was as though he had a one-way telepathic link into my mind. He knew me outside and in; all of my secrets, regrets and flaws. I knew a lot of his; we tried not to keep anything from each other at all costs but I could never be sure with Klaus. Don't get me wrong, I trusted him with everything I had. He had sworn to protect me from anyharm whatsoever (his words; not mine) but I knew that sometimes, he believed that he had to protect me from the truth.

"It would be much appreciated; you know how tedious these 'things' are to me."

"Try living through one thousand years of them," He pointed out.

"And yet you still go?"

"I have to keep up appearances; otherwise rumours get thrown around that I'm dead." I chuckled at the thought before pausing for a while to think.

"That doesn't sound so bad," I thought aloud.

"What, me dying?" He asked, incredulously.

"No...well, sometimes." He gave me a faux stern look and I shrugged. "If people thought you were dead, we could do whatever we wanted."

"We already do whatever we want." He had a point.

"Yes, but we'd have no limitations; no reputation to keep a hold of. We wouldn't even have to tell anyone that you'd died; we could just go and let them make up their own mind." My vision blurred as I stared at nothing, running through the endless possibilities. "We could go to China! We could walk the entirelength of the Great Wall!" I felt my face light up at the thought.

"Do you want to go to China?" He questioned, a bemused look on his face.

"Well...not necessarily right now...but in the future, it's definitely on my list of things to do." He sat still for a second before pulling out his iPhone and holding it to his ear. "What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

"I'm calling Heathrow Airport to see when their next available flight to Beijing is." I stared at him in disbelief for a few moments before realizing the truth in his actions and launching myself off of my armchair and onto his. Great Expectations left forgotten on the floor.

"Give me that phone!" I hissed and grabbed for the device but he used one of his steel like arms to hold me in a tight vice grip. "Don't be stupid! I said not now!

"You also said you wanted to go." He whispered, till listening intently to the dial tone.

"Later! I'm not done with London yet." I said, still wrestling against his stone hold. He didn't even move a centimetre. "Klaus! Put the phone down now!" He laughed and tapped the red button jus as the attendant answered the phone. "You're a dick." I pouted and looked at the ground, still encased in his arms.

"Caroline?" He said my name sheepishly but I refused to look at him; let him suffer. "Caroline?" He repeated and I could hear the smile in his voice. Never moving the arm that circled me once, he brought his other hand up to my chin and tilted my head in his direction. I closed my eyes childishly but I couldn't repress the smile that took control of my mouth. "So you're not looking at me?" I shook my head. "Well, that's fine." He stated simply and then retreated back to silence.

I was about to say something snide and teasing but the words died in my throat the second I felt his lips press ever so gently against the hollow of my throat. If my heart could beat, it would have been pounding so fast that it would've been visibly vibrating in my chest. My back arched involuntarily as he continued to kiss the visible skin of my collar bone and I tilted my head back slightly in order to give him more access. I felt his lips smirk against my skin as he realised what I was doing. My eyes were still clamped tightly shut.

I cringed inwardly at the quiet yet clearly audible moan that escaped my lips when he wrapped both of his arms around my body, pulling me so close until my upper body was flush against his. I could feel his cool breath on my cheek and I relished in the sensation. He always knew exactly how to touch me so that I would melt into his arms. "Still not looking at me?" His voice had lowered and had become extremely husky, his British accent turning my mind into goo.

Again, I shook my head. Only this time, the action was a lot less confident than it had been just a few moments prior. I knew that he would notice that; nothing ever went unnoticed by Klaus. "Someone's being very stubborn today," he breathed against my forehead and my insides turned to mush. "I like it though; makes everything a lot more fun." I gulped, uncertain of his next move.

Suddenly, his large hand pressed down on a part of my body that he was highly familiar with and I couldn't take it any longer. My eyes flew open only to be met by my opponent's lustful and glittering orbs. I found it hard to think whenever he looked at me like that, but the knowledge that those eyes only ever looked at me in that way was almost, on its own, enough to push me over the edge and into utopia.

It was me who made the first move. Without a moment's hesitation, I closed the short distance between our skin and crushed my lips against his. He reciprocated instantly and as soon as I felt his tongue snake out and swipe across my lower lip, I opened my mouth; granting him the entrance he so desperately required. He tasted like a mixture of scotch, Cuban cigars and blood. I couldn't get enough of him as I crushed myself against his stone hard body, needing to be a close as inhumanely possible.

His arms were wrapped so tightly that I struggled to get my hands free. Once they had escaped, I brought them up to the back of his head and buried my fingers in his short curly hair where tugged and pulled at it in a fiery passion. He groaned in response and the noise alone made me shiver in ecstasy. Knowing that I made him feel that good was one of the most seductive things to me. His smooth tongue massaged mine roughly and demandingly as subconsciously, I turned in his arms and brought my leg up in order to straddle him. The chair was so big that my knees were flat against the leather either side of him.

After a good few minutes of bliss, he was the one to pull away first. My new position meant that I was now above him, my eyes looking directly down at him as my hands rested, clasped together at the back of his neck. He was still so close to me; he smirked and our noses bashed together softly. He brought one of his hands up to brush a piece of my loose blonde curly hair out of my face and tuck it behind my ear. His hand stayed on my jaw as he slowly leaned up to press one last soft kiss to my lips.

"Caroline Forbes; you truly are a marvel." He whispered after he pulled back for the second time, his hand now caressing my jaw gently. I didn't smile, but my eyes were beaming. I bit my lip as I radiated content and subtly glanced at the large grandfather clock situated behind the chair we were positioned on.

"Not yet," I smirked and he rolled his eyes playfully. "But I will be by the time I've finished getting ready." And with that, I hopped up off his lap and used my advanced speed to shoot up to our bedroom.

~x~

It would do.

I was stood before the full length mirror in the bedroom evaluating and scrutinizing my appearance. I did that every time I was about to leave the house. It was a routine of mine. I had made a promise to myself long ago that I would never enter the outside world looking anything short of immaculate. I as a perfectionist; I always had been. My human life was growing hazy, but I still remembered clearly how in kindergarten, my braids always had to be the exact same width and how my cardigan had always matched my dress perfectly. It was just a part of who I was.

The dress I wore was perfection itself; there was no other way to describe it. The floor length gown was a silvery-grey colour which fitted closely to my body until my hips where the fit loosened and the material hung to the floor. My back was bare apart from the embellished cross that the straps created and a small silver charm hung on a chain on the bare skin left by the A-Line neck of the dress. My hair was placed in a beautiful up-do with a large messy bun placed at the crown of my head with a halo braid surrounding it. A small band of silver diamonds was placed in between the braid and the bun. Simple teardrop diamonds rested in my ears and Klaus' bracelet was clasped onto my right wrist.

Being a vampire, there was never really need for much make-up. Foundation and powder were ineffective against my flawless skin and even false eyelashes could not compare to my own in length and in volume. The only make-up used was a pale lipstick and a minimal amount of grey eye shadow. I looked phenomenal; exquisite, even. But still I eyed my reflection with distain and resentment, searching for any flaw no matter how minor.

"Stop looking for something that you will never find," His voice drifted to me from the doorway ad I looked through the mirror and straight into his eyes. He was leaning against the door frame behind me, dressed impeccably well and looking like a gift from the maker himself. He wore a plain black tuxedo, the same one that he had had tailored that very same morning. A thin black tie hung from his collar and the corner of a white handkerchief could be seen sticking out of his pocket artistically.

"I'm not," I defended. "I was just-"

"You cannot lie to me, Caroline." He stated as he glided towards me, my eyes still focused on his through the reflection before me. "Try as hard as you may, you will never find any faults with your appearance. You are and always will be beautiful; no matter what you wear." I shivered as his fingertips lightly skimmed across my bare lower back.

"You're wearing my bracelet." His tone did not sound anymore enthusiastic than usual, but I saw the way his eyes widened and grew instantly warm as soon as he saw the first present he ever bought me on display for everyone to see. I rarely wore the gift; I was terrified of losing it or damaging it in any way. It was my most treasured possession; it reminded me of the night that everything changed.

"Of course, I am. Don't you think it matches my dress superbly?" I smiled through the mirror.

"I think it matches you superbly." He placed his lips to the naked skin of my shoulder; he was now standing directly behind me, so close that I could barely breathe. He dragged his fingertips up my arms simultaneously; staring at my wrist and stopping just below my shoulders. I shuddered and found myself leaning back into him, needing to be as close as possible. "As much as I'd adore ravishing you right here and now; the limo is outside." I sighed in disappointment before straightening my stance and smiling once at him in the mirror.

"Okay let's go," I paused as I wondered where I had put my black clutch purse. "Hey, have you seen my-" I whirled back around to face him and saw that he was holding the object in question in his left hand. "Thank you," I smiled as I took it from him. "Shall we go?"

"We shall." He took my hand in his and pulled me down the stairs and to the towering black front door, his thumb rubbing slow circles against my skin for the entire duration. Just as we were about to open the door, a soft vibration sound could be heard and Klaus rummaged around in his breast pocket for his iPhone. He checked the caller-id and an unrecognizable emotion spread across his face. "Caroline? I should take this; wait in the car for me?" His eyes never left the small illuminated screen. He opened the door with one hand and the chill of London's air caused me to shiver involuntarily.

"Of course; don't take too long." I smiled lightly but he still hadn't looked up. I hesitated for a second before pulling on my cream faux fur coat and leaving the town house. The door closed behind me.

Our usual driver, a kind man named Jerry Thomas was at the back door of the car in thirteen seconds exactly. He opened the car door as I walked towards him and I slipped inside, thanking him on the way.

"Klaus will be out in a moment." I informed him before he shut the door.

I tried to listen the best I could. I used my vampire hearing to the best of its ability but to no avail; Klaus had moved from his position behind the front door in order to purposefully keep me out of the loop. Something was happening; I could sense it in the air. The look on Klaus' face when he saw whoever was calling him had scared me beyond all reason. As I had previously mentioned; Klaus was no stranger to keeping me in the dark about things he thought could potentially work and/or harm me. But if this wasn't serious, Klaus would neverhave let me see his instant reaction as I did when he first saw who was calling him.

My train of worrisome thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the limo door was once again opened and Klaus slipped in beside me. There were no emotions on his face. Obviously, he had realized the mistake he made by letting me see his expression earlier that he had decided to portray a completely blank canvas. I was about to demand he tell me what was going on but I came up short when he suddenly turned to me and smiled his most dazzling smile.

"Sorry about that, it was an old...acquaintance. He wanted to know if was free over the next few weeks so we could discuss some issues he has with a pack of wolves in Iceland." He lied through his teeth with ease and stability. Being a frequent liar myself; I always knew when I was being told anything that was far from the truth. Klaus never lied to me...usually. He just didn't let on anything. But I knew that he'd lie to me all the time if he thought that he could get away with it.

"What did you tell him?" I played along. I knew he was lying. He knew I knew he was lying. And yet we carried on with the facade that everything was okay and normal.

"We're meeting at Covent Garden on Tuesday." The conversation was over. I didn't want to hear anymore lies and he didn't want to further dig a hole for himself. So instead, we sat in silence, both sat as far away from each other as possible and both pretending to be interested in the scenery of the streets of the upper class district of London.

~x~

Boredom had flooded my evening as though it were a tsunami. Two hours I had spent at the most tedious and inexplicably dull party I had ever attended in my entire existence. I was stood at the bar with three pretty young socialites who wouldn't know adventure if it snuck up behind them and bit them on the ass. I nodded and 'ah'd' in all the appropriate place, but my mind was elsewhere. I was still attempting desperately to decipher the meaning of Klaus' sudden sloppy discretion.

Klaus was sat in a secluded area of the extravagant ballroom. He and two other highly respected vampires were speaking in what would appear to be a large alcove sat ion mahogany armchairs; a glass of scotch clutched firmly in their hands. We had barely spoken all evening. He had clearly assumed that once we arrived at the gala, I would broadcast the serene and blissfully happy ray of sunshine that I usually acted out whenever we were in the company of others; but not this time. I had felt his hand press lightly against the lower of my back when we first entered the ballroom and he attempted to sway me towards the centre of the room where other couples were dancing. I loved dancing with him; people all around the room would stop and stare as we waltzed across the floor making professional dancers look like mere amateurs.

But instead of accepting his hand and outshining the rest of the crowd as per usual, I subtly removed his hand from my skin and walked towards a few familiar faces, sparking dull conversation and never once looking back at Klaus. We hadn't spoken for the rest of the night and although my act of distaste may have been heavily understated; Klaus would have no doubt understood that I was not going to act like everything was okay any longer when it was clearly anything but.

But I was bored now. I wanted to leave as quickly as possible to save myself from breaking the nearest chair and staking myself in the heart just as a means to escape. And so, I politely bid farewell to the stupid half wits who I was (with great difficulty) conversing with and walked across the dance floor, making a beeline for Klaus.

His company eyed me appreciatively as I intruded on their conversation. I smiled gracefully before leaning down to where Klaus was sat and whispering bluntly in his ear "I'm going, make up an excuse."

I did not wait for his answer and instead simply left his presence and quickly vacated the manor, saying my farewells on the way without once breaking my stride. A waiter held out my coat and I had slipped it on in less than two seconds. The cold air felt beautiful as in that room I had felt as though I was suffocating. Jerry was stood already waiting for me and was holding the door open.

"Take me home, Jerry." I sounded tired and desperate but I didn't care; I was beyond all rational thought.

The drive home lasted a life time, but eventually I found myself stepping through the familiar front door to our home. I leaned against the closed door and stilled for a minute, contemplating the night's events before taking off my coat and hanging it in the cloak closet to the left of the front door. My head was filled with so many thoughts that I found myself hardly able to breathe. In a moment of complete madness, I suddenly stripped off my dress and let it pool at my feet leaving me standing in the hallway in nothing more than the black and grey lingerie set that I had picked out online two days prior. I always wore matching underwear sets; they drove Klaus crazy.

I wasn't cold; I was numb. I stepped out of the circle at my feet that the dress had created before running up to our bedroom, leaving the dress in a heap two metres in front of the front door. I saw that Henderson had left a few of Klaus' shirts and tee shirts folded neatly on top of the dresser, clearly options he had laid out for the next day. I grabbed a dark brown long sleeved v-neck and pulled it over my head, letting the material swallow me whole. I turned off all the lights and laid down on top of the bed sheets, wallowing in my own unfortunate existence.

~x~

"Caroline!"

He was angry; that much I could tell from the frame shattering door slam and the pointless shouting (he knew I could hear him perfectly well even at a whisper). I hadn't been able to sleep. It had been two hours since I vacated the gala and I still had not moved from my position on top of the bed sheets. I gulped nervously at what was to come. Klaus had never and would never purposefully hurt me; even when I pushed every single one of his buttons. But still, when Klaus was angry; I hated being anywhere near him. Especially when I was to blame for his rage.

"Caroline!" He repeated as he stomped heavily up the stairs; he was dramatizing every last detail. He emerged into the bedroom but did not turn the lights on. There was no need; the moonlight shone throughout the room and our vampire vision made the situation completely natural to us. "What the hell do you call that?" He practically screamed in my face but I did not move.

"I call that 'me leaving a crappy party and going home'." I did not raise my voice and looked at him blandly.

"You made me look like a fool!" He was seething and I shrunk back slightly.

"You made me feel like an idiot!" I sat up and shouted back at him; my wrath now fully ignited.

"You know that whatever the situation is with us, we act like we couldn't be happier!" He was delusional if he thought that that was a plausible come back.

"Well I'm sick of pretending all the time! I'm sick of you lying to me whenever you want! I'm sick of not know anything that's going on because you don't think I'll be able to handle it!" We fumed at each other in silence for a while before finally he spoke.

"You want to know what's going on?" I nodded. His voice had lowered tremendously but the anger was still very much evident in his eyes. "Fine. I didn't want to tell you tonight because I wanted you to have a good time and enjoy yourself. But we're leaving London...tomorrow."

My stomach dropped and my heart sunk into a black pit of confusion and despair. "W-What? Where are we going?"

"We're going back." My eyes bulge out of their sockets and a wave of nausea drowned me.

"No." It came out as a whispered plea.

"Yes, Caroline...We're going back to Mystic Falls."

~x~

Hello, welcome to my story. I am completely in love with Klaroline! I don't quite know how it's all going to work out for them, but I think their chemistry is amazing and so I just had to write a story about them. Please REVIEW as I love hearing what people think. Next chapter should be up in a few days.

Love you lots,

musicmeanslove