A/N: So, as some of you may know, my grandma (different than the first one in the hospital and the one that just passed away) is in the hospital with pneumonia and MRSA. I went to see her today, and they've had her off sedation since 8:30AM. She looked so good, and they said they might be able to remove the ventilator by Saturday or Sunday, if all continues to go well!

Klaus had sent the messenger to receive the doctor while Elizabeth ushered Caroline upstairs. When the doctor arrived, neither he nor Elizabeth would let Klaus into the room. He was going insane, pacing up and down the long hallway outside the bedroom, hearing his wife's bloodcurdling screams. He wanted desperately to be in there, supporting her, holding her hand, whatever he could do to help her. He had been pacing the length of the hallway for so long that he was certain there'd be a rut in the floor. He heard Caroline scream once more and then heard a cry he hadn't heard in years. The sound of the baby's cries filled the house, and Klaus knew that there was either a little girl or boy in there, waiting for him.

Finally, the doctor stepped out of the room, holding a blanket-covered bundle in his arms. He smiled at Klaus and handed him the bundle.

"Say hello to your daughter."

Klaus looked down at the tiny, red face and the balled fists of his child. "Daughter," he muttered breathlessly. "She's perfect."

No. He wasn't going to be Mikael. He was going to do his best to make sure his little girl had the best life and the best parents she could have. He and Caroline would give her everything she would ever need and she would be smart, beautiful, kind, and caring. In short, she'd be just like her mother.

Klaus looked up, clearing his throat and blinking rapidly to remove the moisture from his eyes. "How is Caroline?" he asked just as the doctor was going back into the bedroom.

"Very tired, but that's to be expected. She'll need to rest for a few days. Don't let her strain herself," he directed.

Klaus nodded. "Can I see her?"

"Soon."

Soon, it turned out, couldn't have been soon enough, as the baby started to wail just as the doctor gave Klaus the go-ahead. Carefully supporting her head, Klaus brought her into the room and smiled down at Caroline, who looked exhausted yet excited.

"She's beautiful," Klaus said, "just like you."

Caroline gave a tired laugh. "But she has your nose and your lips," she commented, holding her arms out.

Klaus placed the baby in her arms and settled himself down on the bed next to Caroline, careful not to jostle her. "Alice Elizabeth," he stated. "A perfect name for a perfect baby."

"I love you," Caroline murmured as Alice quieted down.

Klaus reached down and kissed her lips. "I love you."

"It's your turn!" Caroline hissed through the darkness.

"I got up last time!" Klaus responded, desperately wishing he could dig a hole into his pillow and remain there. At least he'd get sleep.

"I gave birth!"

Klaus sighed. She had a one-up on him there. Grumbling to himself, he got out of bed and stumbled over to Alice's cradle where she was screaming her head off. "I love you, Alice, but you are so noisy," he chuckled, picking her up. She continued to scream as he handed her to Caroline. "You know, you're the one that has to feed her," he said, "so why do you make me get up?"

"Because I don't feel like it," she answered simply, grinning smugly up at her husband.

Klaus made his way back around to his side of the bed, laying down. He was exhausted. Alice was one month old and this was becoming a nightly occurrence. He loved her with all his heart, but he loved sleep, too. He closed his eyes and rested until Alice had had her fill and then he got up to place her back in her cradle where she fell asleep quickly.

Caroline turned over and Klaus pulled her into his arms. They fell asleep like that, holding one another, both exhausted and happy.

Elizabeth doted on her granddaughter endlessly, and Klaus enjoyed watching her talk to Alice, telling her about the things she would do with her when she grew up. She'd teach her to cook, to sew, and to sing. It was no secret that both Caroline and her mother had beautiful voices. Klaus, on the other hand, sounded like a dying seal, so he hoped Alice had inherited her singing voice from the Forbes side.

As the months passed, Alice grew more and more, never ceasing to amazing her parents. Klaus knew the first time she smiled would be ingrained in his mind forever.

"Your daddy loves horses," laughed Caroline. "Someday, you'll love them, too, and he'll teach you everything you need to know about them. I bet he'll even get you a horse of your own." She was twirling around the room holding Alice when Klaus walked in, his presence unknown to her. He watched with a smile on his face as she talked to their daughter, telling her all about her father's horses. He walked up behind Caroline and peered over her shoulder at four-month-old Alice.

"And do you know what sound a horse makes?" Klaus chuckled, looking into Alice's bright blue eyes. She watched him in interest, her small fisted hands reaching out for him. He took her in his arms and whinnied like a horse. And that was when Alice had laughed. Klaus looked up at Caroline with wide eyes, her expression a mirror of his.

"Do it again," she urged, watching Alice's face in rapture.

Again, Klaus whinnied and Alice giggled, her face lighting up with enjoyment.

Then there was when she started to crawl, and she'd scared Klaus and Caroline half to death.

"Where's Alice?" Klaus asked absentmindedly when Caroline came into the kitchen, her hands free.

"I put her in the living room. I just wanted to come in here and see how you were doing," Caroline replied, resting her head on Klaus's arm.

He pulled back and put his arm around her, holding her close to him in the rare moment of quiet. "Dinner should be ready soon. I know you're hungry, love," he laughed, figuring she was only buttering him up because dinner was taking so long.

She smiled sheepishly up at him. "I'm going to go check on Alice. I'll be right back."

She wasn't gone more than a minute when she called out for him, the alarm in her voice telling him this was urgent. He rushed into the room to find Caroline rushing into the corner and scooping up Alice.

"What's wrong?" he asked, rushing over to make sure Alice was okay.

Caroline held a hand to her heart. "She scared me half to death! I left her over there," Caroline said, pointing to a spot halfway across the room where a blanket was lying.

"She didn't crawl already, did she?" Klaus looked at their eight-month-old, blonde- haired, blue-eyed daughter.

Caroline doubted it. "I don't think so," she said, then paused. "But how would she have gotten over there?"

"Well, let's try it," Klaus suggested, motioning for Caroline to put Alice back down. She did, and they went to stand on the other side of the room.

"Come to daddy," Klaus urged, smiling at his cooing daughter.

Sure enough, she began scooting her way toward her parents on her hands and knees. Klaus and Caroline laughed in excitement and pride as Alice neared them. Finally, she was close enough for Klaus to pick her up and he spun her around as she squealed. "We are so proud of you," Klaus said, and Caroline came up beside him and stroked the fluffy blonde curls atop her head.

Two months later, Klaus and Caroline were putting Alice to bed, Caroline leaning over the crib Klaus had built her. Caroline was humming a wordless lullaby as Klaus rubbed slow circles on her back. Just when it seemed Alice was drifting off to sleep, she kicked the light blanket they had lying on her off and, with slight difficulty, pulled herself up to a standing position.

"Oh my goodness!" Caroline whispered excitedly, kissing the top of Alice's head.

Klaus put on a smile for the moment, and of course he was awed by Alice's development, but inside he was worried.

Finally, they got Alice to lie down and she drifted off to sleep.

When Klaus and Caroline got to their bedroom and put their pajamas on, they lay down in the bed next to one another. Klaus couldn't resist the urge to pull her closer, though, and she curled up next to him.

"Something's wrong," she said, and it was a statement, not a question.

Klaus sighed as he ran his fingers through Caroline's golden hair. "She'll be walking soon, love. She used to be so tiny, so fragile. Where has the time gone? Before I know it, she'll be talking and singing and dancing and riding horses and I don't know if I'm ready for that," he said in a single breath. He immediately felt better now that he'd confessed his fears to Caroline, but the worry wasn't completely gone.

"Oh, Nik," she whispered, reaching up to kiss him lightly. "She will always be our little girl. She's not going to just up and leave. We've got years and years, Nik. She's not even a year old. And so what if it goes by too quickly? That's why we have to savor each and every moment with her, because she's so precious."

It was amazing how a few simple sentences by his very gifted, loving wife could make him feel exponentially better. She was his miracle.

"I love you, Caroline," he breathed, kissing the top of her head. "I don't know what I'd do without you. You're my rock, my friend, my lover, my wife, and I'm thankful every day that I get to see your perfect face. I'm so happy I didn't screw everything up with my behavior when we first met. I would have missed out on this." He gestured to the two of them, lying together. "I would have missed out on our perfect daughter."

Caroline pulled herself closer to Klaus. "Remember, Nik?" she asked. "It was never a choice."

A/N: Wow. Thus comes the end of my favorite fanfiction to date. I hadn't initially planned to have this be the last chapter, but I cut out some stuff, and it just fell into place. I hope you all enjoyed it, and you're all amazing for sticking with me. I cannot get over how many reviews I got for this fic, and each and every one means so much to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my Klaroline-obsessed heart.

Love, always and forever,

Taylor.