I don't own TVD but wish I did. This is a new story for me so I hope you like it :) I'm also writing The Journey as well so have a look at that if you fancy it!

Happy reading!

"Daddy, tell me the story of Golden Girl again, please."

The little girl was tucked up in bed, almost on the verge of sleep but her father knew that she would not rest until she had heard the story again. Although he couldn't help but tease her first.

"Are you talking about Camille, sweetheart?" Klaus asked with a grin.

"Not the drinks lady, Daddy." The little girl frowned at him, clasping her teddy bear tighter to her chest. How could he think she was talking about the nice lady who snuck her Coca-Cola when her Daddy wasn't looking? She loved Coca-Cola but she couldn't have that much of it. That's why Camille was her third favourite blonde lady. She always gave her Coca-Cola whenever she asked which always wound her Daddy up.

"Auntie Rebekah?"

"No, Daddy! Bekah has told me all her stories. I want the one about the girl with the golden hair!"

The little girl was giving her father a full on glare at this point and Klaus could not help laughing at her which made her frown deepen.

"Okay, Lily. I will tell you the story of the girl with the golden hair but only if you stop frowning at me. You don't want frown lines when you are only six."

Lily beamed up at him in response and patted the bed next to her, urging him to sit beside her which he did. Her ice blue eyes were shining with excitement as Klaus circled his arm around her and begun to tell his tale.

"There once was a girl who was very, very sick. She had been bitten by a creature that had poisonous teeth and she was going to die. She had the most beautiful golden hair that fell in curls around her head. The creature that had hurt her thought himself in love with her and so he searched for a way to save her. Eventually, he found a cure for the poison that was in her body but he wasn't sure if the man who had the cure would give it to her."

Lily whimpered a little at this point, snuggling closer to Klaus who gazed at with unadulterated affection. She always got scared around this part even if she had heard the story a thousand times before.

"The man decided to make a deal with the creature and the girl's mother so that he would give her the cure. The creature had to serve the man for all eternity and the mother had to protect him with the rest of the town who wanted to hurt him. They both agreed and so the man went to the girl's bedroom to give her the cure. He didn't know what to expect but he hadn't expected what he saw that night."

Lily giggled knowing what was coming next. She loved her Daddy's description of Golden Girl.

"The man saw the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and this was really saying something as he had been around for a very, very long time. The girl had the biggest, blue eyes and shiny blonde hair and rosy red lips. He knew that if she smiled it would brighten up the room. He would have done anything to make her smile but she couldn't because she was in too much pain. He hated seeing her hurting which he thought was strange because he had never cared about anyone being hurt before. This girl made him feel things he hadn't felt in years and he wanted to help her but only if she wanted to be helped, of course. The girl was stubborn; she didn't want his help as she thought she could take care of herself. She also hated him with every bit of her being. He was a monster, she said to herself. He's hurt my friends and he's hurt me. Why would he want to help me? The girl was confused by the act of kindness he was showing her and she thought it was a trick!"

Lily gasped exactly like the first time Klaus had told her this story and he loved that his daughter had such a vivid imagination that she got lost in the story every time he told it to her. It made him even more fond of the memories.

"Was it a trick, Daddy?" Lily asked. She asked this question every time and Klaus never knew what the answer was. Originally, it had been a trick. Just a ploy to get into the good graces of the people of Mystic Falls but as time had worn on he began to realise that perhaps he had always wanted to save the girl with the sad, sad eyes.

"The man thought it was a trick at the time, sweetheart, but as time went by he realised that it had never been a trick at all. Now, do you want me to finish the story, Lily?"

The little girl nodded vigorously.

"Secretly, the man wanted the girl to get better and so he tried to convince her to take the cure he was offering. He told her all about the things that the world has to offer such as art and music and he told her that one day she could have it all. All she had to do was ask."

"Did she ask for it, Daddy?" Lily asked sleepily. Somehow she always forgot what the ending to the story was. Perhaps it was because she didn't really like the ending.

"She said that she didn't want to die and so the man gave her the secret potion that could save her life. He didn't just save anyone's life but he knew that this girl was special and he wanted to help her. Soon after, the girl fell asleep to give the potion time to heal her and the man got up to leave. As he left, he turned to look at the girl that he had saved and he was once again struck by her beauty. From that day on, he always called her Golden Girl in his head because he thought that she was absolutely perfect. The man wanted this girl to love him but knew that she was too light and happy to fall in love with him and so he left her a present so that he could be with her always. The present was a bracelet that sparkled and shined almost as much as Golden Girl did."

"The man left her." It wasn't a question; Lily knew the part of this story too well.

"Yes, he left her after that." Klaus sighed.

"Why did he leave her, Daddy? He loves her."

"Yes he does but he was needed somewhere else. Now are you going to go to sleep?"

Lily nodded sleepily as Klaus kissed her forehead and turned to leave the room. A small voice stopped him though.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Are you the man who saved Golden Girl?"

Klaus stiffened. She had never asked him that before. Normally it was always questions about her beauty but he blamed Rebekah for that having instilled a love of Disney princesses in his daughter.

"I am." He finally answered.

"Do you love her?" Lily whispered.

"I do." Klaus's voice was infused with such sadness that Lily couldn't help but feel bad for her father.

"Does she love you?"

"I think...she could have loved me."

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Lily whispered, hiding underneath her duvet.

"What on earth for, sweetheart?"

"I'm sorry you had to leave her."

Klaus smiled sadly.

"It's okay, I still have you." He said.

"Yeah you do! Night, night, Daddy."

"Goodnight, Lily."

For the second time that night, Klaus tried to exit the bedroom.

"Wait! What was her name?" Lily asked curiously.

"Caroline." Klaus whispered as he closed the door.

Lily lay awake for a while after that, thinking about the story her dad had told her a thousand times but thinking about it in a different way. As she finally drifted off to sleep she made a vow to herself.

One day she would find Caroline and bring her home to Daddy.