He doesn't know if he wants to read the letter. He knows he will- not reading it was never a consideration- but he doubts her words will comfort him in any way. He's fully expecting "congratulations, you bastard- don't let her bang monsters in the forest when she's older." (He regrets how it happened. He wanted the first time he slept with her to be romantic, epic- not against a tree and tinted with desperation. But faced with her light, her strength, after so much pent up longing and so many months away from her- control was never an option.)

He doesn't know how she found out, exactly. He should have known she would. Maybe the Lockwood boy was the one, yelling it at her, intending to hurt her as much as she hurt him. Maybe the Bennett witch heard through some magical grapevine, and shared the news hesitantly in their Whitmore dorm room. He doesn't know what her reaction was- he doesn't know much about her life at all anymore. He tells himself he doesn't care.

He has a man keeping watch over her, just in case she finds herself in trouble. She doesn't know, of course, and he knows she can take care of herself. He tells himself that when she's older, or she breaks away from the Doppelganger, he'll stop trying to protect her. (He doubts it.)

There are other things to worry about. He's at war with the witches, for one. It will take decades for him and his siblings to work through their latest conflicts with each other. But mostly, he has a baby girl now, and he has no idea how to be a father.

He opens the brown paper package and finds a stuffed animal that resembles a wolf- deep blue, with big eyes and floppy ears. It's a fluffy, comforting thing. (Really, love, he thinks with a smirk. No fangs?) The letter slides out from underneath it.

It's for Luna. Don't worry, there's no vervain in it. The toy store in Whitmore doesn't sell stuffed vampires, obviously, but I thought a stuffed wolf would be just as good. (This does not change the fact that I'm super freaked out about her and Hayley and what happened in the woods that day. Don't get any ideas.)

I'm doing okay you know. You can call off your man. I still have your number in case of emergency, anyway.

Klaus, you aren't Mikael. I'm sorry if that crosses a line but you need to hear it from someone just once. You'll be fine. You'll be more than fine. You both will.

Caroline

Not for the first time when it comes to Caroline, he doesn't know how to process what he feels. Instead, he tucks the letter away for safekeeping and goes upstairs to a soundly sleeping Luna. He strokes his daughter's hair and puts the little wolf in the corner of her crib. Rebekah might kill him for it tomorrow- he's not sure if stuffed animals are a safety hazard- but when Luna reaches out in her sleep and wraps her little fingers around the wolf's paw, he can't bring himself to remove it.

Gods, he loves her already. He loves them both.

Caroline is studying for finals when her phone goes off.

Luna won't let go of your present. I'll call my man off eventually, but you know me.

We'll be fine, sweetheart. Thank you.

Her smile lights up the room.