CHAPTER 1

A/N: Just to level all expectations, this story contains NO Haley, therefore no baby drama. This will mainly be Klaroline.

This is a TVD story in the meantime but set in New Orleans. I don't follow TO as much as I do TVD. All the characters belong to TVD and TO.

This will take-off from TVD 5x11 but will be OC from then on.

"Let me get this straight, your family has been gone from Mystic Falls for almost a year now and you suddenly come back here to make a deal with us, we give you Vampire Barbie and in return you give us protection and solemnly promise that none of your family will every come back here, gone from Mystic Falls forever?" Damon stressed every word.

Elijah turned toward Damon, "Mr. Salvatore, much as you have appointed yourself as leader of this gang of misfits, it is actually Ms. Forbes alone whose decision I will need as she is after all the fulcrum of this arrangement," stepping forward until he was but three steps in front of Caroline, "Ms. Forbes, I will let you sleep on it for tonight. I will however expect a decision by tomorrow noon." With that said, Elijah flashed away quickly as only an Original could.

Caroline exhaled deeply then sat down onto the couch. They were all at the Salvatore boarding house, as Caroline had received a text from Elijah an hour ago for her to meet him at Salvatore's place. Not knowing what to expect, she called Elena, Bonnie, Tyler, Matt and off course Stefan and Damon Salvatore.

"Is there something else you are not telling us Care?" Stefan eyed Caroline, "I mean, Damon's right, the Originals have been gone here for quite some time, the only time any of them have come back was a few weeks ago after Damon called Klaus about Katherine. We know Rebecca saved Matt and you and Klaus… I don't even want to rehash what happened with you two."

Elena was confused, "wait what, did something happen, Klaus was actually here Care?"

Caroline glared at Stefan but before she could defend herself, Tyler interrupted, "not only was Klaus here, the two of them actually had their freak on," Tyler finished off with a pained expression.

"What!" Bonnie and Elena both said simultaneously. "Care, is this true?" Elena continued.

Caroline sighed, "it was a moment of weakness, why is everybody on my case," glancing with frustration at everyone in the room. "I mean all of you have done bad things before, I do one thing that's messed up. It's hard always being miss goody two shoes. Besides, it's over, done with, can we please all move on."

Damon pointed his finger at Caroline, "well someone apparently doesn't want to move on, why would Elijah be here let alone want to make a deal to bring you to New Orleans with him."

Caroline glared once again at Damon, "I don't know okay. I don't even know if he knows what happened between me and Klaus, I don't think this is the kind of things you share with your brother, or is it?" eying Stefan and Damon.

Damon in his typically snarky way stated, "maybe that's it, he somehow found out and thought, he should have a go at it with you too. I mean, maybe you are the Mikaelson's 'Elena', forever wedged between the brothers."

Caroline threw Damon a pillow from the couch, "eeww Damon," at the same time Elena punched Damon in the chest.

Matt took Caroline's shoulders, "you are not actually thinking about going the New Orleans with Elijah are you? I mean, whatever Elijah promises you, your life and happiness is more important. Your happiness is here in Mystic Falls, with us, right Care?"

Caroline let a lone tear fall down her cheek as she faced everyone, "yes, there is no better place that makes me happy than being here in Mystic Falls, I am happy that we are all here despite everything that has happened. Looking at Matt, growing up, you've always been my closest guy friend, you've continued to be a very good friend to me, I'm sorry that you've been caught up in all of this."

Caroline turned to Tyler and walked toward him, "Tyler, we've been through a lot, and I meant it when I said you have to get over what happened between Klaus and me. It's my life, my mistake to make. You left me, and now I'm walking away from you as you told me to," finished with kissing his cheek.

Next she walked to Damon, "well Damon, you and I we've had some good but really if you think about it, more not so good interactions in the pass, but I've looked pass all that, learned not just to forget but forgive you. I hope you become a better person, I believe you are capable of becoming one."

She reached out her hand to Stefan, "Stefan, you're my bestfriend too, you have always supported me in all the good and very bad," playfully nudging Stefan's chest, "things I have done. I hope you will continue to support me, whatever my decision will be." Stefan embraced Caroline, capturing a strand of her hair and tucking in the back of her ear, "I will always support you, I am just a phone call away wherever you chose to be, always remember that," kissing her cheek.

Caroline was now sobbing after Stefan's show of unconditional support as she turned toward her very best friends, "Bonnie, Elena, I know we don't always agree especially lately, but I hope in time you will understand my choices as I have understood yours. You will always be my best friends, I love you both." Elena and Bonnie moved forward to embrace Caroline in a tight three-way hug.

"So it seems Barbie here has decided to go with big bad original brother to New Orleans," Damon interrupted the girls' moment.

At Damon's comment, Caroline let go of both Elena and Bonnie, "I haven't decided anything yet, I just wanted all of you to know what you all mean to me, how all of you are important to me. I intend to sleep on it and decide in the morning as Elijah had said. Now, I think I will go home."

Stefan stepped forward, "let me take you home Care."

Caroline shook her head, "No thanks Stefan, I need time alone, I'll be okay" with that, Caroline turned away to leave glancing around one last time at everyone.

It only took a few minutes for Caroline to arrive home, turning off the engine of her car and stepping out still lost in her thoughts she was startled when she heard a voice.

"Ms. Forbes, I'm sorry for startling you. But I wanted to have a private word with you before you decide anything." Elijah stepped from the darken corner into the porch light.

Never been alone with the eldest Original before, Caroline was suddenly anxious and jumpy, and it probably showed in her face as Elijah continued, "please don't be alarmed, I mean you no harm, on the contrary, I want to assure you that you have my eternal pledge to protect you and keep you safe."

Caroline looked at Elijah strangely, "wait, what? Why? I mean, you don't even know me."

Elijah nodded, "yes that's true, it's a matter I want to correct. I want to get to know you Ms. Forbes."

Caroline frowned, "why? It's just really weird that we are even having this conversation. I thought you all left for New Orleans."

Elijah reached out his hand for Caroline to take. Caroline tentatively took his hand as he ushered her to a seat on her own porch, "I'm sorry I can't invite you in since my mom's not home, and please call me Caroline"

Elijah stared at Caroline for a minute before answering her, "that's fine Ms. Forbes, Caroline. We can talk here if that's okay with you?" after getting a nod from Caroline, Elijah made himself comfortable, sitting down opposite Caroline before starting, "I regret that I have not had tried to get to know you more in the past, that I don't know you as well as my siblings. But, my siblings and I, we have not always gotten along and I have chosen to stay away from Mystic Falls for the most part of their residence here."

Searching Caroline's face once again, as if trying to read what is on her mind, Elijah continued, "my brother is a very complicated man, it has always been my most challenging task to understand him. He has not had the best human life and in his immortal one, he has further spiraled into the beast he is now. You have to understand that he wasn't always that way, our father was especially hard on him and has broken him in every possible way physically, emotionally and mentally. It is my greatest guilt not to have been able to defend him and love him the way I should have. What he has become is partly my fault."

Caroline had been listening intently to Elijah at the same time wondering why Elijah was opening up to her this way about Klaus and it was only the pause in Elijah's voice that told her she had actually said her question out loud.

Elijah fixed his gaze into a spot beyond the driveway, far into the night, lost into his thoughts before he took his gaze back into Caroline, "it takes a strong woman to understand and accept him for who he is. I think you are that woman he has been searching for more than a thousand years."

Caroline was about to protest but was stopped by Elijah with a shake of his head, "I don't think you realize it yet or even understand it much less accept it to be the truth," Elijah paused once again trying to gauge Caroline's reaction to his next statement, "Niklaus and I have never shared intimate information about the loves of our life, but in a very weak moment my brother confessed to me that a few weeks ago he had experienced something earth-shattering that shook him to the core, he said it was the best and worst day of his life," Caroline's surprised breath told Elijah she knew the 'incident' he was referring to, "he has been struggling with himself since then."

Elijah grabbed Caroline's hands in his, "I implore you, Caroline, please think about what I ask of you, I am not asking you to sacrifice yourself for your friends or even for the safety of others, what I am asking you to do is to recognize that this is your destiny." Standing up and walking a few steps away from Caroline, Elijah turned back to her, "I will back at noon tomorrow for your answer," this time Elijah walked away into the night without looking back.

After Elijah's departure, Caroline went inside her house and straight to her bedroom, sinking into her bed with a deep sigh. If she were completely honest with herself, she knew a lot of what Elijah had said was true. In her moments alone, she had been reliving not only the moment in the woods with Klaus but her views about Klaus. She had been torturing herself about how wrong Klaus was for her choosing to accept her friends opinions, that she had made a mistake with hooking up with Klaus. But deep, very deep down inside of her she wanted Klaus, felt he was the right one for her. She was just afraid that everyone else would turn their backs on her if she even thought about Klaus that way, thinking that it was a choice of her friends, her life in Mystic Falls against her possible future with Klaus, if there was even one. After going through her nightly rituals, she decided to sleep and leave the big decision for tomorrow.

Caroline had been having a restless sleep, dreaming of that time in the woods with Klaus,

"I want your confession", Klaus asked her.

"My confession?" Caroline asked confused, "I didn't do anything Confession about what?."

Klaus smiled then told Caroline exactly what he meant, "me." He took a step toward Caroline and said, "as soon as we are done here, I will walk away and I'm never coming back, you'll never again have to look me in the eye and cover our connection with hostility and revulsion." As if it pained him to continue, "and you'll never have to loathe the darkest part of yourself that care for me, in spite of all I've done, I will be gone," stepping even closer, "and you will be free." Looking momentarily away before focusing once more on Caroline, "I just want you to be honest with me."

Caroline looks at Klaus as if she couldn't believe he what he was asking her to do, "I'm in college. I'm building a life for myself. I have plans, and a future, things that I want, and none of those involve you."

Klaus exhales loudly obviously hurt by her words and looks to the ground, "I see."

"No you don't, Yes, I cover our connection with hostility, because Yes I hate myself for the truth," making the decision to be honest with herself for once, "so if you promise me that you will walk away as you, and never come back, I will be honest with you. I will be honest with you, with what I want."

"I will walk away," stepping even closer, "I will walk away, and never come back." He smirks, "I promise."

She stares at him, deliberating within herself what to do, trying to read what was in his mind as she took several steps and stops right in front of him, as if finding what she was looking for, she leaned in, "good," and leaned in to finally capture his lips.

It was only the briefest of kisses, of lips touching, but the tender touching of lips was the most wonderful feeling Klaus had experienced in his life, the fleeting moment had been earth-shattering for him that when she finally pulled away, it was as if her momentary light that had so briefly shined on him made his dark world even darker. So when it was over, all he could do was smile at her. The fact that she had smiled back shattered whatever controlled Klaus had left.

After what looked like a very subtle nod from Caroline, Klaus flashed Caroline to the nearest tree and proceeded to make passionate love to her. Passion and Love, two words that Klaus had never thought he would ever hear himself use together in a sentence in his very long life, but with Caroline it was indeed passion he experienced and love he overwhelmingly felt. And without a doubt, Caroline felt everything Klaus wanted her to know, that he was in love with Caroline.

After her dream, Caroline had abruptly woken up, confused for a few seconds as to where she was then finally realizing she was in a familiar place, her bedroom. Glancing at the clock on her side table, she realized it was just three in the morning. She tried to get back to sleep but after tossing and turning for about an hour, she realized she couldn't, instead she thought about what her decision should be.

By seven in the morning, she had finally decided what she really wanted. Searching deep within herself, she whole-heartedly accepted that she deserved to be loved, be protected, be happy. That it was time to put herself first, to love herself more than she loved her friends. To find love in the person who had put her first, loved her for being just her.

Having made her decision, she got out of bed and started to pack a bag of essentials only thinking that if she where to finally leave Mystic Falls, go even further away than Whitmore College, she deserved a total change, including a new wardrobe.

She had busied herself writing personal notes to all her friends and her mother while waiting for Elijah to arrive that when the doorbell finally rang at exactly noon, she was a little startled. Organizing all the notes on top of the kitchen table and glancing around one last time inside the house she had lived in all her life, she put on a brave smile, opened the door and meeting Elijah's eyes told him, "I'm ready."

Should I continue? I need your comments and reviews. If you want me to continue, help me by suggesting the direction you want me to take this story.

Love and Kisses all around the world

xoxo