Hello my lovelies :)

You have no idea how sad I am feeling right now. I am going to miss writing this story, and reading all your amazing reviews and PM's. You make my heart so happy and I will forever cherish every single one of you who have supported me from the very beginning and have joined me along the way.

This is it.

Enjoy!

She felt happy. Like it was the first time in her entire life that she ever felt this happy. But she knew she had experienced great bouts of happiness in her life. Being voted captain of the cheer squad. Being voted Miss Mystic Falls. Starting up her own party planning agency. Those insignificant human things weren't so insignificant to her. Those small successes mean't the world to her. She had achieved a lot all on her own. And at some point, Caroline realised that she didn't really need anyone to make her happy.

She could make herself happy.

And she did.

But there was always something missing in her life. This nagging feeling in the back of her head that she could do more... be more. And it wasn't until she grew up, suffered through two alternate realities, until being sent right back to the beginning, that Caroline realised it had a whole lot to do with him.

Klaus.

She couldn't quite put her finger on when she fell in love with him. But she knew how. It wasn't his charm or his wit. It wasn't him chasing after her or the extravagant gifts. It wasn't even him allowing Tyler to come back to town. It had more to do with Klaus being genuinely interested in her.

He wanted to know her... really get to know her. He wanted to get down to the core of who she was as a person, as a vampire, and help her discover who she could be.

He challenged her to think outside the box. To open her mind to the whole wide world out there, full of ideas, fascinating cultures, endless history, and genuine beauty.

He enjoyed her just as she was, but didn't ignore the potential of who she could be.

But above all, Klaus wanted her to be happy. Caroline saw it in the way his eyes would shown with curiosity as she rambled on about topics he would consider trivial nonsense. He would not simply humour her ideas, but appreciate her perceptiveness and her humanity. He would listen... really listen to what she had to say. And somehow just know what she really meant.

As close as she was to Stefan, even he couldn't read her the way Klaus could. Maybe it was because Klaus was a one thousand year old Original hybrid, or maybe Klaus was simply that interested in her, but at some point, Caroline started listening to him too.

She realised that there were specks of his humanity that would shine through when he was in her company. It was the way he looked at Rebekah with such brotherly affection. It was the way he regarded Stefan as a comrade in arms. Klaus revelled in knowing, and in sharing that knowledge. He enjoyed when he got his way, but was always so wary when people sided with him of their own avail. Klaus was distrustful, with good reason. There were so many people who had hurt him time and time again, but yet Caroline saw the lonely, lost little boy that existed under the immortal, practically invincible, hybrid.

And she was in love with him. All of him.

Klaus could be unforgiving and cruel. But he could also be loyal and kind... gentle, loving, understanding, honest.

She would never forget the things he did to hurt everyone she cared about. Klaus killed Jenna and Tyler's mom. He could be blamed for the deaths of Alaric and John. Klaus turned Tyler into a hybrid, and as such could be held responsible for Caroline breaking up with Tyler.

But somehow, she forgave him. And by some miracle... so did Elena and Bonnie.

Caroline's best friends would never be friends with Klaus, but they had come to a silent agreement that they all loved each other enough, to never allow some guy to come between them ever again.

It was one, long overdue, girl's night at the Salvatore boarding house, that really put things in perspective. And for the first time, in what felt like a really long time, Caroline fell asleep without a hint of worry or fear of what tomorrow would bring.

There was an incessant banging that roused her from her sleep. She groaned, pulling the covers over her head. She vaguely heard Bonnie and Elena's little noises in protest as well. It was so not a good idea to drink that many bottles of bourbon. She didn't even like Bourbon, but after the vodka and tequila was done, Elena just didn't have the heart to drink Damon's favourite scotch, so bourbon it was instead. That obviously proved to be the worst idea ever, because Caroline felt physically ill and she was pretty sure that if she were a human she would have died of alcohol poisoning.

She hadn't intended to get completely wasted. But after she confessed to being in love with Klaus, after Elena confessed to having a major crush on Elijah, and Bonnie admitting to researching ways to get her magic back... they all needed to take a break and just enjoy the fact that they had relatively normal things to worry about, and not the usual life threatening problems to deal with. It was so much fun... just like old times actually. Before vampires and witches and werewolves became a reality.

"Rise and shine my little doves" Damon said in a sing song voice, as he tried to pull the blankets off of them. "We got a problem on our hands."

"Hey you... Barbie. Come on now, get up" Damon said grabbing Caroline's arm and pulling her off the bed, once he located her under the covers.

"It's early" Caroline muttered, trying to wrangle her arm out of his vice like grip. She made a conscious effort to stay vertical, as he tugged on her jacket. He made her sit on the bed, before searching through the room.

"Leave her alone Damon" Bonnie grumbled, pulling Caroline's blankets around her.

"Care come back to bed" Bonnie mumbled, pawing at Caroline's arm weakly before quickly falling asleep again.

Caroline scowled, her eyes only half opened. Her head was pounding. So vampires could get hung over. Great.

"What do you want Damon" she asked, as he made his way back towards her with her high heels in hand. He knelt down and strapped them on her feet one by one.

Caroline frowned. "Damon?" she asked again, trying to shake her sleep and her headache off. Dread started to settle in the pit of her stomach, and Caroline was beginning to think she had developed a sixth sense to be able to tell when something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice serious.

Damon sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Katherine's dead" he finally said.

"What?" Caroline said, getting up and following him as he made his way out of the bedroom. "I mean, how?" she asked, shaking her head. "What do mean Katherine's dead, Damon? She can't be dead. She's under the protection of the Originals" Caroline questioned, a bit incredulous as she followed him downstairs. If Katherine was dead, then Klaus couldn't make any hybrids. Klaus would be murderous. Her immediate thought was that Katherine would kill herself. But that didn't make any sense. Katherine may object to being used for her blood, but compared to a lifetime of luxury, good health and security that she was so accustomed to, Katherine would be feeling really good about herself right now. She would never off herself. So who would possibly kill Katherine? That person obviously had a death wish.

"That's the thing Caroline" Damon said irritatedly, grabbing his keys. "We all know that Katherine was under the protection of the Originals. But how about you take a little guess, out of us which one wouldn't really care? Which of us would just love to piss Klaus off?" Damon scoffed. "So much for living in peace right?"

At Caroline's confused expression, Damon sighed. "That's what you get for drinking half the liquor cabinet" he said annoyed, shaking his head. "It was Tyler, Caroline" Damon stated. "Tyler killed Katherine. He cut her head clean off and pulled her heart out of her chest for dramatic effect."

Caroline startled at a gasp that came from behind her. Turning around to see Elena standing in the foyer with a horrified expression on her face. In that moment Caroline was sure that Elena's expression mirrored her own.

He had been distracted.

For the first time in his rather long existence, Klaus was caught unawares. Thoughts of her consumed him, more so than usual from the night she had claimed her place by his side, in his bed. And Klaus had to make a conscious effort not to dwell on the obvious. She had betrayed him, once again.

How else could that little mutt sneak in, into a house full of Originals, and kill Katerina? Despite being human, Klaus was surprised that Katerina hadn't put up much of a fight. He was even more surprised that he had been entirely too distracted to notice his hybrid disappointment's presence inside his own house. Hayley and their unborn cub was a few feet away in the opposite bedroom. Tyler could have just as easily...

No.

Klaus wouldn't think about it. He had only developed a fondness for the notion of having a child, a few days ago. He would not contemplate losing his child so soon... so easily.

But it hurt. It was disarming to feel so utterly weak and exposed. Caroline, Stefan and the whole lot had undermined him once again. And Klaus had been so blind. He honestly believed that Caroline loved him, that Stefan wanted to be friends... that Klaus could finally be at peace for once in his life.

Well the Mystic Falls gang of misfits had basically declared war on him. But instead of retaliating immediately as he normally would, Klaus found himself hoping that they would deny it. That they would convince him that they didn't do it... that it was solely Tyler who was responsible for Katerina's death.

Klaus wanted to believe that Caroline truly did love him, just as she confessed. That Stefan's presence was of his own accord without any ulterior motive.

He hated it. He hated feeling like this. More hurt and disappointed, than angry. Anger was good. It filled one with a sense of purpose and righteousness.

Katerina was dead, and as such Klaus couldn't make any more hybrids. Yet, the notion of not being able to create a hybrid army didn't affect him as much as the notion of being betrayed. He was going soft.

Love was truly a vampire's greatest weakness.

And he felt entirely too weak right now.

It was all her fault.

She had done this to him. With her big smiles and her too bright blue eyes and the sound of her sweet voice. The way she would run her fingers through the curls on the back of his neck. Her sweet kisses. The way she would adorably scrunch up her nose when she was confused. The commanding tone her voice would take when she was explaining something seriously. Her contagious laugh... her giggle. The way she would nervously play with her hands. Every little thing was so Caroline. She consumed him, distracted him... made him a fool... for her.

She had possibly betrayed him... could it all have been a lie?

There was no a single doubt in Klaus' mind that Caroline had the power to destroy him.

He was utterly, unconditionally, irrevocably in love with her.

And his heart clenched painfully at the thought.

"If you think that she is going to have better luck than you, you're going to be solely disappointed mate" Klaus said seriously, not daring to spare Caroline so much as a glance. He couldn't bare to look at her. Not before he discovered the truth. "I'm not letting Stefan go until I've gotten the answers that I want" he further explained.

"If you'd like to take his place, then by all means I'd be more than willing to offer a trade" Klaus said, shrugging nonchalantly, but a malicious smile played on his lips.

"Oh yes please," Rebekah piped up, much too excitedly. "I do enjoy those torture Damon sessions."

"Kinky, but so not the time darling" Damon drawled, giving her a forced smile, before turning to Klaus. "I've told you before, and I'm telling you again... Stefan had no part to play in whatever Tyler had planned okay. If we wanted Katherine dead, then we would simply have killed her ourselves... I mean, why would I have ever bothered to tell you that she was dying in the first place?"

"Perhaps you expected Nik to torture the poor Katerina before her death, but instead Nik saved her life and offered her a deal" Kol filled in. "Much to your disappointment. There's always the fact that if we hadn't caught Nik's hybrid failure, Tyler just might not have stopped at harming Katerina..."

"You cannot possibly be insinuating that Tyler would harm Hayley... she's pregnant for crying out loud!" Caroline cut him off, completely outraged that...

"It seems you're unaware that Tyler has tried to harm Hayley once before, with every intention of ridding her of the baby she's carrying" Rebekah explained, giving Caroline a sympathetic smile.

Caroline's expression dropped, a frown marring her features. And Klaus felt a pang at seeing her distressed. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. She could have possibly betrayed him and yet he still cared for her so. He was such a fool.

"There's why you're here, aren't you?" Rebekah said pitifully. "You're here to beg for your ex lovers life, once again?" Rebekah scoffed. "You have no idea how much of a monster he's become..."

"Rebekah" Elijah chided, but she ignored him.

"Tyler came all the way to New Orleans, kidnapped Hayley, roughed her up quite a bit, and threatened her life... poor thing was in such a state when she managed to escape. And Tyler was sent to the garden, a sort of vampire prison" she added, "where he should have spent the rest of his pathetic life. But then Nik gave him yet another chance... all for you Caroline. And Nik's silly little hybrid failure would dare to undermine us once again?" Rebekah scoffed.

"If I find out that any of you are a threat of my darling niece" Rebekah said softly, but her tone menacing, "not even Nik would be able to stop me from tearing your heart out."

"I'll enjoy helping you sweet sister" Kol added, giving Caroline a steely glare.

"Enough!" Klaus growled, his eyes flashing yellow, specks of gold tingeing his irises, black veins undulating under his eyes.

"Compel me" Caroline said softly, her voice wavering slightly. Klaus could feel her gaze on him and he softened immediately when he saw her watery eyes.

"No" Elena said, grabbing Caroline's arm. "You hate being compelled" she said, confused. "They can compel me or Damon" Elena said, offering herself up instead.

"I'm not on vervain" Caroline explained, keeping her eyes on Klaus. "I haven't been on vervain since the night of the ball, which was about three days ago. If Klaus compels me then maybe he'll finally believe that I would never betray him" she said, a bit sadly, her eyes filling to the brim with tears.

"Again" Rebekah added. "You mean, betray him again. Because you've done it so many times before."

"Things are different now" Caroline said, her tone surprisingly even. A single tear had managed to escape and she wiped it away with the back of her hand. "I'm different. I... I'm the one who convinced Klaus to offer Katherine that deal, knowing that a hybrid army sired to him would offer protection. I'm the one who asked him to stay in Mystic Falls... knowing that with the war that's raging in New Orleans, it'll be much safer here than there. I..." Caroline stopped short, sniffing.

"Do you honestly believe that I would have any part to play in harming your daughter?" Caroline asked, sounding entirely too broken for his liking.

"Caroline..." he started. Klaus didn't know what to believe. He wanted to believe when she said that she loved him, she mean't it. But no one ever cared... it couldn't be real. Whenever someone got too close, Klaus knew it was because they wanted to get close enough to stab him in the back. But she... Klaus never saw her coming. He had to compel her... it was the only way he could trust her. But if he did compel her, Klaus knew that he would lose her.

He couldn't lose her.

So like a coward, he turned on his heel and left.

"Okay sexy Beks... you're up" Damon said, suddenly taking off his jacket.

"Damon what are you doing?" Elena asked, perplexed.

"Well Caroline is most certainly not going to be compelled, that's for sure" Damon said, giving Caroline a small knowing smile, to which Caroline seemed completely taken off guard by for a moment, before giving him a grateful smile in return.

"And since Original Barbie knows the ropes, both literally and figuratively, she should have the vervain drained out of my in a few hours. Just for the record... we did not have any part to play in Tyler's little boyscout mission. And you will be making it up to me by allowing me to drink half your liquor cabinet, considering my stocks were seriously depleted last night by these two."

"All right then", Damon said, rubbing his hands together, before making his way further inside the mansion. "Let's get this show on the road."

He sensed her presence the moment she entered his room. Damon's muffled screams could be heard vaguely, but Caroline made no mention to them. In fact, she stood silently at the entrance of the terrace. After a few minutes, he couldn't bare it any longer. Klaus turned around to look at her, but she wasn't looking at him. Caroline's eyes were closed, and it seemed as though she was gathering her courage to face him. He smiled fondly at her mentally preparing herself to get into an argument with him. No doubt coming up with a list of points in her favour. She was so brave. So strong. So fierce.

Klaus sighed. And at the sound, Caroline's eyes shot open.

He would be a fool is she ever betrayed him. But he would have the excuse of being a fool in love. He would be a fool for not believing her. But he would have no excuse. It would be unforgivable and inexcusable to ever doubt the sincerity of a creature so pure and full of light.

"I want to believe you when you say that you love me. I want to believe you, with all my heart, when you say that you truly care. But after over a thousand years of being betrayed, even by my own flesh and blood, the concept is a bit unfamiliar to me" Klaus explained, sighing heavily. "I want to trust you, truly, I do trust you with my own life, but..."

"It'll take time" Caroline filled in, nodding.

"What I don't quite understand is how you could trust me" Klaus said, sounding utterly perplexed. "After everything I've done..."

"I've had time" Caroline said, offering him a small smile.

Klaus frowned. He opened his mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it because he closed his mouth again.

"First rule" Caroline stated, earning a curious look from Klaus, one brow arched. "Don't ever hold back... telling me what you think, what you feel, what you want."

Klaus nodded, but remained silent for a moment, before explaining, "you're different" he stated, matter of factly. It was her turn to be confused, and when he noticed her expression, he continued, "when I look into your eyes, I can drown in the endless depths of them, but I can see that there's something else there that wasn't there before... they're full of secrets. And in the space of a few months I've been away, I long to know what has happened in that time to make you..." he faltered, shaking his head.

"It was my every intention of making you my queen, but upon seeing you again" Klaus explained. "You are a queen Caroline... you know what you want, who you are, who you're capable of being. And I know that you've seen things and done things that have made you capable of ruling the world. And I... I want to know how" Klaus said, almost pleadingly.

"I see it in the way you look at me... like you're almost afraid of losing me. Which strikes me odd because you know I'd never leave you willingly. I see it in the way you are seemingly sympathetic of Hayley... the fondness in your eyes when there is talk of my child. I see the ease you are with when conversing with Elijah and Kol... the understanding when you regard Rebekah" Klaus said, shaking his head. "Have we lived this life before?" Klaus asked, before chuckling at his own absurdity.

"You are so patient and kind. Whilst I am so... this is all so new to me" Klaus said, giving her a weak smile. "I see how much it hurt you to think as though you would have to prove your loyalty to me, and Caroline I... I never wish to hurt you sweetheart. I never wish to fail you ever again" he pledged.

"You believed me?" Caroline said, with a shaky voice.

Klaus nodded. "I wanted to believe you. I wanted to simply accept your word as law. But in my experience... I could not allow myself to. I... I didn't want to be weak" he confessed, turning away from her in shame.

She took a moment to gather her thoughts and wipe her tears away, before walking up to him, to stand by his side. She put her hands on the hand rail, her right hand, touching his. "I don't want to be your weakness Klaus" Caroline said softly. "I want to be your strength. I want you to know that we're in this together... it's you and me now" she said, reaching out her fingers to intertwine with his. "There's us" Caroline breathed. "And if anyone tries to hurt us... it's us against them. Okay?" she asked, seeking his understanding.

Klaus nodded, his expression awed. "Us" he repeated, disbelievingly.

Taking a deep breath, "Tyler..." she started.

"Will be kept here and drained of his vervain and then he shall be compelled" Klaus explained, pulling her hand and gathering her in his arms. "If he has merely killed Katerina, then a simple compulsion to ensure he never bothers us again will suffice."

"But if he had planned to harm Hayley and the baby?" Caroline asked tentatively.

"Then I will gladly watch Rebekah tear him limb from limb, before having the ultimate pleasure of tearing his heart out of his chest" Klaus stated firmly, with a air of finality, leaving no room for further discussion on the matter.

Caroline nodded, expecting as much, before leaning against his chest. She took a deep breath, allowing herself to be consumed by him.

Klaus buried his face in her curls and breathed in her scent.

"After this matter is dealt with" Klaus murmured, "where would you like to go?"

Caroline pulled away from him suddenly, but Klaus' hold on waist her tightened. "Go?" she asked, confused.

Klaus gave her an affectionate smile, his eyes lighting up in excitement. "I did promise to show you the world sweetheart" he said, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Caroline giggled, but shook her head. "But what about Hayley? And the baby?"

"The baby is not yet born, and so long as Hayley's needs are met, surely my presence is not required until then. In case you haven't noticed sweetheart, the little wolf and I can barely stand each other" Klaus chuckled.

"But don't you want to stay and ensure the baby is safe?" Caroline said, letting going of him and wringing her fingers together nervously. "I don't want to be the reason why you're not here if something happens..."

"Once Tyler is no longer a threat, I'm sure that Elijah, Kol and Rebekah are perfectly capable to keeping Hayley safe, sweetheart. Hayley herself is quite a fighter. And once your friends are cleared of any involvement in this matter, surely they'll be around in case anything happens as well" Klaus explained, hoping to convince her. "If my sister stomping in last night is any indication, it seems her and the quarterback have called it quits. She'll be running into the Ripper's arms in no time. And isn't Elijah just a little bit interested in the latest doppelgänger?"

"Well aren't you a gossip" Caroline said playfully, giggling.

"You've been otherwise occupied, love. Isn't it my duty as your boyfriend to keep you up to date on these rather important matters?" Klaus said, chuckling amusedly.

"Boyfriend?" Caroline asked, tasting the word, one brow arched.

Klaus nodded.

He released her from his hold, his hands coming up to cradle her face, as his expression sobered. "Though I'd much prefer to be known as the man who is completely, irrevocably, madly, in love with you, Caroline Forbes" he said softly, his eyes shown with such honesty and sincerity that Caroline didn't doubt his words for a second.

"You love me" Caroline stated, looking at him in wonder.

"I love you sweetheart... I'm so sorry I took so long to admit it, but surely, you must have known all along how deeply my feelings for you run" Klaus said.

Caroline nodded, her eyes watering.

Klaus frowned. "Ssshhh... don't cry" he said, his thumb wiping away a few wayward tears that had fallen. "What's wrong love?"

"I'm just so happy" Caroline sniffed, giggling. "I don't think someone is supposed to be as happy as I am right now" she managed to say, in between her sobs. "I love you too" she confessed.

And she barely had a moment to register Klaus' expression, before he leant in and captured her lips in a kiss that nearly took her breath away.

Breaking away, "London, Thailand and Dubai are places I never want to go" she said a bit breathlessly. "Any where else is fine..."

Klaus frowned, obviously wanting to ask. But after a moment, "you'll tell me one day" he said, understandingly, and Caroline knew just how hard it must be for him to suppress his curiosity. Without even realising it, he was starting to trust her already.

"One day" Caroline nodded, giving him a grateful smile. "We have eternity" she stated fiercely, before capturing his lips this time.