Part 3

13 February 2017, 19:15

"You're quiet."

Caroline looked up from her plate with surprise before she remembered.

"Oh yeah, it's just this thing I've been trying recently."

He looked confused. "Being quiet?"

"Um yeah, kind of."

"And why is that?"

She shrugged. It was difficult to explain.

"It's just that being out in the real world has been kind of a learning process and one of the things I learned is that people aren't exactly big fans of rambling," she explained with a light laugh before shrugging. "And I started realising when I went back home that it's kind of a universal concept." She frowned. "Although the exception's my mom, because it all has to come out sometime, and I figure it's pretty much her duty."

Klaus looked amused by all this and she wanted to slap herself when she realised she'd just done the exact opposite of staying quiet but she resisted, opting to clarify.

"I mean, I do get it out in other ways. Writing, usually. But I just don't want to be talking people's ears off when they aren't even really listening or caring, you know?"

He nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. "I understand."

Her lips were turning up into a smile when he continued speaking.

"But please don't ever do that with me."

She frowned but he immediately looked away, out at the view.

She wasn't sure how she felt about his request. On the one hand it was kind of heartwarming to know that he wanted her rambling and random thoughts and had even managed the word please.

But it was the improved observational skills she'd obtained from less talking that had led her to the conclusion that something was currently bothering him.

"What's wrong?"

"With what?" he asked distractedly, not looking at her.

"You," she glared. "What's wrong with you?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" he asked, finally looking at her again.

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe because you're staring out the window and not saying anything."

Klaus gazed at her with hard eyes before sighing and looking down.

"Apologies, love, my intention wasn't to spoil the evening."

She groaned. "It's not spoiled, just – ugh," she groaned again, leaning over a little to grab up his hand.

He looked up, surprised, and honestly she wasn't any less shocked by her own action but she held him fast anyway, folding her hand into his.

"Tell me what's wrong."

He looked down at their joined hands, his jaw clenching before he brought his eyes back up to hers.

"It's juvenile."

She stared pointedly and he smiled a little in spite of himself.

There was silence for a minute then he shook his head before beginning to speak, and she realised exactly how hesitant and ashamed he was to say whatever he was about to, which only furthered her intrigue.

"I suppose I imagined that when we saw Paris together, we'd..."

He trailed off and she suddenly understood.

"We'd… be together?" she completed.

He didn't reply, averting his gaze to their hands.

She felt her heart beating wildly, seemingly from her throat, with creeping guilt.

Caroline couldn't help wondering if he'd thought that was why she'd been waiting to come here.

If maybe it had been why she'd been waiting.

She looked away too.

"That is pretty juvenile," she laughed a little. "But you know what would be even more juvenile?"

He looked up with a frown. "What?"

"If we had a go-phrase."

Klaus arched a brow. "A go-phrase?"

She almost giggled at the alien way his accent laced around the word.

"Yeah, like..."

When I decide; if I decide...

Caroline hesitated with which word to use next, knowing whichever way she went would mean a thousand different things.

"Say I decide that it's time and I want to be with you, there should be something specific I get to say, right?"

The Original only looked more confused. "Or you could say just that."

"Seriously?" she groaned. "That's so boring! We need a code-phrase, like in a Bond movie or something."

Amusement had begun to flood Klaus' features and he shook his head before regarding her with a smirk.

"If that's what you'd like, love."

"OK," she grinned happily, almost doing a little clap.

She wasn't sure if she was more excited about the idea or about the fact that she'd actually managed to cheer Klaus up.

She knew he wasn't taking this seriously and she didn't blame him but considering she couldn't allow herself to engage in their future together just yet, talking about it was about as close as she could get.

Lowering her voice, she leaned over the table conspiratorially.

"The diamonds are buried beneath the burning sun."

Klaus blinked once then burst out laughing.

It was something that happened so rarely that Caroline took the opportunity to stare and appreciate it, though slightly miffed by him laughing at the phrase she'd picked and actually thought was pretty awesome.

Then she pulled a face, blushing a little. "Too Bond?"

Klaus nodded between laughs.

"I think it could do with a little work."

December 2020

The snow had started up again.

But it was light and she barely felt it at all after stepping down from the porch with Klaus.

"So, post-sex walk as requested – where are we going?"

Klaus smirked at her description then pointed straight ahead.

She frowned. "Into the forest?"

"Any reason why not?" he asked curiously.

"Besides the fact that it's totally random and probably where serial killers conduct their business, nope nothing at all."

He chuckled and stepped forward and she followed.

They began walking together and in the silence another little something occurred to Caroline.

She moved her hand toward him slightly, not much more than a twitch, and he smoothly caught it in his – wove his fingers through hers.

It was as if they'd choreographed the action or performed it before at all.

They hadn't.

She smiled at him and he returned it lightly before looking away again, clearly leading them somewhere specific.

"Where are we going?"

"We'll be there shortly and you'll see for yourself."

"You're annoying," she complained and satisfactorily noticed his lips curl up.

She also noted the way he rubbed her hand a little, the heat spreading from the back of her hand where his thumb gently trailed.

"So how did your negotiations with the sheikh go?" she asked, remembering his business dilemma from the previous year.

He smirked. "You first take me to bed then enquire after my business?"

She used their linked hands to hit him, glaring as he chuckled.

"Just answer the question."

He still looked amused but shrugged. "Unfortunately he didn't make it. Heart, I believe it was."

"Of course he didn't," Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm guessing by heart you mean it got ripped out?"

He grinned at her and it was infectious – Caroline couldn't help a mirroring smile spreading onto her own face.

She rolled her eyes again, letting him know that she was annoyed in spite of the smile, and looked away to focus on where they were going.

He was leading them further and further into the forest, winding every now and then, and after a few minutes Caroline spoke again, unable to any longer bury a thought she'd had since the second she'd pulled open the front door.

"This is the first time you've come this late in the year."

Maybe she wouldn't have said anything, not the Caroline who so carefully chose her words these days. But he'd told her not to keep anything back from him and besides, she was dying for an explanation.

"You're pondering at my reasoning?"

"Why it took you all the way to December when usually you don't visit any later than July? Yeah."

He smiled secretively to himself. "I have my reasons."

She glared at him. "Seriously?"

He let out a breath, sounding almost frustrated.

"Perhaps I theorised absence would make the heart grow fonder," he said, a little bitterly.

She absorbed his words and tone, trying to process them into something that made sense.

Her heart skipped a beat when she figured it out and she swallowed the lump that had spontaneously formed in her throat.

"It's been a while since the last time we had sex," she nodded slowly.

"2017, if I'm not mistaken."

"I know what you're thinking," she started, fidgeting with the edge of Klaus' shirt. "But it's not about what you said."

"That's a little hard to believe, sweetheart."

She bit at her lip guiltily, unable to keep denying and lying about it.

She thought about that night at least once every day.

"I'm sorry, Klaus, I just – "

He abruptly stopped walking, bringing her to a standstill beside him.

"There's no need to apologise. I don't expect anything from you, Caroline." He shook his head decidedly. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

She swallowed, quickly shaking her head. "I'm glad you did."

They'd never talked about that night again, making for a pretty awkward elephant in the room on March 3rd 2018 it coming up now felt like a breath of fresh air she didn't know she'd needed. Granted, the breath hurt and stung a little, but it still made for some type of relief.

Klaus' jaw clenched as he nodded jerkily before removing his hand from hers and using it to gesture.

"This is why I waited."

She frowned in confusion then followed the way he was gesturing towards, rounding a tree.

Caroline stopped immediately, gasping sharply as her gaze caught sight of the giant tree before her.

Just like all the others they'd just passed, it was mostly covered in snow, but this one was different. This one had hundreds of glass ornaments hanging off its branches and thousands of small round points of white light glowing everywhere.

He'd decorated a forest tree for her for Christmas.

"Oh my god."

"Tell me He doesn't get all the credit for this one too," he murmured from behind her.

She spun to look at him, expecting to see a smirk, but all she found was his eyes searching hers for approval.

Yet she found herself unable to say that she liked it or that she loved it or that it was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever done (or had had done, because Klaus so totally hadn't scaled a ladder and hung those lights himself) for her. She was too stunned to say anything.

She turned around again, her jaw slack as she gazed at the frosted tree sparkling brilliantly in the dusk.

It was just so freaking beautiful; her very own winter wonderland Christmas tree.

After a minute she finally caught her breath and said the first thing that came to mind as she noticed the bare snow beneath the tree.

"What, no presents?" she teased, shooting him a glance over her shoulder.

He smirked. "I thought my presence was enough."

She rolled her eyes with a small giggle, looking back at the tree.

Suddenly Klaus stepped forward a little, his chest against her shoulder, and before her a chain materialised with a diamond encrusted pendant in the shape of a key hanging on it.

She gasped, her gaze following the chain upwards to find it hanging from Klaus' hand.

"Klaus," she whispered in disbelief.

"Shall I put it on?"

She nodded vigorously, finding herself tongue-tied once again, and he moved behind her.

13 February 2017, 17:11

"Klaus, no."

"We'll just take a peak, come on," he encouraged, all but pulling her along.

"Klaus, it's Tiffany's. Do you know what that means?"

He spent a second thinking, mocking her.

"Too much blue embellishment?"

She glared. "I'm serious."

"I know you are; you're also being entirely ridiculous," he pointed out.

Caroline huffed. "When people hear that you've gone into Tiffany's they think… things. It always happens to celebrities, I mean Jennifer Lawrence went in there the other day and suddenly she's probably engaged to like three different guys!"

Klaus smirked through her tirade, looking more and more amused.

"Well unless you have the paparazzi following you, love, I think we're safe."

She scoffed and folded her arms, biting on her bottom lip. After a minute of them staring each other down she finally relented with a roll of her eyes.

"Ok, fine… but no buying."

Klaus nodded sombrely. "I promise."

"Seriously."

"I'll leave my credit cards on the sidewalk," he replied with a straight face.

She glared then passed him, pushing open the door and entering the store she'd dreamt of seeing the inside of since she'd been old enough to know what it sold.

It didn't disappoint in the least. In fact it actually outdid her wildest expectations.

Honestly it looked more like someone's giant fancy house than a jewellery store – someone who owned so much jewellery that they needed to display it in tons of clear glass cases and still had money left to throw around.

Klaus had been right, there was a significant amount of blue, but there was also a lot of silver and from the ceiling hung crystal chandeliers. Upstairs she could see light blue loungers and silver leather chairs near consultation desks before her gaze flew back to their immediate surroundings, taking in the diamonds practically blinding her through the glass cases surrounding them.

"Wow," she breathed.

Realising something, she spun around. "Klaus, why isn't anyone in here?"

The entire store was silent; not even a jeweller or salesperson in sight, never mind any customers.

"Slow day?" he suggested, attempting and failing to hide a sly smirk.

She glared. "Yeah. I'm sure all the men in Paris just decided not to buy their girlfriends jewellery for Valentine's Day this year."

He shrugged animatedly. "Perhaps they went elsewhere."

Shaking her head, she turned back around. "I can't believe you."

She started walking, looking into glass cases with passing interest. What she really wanted to do was stare at every item for a few hours but she also didn't want to give Klaus the satisfaction.

"Well I need to perform at least one dastardly deed per month and depriving the men of Paris of buying exquisite jewellery for their lady friends seemed appropriate," he teased, following behind her at a distance.

She glared at him over her shoulder then continued walking.

With a whoosh he was before her and she turned up the glaring as he gave her his best puppy dog eyes.

"What do would you guess my motivations to have been?"

She folded her arms angrily. "I don't know, buying me everything in here because you're crazy and clearly have no concept of what going overboard means?"

He looked amused then immediately straightened his face when her glaring intensified.

He spread his palms. "I promised not to buy you anything and I won't."

She stared at him for a few moments but he looked sincere enough and she narrowed her eyes.

"No weird loopholes?"

"We won't leave with anything more than we came in with."

Finally convinced, she threw up her hands.

"Ok, fine, I believe you but then why did you do all this?"

"To avoid all those pesky shoppers," he readily admitted. "I'm sure you can agree that this experience is far more calming than a bunch of panicked lads milling around."

Caroline hesitated for a second before giving the shop another look.

She couldn't say he was wrong.

Instead of bustling through a throng of shoppers, she had the place entirely to herself to browse in utter peace. She didn't even have to deal with salespeople aggressively trying to provide 'help'.

She was getting the royal experience at Tiffany's.

Caroline couldn't help a grin from spreading on her face and Klaus' expression mirrored hers.

"Thank you."

He nodded and stepped forward a little, sweeping her lips into a short kiss that was over as quickly as it had begun.

Caroline's eyes fluttered open and stared into irises that suited their environment perfectly.

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip lingeringly before grinning.

"I'm assuming this experience comes with champagne?"

He chuckled and immediately disappeared, speeding off.

With an indelible smile Caroline began wandering around the store.

It was massive and she had no doubt that she'd have to stay in here for hours if she intended on seeing everything at least once. Still, she felt guilty thinking about the poor frantic men probably trying to get inside.

Besides, she still had to get back to her hotel room to change before their dinner plans. Klaus was surprising her with where they were eating which meant at least an hour of worrying about whether her outfit would suit the atmosphere of wherever they were going.

She'd have to get the best look she could before dragging Klaus out.

Suddenly something caught her eye as she passed a mounted case and Caroline stopped abruptly, the air leaving her lungs as she stared through the glass.

She wasn't sure why it in particular had stopped her – maybe the diamonds encrusted into the pendant or the rose gold colour of it – but the piece of jewellery was stunning.

The chain itself was simple but the pendant was a thin elegant key, the head a clock with four roman numerals marking off the time with a circle of tiny diamonds in the centre.

"You like it?" Klaus asked from behind her.

She jumped a little at his voice then laughed, taking the offered champagne flute.

"Yeah, I think I do." She frowned, turning back to it. "I don't know why, though – I guess this is where those trusty salespeople come in handy."

He chuckled lightly. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "they tell you what it represents and why you need it and totally leave out the price."

Klaus leaned down and forward a little and she felt his smile against her cheek.

"Perhaps I should give it a try."

She smiled too, allowing her to relax into his body.

"Since you sent away all the people who actually work here, I don't think you really have a choice," she teased.

He chuckled again before stepping them forward so they were closer to the glass and he took a breath, eyeing the pendant thoughtfully.

"Well it's a key."

"Good job so far," she nodded.

He slipped a finger beneath her camisole and tickled her waist.

She screeched, laughing. "Ok, ok, no more sarcasm!"

Seemingly pleased, he removed his hand.

"It's rose gold – "

"Wow, I can really tell you're an artist," she couldn't help teasing. "You know, you should just quit your day job and find out if they're looking to hire."

She sipped her champagne with a giddy grin as she noted Klaus' glare out of the corner of her eye.

She was having fun, which was usual on her days with Klaus but this felt different somehow and she couldn't help thinking that the difference lay in the intimacy. With him perching on her shoulder and her teasing him about jewellery, she supposed it wasn't hard to be, but what was strange was how she felt about it.

She never wanted their days together to end. But now she felt like every other day was a backdrop for this one; like this was the life she was supposed to be leading, not the one she spent the other 364 days of the year living.

"You said you wanted symbolism," Klaus continued, albeit sounding a bit miffed. "It's a key, which usually represent unlocking something. In this case I'd say it's – "

"If you say your heart I'm going to gag – "

"– our future together."

She hesitated for a split second before craning her neck to look at him.

"What?"

He looked almost shy but voluntarily clarified: "Perhaps you were drawn to it because you are the deciding factor in whether there's a chance for us in the future."

Her cheeks burned as she continued staring straight at him, struck into stunned silence.

But he averted his gaze back to the necklace.

"And the clock to count the days." He sniggered humourlessly. "I notice there appropriately aren't any hands."

However long it takes.

Caroline finally managed blinking but still had no idea what to say, looking away instead.

She looked back at the pendant, his words running through her mind; the key and its clock shaping into something completely different – the day when all of this would be permanent.

Her heart sped and her head spun as she noticed that he was right, there were no hands; nothing counting down the minutes or years.

She wished it had hands.

December 2020

Caroline took the pendant into her hand, looking down at it.

It was as beautiful as the first time she'd seen it, only now it was around her neck.

It hung low, skimming her breastbone, and she thought about waking up every morning and seeing it hanging above her heart reminding her of him and them.

As if it wasn't already a struggle to wake up with anything but Klaus on her mind – when he would be coming before he came and how long until next time after he'd left.

Klaus' arms laced around her waist and he buried his head in her hair.

"I can't believe you got me this," she said, still staring at it in disbelief.

"Merry Christmas, Caroline."

The pendant slipped out of her hands and she hesitated before lowering them onto his arms around her, hugging him closer to herself as she told herself to ignore the nervous tugging in her stomach and lighten the moment instead.

"So how much was it?"

He chuckled. "A good salesman never reveals the price until absolutely necessary."

She laughed, shaking her head a little as she went back to admiring the giant decorated tree before them. Maybe it was the size or its elegant decorations but Caroline still couldn't get over how amazing it was.

"You should totally come with me tomorrow," she thought aloud. "It's always crazy trying to agree on decorating the tree up at the cabin."

Klaus chuckled. "I would think that would be something even those dimwits would recognise is better left to you."

"Right!" she agreed, then groaned. "But Damon has… placement issues and Stefan has these ornaments he loves which are ugly as hell and almost as old. Like, god bless him, but the guy needs to learn to throw away his ancestors' stuff."

Klaus was fully laughing at this point, his body vibrating behind hers, and she continued with an annoyed huff as she recalled the past few years struggling with her friends.

"Matt's wife, Kristen, always wants fat little Santas everywhere and my mother just wants peace so of course she tries to convince me to just let everybody get what they want," she finished with a pout.

"And how exactly would I help this situation?" Klaus asked after hearing her out.

"Duh, you can decorate the tree and offer hybrid bites to anyone who tries to interfere. Except me, of course."

"In other words you'd decorate the tree and I'd threateningly ensure that no one interfered?"

"You know me well," she grinned with a happy sigh, making him laugh again.

She liked the way she felt the vibrating of his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt on her back.

His arms tightened around her. "Not a terrible plan but I doubt your friends would take kindly to my presence even without the poisonous bite threats."

Caroline bit on the inside of her lip for a second then went ahead and said it anyway.

"Honestly I think they've all been half waiting for you to show up for a while now."

His body tensed. "What do you mean?"

She cleared her throat. "They know about us."

"Oh," he said, sounding surprised.

She couldn't tell if it was a good or bad kind of surprised but she was too nervous to turn and check.

"I can't imagine it having been well received."

She shrugged. "They've had a few years to get over it. Now I swear they keep expecting something to come in behind me and my suitcases."

"Remind me later to take offense at being placed behind the suitcases in that scenario."

She giggled for a little while before silence quickly engulfed them, something slightly awkward in the air.

Are you mad I told them? was the question on the tip of her tongue but considering how pathetic it sounded even in her own mind, Caroline didn't say anything.

Eventually it was Klaus who spoke.

"Why did you tell them?"

Caroline froze on instinct then quickly relaxed when she remembered that he could feel her every reaction.

But she didn't need to stress thinking about it anyway. She'd known what she was doing when she'd made the decision and she knew why now as well as she'd known then.

"Because you're part of my life and I wanted them to know."

He didn't reply and she stared hesitantly at the tree for another few seconds before twisting in his hold to finally see his expression.

He looked… bewildered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, breathing over his lips as their foreheads touched.

Klaus closed the gap, kissing her gently, but her fingers curled into the hair at the nape of his neck and she kissed him harder, pushing her body closer.

Klaus steadied her, his hands slipping up underneath the shirt and onto her butt, covering the lace-edged panties she'd hastily pulled back on.

She moaned into his mouth as his blunt nails dug into the soft flesh of her backside before pulling away, putting her lips to his neck instead.

"I think," she started between kisses, "we should… go back… inside."

Klaus groaned in agreement, lifting her legs to wrap them around his waist and she complied gratefully, pressing herself as close to him as possible and moaning lightly at the sensation.

"Hold on, love," he breathed.

She held on with her lips against his chest; her nails raking his sides.

13 February 2017, 23:03

Klaus' finger grazed her breast deliberately, rubbing hot teasing circles before changing the pattern altogether so she was never prepared.

She wanted to scold him, annoyed by the way he was toying with her body; how her back would keep instinctively arching at the contact, not to mention the bite marks she was leaving on her own lip.

But he nuzzled into her shoulder, kissing her neck, and Caroline eagerly lolled her head to allow him better access.

Her turned head meant she was staring out the window at the view of Paris Klaus' hotel room afforded him.

It wasn't often that they went to his place instead of hers but his hotel had been closer and neither of them had been willing to wait, Klaus not even allowing a few seconds for her to close the curtains – her underwear had gone the second they stepped into the room followed quickly by her ripped black mini dress.

So they'd probably given someone a good show but it also meant Caroline had something amazing to look out on as Klaus kissed her tenderly.

"Do you ever get used to how beautiful it is?" she sighed. "I feel like I could never get used to it."

Klaus didn't reply but took a deep breath and wrapped both his arms around her comfortingly. Gently he shifted them until they were both on their sides looking out at the view.

They were silent as they admired all the city lights and Caroline marvelled at the fact that they'd just had dinner in the Eiffel Tower she'd dreamt of going to her entire life and now she was staring out at it with a hot naked guy behind her like some kind of high-flying socialite.

"God, imagine living here," she mused. "I don't think I would ever get sick of waking up in Paris."

This morning, her first morning here, she'd woken with a grin no one had any business having pasted on their face at 6AM – unless they were in freaking Paris – and she had no doubt that she'd be waking up the exact same way tomorrow morning.

"I'd have to learn to speak French though," she realised, pulling a face. "I mean I have one of those books with all the common phrases and stuff and I've been practising them but they speak so fast here, it's crazy."

"A beautiful language though," Klaus finally put in.

She laughed a little. "Let me guess: you're fluent?"

He smirked against the nape of her neck. "I decline to answer on the basis that you're absolutely going to call me a showoff if I do."

She rolled her eyes. Ok so technically she'd done so whenever he'd been fluent in any other language in the other countries they'd been in but that didn't mean she planned on doing it now.

"You're so dramatic. I'm taking that as a yes." She craned her neck a little, trying to get a glimpse of him. "Say something."

He chuckled lightly. "Like what?"

"I don't know, you're the one who can speak it fluently!" she pointed out. "Some poetry or something."

He shook his head. "I'm still declining on the same basis."

She groaned. "I'm not gonna call you a showoff, Klaus."

"I haven't heard that before," he replied drily.

"Once, in Turkey."

"I remain correct."

"Whatever, just say something."

"No."

"The pledge of allegiance, then you won't have to translate afterwards," she tried persuading.

"Still no, love."

"You suck," she pouted.

Caroline huffed, training her gaze back on the lit Eiffel Tower as she all but mentally cursed Klaus for his stubbornness. The last time she'd been to France had been years ago and considering Klaus had made sure that they were alone all day, it had meant she hadn't heard French in a long time. And Klaus was right, it was a beautiful language, one she happened to really liked listening to.

And now he was depriving her of hearing even him speak it.

"Je t'aime."

She just barely caught his whisper and Caroline froze, her heart pounding as she translated and re-translated the two tiny words that meant way too much.

After a few seconds she turned in his embrace, opening and closing her mouth a few times before shaking her head to clear it.

"Klaus – "

He put a thumb to her lips, cutting off whatever she'd been about to say.

Quickly he replaced it with his lips, kissing her slowly and tenderly; drawing her breath away.

She drowned in the kiss as he pushed his lips against hers harder and harder, a lot like erasing all evidence of the words ever having left his mouth.

She made to move forward, intent on deepening the kiss, but Klaus moved his hand to her neck to hold her head still as he continued kissing her.

It wasn't leading.

The kiss was desperate and a little rough, but it wasn't foreplay. Honestly she wasn't sure what it was, but after a few minutes she had to pull away for a breath and her chest heaved, her breasts bouncing as she sucked in air.

His fingers drifted down past her neck and onto her chest, just above her breastbone, and his thumb circled the spot hotly.

His expression was thoughtful when she'd managed to catch her breath and looked up into his eyes.

He moved his other hand to stroke her cheek gently.

"Rattling you wasn't my intention."

She took a shallow breath. He was being so tender with her that she wasn't sure whether to say the words she had on her tongue, but he had been the one to demand she never hold back with him.

"No offense but that only makes me wonder what exactly you did intend."

He smiled a little but it was pained and he fell backwards to look up at the ceiling.

"I suppose I wanted to ensure that you didn't take what I said earlier this evening as facetious."

She frowned questioningly and he clarified: "The description of the key."

"Oh," she said, her frown deepening.

She wasn't really sure how she'd taken it but it had never crossed her mind that he'd been joking.

"No," she shook her head, "no, I didn't think you were joking."

He nodded slowly, as if that were the end of it, before turning back over and immediately pushing her onto her back to hover over her.

She gasped at the sudden action then whimpered when his lips lightly brushed over her breasts, the feathering even more affecting than when he'd used his fingers.

Now his fingers traced her hips lightly, making her body arch slightly at the contact.

"I don't want you forgetting my promise, Caroline," he began huskily against her skin.

Her eyes fluttered closed at all the sensations even as she tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

"These visits are lovely but they aren't what I want."

"What do you want?" she moaned softly, the words leaving her lips of their own accord as he continued touching and caressing her, his fingers butterflying to her thighs.

"You."

She gasped, and it could've been at the words or what his hand had started doing.

"Not temporarily or for a day."

His kisses went higher and he took her earlobe into his mouth, causing her back to arch further, before speaking again.

"I'm waiting for you, Caroline, don't ever doubt that. The days I spend with you are my entire year."

Je t'aime.

He may as well have said it again, the meaning coming across just as clearly.

His hand increased its pace and she bit back whimpers so she could pay attention to what he was saying.

Today was an anomaly: they never talked about these things usually, not the long-term be-together sure to end badly topics – those were always off the table. They spoke of his business and her travels and everything else, but never this, so she needed not to miss any of it.

He kissed down her neck and over her collarbone before moving up to her other ear.

"The day you say those words I won't hesitate even for a second before taking you into my arms and making you mine, Caroline."

She wanted to say something but her mind was blank and white hot with pleasure so she said the only thing left.

"Klaus."

December 2020

She tried to do it as softly as possible so he wouldn't hear but inevitably Klaus caught a tiny raw whimper and he moved closer behind her, trailing a thumb over the skin covering her carotid.

"The bite's healed, are you still in pain?"

For a second she actually considered lying, letting him think that she was still in pain because of his bite, but quickly shook the thought away with the knowledge that it would only create more problems than it would solve.

"No, I feel completely healed."

Shit.

Her voice had broken a little in the middle, not to mention the thick evidence in it that she'd been crying for the past five minutes.

"What's wrong, love?"

He turned her over gently and through teary eyes she saw how concerned he was.

The tears began flowing freely again and she mentally cursed as she shook her head before turning it to look away from him and out the window.

"Nothing."

She wasn't sure what exactly it had been. Maybe because he'd only come in December; maybe it was the key hanging around her neck.

Paris had been fun.

Until Paris it had been fun.

Not his visits. Their visits in the years following had been a little weighted by awkwardness but she'd still been able to have fun with him despite her self-imposed abstinence.

It was the traveling that had lost its magic.

Suddenly every country and flight had become a chore. They were all beautiful and she had fun but instead of going to bed happy and exhausted she found herself struggling to go to sleep as she manically planned activities for the next day so she would be too busy to feel so… empty.

Her days with Klaus had become her whole year.

She didn't know if it was the poignant reminder the necklace served as or waiting all year doing exactly that – waiting – but she'd just come to realise that and she didn't know what to do with it.

What to do with feeling the same way for him that he did for her.

Suddenly Klaus grabbed up her hand and she looked back at him in surprise as he leaned over her with a furrowed brow and determined eyes.

"Tell me what's wrong, love."

She averted her gaze for a second then took a deep breath, deciding he deserved to know.

With her free hand she wiped her cheeks before meeting his eyes again.

"I've fallen for you, Klaus," she admitted, her voice still shaky. "I tried not to, but I have."

There was no better description for his expression than utterly stunned.

Klaus looked away quickly, laughing bitterly.

"I suppose crying is an accurate reaction to such a realisation."

Vehemently she shook her head, sitting up beside him.

"Klaus, don't do that. It's not about you."

"Isn't it?" he looked back over, angry.

She wanted to start crying all over again as frustration built up inside her.

"No! I'm just… I'm scared," she confessed, and a new round of sobbing did begin, wracking her body.

Tucking her legs underneath her, she turned away, feeling too vulnerable.

Not only was she before him without a stitch of clothing but she was now also crying and he knew it and that was too much.

After a few hesitant moments Klaus put his hands lightly on her shoulders then moved them down to her sides, using the grip to pull her over and onto him before lowering them both back to the bed.

For a few minutes Caroline let him hold her against his chest as she cried before she pulled away when she realised how wrong this was.

She couldn't let him comfort her; not about this.

She pulled her arm away from him and stood, reaching for her nightgown.

14 February 2017, 00:04

Caroline rubbed her arms as she stared out the window.

Paris was still just as beautiful.

But Klaus had left ten minutes ago, despite her protests that this was his hotel room, and they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms. Instead of the usual sad but excited long kiss they usually shared, he'd dressed as she sat on the bed with crossed ankles and then he'd said goodbye and left.

She still sat in the same way, ankles crossed, but her naked body was now angled towards the window instead of the hotel room's door and she bit on her lip as he tried not to let those two words cycle through her mind over and over.

Because instead of hating him for saying it and complicating everything a thousand times over, she found herself thinking about how the first time Klaus had told her he loved her was in French in a hotel in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower, after having had a private dinner there. The idealistic little girl inside couldn't help feeling giddy about how romantic – fairytale-like, even – it had all been.

And instead of worrying about how awkward the next time they saw each other would be she wondered what it would be like to hear him say it in English; every other language he knew. She wondered what he'd been thinking right before he said it; the range of emotions that had no doubt crossed his face.

But that led to other places, like how put out he'd looked when he'd left and how his face the one time he'd glanced at her had spoken of being beat – he'd played all his cards and still lost.

It hurt to know that she'd done that to him.

She still sat gazing out at the city but in her mind she was back in her own hotel room, packing her bags frantically before flooring it to the airport.

Paris was still beautiful.

But Caroline was never coming back.

December 2020

She thought about that night a lot.

His simply uttered declaration of love especially, but also everything she'd felt after he'd left.

The decision never to go back because it would hurt too much. The decision to let her one and only day in Paris be the one spent with Klaus.

She wished she'd known back then that she loved him. She wished she'd been able to say it back instead of saying it now when she'd thought it through so much that she'd actually managed to spook herself and offend him.

Caroline could see him in the mirror from where she sat at the dressing table but she kept her eyes trained on herself as she spoke.

"I'm scared because I haven't felt this way in a long time."

She thought about Tyler then winced.

"Maybe ever."

She palmed the key around her neck. Klaus sighed heavily.

"Perhaps I should go."

He sounded frustrated and she felt terrible.

Quickly she turned around on her stool, swallowing her cowardice and forcefully shutting up the voice inside her that was so freaking afraid.

"I want you to stay," she admitted.

He seemed surprised by her request but shook his head a little, not meeting her eyes.

"You're leaving in the morning."

She nodded. "I want you to come with me."

Klaus' head shot up, looking at her with wide eyes.

She took a deep breath then stood, approaching the bed where he sat.

"Drive up to the cabin with me and spend Christmas with my mom and my friends," she proposed, before smiling brightly. "I'll even get you a present."

His shock had worn off and now he looked at her with something between confusion and amusement, a tiny smirk tugging on his lips as she sat beside him.

"I think you know what it is I want, love."

She couldn't help it, her breath caught.

Even after Paris, it was still nice to hear and be reminded of.

Slipping her silk gown from her shoulders, Caroline leaned forward till her lips brushed lightly against his.

"Then merry Christmas, Klaus."

She didn't wait for a response, kissing him with everything she had; wiping the dumb smiles off their faces.

She brought her knees up, straddling his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck possessively, the key hanging loosely between their chests.

13 February 2017, 19:45

"Jiminy Cricket."

Klaus gave her a look and she threw up her hands.

"What? It's not like it would come up in everyday conversation."

Klaus smiled, shaking his head. "Honestly, love, I gave up on a viable phrase after Incy Wincy Spider."

Caroline giggled. "You sound cute saying that." She gasped as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe we should have a sex go-phrase! And it can be Incy Wincy Spider!"

Klaus smirked. "We do not need a sex go-phrase."

"Please? It could be something cooler like 'The egg nog's inside'."

Klaus looked slightly amused but still glared and she sighed, looking down at her plate with a huff.

"You know this is way harder than I thought it would be. I mean you'd think a short phrase that we rarely use around each other would be easier to find." She pulled a face. "I'm blaming you for being really difficult about agreeing to one."

He looked amused. "And I'm blaming your penchant for taking them from nursery rhymes."

She glared and he chuckled lightly before going back to his food.

Caroline frowned. She was usually good at things like this.

Not to mention how this had all started out as a way to cheer Klaus up and had now full on snowballed into desperately searching for the perfect phrase as if it had some magic property.

Caroline wasn't really sure what it was but she'd just latched on to the idea. Something felt important about it and, sue her, now she was just running with it.

Suddenly she gasped, loudly enough to immediately grasp Klaus' attention and make a chef stick his head out of the kitchen.

She smiled apologetically at the latter before turning to Klaus with a grin.

"I've got it."

Klaus sighed labouredly. "Caroline, if it's Old Mother Hubbard – "

"It's not a nursery rhyme," she assured excitedly. "It's something we never say to each other and just cheesy enough to work but not a nursery rhyme."

A tiny smile tugged at his lips. "Very well. Let's hear it, then."

She hesitated dramatically with a grin, already knowing this would be the one they decided on, even if she had to browbeat him into it.

And somewhere inside she felt a huge amount of excitement at the prospect of one day getting to say it to him.

"Merry Christmas."