Hey everyone. Welcome to my first AU/AH multichapter fic. I'm a bit nervous about doing an all human storyline but also think it'll be a fun challenge to work with. Big thanks to Miranda for betaing this and talking me through everything. I hope you enjoy!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.-Mignon McLaughlin

June 2004

Hospitals were not a place Caroline Forbes had wanted to step foot inside of again for a very long time. The smell of the place, the hopeful yet depressive atmosphere got under her skin and she had tried so hard to scrub it clean after her last time in the Mystic Falls hospital but she was convinced she had never quite gotten the essence of it off of her. Maybe she never would. Maybe it was supposed to remain there, a reminder of why she had spent most of the December of her senior year at her mother's bedside watching as the doctors had been unable to do anything but ease her pain before she died.

But Bonnie wasn't dying. Thank god. Even if she had definitely seemed like she was going to with the amount of pain she had been in the other day when the ambulance had rushed her here.

Appendicitis.

One operation and appendix removed later and Grams had said she was recovering normally. Caroline didn't have to go see her, Bonnie would be released in the next day or so and back home to rest, but Caroline wasn't about to let her distaste for the hospital keep her from seeing her best friend.

It was good to conquer fears, right? Plus balloons and a teddy bear were better to be received in the hospital than at home. It just didn't have the same pizzazz.

"Hey!" Caroline greeted, all bright smiles as she popped her head into the room, holding tightly onto the balloon strings and teddy bear. These things were not allowed to float off on her watch. She had specifically picked Bonnie's favorite colors and they needed to decorate Bonnie's hotel room for the next few days.

"You didn't have to come, Care," Bonnie protested meekly from where she lay on the hospital bed. "You just missed Grams but you'll see her later anyway."

"I saw her on my way in and of course I needed to come. What kind of best friend doesn't bring balloons and teddy bears to the hospital?" Caroline tied the balloons off on one of the poles and placed the bear down besides Bonnie. "His name is Mr. Snuggles."

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to name him," Bonnie grinned, shaking her head at the small purple bear.

"When have I ever let you name any of the bears I get you? Tried that when we were four. You called him George." Caroline sat down on the chair, sighing dramatically at the memory.

"It's a good name," Bonnie protested before laughing. She cringed at the pain that erupted in her side at that before smiling weakly at Caroline's concern.

"How's the Jell-O? Did you get the green kind yet? Mom…she hated that one. The red and orange were her favorite." Caroline moved her purse around, not quite sure what to do with it as she talked, desperately needing the distraction.

"I remember," Bonnie reached over to her, squeezing her hand. "Thanks for coming."

"I don't wear this charm bracelet for nothing," Caroline held it up, showing off the dangling half of a heart that had the word best inscribed on it. Bonnie had a matching one with friend, though it was back home since they had needed to remove it for the surgery. "Did you get a cute doctor?"

Bonnie shook her head. "She's okay I guess. Not really my taste."

Caroline laughed at that before seeming to relax a little. "I talked to the doctor though. Apparently I can't fly for like two weeks," Bonnie told her, hating that bit of news.

"It's okay. We'll just do something around here for our summer. Maybe we can go to DC for a weekend trip when you're better." It wasn't quite as magnificent as a cruise on the Mediterranean, but that was okay, they would make do.

"Caroline, you're going on the cruise," Bonnie told her and Caroline shook her head. "Your dad paid a fortune for it. At least one of us has to still go."

"He's just trying to buy my forgiveness for not having been there when mom died," Caroline muttered, still not quite over the fact that he hadn't been there even though a canceled flight and being snowed in Chicago had been a decent reason. At least Stephen had been able to make it.

"And you've been talking about it non-stop for months," Bonnie reminded, looking pointedly at her when Caroline simply shrugged. "You've been talking about Europe since we were like nine. It's your graduation gift. You're going."

"But what about you?" Caroline didn't like the idea of going off to have fun while leaving a recovering Bonnie behind.

"I will live vicariously through all of your MySpace updates about what you're doing and seeing. I'm not taking no for an answer on this and Grams is already on my side. We're bringing you to the airport in three days whether or not you're packed so you'll probably want to be packed," Bonnie told her, thankful that her grandmother was in on the conspiracy. No one could say no to Sheila Bennett. Not even Caroline Forbes.

"When did you get so bossy?" Caroline pouted, slumping back against the chair. "We had so many plans. Plans for two. Seeing Pompeii is so not going to be as great without you."

"You could always take Elena," Bonnie told her and Caroline tried her hardest not to make a face at that. She liked Elena Gilbert, they were friends, but the idea of spending nearly three weeks traveling with her when it was supposed to be her and Bonnie's trip simply didn't sit well with her.

"And pull her away from another summer of trying to choose which Salvatore brother?" She pressed a hand to her chest, tsking at Bonnie. "I am not that heartless."

"Don't tell me you're still jealous that Stefan never gave you a chance," Bonnie chided, trying not to burst into giggles at the annoyed look she received from Caroline.

"I stopped pining for Stefan after the whole Secret Santa fiasco of junior year," Caroline rolled her eyes, already remembering that ridiculous gift exchange.

"Oh yes. The Mystic Falls snow globe," Bonnie pressed her lips together, remembering how quickly that thing had gotten lost.

"I deserve better than last minute gas station gifts," Caroline muttered, shaking her head at the idea of it. Was it too much to want someone who actually valued her?

"Like an amazing twenty day cruise trips to the Mediterranean?" Bonnie pointed out and Caroline pursed her lips at that. "That you're going to have fun on. You never know, maybe you'll meet Mr. Right there."

"Or at least Mr. Right Now," Caroline grinned, and scooted the chair closer to the bed, curling up on it so she could rest her head on it. "But fine, I guess I'll still go."

"Like you had a choice," Bonnie replied as she picked up the remote and turned on the TV for them. "George II and I would have pestered you until you left."

"His name is Mr. Snuggles!" Caroline protested, laughing and unable to help smiling as Bonnie quietly giggled too. Her friend was right. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and while it wasn't quite going to plan she couldn't simply throw it away. She would have plenty of time to spend with Bonnie once she got back anyway.

Klaus had known that when he graduated from law school that he would be swept right into the family firm. It had been pretty much set since he was born that it would happen. Every Mikaelson son before him had done it and while Kol was supposed to follow suit as well, Klaus had a feeling that was a very lofty dream. It was still a surprise that his brother had managed to snag an undergrad degree and he didn't seem interested at all in getting anything higher than that.

Not that Klaus didn't love what he did. Ripping apart the opposition was something that he couldn't seem to get enough of. There was a reason he was nicknamed The Wolf in most lawyer circles, something about once he got his teeth into something he wasn't going to let go until he had uncovered every dark secret to help the firm's clients get the results they wanted to see.

It was grueling though, the hours were long, and seeing the seedy underbelly of people had slowly sapped out the boy he had once been. Or so his sister was always so fond of telling him whenever she saw him.

"You got us on an old person cruise?" Kol ranted as they were led toward the check-in counter on board.

Klaus glanced around, taking note of the other passengers who were also doing so. They did seem to be on the older end of the cruise going spectrum. "Elijah is the one who booked this," Klaus reminded. No doubt he had thought that by doing so would help keep Kol from ruining the family name too much while still giving into his whims.

"This is my last hoorah before you all ship me off to become the next Mikaelson drone and I'm surrounded by grey hairs and dentures instead of bikinis and tube tops," Kol groaned as Klaus handed over their information and their bags were taken away to be delivered to their room.

"Feel free to whine to Elijah and let him know how you feel about it," Klaus replied, not wanting to deal with the sulking.

"Maybe I can find a single old lady to become my sugar momma. Did you know that's a thing? I saw it on the telly. I think I could fit quite well into that lifestyle," Kol continued, and Klaus shook his head. Usually Kol's antics could bring a bit of a smile out from him but after the flight and traffic with Kol's constant prattling, Klaus wanted nothing more than to let his brother head off for whatever debauchery he would be getting himself into so that he could enjoy a bottle of scotch in quiet.

"Or one of the crew," Kol told him, his gaze drifting over to a redhead who was carrying towels. He winked at her, enjoying the way she blushed. "Maybe a few of them." Perhaps this trip wouldn't be a complete loss. "I'm sure you'll find one to your liking as well, Nik. Something to get you away from those files you brought."

Klaus ignored him, thanking the man behind the counter for their keys before barely listening to the rest of the information. His attention was on the young woman who was following behind another of the crew members, though her gaze remained upwards. She was looking at every last inch of the ship, the awe in her features as she glanced around, before hurrying to follow the crewman beckoning to her, took Klaus' breath away.

There was no denying that she was beautiful with her blonde hair and legs that seemed to go on for miles, but it was the wonder he saw in her, the pure happiness that she seemed to be radiating as she moved to check in a few feet away from them, that had him watching her. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he had felt as carefree as she seemed to look.

"She looks like a tasty little thing," Kol murmured, and Klaus snapped to look at him, unsure why he felt so vehemently annoyed with those words about this girl he didn't even know.

"Let's go," he ordered, glaring at his brother as the two of them headed off to go find their room. He turned back to see her one more time but it was useless, the check-in area was growing more crowded and it seemed that she had already been led off toward wherever she was staying.

Perhaps he would see her again later. The cruise wasn't that big and considering Kol looked to be correct in his earlier assessment about most passengers' ages Klaus didn't think it would be too difficult to find her. It might take a bit of legwork but it wasn't as if that had ever stopped him from getting something that he wanted and Klaus was certain that he at least wanted to meet her. Maybe then he could shake off the allure of that smile and the excitement he had seen in her eyes, a reflection of what he had used to see in the mirror long ago, and for the first time in years desperately wanted to get back.

"Come on, Nik," Kol urged, breaking Klaus from his thoughts and he headed after his brother, desperately ready for that scotch.

"You do not need to carry me through the threshold!" Caroline protested, clinging tightly to Klaus as he swept her off her feet before she could enter his room—their room.

"I'm fairly certain that's part of the tradition, Mrs. Mikaelson," he pointed out, and she bit her lip at his bright smile. It wasn't a smirk or one of those 'know-it all ones' that she knew she made her fair share of as well. It was genuine, it was sweet, and considering how weak it made her knees maybe it was a good thing that he had picked her up.

"Well then, carry on, husband of mine," she told him, reciprocating the smile and laughing as he struggled to get the card into the machine to swipe it. Caroline took it from him and slid it through before he practically kicked the door open. She should have chided him about that, would have, but his mouth was pressing urgently against her own.

She never heard the door shut as he carried her across the living area of the room—so much bigger than her former one—and pressed her down onto the bed. Her arms never left him just as his mouth never left her, though it was currently skimming down her neck and making her close her eyes at the contact. Caroline could hardly believe everything that had happened in the last two weeks, how he'd gone from being the insufferable man with the annoying, immature brother, to her husband, but his hands moving against her back and trying to pull the zipper of her wedding dress down had her pushing all thoughts away. Her focus was on him, on trying to get the ridiculous tie off of him so she could remove the rest of the clothing that was in her way.

Though…

"Where's Kol?" Because the last thing she wanted was a recurrence of their first time with that halfwit stumbling in drunk and catching Klaus's head between her thighs.

"He'll be staying in your room from now on." Klaus reached to help with the wrangling of his time, looking entirely too amused with her inability to get it off. She frowned at that, not really wanting Kol to be going through her clothes. "I already had the luggage switched out."

"Don't you just think of everything," she teased, not surprised that he had. Klaus seemed to have back up plans for his original back up plans from what she'd seen of the last two weeks. She could only imagine what he would be like at home.

Home.

Oh my god.

"Where are we going to live?" Caroline asked, looking wide-eyed at him. How had they not thought about this? "Like I have my mom's place in Mystic Falls but that would be a seriously big commute for you and I had a great childhood and all but I wanted to get out of there."

"I suppose it's a good thing I have a flat in London," Klaus mused, clearly not as worried as she seemed to be about everything.

She pushed him back, the trepidation that hadn't come earlier now wanting to overwhelm her. "And college. I'm supposed to go to college. That's the next stage. I did high school so now it's college."

"There are a number of colleges in London, sweetheart," Klaus told her, pressing a kiss to her shoulder.

"I didn't apply to any there!" she protested, frowning when he kissed her nose. He always seemed to do that whenever he thought she looked adorable.

"Didn't you have a perfect SAT score—I believe that's what you called it—and were valedictorian of your class, head of a number of committees if I recall?" he reminded and she nodded.

"Well yeah but…"

"We don't have to figure every bit of it out right now, Caroline," Klaus assured, and she gave him a pointed look at that. Clearly that did not sit well with her need for control and knowing what was going to happen next. He wasn't the only one who liked his plans.

"But…"

He brought his hands to her face, gently cupping her cheeks. "We'll make it work," he promised and she nodded, needing to believe that, willing to believe it. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his mouth before pulling away again.

He looked ready to assure her all over again but she turned her back toward him. "Think you can get the zipper now, Mr. Mikaelson?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at Klaus. She needed to suck in a breath at the way he looked at her, like she held the moon and stars in her hands just for him. She might never get used to that look but she cherished it every time that she saw it.

He swept her hair out of the way as she turned back; pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he slowly began to unzip her dress. They would make it work. There wasn't allowed to be any other alternative.

Caroline stood up, letting the dress pool at her feet as she turned around to face Klaus again. She couldn't help but smirk as he took her in; reminding her of the first time they'd been in this cruise room together. That had been a hurried affair though, barely able to keep their hands off one another as they had stumbled through the room, trying to make it back to the bed before eventually reaching it.

There was nothing hurried in the way he reached for her, hands sliding down her sides as she rested her hands on his shoulders and allowed him to tug her closer. "I thought you were insufferable," she murmured as Klaus dipped down to press a kiss to her hip. She couldn't seem to keep quiet, to not voice her thoughts even when the random chatter wasn't needed. It was a habit of hers and one she didn't think she would ever quite overcome.

His fingers brushed along the top of her underwear as his mouth moved upward, placing kisses along her stomach. "Loathsome. Annoying. Definitely stalkerish."

He paused, glancing up at her with a quirked brow before reaching her breasts. "You just happened to be at every place that I was!" she reminded, rolling her eyes.

"Happy coincidences," Klaus pointed out, and it truly had been at first. He tugged her closer as he fell back on the bed, causing her to fall on top of him. "I believe I interrupted your trip down memory lane though." She arched a brow at that. "You forgot charming."

Caroline quirked her lips. "Well…" she tapped her fingers along his chest, giggling at the playful narrowing of his eyes. "Vaguely charming."

"Vaguely?" Klaus asked as he slid his hands up her back, undoing the clasp her bra.

"More charming than Kol was," she told him as she slipped the straps of the bra off her shoulders and down her arms before tossing it away, not really caring where it landed for the moment. "And you're wearing way too many clothes now."

She kissed him before he could answer that, wanting to have the last word, and started working on the buttons of his shirt. His hands were gliding over her skin, almost as if he was trying not to leave an inch of it untouched before they tangled in her hair. There was an urgency now as she pressed her knees into the mattress on either side of him, pushing the unbuttoned shirt open to be able to run her fingers along his chest before helping him pull it off his arms.

Klaus took that moment to maneuver her underneath him again, lips pressing against hers before she could utter any sort of protest. His hands moved down her body, cupping her breasts in his hands as he felt her fumble with his belt. Thumbs brushed over her nipples while his mouth left hers, seeking out the tenderness of her neck, teeth scraping along the skin there. He smirked at her moan, delighting in the fact he had already learned a few of her favorite spots. He wanted to spend a lifetime committing every single one of them to record.

Belt unbuckled she moved to trying to get the stubborn buttons and zipper next, lips curving into a smirk at how hard she could feel that he already was. Klaus continued his movements down her body though, too far out of reach for her hands once he pressed his mouth to her stomach again, fingers fiddling with the garters on her thighs.

They were gone along with her panties after a few moments. She had propped herself up on her elbows to watch him but knew that wouldn't be lasting as soon as she lay bare before him, especially not when his head was between her thighs again. She fell back, gripping the cover beneath them as she felt his tongue and fingers on her and in her.

"God," she breathed out, shutting her eyes as she arched into him. She knew he had that damn smirk on his face as he continued, the pleasure building all throughout her body. "You…I just…there…oh jeebus…"

She didn't remember moving her hands but somehow they were in his curls, not wanting Klaus to move from where he was as she got precariously closer to that edge her body needed to dive off of. Not that he would move, but touching him was infinitely better than simply grabbing the sheets. Especially when he continued stroking her as she came, gasping out his name as she clenched her eyes closed, body straining from the release.

His mouth and hands moved to her thighs, kissing and touching their way up her body again. She heard the sound of his clothes being removed, the condom package being opened, but was still coming down off her high and had her eyes closed. She opened them when Klaus pressed his naked body to hers, his hands brushing away the hair that had fallen in her face.

"I do quite enjoy when you start talking gibberish?" Klaus reminded her and Caroline gently punched his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his nose.

She scraped her nails down his back, smiling at his little hiss, before his mouth crashed down against hers, the urgency rearing its head again. Caroline shifted, legs parting more for him as Klaus settled easily between her thighs, pressing his erection slowly into her. He groaned at the tightness of her, pressing his forehead against hers as their eyes closed, adjusting to the new position. It didn't take long for them to start moving, finding a rhythm that worked for the two of them as she wrapped her legs around him, urging him to go deeper.

Klaus eagerly did so, enjoying the way Caroline's head pressed back against the bed at that, loving the way her mouth opened in a silent moan, her nails digging into his back as she held onto him. He slipped one hand between their bodies, seeking out her clit, knowing the extra pressure against it would drive her wild. This was his wife beneath him, coming completely undone around him all over again, and there was nothing else that compared to the beauty of that.

Except her smile.

Klaus pressed his face into the crook of her neck as he reached his own release. They stayed locked together for a few more moments, both breathing hard before he pulled out and rolled off of her. He brought her with him as he did so, letting Caroline curl onto his chest.

He had never expected to fall in love, to care for someone as he did Caroline. Definitely never expected for it all to happen in such a short period of time, but Klaus had meant what he had told her, they would make this work, because he couldn't handle life without this light in it now that he had found it.

April 2005

She was gone.

Not even an entire year since they had first met, since he had first seen Caroline's smiling face, and she had left. It was a wound that Klaus was certain would never quite heal, an ache that he would never be able to overcome. He still couldn't believe what had happened, wasn't quite sure what had transpired or how everything had gotten so wrong when it had started off perfectly.

He stared at the bed, their bed, at the spot where she used to sleep. The last book she had been reading was still on the nightstand. No doubt her scent would still be all over the pillows, the sheets. He wasn't sure if that was something he wanted or if he needed to strip and burn them to rip her from his mind.

He needed a drink, needed to sink into the bottle and let it erase every inch of hurt from his body for a few hours. Maybe then he could extinguish every inch of her presence from his life, could manage to get them into the trash and discard her as easily as Caroline had been able to do to him.

Except he knew that wasn't true.

He had seen her blinking back the tears, had watched as her stepfather had helped her get into the taxi, watched as she rested her head against Stephen's shoulder and heard the start of her sobs as the driver closed the door.

He had nearly run to her then, to plea for a chance to work everything out, to try and fix whatever had become broken along the way. Klaus wasn't sure what had happened and it would haunt him until his death if he never figured it out.

Scotch seemed to be the answer and he headed out toward his office to retrieve some, stopping when he heard a sound from his daughters' room. Daughter's room. Only one now. The other was most likely in the air by now with her mother, flying away from him, from them. Klaus pushed open the door, swallowing at the sight of the ducks and bunnies he had spent a weekend painting with Caroline. Every inch of the room had been painstakingly picked out by her, the love she had for their children in every nook and cranny and Klaus wasn't sure if he loved or hated the reminder.

The baby was wailing and Klaus heard his siblings start moving about, ready to come and help out, but he closed the door, not wanting to deal with their incessant need to interfere and headed over to the two month old. He picked her up and headed to the rocking chair as he had done countless times before, though Caroline was usually in the other rocker that sat empty beside the other crib that would remain empty as well.

"It's okay," Klaus murmured, rubbing the infant's back as Rebekah peaked in.

"Does Elizabeth need her bottle now?" his sister asked and he frowned at that, the formality of the name. "Or a diaper change. I can do that if you need."

"It's Lizzie," Klaus reminded, needing to go by how Caroline had referred to her. "And we're fine, Rebekah. I'm more than capable of caring for my daughter."

"I was just trying to help," she snapped and slammed the door as she left. He could hear her huffing and puffing as she headed back to her room, but he ignored it, his focus on his daughter who was slowly falling back to sleep in his arms.

He placed Lizzie back in the crib after a while, ready to head back to his room to try and get some sleep when he spotted the photograph from only a few weeks before. It was him and Caroline holding the girls and for the first time he noticed that her smile wasn't quite as bright as it had been when he first met her.

Part of it yearned to know what had happened to dull it while the other hoped she was as miserable as him. He hated himself for that feeling but misery always did love company.

June 2015

"Think about it," Lizzie started, walking back and forth in the cabin. The idea wouldn't leave her head. There was simply no way that anyone could look exactly like her for no reason. "I only have a father and have never seen my mother. And you only have a mother and have never seen your father." She could see that Charlotte wasn't quite wanting to go along with it, still shaking her head at what had to be an absurd idea.

"I only have one picture of my mum and you only have one picture of your dad," she continued, trying to get the girl to see reason. "It's not actually a whole picture though. It's pathetic really. It's crinkled and ripped."

"Like it's been ripped right down the middle?" Charlotte asked, looking wide eyed at her and finally getting Lizzie to stop yammering on.

"Yes. Exactly like that." Lizzie looked over at her suitcase almost at the exact same time that Charlotte looked over her own.

They headed toward their own luggage, each pulling out their coveted photograph and holding it to their chests. "We do this together. On the count of three, okay?" Charlotte told her, and Lizzie nodded as she turned back to look at her.

They slowly counted down, taking small steps toward one another before turning their photographs around. "That's my father," Lizzie gasped, staring at the picture Charlotte was holding.

"And that's my mom," Charlotte murmured, blinking back tears as the two of them sat down, putting the photographs side by side on the floor. They fit perfectly together.

Nothing would ever be the same after that.