Here is the last chapter! I gave a preview on tumblr, but there were some changes. I hope you like the result!

Again, a very late happy birthday to Kaitlyn (soapmaniac22), whose stories you should go read right this second. Thank you to garglyswoof for beta work and hissaviourqueen and maevelin for the covers (hissaviourqueen's is the cover on ffnet, but you can find maevelin's on my tumblr)!

Enjoy!

London, 2052

Caroline woke up naked and in an unfamiliar bed. Quickly realizing it was the guest room down the hall from her and Klaus's room, she slid out from under the covers and looked around for clothing, finding the same slip she'd been wearing when she went to bed the day she'd touched the necklace.

She pulled it on, peeking out the door to make sure no one was around before walking down the hall to her bedroom. She slipped inside to find Klaus sketching on their bed, and he gave her a wary glance when he saw her. It made her heart plummet, her insecurities bubbling up in an unwelcome rush. Had he learned what he could have had with the other Caroline? Was he disappointed that she didn't carry unconditional loyalty and love? What if he decided—

"Come here, sweetheart," he said quietly, and she couldn't quite read the look on his face as she climbed into bed, the uncertainty something she wasn't used to. His arm slid around her, and she relaxed against him, though he seemed tense. She let him gather his thoughts, and it took a few full minutes before he spoke. "Why?"

"You have so many experiences I'll never have," she said quietly. "You've lived for a thousand years, and I'm only sixty. I'm worried you'll think I'm immature and decide you're tired of me. I know who I fell in love with, Klaus, but I'm worried you don't."

Klaus nodded, seemingly expecting her answer, and she felt his hand tighten around her arm as though he was worried she'd disappear. "I didn't at the beginning," he said quietly, and she felt her stomach clench, her body stiffening. He continued, rubbing soothing circles against her hip as he spoke. "I could tell you that I've never felt the way about anyone as I have you, and it would be true, but it would also be irrelevant. For a thousand years the battle between my wolf and the monster I'd become was all-consuming and destructive. An untriggered werewolf is one thing, but that combined with a vampire's heightened emotions is a recipe for disaster... I'd never had the time nor the interest necessary to have any relationship longer than a flight of fancy, and when you caught my interest I didn't expect you to keep it."

"This is not romantic so far. Like, just so you know."

"How I fell in love with you wasn't romantic," he said. "It was terrifying and painful and frustrating. I'd never let anyone under my skin but you somehow managed to tear me apart with just a glance. I hated that you had that power over me. You can't pretend that you thought I liked it."

"I know. It's why you bit me."

"And it's why you told me you forgave me."

She stiffened, unable to fight off the vivid memory of the other Klaus explaining with relish how his Caroline would never leave him, would always forgive him, and she felt a bit sick. "I didn't forgive you because you were allergic to feelings."

He snorted. "You didn't forgive me at all. You knew that I hated how much I wanted you to, and you knew that it was what would save your life. I held you in my arms with my wrist to your mouth knowing full well that the second I let go that facade would drop. You were manipulative and clever and beautiful and so infuriatingly stubborn. You refused to give an inch while staying open to me earning that forgiveness, and that was the woman I fell in love with."

"Okay, but that doesn't mean you won't decide that I'm not good enough or that you're over me or-"

"If anything you'll be the one leaving, sweetheart, and we both know it," he interrupted, glancing at her with a soft gaze that was uncomfortably loaded.

"I wouldn't! I mean, not unless you did something completely stupid."

"And isn't that the summary of our relationship," he said dryly.

She smiled slightly, letting her head fall on his shoulder. "I mean, yeah. I guess."

They were quiet, the air still around them, and she heard birds chirp outside the window as light began to filter through the curtains.

Caroline swallowed and spoke. "But what about the other Caroline?"

"Hmm?"

"Well you can't pretend that the idea of a Caroline that would let you do whatever you wanted and never leave you wasn't tempting."

"If I wanted someone who would let me get away with murder, I'd turn one of those humans that marry imprisoned serial killers."

Caroline wrinkled her nose. "Ew."

"Indeed," he said quietly. "I must admit, your guaranteed loyalty is tempting. I doubt that I will ever stop waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. Still, do not misunderstand me Caroline, I will never let you leave me for good. Eternity is a very long time, and I intend to ensure that you spend the majority of it with me."

"That sounds vaguely threatening."

"I don't make empty threats," he said quietly, and she tangled her fingers with his, squeezing his hand gently.

"Well, hopefully you'll never have to follow through."

She wouldn't stand for him trying to control her, but unlike the other Klaus, her Klaus seemed to genuinely not want to. She loved him and she trusted him. The only way they'd ever find out whether that trust was misplaced was with time, but she had a feeling that it wasn't.

She'd wanted his unconditional loyalty, his guaranteed adoration, but what she'd needed was reassurance, the knowledge that he loved her as a person and not an investment or obsession, that he knew what he was signing up for. It appeared that he did, and that was enough for her.

She snuggled into his side, dozing off even as the morning light grew stronger through the curtains. They'd take their eternity one step at a time, and for the first time she felt truly optimistic about where they'd end up.

It was a good feeling.

Madrid, 2052

He hadn't slept.

The naive little copy of his wife was curled in his bed, not having batted an eyelash when he offered her his shirt to sleep in due to the absence of sleepwear and her unwillingness to be nude. The brandy swirled in his glass as he leaned into the cushion of the chair, watching as Caroline suddenly uncurled her body, wriggling into the position she'd favored for the thousand years she'd shared his bed before shifting uncomfortably.

Her nose wrinkled as she mumbled something indistinct before she'd ripped the borrowed shirt off and tossed it by the bed, burying her face in his pillow, her body relaxing into the mattress. His Caroline never liked wearing anything while sleeping. When she let out a soft mutter of his name, he knew. He got up, setting the glass of brandy carefully on the side table and crawling into bed with her. She hummed softly, wriggling closer to him as though it were instinctive, her face on his chest with her leg slung around his hip, and he buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply.

He was relieved that she was back, and her soul therefore unharmed. It had been the first time in centuries he'd felt true fear for her well-being, and he needed to touch her, to see the light in her eyes for him, just to alleviate his discomfort, to know for sure. There was also, of course, the matter of her making the wish in the first place. Did she loathe him that much? Was she so determined to escape him that she'd fled to another universe?

He felt irrational jealousy stir in his gut. Had she grown attached to his other self? The one the baby vampire cared about so deeply? He knew it was ridiculous on one level, but the paranoia of her desiring another, even another version of himself, welled within him after centuries of dormancy. She was his, after all. She had been since she was sixteen with a sharp tongue and wary eyes, and he had no intention of letting her go.

She stiffened as his hand ran down her spine before settling on the curve of her ass, squeezing gently, his thumb brushing over curve of her hip. "Caroline," he said softly. "Wake up, sweetheart."

"Niklaus?" she mumbled sleepily, opening her eyes and shifting to look at him, his hand moving to rest possessively on her hip. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

He nearly laughed at the absurdity of the question, shifting to sit against the headboard and tangling his fingers in her hair once she'd settled her cheek against his thigh. "I was waiting for you," he said simply, an undercurrent of anger bleeding into his tone, and she pouted, staring at him with those big blue eyes that he'd fallen in love with all those years ago...

"You can wait another night. Sleep."

"I do not believe you're in a position to make demands," he said sharply.

She reached to brush her fingers against his jaw, and he couldn't help but lean into her touch, though he still watched her with suspicious eyes. "We'll talk in the morning," she said, her voice soft.

Klaus grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, making her eyes widen in surprise. "No. We'll talk now. You will apologize and you will beg for forgiveness," he said, his voice low and smooth as he bent to press a light kiss to her cheek. "I'll even consider letting you come if you're a good girl for me."

"Letting me," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, seemingly unfazed by his harsh grip, and he growled, bending to crush his lips against hers in a punishing kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, needing to taste her, and god, he'd missed this... He bit her lips harshly, drawing blood, grinding his hardening cock against her bare thigh when her taste hit his tongue, and she moaned, her legs parting as she lifted her hips to grind against the rough fabric of his jeans.

When he pulled back, her lips were swollen and she looked rather dazed, eyes glassy. She shook herself, gathering her wits before managing to clear her face of expression, though her eyes were still dark with anger and lust. "Let go of me, Niklaus."

"And have you snap my neck again? Have you leave? You know that I rarely make mistakes twice, my love. Your heart is mine, and I intend to keep it," he growled, pressing her wrists down for emphasis, and she sighed, closing her eyes and making a show of humming contentedly, arching her back in a mockery of a stretch before opening her eyes, looking at him through her eyelashes tauntingly.

"I'm sorry, Niklaus," she said in a coaxing tone that didn't fool him for a single second. "I missed you."

"Did you, sweetheart?" he asked coldly, tightening his grip and staring down at her. Yes, they were both Originals, but he was still stronger because of his werewolf side, and she knew it. "If you had really missed me, you would have come back," he said pointedly.

"I did come back."

"Only because of the necklace."

She pouted, her full bottom lip stuck out mockingly. "Are you mad?"

"Furious," he said through gritted teeth, and she let out a soft hum, rubbing her nose against his, a cruel facade of playful intimacy.

"Do not be angry with me, my love," she whispered, her eyes wide and pleading, the sparkle in them a clear taunt. "You cannot blame me for-"

"Of course I can."

"Someone's cranky," she muttered with a roll of her eyes, and he moved one hand to tangle his fingers in her hair, not tugging, simply looping the curls between his fingers, fiddling with the soft strands.

"I think I have a reason to be."

"What, because I wanted to take some time away from a husband who knocked me out and stuffed me in a coffin for years on end because I irritated him? In my opinion, I have nothing to apologize for."

"Bit of an understatement there, sweetheart. You betrayed me."

"You know as well as I do that I would never knowingly betray you," she said quietly.

"You ran. That's betrayal."

"And stabbing me through the heart isn't?"

"It was to protect you."

"From what, exactly? The silent treatment?"

He didn't really have an answer to that. Mikael had been gone for over a century, and she was perfectly capable of protecting herself from anything else. She seemed to guess his line of thought and shifted, her teeth sinking into her plump lower lip before she spoke again. "We need to talk, I think."

He felt his blood turn to ice, the loaded words making his stomach sink before he felt rage bloom in his chest. Had this other Klaus poisoned her mind into thinking she wanted to leave him behind?

In the back of his mind, a more reasonable voice pointed out that his Caroline was as loyal to him as he was to her. She'd sooner stubbornly hold out on him until he agreed to her terms than leave him behind for good. Still, the idea of her even entertaining the thought of leaving him made his fingers twitch with the urge to put her down again. To make her stay.

"Talk?" he bit out, knowing his eyes were flashing gold, and she met them unflinchingly.

"Yes. Talk."

"What about, my love?"

She stared at him, her expression more serious than he'd seen in years. "I promise that I will never run from you again as long as you behave."

"Behave?"

"No daggers."

He restrained an eyeroll. "Sweetheart, they're necessary for-"

"I'm completely serious, Niklaus," she whispered, slowly sitting up to look at him, and he practically felt his heart drop out of his chest.

"Caroline, sweetheart, don't cry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"But you did," she said, her voice resolute, and he pulled himself up to sit against the headboard, reaching to turn the lamp by the bedside on before pulling her to sit in his lap, her cheek on his shoulder as he stroked her hair. They had curled together in that position countless times over the centuries, Caroline dozing against him while he sketched or read a book, but he couldn't remember the last time they had, even before he'd daggered her. He was startled to realize that he'd forgotten what it felt like to hold her like this, to just be, and now he knew she needed that comfort, that reassurance.

"I just...I know we can't go back to the way we were a millennia ago, and I wouldn't want to. I love the man you are as much as the man you were, if not more. Still, you can't keep treating me like an object that you prize but can hide in a closet if you wish to keep it out of harm's way. I want to spend the rest of my eternity with you, and it's a bit difficult when I keep being interrupted by a dagger in my heart."

He pulled her closer, burying his nose in her hair and savoring her scent, trying to figure out how to express his thoughts on the matter. "I wasn't aware that it bothered you to this extent," he said slowly, trying to be diplomatic.

She huffed, shifting in his arms to glare at him. "Niklaus, how could it not bother me? You incapacitate me in a coffin, and when I wake, everything's changed. Everyone."

Klaus opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted before he could get the words out.

"I should not have to rely on you," she said quietly. "And I refuse to. I love you Niklaus, but I simply cannot allow you to control my life any longer. In the parallel universe, my other self is perfectly self-sufficient. Your copy trusts her despite her lack of physical strength, and I wish you could trust me the same way."

"I do trust you."

"Do you really, though?" she asked with sharp eyes that held a glimmer of unshed tears.

"Of course," he said, knowing as the words fell off his tongue that they were true, but not knowing how to convince her. He sighed. "Caroline, you must believe-"

"Must is a strong word, Niklaus," she said, her voice surprisingly dry despite her clear emotion.

"There is no one I trust more."

"Low bar."

"I'll prove it to you."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?"

He tried to keep his face impassive as he gave it some thought. "I will give you the daggers. All of them."

She seemed to weigh the offer, her face unreadable even to him, before shaking her head. "No. Keep the daggers."

"Then how?"

"Keep the daggers," she repeated. "Actions speak louder than words, especially with you. I do not want to leave you Niklaus, but if you ever dagger me again, I will run, and this time I will not let you catch me. Are we clear?"

He nodded once, and she observed him, her eyes narrowed briefly before her shoulders relaxed and she leant over to press a soft kiss to his lips. He returned it without hesitation, reaching up to cup her cheek. "You're still angry," she murmured against his lips.

It wasn't a question.

"Yes," he said, his voice hard. "You left. You could have said something."

"But would you have listened?"

"Of course," he said, his eyes flashing, though when she stared at him, he knew that he had unintentionally lied. He'd like to think that he would have, but in his heart of hearts he knew that the dagger would have gone straight back in her heart. "Perhaps not," he amended, and she nodded once.

"Agreed. Though I would prefer that we'd solved our problems without it, the chain certainly showed us another perspective."

"Yes. You seem to have taken a liking to the other me."

"Not at all. He was...He made me afraid."

Klaus stiffened. He had no idea what sort of man his other self was, and with Caroline in such a frail form, so helpless... He felt panic well within him, images of how his other self could have abused his strength flashing through his mind, and he searched her gaze, trying to detect any sort of lingering horror. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," she said immediately, and he relaxed. "Not at all. I just... Seeing what would have become of you if I hadn't been there... You were so different."

"I gathered as much from your doppelganger," he said, and she laughed quietly.

"Oh?"

"He's gone soft. Weak. He threw himself at the feet of an impertinent adolescent."

"So did you."

"I was nineteen. He was over a thousand."

"Are you saying you disapprove of his choice in women?" Caroline asked dryly.

"Now, my love, we both know that there's no correct answer to that question."

A small smile flashed across her face. "I did not intend to lead you into a trap."

He pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Forgive me if I am not so naive as to think your question had innocent intent."

She let out a genuine, loud laugh, a sound he realized he'd desperately missed the moment he heard it. "Perhaps not."

He continued to stroke her hair, savoring the feel of it between his fingers, and he let his other hand trace her spine, his lips curling into a smile at the familiar shiver that passed through her body when he touched her just so...

"I've missed your soft skin," he said quietly, bending to nip her ear. "I've missed the way you taste. I intend to reacquaint myself with your body, my love. I want to see your pretty lips form my name as I fill you with my cock, to watch you grip the sheets between your fingers as you spread your legs for my tongue."

"I missed you too," she said, turning in his arms and moving to kiss him, but he held her back.

"I do recall asking for an apology."

She bristled. "And I recall telling you I have nothing to apologize for. Shall we skip the nonsense where you pretend you can outwait me? I'd rather let you refresh your memory now that I've- Niklaus!"

He grinned as he held her wrists above her head again, pinning her hips to the mattress with his own, and black veins descended down her cheeks as she growled, clearly not having expected this turn of events. "About that apology, love..."

She looked like she might bite him.

Not that he would mind all that much.

She abruptly relaxed, her lips curling into a smirk as she watched him with taunting eyes. "Fine, then. I'll indulge your need for this so-called punishment. What shall you have me do?"

He knew that she was taunting him, that she wanted to make it seem like she was allowing him control rather than surrendering, and he would not stand for it. "There is no indulgence here, Caroline. You will keep your wrists where I've set them. If you do not, I will make you."

She raised an eyebrow before making a show of looking bored as she nodded, though her eyes darkened with lust, and he could smell the arousal stirring at the apex of her thighs, her nipples pebbling in the cool air. "Make me, then," she whispered.

And if that wasn't a blatant invitation, he didn't know what was.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, and please tell me what you thought of the resolution. Did my interpretation of the biting scene resonate well with you? Did you like how Original!Klaroline made up at the end? How do you feel about the differences between the two relationships? Any other comments?

Leaving reviews is the only way I know what you think, and it helps me stay motivated to keep writing! Even an "I loved this!" is perfection!

As always, you can catch me on tumblr at thetourguidebarbie or on twitter at AngieWritesKC. If you haven't already, you should totally check out my other stories.

You guys are the best!
Hugs!
- Angie