Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the chapters, that's very kind of you :)

Just a couple of things:

1) No, Caroline doesn't have her humanity off, she's gone a bit numb from some things that happened, it'll make sense soon I promise.

2) I do have a big chunk of this story written already as I do with the other two stories I've published, but I work full time and have to travel 3 hours per day to my job and back on top of it so I don't have a ton of time unfortunately. I'll update when I can, but it'll probably be once a week or once a fortnight.

3) For those wondering about Kol/Rebekah they'll interact next chapter.

Hope you enjoy! :)

THIS PHOTOGRAPH

Chapter 3

They merrily wandered back to the compound hours later and Caroline didn't even see Rebekah leave before she was pinned against a wall with a frisky hybrid flush against her giving her a cheeky smile as she stared up at him.

"I've missed you, love." Klaus admitted.

"Likewise." Caroline replied.

"Were you flirting with me?" Klaus smirked.

"I don't know. I can never tell with you if it's flirting or if that's just how we speak to each other." Caroline replied amused and he chuckled at her.

"So, let's see if I can remember this correctly." Klaus began holding up his thumb. "You are no longer in Mystic Falls." He stated amusing her then he held out his forefinger. "Your mother doesn't need you anymore." He said softer and respectfully while she stared at him then he added his middle finger. "Your friends are not going to disapprove." He remarked and she shot him an amused look for that then he held out his ring finer. "You are in New Orleans." He smirked. "Which ultimately equates to, five." He held up his palm showing all his fingers before his hand affectionately brushed her cheek.

"Which is?" Caroline pushed.

"And then forever." He smirked and she giggled at his reasoning.

"Well, before we go get each other's names tattooed and get married…" She smirked and he chuckled at her. "How about a date or two first?" She arched a brow at him and he gave her a beautiful smile.

"Only two dates until the wedding? How archaic of you, love." He teased and she laughed and nudged him. "As many dates as time will allow." He smiled at her fondly and she couldn't help returning it a little then she sighed.

"Damn you're smooth." Caroline said dryly.

"I'm not trying to be smooth. I've just missed you terribly." Klaus replied fondly.

"Klaus." Caroline sighed.

"Yes?" He asked amused.

"Just kiss me already." Caroline bid and he smiled delighted then complied, crashing his lips to hers as her arms locked around his neck and she kissed him back with reckless abandon…

XXXXX

Caroline's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of sunlight entered Klaus's bedroom and she felt little kisses being put on the back of her neck making her giggle.

"What are you doing?" Caroline asked sleepily as his arm pulled her closer and he put more kisses up the column of her neck, just soft little light affectionate ones.

"Enjoying your presence." Klaus replied softly then kept doing it making her smile as she leaned back into him and covered his hands that rested over her torso and he laced their fingers. Caroline then had a thought and was curious about how strong she was. She smirked then in a blink had his arms pinned up by his head as she sat at his hips above him and he shot her an amused look. "You're much stronger than before but I still have a thousand years on you, love." Klaus teased and she cocked her head to the side then concentrated.

"Vincula." Caroline purred using her magic and his eyes widened comically as she let go of his hands and he tried to move his arms but couldn't making her grin deviously. [physical restraints, bonds]

"You… that's cheating." Klaus said disbelieving making her giggle.

"So is being a thousand years older than me." Caroline teased and he chuckled in disbelief.

"You can't do this outside of the bedroom." Klaus pointed out and she rolled her eyes amused.

"Unlike when you first showed up in Mystic Falls, I don't actually wish you a moment of harm, Klaus." Caroline countered and he gave her a small smile for that. "Now are you going to relax and let me have my way with you?" She teased and he chuckled.

"By all means, love." Klaus smirked and she flashed him a grin for being cool then kissed him and he kissed her back heatedly as her hand wrapped around him and he grunted. She massaged him as they kissed then he groaned when she climbed down his body and took him into her mouth. "I think I like the latin bonds." Klaus mumbled making her chuckle around him…

XXXXX

Later, when she'd successfully turned his brain to mush, Caroline's hands wrapped around his wrists then she concentrated.

"Exsolutus." Caroline said using her magic. Klaus felt that he was free again and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he kissed her. "Weirded out?" She tested and he shrugged with a small smile.

"I have to trust you, right?" Klaus asked her and she gave him a small smile.

"Trust is earned." Caroline pointed out.

"I gave you the opportunity to do so and you did earn it when you released me." Klaus replied honestly and her smile widened.

"I'll give you the opportunity too." Caroline promised and he smiled back, pleased that she was going to try just as he was.

"Perhaps we should discuss some guidelines?" Klaus suggested and she knew that they'd need to have those to make things work.

"Klaus, I'm…" She glanced down.

"Is that too fast?" Klaus tested, wondering if he'd jumped to conclusions about their relationship status changing.

"No, no." She shook her head. "That's not what I was getting at." She said then considered how to word it. "I'm naturally insecure, I'm jealous and possessive and maybe even kind of clingy." She admitted and he watched her because all of those things applied to him as well.

"There's not going to be anyone else." Klaus commented confused. "I'm not the unfaithful type." He assured sincerely.

"I didn't think you were." Caroline replied honestly because she didn't. "I just… don't try to make me jealous because all that'll happen is I won't trust you and I'll retreat." She admitted and he shook his head.

"I won't." He said sincerely. "I'm the same, you know." He commented.

"I won't do that either." Caroline promised and he gave her a small smile.

"Is that it? Your only rule?" Klaus questioned curiously.

"I guess I'd prefer if we didn't lie to each other. I'd rather you tell me bluntly that you don't want to tell me something than you make up something else." She admitted.

"Same." He agreed. "Anything else?" He queried and she considered that.

"Not that I can think of." She shrugged surprising him.

"I was sure some kind of 'no killing people' rule would be in there somewhere." He smirked and she shot him an amused look.

"Klaus, I'm not an idiot." Caroline retorted making him laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Klaus asked amused.

"While I would prefer the death to be kept to a minimum, I'm not under any delusions about who and what you are nor who and what I am. If I think something was unnecessary, you know I'll tell you, but otherwise… I accept you. Monster and all." She admitted and he melted inside.

"You do?" He asked her with a small sappy smile and she giggled at his expression.

"Yes." Caroline agreed amused. "I mean, obviously when you go hunting people for food, I'd rather you ate… I don't know… a rapist or something. Someone who deserves it." She said. "But I also know that like you said, you've been on this planet for a millennium. You're not going to give me shit for mainly drinking from bags, so I'm not going to give you shit for your diet either." She said honestly and he kissed her because he couldn't help it. When he pulled away, his hand gently caressed her cheek as he watched her with a smile.

"I suppose hunting down a rapist would be more fun than shooting fish in a barrel." Klaus smirked and she flashed him a grin.

"Well, if you're going to do that, I'll come with you and we can hunt together." Caroline replied and he smiled surprised.

"Sold." Klaus agreed and she smiled surprised.

"Since when are you so reasonable?" Caroline teased.

"You are being more than reasonable with me, so I'm merely returning the favour." Klaus pointed out.

"What's Elijah like?" Caroline asked surprising him.

"Why?" Klaus tested doubtfully.

"I'm the only one who never had a conversation with him. I've never properly met him, so I don't know what to expect more than what I've heard second hand." Caroline detailed and he considered what to say.

"He's… a snob. He believes his opinion to be superior and he always knows best because he's the noble brother with a moral compass. Well, at least he thinks so." Klaus said dryly amusing her. "Elijah is very cold, manipulative and difficult to get a read on unless you've known him forever. He believes himself to be caring but I don't really see it." Klaus commented making her chuckle. "He's very well read, he's spent a lot of time travelling and reading, so there isn't much on this planet that he doesn't know at least something about." He said as he thought about it. "Oh and he has a way of stabbing you in the back while making it seem like it's all your fault." He shrugged one shoulder.

"So I take it you two aren't getting along great." Caroline deduced.

"I find him to be insufferable at least half the time." Klaus replied amusing her.

"Katherine described him as an other worldly gentleman with class, grace and good taste who you never turn your back on because you can never know for sure if he'll protect your back or rip your heart out." Caroline smirked and he chuckled at that description.

"Quite accurate actually." Klaus agreed. "He does come across very gentlemanly and certainly a lot of women seem to be drawn to his clothing style with the suits and whatever." Klaus commented.

"Yeah, Elena said that she found the suits really attractive." Caroline agreed.

"And you?" Klaus smirked.

"I prefer your artsy bohemian hippie style." She giggled and he chuckled in disbelief.

"I do not dress like a hippie." Klaus refuted highly amused.

"The colourful henleys with the necklaces and always some kind of paint either on your jeans, boots or shirt? Yeah, you kind of do." She teased and he chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"I wear what is comfortable." Klaus pointed out amused.

"And I'm not teasing you. I told you I like it." Caroline countered with a grin.

"Bloody hippie." Klaus muttered making her laugh. "Do you like me in a suit?" He queried curiously.

"You look very dapper in a suit." Caroline confirmed. "But I think suits are kind of boring in general."

"So do I. They're like a uniform." He remarked amusing her.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Though your dinner suit at the ball was beautiful. You looked amazing in that." She remembered and he smiled surprised.

"You fancied me at the ball?" He teased and she giggled.

"I spent the entire ball repeating 'Klaus is evil, you can not be attracted to him' in my head like a mantra." Caroline teased back and he chuckled at her.

"Still think I'm evil?" Klaus asked with a little smile.

"No, I stopped thinking you were evil when you came to give me blood on my birthday." She replied surprising him.

"Quite the little actress then, aren't you?" He smirked.

"I had a boyfriend and you just sashayed in and expected me to drop him and be with you." Caroline reminded him and he chuckled.

"Took a little longer than I'd hoped but I did get my way, didn't I?" He smirked and she chuckled in disbelief then smacked his arm making him laugh.

"Yeah, well, don't expect to get your way all the time." Caroline directed making him chuckle.

"I don't." Klaus replied fondly. "I think we're going to fight like cat and dog because we're both controlling and used to things being done the way we want them, so compromising will be a complicated endeavour and a learned skill over time."

"Yeah, I can see that." Caroline agreed amused. "I think it'll be a case of picking our battles as well."

"As long as you don't decorate my art room in bright yellow or pink, I'll agree to that." He smirked and she shot him an amused look.

"Your art room is your art room. I'm not even going to go in there unless you ask me to." Caroline pointed out surprising him.

"You never need permission to go anywhere, love." Klaus told her confused.

"I don't mean it like that, Klaus. I'm an only child, I respect people's privacy. Your art is personal to you, so I'm not just going to invade your private space just like I wouldn't expect you to go through my stuff or my phone or whatever." She said with a shrug and he saw her point.

"But you'll sleep in here with me, right?" Klaus tested.

"You don't think we should have separate rooms for a while?" Caroline asked curiously.

"If you would like your own space, that's absolutely fine with me." Klaus said sincerely. "The room next door to mine is empty, so you can have that and do with it whatever you like." He offered. "But I still hope that you'll sleep with me." He said sincerely and she gave him a small smile.

"In that case, you'll need a new bed. If it's going to be our bed, it can't be a bed where you've had other people in it." Caroline pointed out.

"I'll have a new bed in here by the end of the day." Klaus promised her and she gave him a smile for that. "What would you like to do today?" He asked, putting a kiss on her palm making her stomach flutter because she liked affection - she still kind of couldn't believe that they were actually in a relationship.

"You never told me your rules." Caroline remembered surprising him.

"Same as yours. Honestly and loyalty." Klaus replied with a shrug and she stared at him for a second then rolled off of him and reached down to grab her bag and brought it up to the space next to him and he watched in curiosity… then she pulled out the other stake surprising him.

"I was planning to magically trap it somewhere so that nobody but me could ever access it." Caroline advised, looking at the stake, a bit surprised that he hadn't tensed. "But considering it's as dangerous to you as it is to me… maybe we should both decide what to do with it." She put forward surprising him.

"I thought you wanted to keep it as your out?" Klaus arched a brow at her.

"I do." Caroline agreed.

"Then don't offer me that because I'll burn it to ash. I'm never going to be alright with you keeping that to one day take yourself away from me." Klaus told her bluntly and she stared at him.

"You might get bored in like a year and not care anymore." Caroline pointed out.

"Hardly." Klaus refuted dryly.

"Your sister tensed when I pulled the other one out." Caroline commented.

"You're not going to kill me." Klaus said unconcerned and she shot him an amused look then trailed the point of the stake over his chest watching his eyes and he was still lying completely relaxed.

"Huh." Caroline said curiously and he smirked.

"Why are you surprised?" He queried.

"I was sent to distract you an awful lot." Caroline reminded him and he chuckled.

"And I knew that each time." Klaus countered amused and she sighed then dropped the stake next to him and he picked it up then looked at it. "Ridiculous, isn't it?" He asked absently. "My heart can be ripped from my chest and it'll grow back. My head can be cut off and it'll grow back eventually. I can be burned, drowned, dismembered, disemboweled, shot, stabbed… and everything heals." He said with furrowed brows like he still couldn't understand it. "But this little piece of wood can end it all. How silly that is." He commented. "Don't you think?" He asked her, looking at her.

"Immortality isn't natural, Klaus. There has to be something. Even if it is a trivial piece of wood. Nothing is completely immortal. That's not possible." She said. "Even the planet isn't immortal." She shrugged one shoulder and he frowned.

"I don't want to die." Klaus said. "But I wouldn't want to leave this earth either. If there came a time when humans left, I'd allow death to come for me finally." He admitted.

"That I understand." Caroline agreed. "But I think that'll be thousands of years from now." She opined surprising him.

"You don't think space travel is imminent?" He asked curiously.

"No. With the way the world's politics are going and the unnatural things that scientists are doing, there'll be some kind of reset long before anything like that happens. A devastating nuclear war or some man made apocalyptic virus that'll wipe most humans out or epic natural disasters. At the end of the day, the planet is a living thing. It's not going to let humans destroy it completely but I think humans will destroy themselves before it gets to that." Caroline opined and he considered that.

"You make a very good point." Klaus agreed.

"I wonder if a nuclear bomb could kill us." Caroline said amused and he chuckled at her thought process.

"Perhaps, but I think if someone reassembled all the melted pieces, you'd eventually heal." He smirked and she looked repulsed.

"Gross." Caroline said amused and he winked at her. "You know how the Founder's Council knew about vampires?" She asked and he nodded. "Do governments know about us?"

"Yes, of course. One of the first things that happens when an American president is elected is he's taken to a facility where he's let in on all the little secrets of what goes bump in the night. The American government even has a supernatural task force made up of vampires and witches who work for them and go on certain missions that aren't for public knowledge." He explained surprising her.

"That doesn't bother you?" Caroline queried.

"Yes, but what can I do about it? I would quite literally have to kill thousands and thousands of people in almost every government in the world, I'd have to find out all of their secret operations and disable them all while also taking on thousands of vampires and witches who work for those governments. My siblings don't care about it because it doesn't affect us, so how would I do all of that successfully alone?" He asked and she considered that.

"If the hybrids hadn't been a bust and you'd made yourself a hybrid army, would you have done it then?" She queried.

"Maybe." Klaus sighed at the thought of his useless hybrid experiment.

"How'd they find out?" Caroline queried.

"Stupid vampires like the Salvatores who continue to leave bitten bodies lying around left and right." Klaus said dryly.

"You never did that?" Caroline asked curiously.

"Of course, but when we were leaving bodies lying around, it was centuries before newspapers and media in the middle of nowhere, so by the time the bodies were found they were long decomposed with no way to determine cause of death." Klaus replied and she nodded in understanding. "Though I will have to do something about this rumour that's going around." He commented. "Because if the covens all discover that if we die, all the vampires die, it'll cause them to start looking into ways to magically undo us all." He stated and she nodded.

"Well, I can get in touch with the nest I was in and you can compel them to forget it." She suggested.

"Can you compel vampires?" Klaus asked.

"I honestly don't know. I haven't tried." Caroline replied. "The only plus side is that I know that the few witches they've gone to, as soon as it was deemed that they couldn't help, they killed them, so the witches won't have been spreading that yet." She said. "But who knows how many vampires they've told. I guess you'd have to compel them to find out. If few enough people know it, it could be brushed off as a stupid rumour." She commented and he nodded.

"Would you call them to come here?" Klaus bid.

"I will if you don't kill them." Caroline negotiated. "They might not be my friends exactly, but I do like most of them." She remarked.

"I won't kill them." He shook his head. "I'll just compel them to forget this ordeal and tell anyone they told that it's complete rubbish, that nothing will happen to vampires if we die."

"Mm." She nodded. "Anyway, whatever. What are we doing today?" She asked. "I think you have a corner to show me." She teased fondly and he smiled surprised.

"That I do, love." He agreed. "Shall I put this in my safe until you decide what you're doing with it?" He asked motioning to the stake and she arched a brow at him. "I won't burn it." He smirked. "Yet." He added and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine." Caroline agreed…

A/N: What do you think of their talk?

Next episode - Caroline and Kol butt heads, Caroline reveals her dark secret & Freya takes a personal interest.