Author's note: So, we've reached the final chapter in this story; thank you for all of your support! I hope you enjoy this final installment! Also, thanks to the guest reviewer who sent me such a sweet note letting me know they were re-reading my story; it was such a nice surprise — you made my day!

In other writing news, I posted the first chapter of a new AU Klaroline multi-chap called The Price of Ambition. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Warning: A smidge of smut — and then some more smut because it's been way too long!

The crisp, spring green of the hard-skinned pear mocked Caroline with its mysterious demeanor. A sacred fruit to the ancient Greeks and Romans, its symbolism was clear — a peace offering, a token of esteem. She eyed the fruit suspiciously as she also recalled that the Chinese word for 'pear' also meant 'separation'. So, which meaning did the offending green specter in her fruit basket shout to the recipient? She had paced back and forth in her kitchen for longer than she cared to admit, unsure of what she was trying to say, and therefore decided to throw in several heaping handfuls of bright red strawberries to muddle whatever meaning might be derived.

Of course, depending on what Klaus revealed, he might not be seeing this stupid apology fruit basket at all. Earlier that day, he had found her at the zombie charity run, asking her to hear him out, finally offering to tell her his side. "I swear I'll explain everything to you if you'll give me a chance. You said you wanted someone to fight for you. That's what I'm trying to do, sweetheart." Which is why she was standing at his front door, potentially awkward-apology fruit basket in hand.

She hated feeling so unsure about where things stood between them. Still bewildered and slightly angry, she decided to stash the basket behind his loveseat on the end of his front porch. However, she couldn't help but let her touch linger on the soft burgundy pillows as she recalled a happier time before all the unpleasantness, when they had returned from the Gemini Brewery, incredibly giggly from a sampling tour.

Local brewer Kai had served his latest creations, from the bold flavors of the Siphoner stout, to the refreshing Ascendant citrus lager. They'd disliked the bland, clichéd blend of his Sleeping Beauty Curse summer ale, but Kai was such a charming little sociopath that they kept it to themselves.

Klaus had started kissing her as they made their way up the red brick pathway, whispering deliciously naughty promises. By the time they reached his porch, both straps of her mint green sundress were untied and Klaus' leather belt unbuckled. As she slid her hands into his pants to playfully grab his ass, he let out a sexy growl before plopping her in the middle of the loveseat and settling on his knees before her.

His eyes dark with lust, he pushed her knees apart, the delicate fabric of her short hem pooling around her slick thighs. "Your scent is divine," he rumbled, placing possessive kisses along her soft skin. He raised his curly head to gaze at her, the reverence in his voice apparent as he whispered, "Everything about you is a bloody revelation, sweetheart."

Caroline's heart leapt at his words, and she realized with absolute certainty that no one could ever absolutely shatter her the way that he could. It was the sweetest, most perfect undoing of her soul that she could ever ask for. Any further thoughts were quickly lost as his warm, skillful tongue traced dangerous patterns across her flesh. The moment he reached her clit, she cried out, bucking her hips against his delightful stubble. The decadent way he swirled his tongue within her dripping core pushed her over the edge; her ecstatic cries left little doubt to what they were doing on his porch for anyone to see.

Klaus awkwardly clearing his throat snapped her out of her scandalous daydream, and she furiously fought down the guilty crimson that stained her cheeks. "Hello, Caroline," he began, the hesitancy in his tone hurting her heart more than she cared to admit. Klaus was always so self-assured; his downtrodden demeanor was surreal. "Thank you for stopping by," he continued, stepping aside so she could cross the threshold.

She followed him under the graceful archway that led to his living room, sitting on the edge of his sectional where the charcoal leather felt cool against the backs of her legs. "It was time," she answered cryptically.

He bowed his head slightly at her accusing tone. "You're right. And I should've told you from the moment I suspected what was going on." Rubbing his jaw tiredly, he said, "I didn't lie when I told you I severed all ties with Original Hunter Industries including firing Lucien. However, it seems my ambitious former assistant decided to form an alliance with my estranged father, Mikael, and they decided to work together to ruin my fresh start here in Mystic Port."

"I don't understand — why would they do this? I mean, your own father, Klaus, why," she asked in confusion, her tone tinged with horror at a father who could be so monstrous against his child.

Some of the shadows left his serious gaze at the empathy he detected in her words. "There's quite a bit of turbulent history between us and he was livid that I chose to leave the family's company. He saw it as a betrayal — something unforgiveable. He decided to turn the town against me by taking the preserve and transforming it into luxury condos, linking everything to me."

Caroline wrinkled her nose in disgust at the pair's deceit. "What about Lucien's role in this? How did he trick Alaric?"

"Under Mikael's direction, Lucien began quietly forming a relationship with Alaric, gaining his trust while pretending to still be working for me. He confused him with complicated contracts and convinced Alaric that I wanted the land so that I could partner with the local marine rescue to aid with releasing native species into the wild after they've recovered." He sighed angrily, "Lucien forged my signature on the deed and the contracts. I've gotten my lawyers involved and intend to turn Mikael and Lucien over to the authorities for real estate fraud, identity theft and any other bloody charges my legal team can throw at them."

She leaned forward, taking his hand in hers to give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry you didn't feel like you could come to me with this when it happened. I can't imagine how alone you must've felt."

Klaus protested, "No, I should've told you sooner. I'm so used to doing everything alone that it's second nature for me to be mistrustful. But I never meant to make you feel unimportant or that I didn't trust you. You're an amazing woman, sweetheart, and the unkind things I said to you were patently untrue — you were well within your rights to be angry and I was a coward."

Caroline felt her heart flutter at his words as she once again recognized the man she realized she had fallen in love with. "You aren't a coward, Klaus. Standing up for yourself and our town is the bravest thing I've ever seen and I'm going to be right beside you every step of the way."

The smile he gave her was one of pure joy and she couldn't recall a time that anyone had ever looked at her the way that he did. "Caroline, I don't know what will happen in the days and weeks and months to come, but I do know that I'm absolutely in love with you."

She laughed softly, allowing him to pull her close as they sat huddled together. "I seem to be suffering from the same problem. Somewhere along the way you made me fall in love with you, too." The kiss they shared was incredible, wringing every bit of passion that had existed between them since the beginning. It was a new start for them both and Caroline couldn't wait to see what happened next.

"Bloody hell," Klaus shouted helplessly, and then proceeded to plunge head-first into the Gulf.

Caroline threw back her head, laughing in delight as his soaked curls bobbed to the surface. She watched appreciatively as the warm sunshine glinted off of his beautifully toned body as he pulled himself back onto his paddleboard. Several months had passed since the truth had come out about Mikael and Lucien's failed revenge plot against Klaus and even Caroline had been surprised by the depth of support the loyal townspeople had shown Klaus and his siblings.

With Alaric's cooperation, along with police involvement, they had staged a successful undercover operation in which Lucien was tricked into admitting his involvement in the real estate fraud. He quickly turned on Mikael, handing over incriminating documents and emails that sealed both of their fates and put them away for a long time.

She sighed in contentment as she steered her battered paddleboard around a cluster of bright green mangroves. Klaus and Caroline had convinced Alaric to partner with the local marine rescue and now the Moonstone Nature Preserve was used as a launch site to release rehabilitated animals back into the wild. Klaus also found a provision in the city charter that allowed Alaric to dedicate his land to Mystic Port, thus protecting it in perpetuity from development.

The quiet splash and the muted curse behind Caroline made her roll her eyes as she realized Klaus had managed to drop his paddle in the water again. He'd get better at it; he had plenty of time. Because he wasn't going anywhere, she thought, a wide smile stretching across her face as she looked over her shoulder to observe the sexy British transplant on his knees trying to remain on the board while rooting around in the Gulf for his paddle. He'd moved in with her a few weeks ago, planning to use the profits from selling his place to buy the empty lot next door to help her expand her garden. He knew it had been one of her long-term goals and the fact that he was so dedicated to helping her achieve it was the most amazing gift he could've given her.

Klaus wasn't the only one who had settled into the quirky life that Mystic Port offered — his siblings had flourished as well. Rebekah turned her interest in interior design into a thriving consulting business and she and Enzo surprised everyone last month when they eloped to Hawaii and were married in a private ceremony on a nude beach.

Kol had pretended to be angry at Enzo for being a 'sneaky sister stealer' so that Enzo would support his motion for Topless Tequila Tuesdays. Kol recently had been elected to the city council and Caroline was both intrigued and apprehensive to see how those two charming troublemakers would forever change Mystic Port.

She slipped into the wonderfully warm water, pushing her dark sunglasses on top of her blonde curls as she tucked a few wet strands back into her haphazard bun. She spied a dolphin fin lazily slice through the water nearby, and marveled once more that she could be so lucky to be surrounded by such incredible beauty.

Klaus clumsily managed to paddle his board next to hers, sitting down at one end when it was clear he was getting ready to tumble headfirst if he continued trying to balance on his feet. "You seem rather pleased with yourself, love. What's that smug little smile about?"

"I haven't pleased myself — yet," Caroline replied coyly. She wedged her board underneath several twisted mangrove roots and then slowly reached behind her neck to tug at the loose knot of her bikini strings. She loved the way Klaus' gray eyes flickered with lust as she pulled away the bright pink fabric, playfully tossing it at him while keeping her bare breasts below the water line.

He easily caught the wet bikini top, gripping it in his hand while the other shoved down the band of his black board shorts to expose his hardening cock. Licking his lips, he growled, "I want to watch." Lightly rubbing her top across his slick tip, he added, "I'll even give you some inspiration, sweetheart."

"I love watching you touch yourself," she confessed, gasping as she pinched her nipples, pushing her breasts up until they barely skimmed the waterline.

Eyes darkening at her words, his hand wrapped around his cock as he stroked. The small peeks of her pink top that she spied between his fingers made her moan, and her hand quickly traveled to her aching clit. "The last time you wore this scanty bit of fabric, sweetheart, you rubbed those beautiful breasts against my cock until I came all over them." He sped up his movements, never taking his eyes off of her face as he purred, "Do you recall what happened next?"

Caroline was riding her fingers now, his accent flowing over his naughty words to make her unbelievably aroused. "Yes," she whined, "you licked your come off and then fucked me until neither of us could move." She could feel her release nearing, but knew she needed more. "Fuck me now. Please," she begged, helping him slide into the water.

He quickly removed his trunks, tossing them onto his board along with her top and reached down into the water to pull her hips toward him with a low growl. When he pushed aside the crotch of her bikini bottom and slipped a finger in, they both groaned in delight, rutting against each other briefly. With a desperate moan, he replaced his finger with his cock, joining their writhing bodies with one deep thrust. "Yes, fuck," he cursed, capturing her lips with his as he moved her along his length.

She dug her nails into his muscular back, relishing in the way she made him shudder underneath her touch. She clung to his powerful body, tightening her legs around his waist as she urged him to go deeper. She could feel herself edging closer to her release, and slipped her hand to where they were joined, rubbing her clit until she screamed out her completion. Klaus sped up his movements, kissing her feverishly as he moaned her name.

They clung to each other, lazily floating in the Gulf as the sun warmed their sated bodies. As Caroline watched a heron swoop low overhead, delicately plucking a minnow from the shallows before flitting away with a twitch of its blue feathers, she realized that for the first time in her life, she felt completely at peace. Turning to Klaus, she lightly kissed one of his dimples, whispering, "Thank you for moving here. For being a cocky British snob and then showing me the wonderful person you actually are."

He seemed touched by her words, gray eyes softening as he kissed her forehead. "You've allowed me to be a part of your life and it's changed me forever. I could never repay you for all of the ways you've made me a better person."

"You've made me unbelievably happy," she sighed, nestling into his arms as they floated together.

Chuckling, he teased, "And it all it took was a few fruit baskets."