Many thanks to my amazing friend and beta, Principles of Magic. She's also a fantastic writer and you should check her out too, if you haven't already.

Caroline Forbes, headmistress of the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted, stood in her office, arms crossed, staring out into the night, her heart aching with sadness.

Klaus Mikaelson was dead.

Years ago, the man drove her insane; terrifying her and wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls; murdering for his own gain or simply out of spite. And all the while, being utterly charming and fascinated by her.

He had once promised to be her last love, however long it took. If she lived a thousand years, Caroline knew in her heart no man would ever utter such an epic declaration to her again.

Two weeks ago, their orbits had crossed paths once again, and whatever feelings Caroline had for Klaus and thought long buried came crashing over her once again with the force of a tsunami.

She wasn't in love with him. Not then and not now. She may have had feelings, strong feelings for him, but her feelings were based on the type of man she knew he could become, if only he would let himself. The type of man she saw glimpses of when he smiled bashfully towards her or teased her. When he showed mercy towards her friends simply because she had asked. She had always hoped he would someday become the man he had proven to her today that he was. A good man, a good father, a - good friend.

Tears rolled down her face. Long ago she had made peace with the fact that she would likely outlive all of her loved ones. She never once expected that she would also outlive Klaus.

Unmercilessly, the truth hit Caroline now: she had always intended to hold him to the promise he made her on her graduation night. Not today or tomorrow or even a decade from now. Maybe in a couple of more centuries. But one day, after she had followed her own path; when she could be sure they were both ready for the commitment that would follow. She had always held onto his promise as a talisman of sorts - the promise of a future.

Inwardly scoffing towards her own arrogance, she wrapped her arms tighter around herself. She should have known better. Fate always had a way of making a mockery of whatever plans she had.

A magical pregnancy.

Married and widowed on the same day.

And now this.

As she gazed into the night, the full moon hung low in the sky over the school, casting shadows over the immaculate grounds.

She was proud of the school and everything it had become. At first, it had been a way to honor Stefan's memory; a way to protect the girls. The hard work and long nights invested in the early days had paid off: the school's reputation was stellar. The best - and most notorious - families sent their "gifted" children to the Salvatore School. And while the tuition fees from those families kept the lights on, it also allowed the school to accept children and teens from less exclusive backgrounds. Tuition operated on a sliding scale, so that even those of modest means could send their children here, and those who couldn't afford the fees were given scholarships.

The school had grown into something she had only imagined in her wildest dreams; not only shaping and molding young minds, but teaching them that inclusivity among the species was the only way to survive peacefully with one another. Caroline had seen firsthand the destruction caused by the divide between the witches, wolves, and vampires. She hoped that by teaching them together, that destructiveness could be avoided for future generations.

Caroline glanced at the framed photo on her desk, a family picture taken on Virginia Beach with Lizzie and Josie between Alaric and herself, and smiled faintly. She couldn't have done any of this without him. Thrown together by the strangest of circumstances, they had become friends, co-parents, and business partners, each bringing their own unique set of skills to the equation.

Taking a deep breath, she scanned the grounds of the school, looking for any sign of Alaric and the girls returning.

The moon had waned an hour ago and the last of the students who were cursed to turn into werewolves on the full moon were returned to their beds. They went through this ritual every month. On the night of the full moon, the school entered into a lockdown, with every student and staff member accounted for. Alaric and Matt, the Sheriff of Mystic Falls, escorted a handful of students - and a couple of faculty members - to the old Lockwood cellars, which had been refurbished to Caroline's instruction. There, they were placed into individual cells to turn, safe from harm to themselves and to others.

The school's policy was that no wolf could roam free on the grounds, but that policy had been broken tonight. Hope Mikaelson had triggered her curse and while she would be able to control whether or not to turn in the future, tonight was a rite of passage.

When Hope's father had shown up today, lounging nonchalantly against the doorway, Caroline had felt a flash of deja vu. Hadn't she seen him a dozen times before, same pose, same spot, same smirk? It felt like a hundred years ago since she had last seen him in Mystic Falls. Her heart had stuttered seeing him again, and once again, she had masked her feelings with mock hostility.

He had promised to stay away. And even then she knew some day, some reason would bring him back. He kept his promise for almost sixteen years only to break it today.

She sighed. With good cause, she admitted.

The dark magic that had been divided into four pieces and placed into the Mikaelson siblings - Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol - had somehow managed to find its way into the one host it desperately wanted: Hope.

Klaus was determined to save his daughter and had come to Mystic Falls to beg for Caroline's help. His plan was simple and yet - ludicrous. He wanted Caroline's daughters, siphoners of magic, to siphon the darkness from Hope and then place it in him.

Just when Caroline didn't think she could be more shocked, Klaus had pulled out a white oak stake. She received a further shock when she realized his plan hinged on him killing himself once the dark magic was within him.

Alaric and the girls had left hours ago. When Alaric looked at Caroline with a silent question in his eyes, she shook her head.

Maybe she was coward. Maybe it would have offered Klaus some comfort to see her there in his final moments. But she just couldn't watch him die.

Caroline's eyes darted towards the clock once more. It must be over by now. It must be.

Klaus Mikaelson was dead.

She slapped a hand to her mouth, covering a muffled sob as it clawed its way from her throat. Hot tears fell freely down her face. It all seemed so impossible; like a bad dream. Klaus was the strong one; the truly immortal one - how could she survive and not him?

Movement from the treeline caught her eye and she saw three shadows hurriedly making their way towards the school. Alaric and the girls. Relief crashed through her - they were alright.

And then - Klaus, she thought, her heart clenching as grief tore through her. She quickly grabbed a tissue and dried her eyes. She didn't want the girls - or Alaric - to know how upset she was. Once again, she had to be the strong one. The one to survive no matter the heartache or pain of losing another friend.

Moments later, the girls burst through the door of her office, crying out, "Mom!" Rushing to her, Caroline held out her arms and enveloped them in a hug, drawing them close to her.

"What's wrong, are you okay?"

They clung to her, shivering - with cold or fear, Caroline didn't know. Over their heads, she caught Alaric's eye.

"They're fine," he assured her, heading to his desk and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. "We're fine. A little shook up, that's all." He poured himself a glass before throwing the contents down his throat in one swallow.

"What happened?"

Alaric shook his head. "It didn't work. He's still alive."

Caroline gasped, relief pouring through her. Alaric narrowed his eyes and she dropped her gaze, hugging the girls tightly. Kissing first Josie, then Lizzie, on their foreheads, she released them. "Girls - it's way past your bedtime. Go on."

The twins began protesting in unison, "But, mom -"

"Girls, go, now," Alaric said.

The girls fell silent, recognizing that their father's tone held no room for argument.

He pulled them close as they passed, hugging each of them. "You did good. Both of you. You were very brave. I'm proud of you - we both are."

Caroline smiled reassuringly as they both looked back at her before leaving the room.

"What happened?" Caroline asked quietly as Alaric poured himself another drink and took another long sip.

Alaric let out a long sigh. "Jesus, Caroline," he said, perched against his desk. "I've seen some freaky things in my life, but that -" he shook his head and gave an involuntary shudder.

Caroline folder her arms across her chest, shaking her head. "I knew it wouldn't work," Caroline said. "It was a stupid idea to begin with. What happened?"

Alaric shrugged. "The girls did what they were supposed to do. It worked; the Hollow is in Klaus now."

He raised his glass to finish off his drink.

"Klaus had the stake - he did it, Caroline. Staked himself directly into his heart, but something happened. The Hollow - she woke up and she's pissed. She burned it. It burst into flames."

"How -"

Alaric shook his head. "Christ, I don't know how. She was protecting herself, I guess. Some crazy blue light emanated from him. The girls started screaming, Elijah was screaming. Hope showed up, started screaming. The next thing I know, Klaus is on the ground with a hole in his chest and a barbequed heart. No sign of the stake."

"How do you know he's alive?" Caroline demanded.

"Because his body didn't burst into flames!" Alaric snapped. "And he was already beginning to heal when we left. Elijah and Hope took him. They're headed back to New Orleans. And I can't say I'm sorry to see them go."

Caroline heard the bitterness in his voice and watched silently as he poured himself another glass of whiskey.

Moving quickly, her own heart racing with relief, Caroline grabbed it out of his hands. She grimaced slightly as the liquor burned its way down her throat.

Setting the glass back on his desk, she took a deep breath and began pacing. "The Hollow won't give up without a fight. There has to be some way - something -"

"Why?! He murdered Jenna!" Alaric seethed. "He murdered her and god help me, there is a part of me that was looking forward to watching him burn tonight!"

Caroline swung towards him. "We took his daughter in!"

Alaric straightened from his desk and stood. "And I am sorry for that child, and the legacy that family leaves her, but for god's sake, I didn't actually think she'd end up here a week after I made the offer!"

Caroline paced the carpet and stared out the window for a moment before facing him once again.

"Yes, he murdered Jenna. And his mother made you an Original. And you held me hostage and tortured me!"

"I don't need the history lesson, Caroline!"

"And then you died, Ric. You died," Caroline continued. "Through some crazy twist of fate, you returned and you got to be human again. You met Jo! The girls -" Caroline stopped to take a breath, to get herself under control. "And now we have this life. Look at everything we have -"

"It's not our fight, Caroline - it's not your fight," he argued.

"Then whose is it?" she snapped. "What is it we're doing here, trying to teach these kids, day after day?"

Alaric held his hands up in surrender. "I don't want to fight, not after the night I just had."

"Oh, I am so sorry you're disappointed and that your night didn't go as you hoped," Caroline snapped.

He sighed again, pushing the whiskey bottle away from him and staring at her. "You care. About him."

The accusation hung in the air a moment, dividing them. Caroline sighed, and leaned against her desk, her hands gripping the edge.

"Yes." she admitted simply. "I see the good in him, Alaric. He's -" she shrugged helplessly. "Different. Because of Hope. He's trying to be a good father -"

"If he wanted to be a good father, he wouldn't have abandoned her," Alaric pointed out. "He could've stayed in touch her. God only knows why he didn't. Got too hard on his feelings or something."

"Yes, you're right, he made a terrible decision to abandon Hope - you know his history, Ric. It's the same history for a lot of the kids we take in here -"

Alaric rolled his eyes. "And now you're making excuses for him."

Caroline pointed a finger towards him. "I am not making excuses for him! I am simply asking you to understand - the same way you understand when the kids here lash out for the same reason -"

"They're kids! He's a grown-ass man who has had more than enough lifetimes to move past his trauma!" He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. He shook his head. "Even if I did understand, how can you forgive him? Everything he did to you, your friends, this town -"

Caroline sighed with exasperation. "The same way I forgave you," she said simply.

Silence filled the air as they both recalled a sunny afternoon long ago, in a history classroom at Mystic Falls High School, filled with her terror and screams as Alaric had tortured her with vervain.

"That was a long time ago," Alaric muttered.

"Yeah, that excuse is flying around here a lot today."

"I wasn't myself," Alaric began.

"I know - I know," Caroline sighed, smiling slightly. "I'm sorry. It's just - sometimes I look back and I wonder."

"What?"

She was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. ""Stefan and I had a conversation once. About how we're no different from him - Klaus. Doing everything we can to protect our families - our friends - Elena," she chuckled.

"We don't hurt innocent people."

"Don't we?" she asked, looking at him. "Wouldn't we? What wouldn't we do, Ric, to protect our girls? No matter how much we try to tell ourselves we're different, the truth is we're no better than they are. We just try a little harder."

Alaric opened his mouth, then shut it once more. "Hell," he muttered, grabbing the whiskey bottle.