Green Light – Chapter 27 - Epilogue

Author's Note: Here it is, the Epilogue. I hope you guys enjoy.

Thanks to all those who have reviewed, followed and favorited this story.

Please see the note at the end of the Epilogue for news on my other fics, including my other Klaroline fic "His Weakness".

ENJOY AND REVIEW

CAROLINE'S POV

I awaken with a jolt. My body feels weird, cold even. I contemplate for a moment if I have died. My chest feels awkwardly hollow, like steel has embedded the outline of my diaphragm. It burns my throat deeply to breathe, like I'm inhaling fire through my mouth and nose.

My eyes, feeling paper dry, begin to rapidly scan the white walls of the room around me. My vision is slightly skewed, not giving me a straight image. I feel like I am in one of the funhouses my mom use to take me to on Halloween as a child.

The spinning of the room makes my stomach flip. I almost feel like throwing up.

What was happening to me? Where is everybody? Am I in heaven, cause although this place feels like hell, it's certainly too white to be it.

I try to scream, but my throat is feels dry and closed off. The panic rises in my chest, tears overcoming my eyes.

Closing my eyes, I focus hard on my breathing, finally enabling myself to let out a loud scream. It must work, because within the minute there are arms surrounding me, pulling my limp body into a hard embrace.

"Love, it's alright. I'm here. You're fine. You're going to be okay, no one is ever going to hurt you again." A voice coos, I immediately recognize it as Klaus'. He seems as out of breath as I am, like he had just ran 5 miles.

I allow him to hold me in his embrace for a while, his presence comforting my unsettled mind. I'm still in so much pain but there's something soothing about being in Klaus' arms, knowing he would do anything for me.

"What…why do I feel so bad? Is it the toxin." I ask him, my voice dry and raspy.

Klaus, who had been rocking me softly, suddenly stops. His arms tighten around my body and he tilts my head up with his hands so his eyes are looking directly into mine. He looks at me so intensely, as if he thinks I'm about to disappear.

"It's not the toxin." He says slowly. "The…uh…the toxin was too strong for your system. The doctors couldn't do anything; my blood couldn't do anything. Whatever Ester injected you with was meant to be incurable. There was only one way to save you. The one thing that we never wanted to do." Klaus says, his voice drops off at the end, almost as if he's ashamed.

My chest pangs. No. No, he didn't.

The intense burning in my throat makes sense now. I am dead, but not completely. I'm in transition. My life only had two paths it could take now. Either I can feed and complete the transition or I die a painful death. My first death was already painful. The toxin that Ester gave me made my blood feel like it was boiling until the second that I passed out. Although I don't remember it, Klaus must have put some of his vampiric blood in me. Ester probably hadn't accounted for that. She knew Klaus and the others would be out searching for her and not with me. The symptoms didn't appear immediately, giving the doctors enough time to assure them I would be okay. Just high blood pressure, nothing to be over concerned about. Klaus and the others had no idea what the toxin was capable of.

"It's going to be okay love. I'm going to take care of you. You're going transition and you're going to be fine." Klaus says. He smooths down my hair with his hand. I try to take a deep breath, listen to his calming words. Klaus adjusts my body on the bed, laying me carefully back down on the pillow. He pulls out a blood bag from a bag he has laying on the floor, poking a hole in it with his teeth. He carefully puts it up to my mouth and lets me drink. It comes natural to me to drink; unlike the times I've had to take blood before.

I go through three bags in succession, Klaus anticipating my needs perfectly. As I drink from the bags, he holds me in his large arms, kissing me sporadically on my forehead.

"How are you feeling?" He asks as he takes the third blood bag away from me.

"Much better. The burning is mostly gone now; my head is a little clearer." I say.

"Good." He replies, seeming relieved like he wasn't sure the blood bags were going to work.

"Please tell me what happened. I barely remember anything. I know that I was dying and I got to say goodbye to this kids. I don't remember you getting here but I remember waiting and trying to hang on for you. I really thought your blood could save me." I tell him. His eyes, which had been staring into mine so intensely, look away.

"When I got back I realized how serious that toxin was. Like I said before, I tried to give you my blood and it wasn't helping you. The doctors said there was nothing they could do. So, I took a risk. You were going to die for sure if I didn't do anything. I know this isn't the kind of life you wanted, but I wanted you alive and that's the important thing. So, I fed you my blood, you flat lined and I just had to wait. Wait and see if my beautiful, sweet Caroline would stay with me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even function until I heard you scream. I'm sorry, by the way, that I wasn't with you when you woke up my love but I was consoling Carly. She was quite distressed."

"Carly. Oh, what am I going to do about the children!" I gasp. I hadn't even thought about them and how this new development is going to affect their lives. The bloodlust, how was I going to be able to control it? "I can't be around the children like this. What if I loose control?" I ask him. My chest feels tight again.

"You're not going to lose control. I promise I won't let anything happen. You're going to be okay, they are going to be okay, our family is going to be okay." He assures me. "I'm going to go get the kids. Do you think you feel strong enough to see them?"

"Klaus, no. My control."

"Are you still thirsty?" He asks.

"No." I respond honestly. The burn in my throat is gone.

"As long as your thirst is gone, you're going to be okay. You won't do anything, trust me." He promises, his hands grasping mine as he slides off the side of the bed and into a standing position.

"Okay." I let the tightness in my chest go. "I trust you."

"MAMAMAMA." I hear Carly from outside the door. The little girl's mumblings do something to my heart, making it almost want to beat again.

"Mommy's in here, she's feeling bad though so we must be careful." He whispers cooingly to the small toddler. Her blonde ringlets bounce slightly as he walks her into the room and sits her down on my lap. Her bright eyes are filled with tears, looking like she is on the edge of a total meltdown.

"Mommy's missed you, sweet girl." I whisper in her ear as she puts her chubby little hands all over my face. With my mouth by her neck, I feel her pulse. The temptation is there, deep inside my belly, but I resist. It's not a big deal, the bloodlust is under control and this is my baby.

The twins are here also. They were rolled in behind Klaus by Rebekah. The blonde has the biggest smile on her face.

"Your babies have missed you." Rebekah says, smiling at me genuinely for the first time I could remember.

The babies look so big. They must be consistently giving them more blood to make them stronger. They look almost like the size of a healthy newborn.

"The doctor says in another day or two we should be able to hold them without all the wires. They're doing perfectly." Rebekah says, moving the incubators closer to the bed. Klaus moves out of the way to give me a better look.

They are wriggling around more than they were the last time I saw them. Carly rearranges herself in my arms to get a better look at the babies. She's already such a good big sister, so enamored with her siblings.

Holding my sweet baby girl, looking at my newborns and surrounded by family that loves me, I know that everything will be okay.

1 year later:

"We are gathered here today to reaffirm the vows that Klaus and Caroline have committed to each other. They wanted all of you to gather here, to celebrate this special moment with them." Stefan says to the small group of people at our private wedding ceremony. A year has passed since all the drama went down with Ester. A year since the twins were born.

We spent most of the past year living on the island. Carly and the twins like it there. It's isolated from everything else, but the kids get to swim every day.

Despite my insistence that I was totally fine with the Island life, Klaus knew deep down that I was missing my home back in Mystic Falls. He called my mom and arranged for us to rent the local boarding house that had been abandoned for several years. It was not at all my style, but it was a nice sentiment from Klaus and the only place in town that had enough for the whole Mikaelson brood.

We visited Mystic falls sporadically over the past 3 months, mostly only staying a weekend and then flying back to the island. The kids seem to have taken a liking to Mystic Falls and of course Mom spoils them silly every time we are in town.

Mom's been great. It was even her idea to throw Klaus and I this vow renewal ceremony. She has embraced not only the kids but also Klaus with opened arms. Well mostly open arms, her and Klaus still had their spats.

As Stefan, who got ordained online, finishes up our vows, we lean in and share a passionate kiss. The small crowd behind us cheers, making Klaus and I laugh a little in the middle of our lips locking. We aren't really used to having an audience when we are being intimate.

The reception is absolutely beautiful. My mom, Lexi and Rebekah did such a good job decorating. There's a myriad of white, yellow and blue flowers in bouquets along the small garden where our vow ceremony was held. Inside the town hall, the ceremony space is decorated similarly. It's the perfect wedding that I didn't get the first time. It's small but classy, just my style.

"Love why don't you say your goodbyes to everyone so we can go on our honeymoon." Klaus says, giving me a wink and pulling me into a side hug. Our family and friends were currently busy devouring cake, something that neither Klaus or myself were interested in.

"Trying to steal my daughter away already. You're going to get her for the rest of your life Klaus, is that not enough?" My mom asks as she comes into the room with the kids in tow. Carly, now two, is the most intelligent toddler you will ever meet. Her sentences are still choppy but she talks so clear. Klaus is convinced she's a prodigy.

"Mommy. Dress. Pretty. Dress." Carly tells me, twirling around happily in her rose gold flower girl dress. It has flowers and sequins on it, so of course the two-year-old was pleased. The twins, who had just turned 1 and were already walking a little. My mom was guiding them towards us with big grins on their little faces.

Klaus bends down to scoop up the two little ones in his arms. They absolutely love him. This man, who is feared by so many, is loved so dearly by these babies. They have him wrapped around their little fingers.

"Henrik! Is that the toy train daddy got you?" He animatedly asks his tiny son.

The little boy holds the train up in the air with his chubby hand "tratra" he mumbles, promptly followed by "dada". The uttering of those syllables always made Klaus grin. Claire doesn't mumble as much as Henrik, but she gazes at you with her big, beautiful eyes. Like now, she just stares at Klaus as if he's the only thing in her world.

"Alright, is Mommy ready to go?" Klaus asks, standing up with the twins in his arms.

"I guess so." I wrap my arms around Carly and hug my mom affectionately goodbye.

"I love you honey. I'm so proud of you." She whispers in my ear before letting me go. It makes my heart melt. My mom being proud of me is something I've always wanted in life. In high school, I felt like she thought I was a failure. Knowing now she's proud of me means everything.

"Thanks for everything, Liz." Klaus says, giving her a slight smile. Things had been awkward between him and Mom for a while but things had been getting better lately. Both had been putting forth the effort for my sake.

"It's nothing. I would do anything for my daughter's happiness." Mom says.

We turn to leave the house, bidding our company adieu. Just as we are about to make it out the door, Rebekah runs up to Klaus, her long blonde hair flowing behind her as she strides.

"Brother. I believe I am going to get the best news tonight. I think Matt is going to propose." Rebekah gushes to him. I suppress the eye roll. I'm obviously over Matt but it's still weird seeing him with Rebekah.

"Congratulations, Rebekah. You may, however, want to wait for the poor sap to propose to you himself before you tell the whole town the news." He suggests cockily.

Rebekah huffs. "Of course I am Nik but with you going to the Island with the kids for a few weeks I didn't want to disturb you, so I thought I would tell you beforehand."

"Oh Rebekah. You always were a considerate one." He tells her, rolling his eyes.

At that comment, I can't suppress the laugh that escapes me.

Rebekah looks over at me. I await a snarky comment or a death stare but it never comes. Instead she just forces a laugh back. "Bye guys. Be safe. Don't lose my nephew and nieces." She says giving them kisses.

"I think she's warming up to me." I whisper to Klaus.

"Good because there's no way I'm getting rid of you now." He smirks. With our kids in our arms we embrace. Our lips touching send fireworks off in my head. "Now come on, there's one place we have to go before we go to the airport."

Klaus has the driver take us to a street across town. It's just mere minutes from my mom's and from the town square. Turning the corner, the car stops beside a large Queen Anne's style house. It's light blue hue stands out in the cloudy day.

Klaus gets out of the car, leaving the door open for me.

"What's this?" I ask. Sliding out of the car, the kids crawling out behind me.

"This love is our new house. The boarding house is a little too drab for a growing family don't you think. Here there's a fence for the kids to play in." He says, showing me the large green grassed yard surrounded by a fence.

"I thought you liked the boarding house. The style of it suited you." I tell him.

"It's time I put you, and our children, first. You saved me. You saved me Caroline. You were like the green light of hope over a sea of perpetual darkness. I will spend the rest of my eternity doing everything in my power to make you happy." He whispers, pulling me into his embrace. Watching our kids play in the green grass in front of us, I see no darkness in our future, only light.

Authors Note: That's all folks. This fic is officially over! I hope you enjoyed this Epilogue. Please review and let me know what you thought of Green Light overall. What you liked/disliked and what you do/don't want to see in the future. New chapter of His Weakness (my other Klaroline fic) will be posted in the next week or 2. I am currently working on a new Klaroline fic as well as a Once Upon A Time fic. So, if you're interested follow my account.

Thanks to all those who have been loyal since 2013. Love you all. Xx glitterkkayy