What Now?

Chapter 33

The next morning happened too soon for everyone. Caroline didn't sleep very well after her very intimate evening with Klaus. He eventually fell asleep holding her and she let him because he doesn't sleep very often, so when he does she lets him. She laid in his arms all night long, their naked bodies intertwined, his even breaths, and the stillness of the night hanging in the air.

When her alarm went off she had already been awake. She turned it off and then plopped back down into Klaus' arms. "Morning Love."

"Morning," she said back quietly.

"What's on the itinerary today? What can I help with?"

"I need to tell our friends and the school about Ric, I have to plan the funeral, figure out the burial, try to comfort my friends and family, figure out who killed him and murder them, and make sure I don't fall apart." She frowned looking up at Klaus.

"Well, how about you let me help?" He said into her hair.

"There's nothing for you to do. It's my problem, I got this." Caroline got out of bed and vamped into the shower. When she got out she saw Klaus leaning against the sink. His eyes raked over her body and then he handed her a towel. "Go away. I have a lot to do."

"We. We have a lot to do. I understand you're going through a lot, but you cannot shut me out, Caroline."

"No Klaus. He was my daughter's father, my best friend and her brother's parental figure, the headmaster of my school, and my ex-fiancé. Not yours." She snatched the towel from his hands and wrapped it around her.

Klaus blocked her way to the door. "Caroline. He is the father of your daughters which are now part of my family. Not only was he the parental figure for the Gilbert's he was also the parental figure to my daughter when her parents died. The headmaster of the school that our children attend. I'm not too fond of the ex-fiancé bit, but that's neither here nor there. I am helping." He placed his hands on Caroline's shoulders to make her look at him. "I love you. You will never have to go through anything alone again."

Tears started flowing from Caroline's eyes and she started crying uncontrollably and fell into Klaus' arms. "There's so much, Klaus. Too much."

Klaus was holding Caroline against his chest trying to get her to calm down. When her breathing finally evened out he kissed the top of her head. "I'm here." He pulled back and she looked up at him with a sad smile. He helped her stand and he hugged her one last time making sure she'd be able to finish getting ready on her own. She gave him a slight nod knowing exactly what he was doing and he went downstairs to get them blood bags.

When Klaus made it to the bottom of the stairs he took a deep breath trying to hold himself together because today he had to be the strong one for everyone. Today he had to remain the backbone even though watching Caroline and their kids fall apart hurt him more than even he could understand. He continued on into the kitchen and pulled out two B+ blood bags and emptied their contents into two glasses. He tossed the bags into the trash and then downed his blood in one big gulp. He carried the other glass upstairs to Caroline. One, to make sure she ate, and two, to make sure she was still getting ready.

When Klaus made it back into the room Caroline was dressed in black skinny jeans, black ankle booties, a black blazer and a white sheer shirt beneath it. Her hair was already dry and naturally wavy. She was sitting on the edge of the chaise in his room writing on a small pad of paper. He knew she was making a list because that's what she does for everything. Despite the tears in her eyes, her bare face, and her natural hair he thought she was beautiful. He took in the scene before he slowly walked over to her and handed her the glass of blood. She took it without even looking up and drank while she continued to write.