Klaroline: Little Do You Know

Chapter 34: Always and Forever; Epilogue Part 2

- PARIS, FRANCE -

~ Caroline's Pov ~

I wake to the sight of my beautiful husband fast asleep by my side, the sun lightly dusting the room. I run my fingers over his cheek, after twenty years of waking up to his sweet face beside me I love this man more and more every day. "Good morning my love." His sleep heavy voice says.

"Happy anniversary darling." I say with a smile.

"Happy anniversary." He takes my hand from his face and kisses it gently. He runs his fingers through my hair then pulls my body against his so we're cuddling. "I think we should spend today in bed, I can't see any reason to leave can you?" He hisses my temple and pulls me closer to him. After a few moments of comfort and silence the sound of footsteps approaching our room and hushed voices, I look back at Klaus with a smile on my face. "Here comes the cavalry." He says and kisses me as the bedroom door opens to reveal all five of our children, our youngest Oliver with a tray of food in his little hands.

"One, two, three." Ada counts down for everyone.

"Happy Anniversary!" They all announce, Klaus and I sit up against the headboard and smile at them.

"Oh my goodness thank you my darlings, what do you have there?" I say as they walk into the room, Oliver steps carefully towards the bed and hands the tray over to Klaus who takes it and places it on my lap.

"We made you breakfast in bed mommy." He climbs onto the bed and squeezes in between Klaus and I. Ada and Elizabeth lean against the bed posts at the foot of the bed while Henrik and William take a seat in the middle of the bed.

"Thank you so much my loves, what a wonderful way to wake up." Klaus says sweetly and kisses the top of Oliver's mop of blonde hair.

"We wanted to give you your anniversary present this morning and take you both out to dinner tonight." Ada says with her bright smile, she taps Elizabeth who speeds out of the room and returns with a particularly large box in her hands.

"What did we say about using the speed around the house, we have antiques you know." I say as she rests the box at the foot of the bed.

"One day mom, you're going to miss me speeding around the house." She flashes me a smirk, Klaus' smirk.

"I may miss you one day, a very long way away, but I certainly will not miss the sound of glass breaking." She laughs. She looks so much like my mom, I miss her so much, I just wish she could have met her and Will and Oliver; she died right before Elizabeth was born, she never even told me she was sick until one day when she came to visit I could see how far gone she was. She said she wanted to spend her last days with her family, and she did. Klaus tucking a strand of hair behind my ear brings me back to reality, I smile at him and take his hand in mine.

"Okay let's see what you've got for us then." Klaus says, the boys hop off the bed and hurry over to where Ada and Elizabeth are standing with the box.

"This was a group idea, but it was executed by Ada who won't let us forget it." Henrik says with his hands tucked into his pockets, he looks so like Klaus but with long brown hair and my eyes. Ada nudges him with her elbow.

"It was a team effort." She says and Henrik starts to open the side closest to him and Will opens the side closest to him. When the pull away the wrapping paper I gasp, they hold up a photo realistic painting of us, our family. Everyone as they are now, and they've added my and Klaus' mothers and fathers. Klaus wraps his arm around me and I lay my head on his shoulder, tears come to my eyes.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful I can't believe you did this."

"We had to go through so many photos to get enough references to make this but we got there in the end, do you like it?" Ada asks. I stare at the painting, it's like we all stood and posed for it.