Stopping By Bourbon St.

Final Peace

Chapter 27: Epilogue

a/n: this is it!!!! The final chapter!!!! Thanks for staying with this story!!! Again I apologize for how long it took me to finally finish it. This ending wasn't the one I generally had in mind, but, ultimately, I decided not to give into my desires of making this story one big sappy heartbreak and just give u guys a happy ending to read.
Hate it? Love it? Let me know :3

-

Caroline couldn't believe it's been three years since Bonnie's death. It felt surreal. Almost as if Bonnie wasn't dead, but just somewhere far, far away.

Well, it kind of was that.

Caroline bugged Kol about Bonnie every time she new of his visits. It turned out -according to Kol- Bonnie was okay, and she didn't want Caroline to dwell on her death.
Staring at the grave stone, Caroline released a heavy sigh.
That wasn't possible. Bonnie was and will always be like family - nothing could make Caroline leave her death alone.

Placing her bouquet of white carnations beside the stone, the blonde took notice at how clean Bonnie's grave land remained; Kol's doing, no doubt.
Caroline was grateful. Choosing to stay in Mystic falls was solely her choice; besides coming back for school, she needed time to mend broken relationships, needed time for herself that she neglected over the year with Klaus. Also, focus on something other than supernatural affairs 100% of the time. It helped, somewhat. But she missed Klaus more than she thought she would. She still saw him from time to time, but it's not the same as having him beside her like she once did.

The last she heard of him, New Orleans was fully under Mikaelson control; leaving no space for Hayley, her bastard child, or Marcel to intrude. Klaus had finally got what he wanted; ruiling his home town with the rest of his family. He was a busy man now more than ever.
It was quite funny really; once the villain of her story is now the man she still loved. She wondered how Klaus would react to her sudden visit.

Yes, the distance between them isn't going to an issue soon. She just didn't know if coming back to him out of the blue was the best thing. Maybe he moved on? Maybe he started a new life that she wasn't a part of? Maybe he got tired of waiting. She couldn't just assume that her coming to him would bring them back to the way things once were - it wouldn't. It may not seem that way to a vampire, but two years do bring a lot of change in your life. Whether that change is good or bad, Caroline will just have to find out.

Hours later, Caroline realized how much she enjoyed airports and traveling. It didn't take long for her to find the Mickelson mansion. She knew the place by now like the back of her head. Suit bag in her sweaty hand, the blonde knocked on the door, still not believing that she was here.

The door opened. She was surprised to see Katherine behind the threshold.

"Katherine?"

"Well hello to you too, CareBear." She smirked, curls bouncing back from the tilt of her head. "You came a lot sooner than I thought."

"I thought you left..."

The Elena look-alike grinned. "Elijah tried to convince me. Didn't work."

Caroline furrowed both brows. Katherine shrugged. "Klaus is upstairs. He's de-stressing, if you know what I mean."

At that Caroline's mouth dropped. No, she didn't know what Katherine meant, nor did she want to think about it. As she stepped into the house, Elijah came behind Katherine, his hand protectively sliding around her waist. "Caroline, what a surprise."

"Told you she was gonna come crawling back before the 5-year mark." Katherine told the original.

"I was sure miss Caroline would wait a decade at least," he replied casually. "Make Niklaus suffer a little while longer."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Nice seeing you too, Elijah."

As she made way up the stairs, she heard Katherine's voice say, "I think that's our cue to leave..." before cutting off her hearing range and focusing on the wild beat of her pulse.
Something tugged at her heart. Was is doubt? Was is nervousness? She didn't know. Katherine's words played in her head matched with her own insecurities.

Her shaky hand knocked at a familiar door - the door to Klaus' room. It opened and she stilled immensely: expecting. He stood behind an abstract painting. Buckets of paint and stained brushes lying over the floor, dirtying the cherry wood.
In his grey henley shirt and plain jeans, Klaus turned around.

His expression softened at the sight of her. Caroline let out a breath she's been holding and smiled uncertainly. A grin lit his face, unlike any other.

"Caroline." He said, fully facing her, brush facing down in his grasp. "You're here."

"I'm here." She confirmed, feeling silly and maybe a bit nervous.

She watched the original stride towards her, hesitant steps. Hands now free from any brush. "This isn't a hallucination, is it?"

She laughed. He reached to pinch the ends of her short curls between two stained fingers.

"I'm as real as it gets."

"Good." Klaus said. His arms were warm around her waist. He leaned in, cheek nuzzling into the side of her neck. "If I'm honest, I feel quite foolish at how glad I am to see you."

She smiled, hand coming to cup the back of his head. "I couldn't just pass up on the opportunity of having a personal tour guide, now could I?"

A laugh that she felt homesick for sounded against her skin. "No, I guess not." He said. She felt warm lips kiss her neck, then her jaw, then her ear. "You have no idea how much I missed you, love."

"Did you wait long?"

"Long enough."

Caroline laughed then. Klaus smirked.
As her hands wrapped around the original - as her fingertips brushed through his hair and clothes, she couldn't help but smile like an idiot. She finally, finally felt at home.
The person her hands held was the person she didn't want to let go of. Not again. By his grip, she figured he felt the same.

"You know," Klaus said, pulling away from her. "I was planning the trip to Paris every since you mentioned that you've never been." He said. Then grinned. "When shall we leave?"

Caroline rolled her eyes despite the grin on her face. "Hold it there, tiger," she said. "I still need time to settle in."

The grin that split on Klaus' face was ear-to-ear. "My room is always open for you, love."

"Ugh! Stop." She laughed and he kissed her and something about it was right. It was true. It was just how it was supposed to be. Her lips were warm against his. With him around, everything always felt okay for once; in its place. Not like a necessity, but more like a longtime craving that was finally met; a peace in heart, you could say.

Even in the hectic times. Even in the uncertain days. He always felt like the right choice, despite everyone telling her otherwise.

But looking into his eyes now, Caroline really couldn't understand it, couldn't see it; how could love ever feel wrong? No one could tell her what was wrong or right -not anymore- only her heart had that privilege. And right now it was fully and utterly content in the arms of this man.

It's okay to feel something for him, she reminded herself, there's no guilt in listening to your heart.

As Klaus' lips molded heatedly with hers, something warm bloomed in her stomach and excitement buzzed through her veins. She welcomed his wandering hands and didn't resist his wordless invite to his bed. Even his skin smelled of spice and paint and she couldn't get enough of it - enough of him.

Interesting, she thought, how one call from him four years ago could change so much. Fate had an interesting way of settling things - not that Caroline could complain, really.
Watching his hand entwine with hers, she simply couldn't help but wonder about him showing her the world.

-

END