It has been months, and I'm sorry, but the loss of Bill Dailey got me back into this realm of story writing.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! IT MEANS SO MUCH!

Please remember to review at the end! :)

Laying her down on the bed, he sat next to her. She was beautiful, inside and out. She saved his life and the others today by simply blinking the bomb to be a toy. Brushing his hand over her face, he sighed. He was falling in love with the genie he found on the beach, and he'd be damned if anything was going to take her from him or even cause her pain.

Moving to stand, he heard words that stilled his being.

"I love him…"

Klaus lifted the glass to his lips and sipped the brown liquid within. Her words echoed in his mind like they were spoken at that moment. She loved him.

He couldn't have imagined it. He grunted as he lowered the glass. No, he couldn't have imagined it.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. On the other hand, yes, he could. It wasn't too far a leap to determine that she loved him. Every little thing she did for him told him that she loved him.

Every gesture to make his life easier. Every laugh or smile. It was all for him.

He frowned and downed the rest of the liquid. He didn't ask for it. Of course, he didn't have to. A smile touched his face as he thought of her.

She loved him and he was falling for her.

But she was a genie. A woman cursed to serve.

He frowned once more. No woman should have to serve anyone no matter who they were. He thought of his sister. He would kill the man who tried to enslave his sister. Of course, knowing Rebekah, she would kill him before Klaus could.

Could the curse on Caroline be broken?

She had seemed to close up when he asked her. She wasn't supposed to tell him. What wasn't she supposed to tell him?

Glancing at his laptop, he stood up and turned it on. Surely, there would be something that could give him answers.

Typing in the search engine what he was looking for, he sighed as different websites came up. "Wonderful…" He groaned and clicked on a few.

None of the websites seemed to be knowledgeable on the genie myths. None seemed to be remotely helpful. He rubbed his hand over his face and clicked on one final site.

The Magic of the Genies

He nodded as he scrolled over the web page.

Genies, contrary to popular belief, are given powers through the order of the Blue Djinn. He is the most powerful of all genies and possesses the power to create and destroy genies at his will.

Klaus sat back. What in the world?

Though many serve him, it is believed that he would one day succumb to a lesser genie and his power stripped from him. This fear causes him to force them to servitude or force the ones who have said power to marry him.

"Caroline…" Klaus frowned, shaking his head. He couldn't believe this. Caroline had said that she had a choice between servitude and marriage, and he knew, somehow, that there was more to it than that, but this…

If a Genie wishes to escape the life of bondage to the Blue Djinn, then love is what will break the bondage.

Klaus' eyes widened. "Love?" He paused, reading over the sentence again and again. "You've got to be kidding."

His eyes lifted to the ceiling and the conversations between him and Caroline came to a head. In order for her to be free of her commitment to the Blue Djinn, she had to find love.

He sighed. This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Sure, he cared for her, but love…?

His eyes closed. What would happen if he did love her? Would she lose her powers?

His eyes opened, gradually and continued to read through the site.

Though the powers of the Genie are hers to keep, she may choose to let them go.

Let them go? Somehow, in that short time, Klaus could not see Caroline without her powers. They were a part of her. They were what made her…Caroline.

He smiled as he shook his head. He wouldn't let her know what he had discovered. That was a fact. Closing the browser and shutting down the computer, he closed the lid and groaned. Now, what was he going to do?

~XXX~

Caroline's eyes fluttered open the next morning and she stretched with memories of the previous night flashing through her mind. She froze. She almost told him. With a jerk, she sat up and covered her mouth with her hands.

She almost placed him in danger. She would have to watch it. If he found out the whole truth about her magic the Djinn would find her and…

She shuddered when she thought of the end result.

She cared for him too much to allow anything to happen to him.

He had stopped her last night, refusing to allow her to get in trouble for him. A tender smile touched her face as she thought of him protecting her.

She might have been attempting to protect him from the Blue Djinn, but he was doing the same, unknowingly.

She couldn't tell him. That was for certain, but he could find out.

Her mind ran over the facts. That mini magic box or laptop could hold the power of knowledge about her race. If Klaus were to somehow search for answers and find them…would it be the same as her telling him?

He was not ready to meet the Blue Djinn, and truthfully, neither was she.

She loved her master. She truly did. There was nothing she wouldn't do for him. She would even fight for him or even surrender herself to keep him from harm.

She could and she would if it would protect him.

It would kill her inside, but he would be safe.

She shook her head at the thought. They were not there yet. She still had time.

She hoped.

Dressing with a blink, she left her room and walked down the stairs to find him in the kitchen. "Klaus?"

He smiled as he turned his head. "Morning, love."

She blushed at the words and moved to his side. Her hair, she had pulled into a ponytail and her shorts and oversized shirt complimented her casual look. "I could have fixed breakfast."

He nodded. "I know, but last night was very…" He trailed off, clearing his throat. "I thought you deserved to be waited on for a change."

She bit back the emotion. Why did he have to do this? But then she knew why. He cared for her. How deep, she wasn't sure, but he did.

"Sit down, I'll bring it to you."

"Klaus," She began, holding up her hands. "The least I can do is set the table." She argued, turning to blink the settings on the table.

He chuckled and watched her light up at the simple gesture. "Perfect, love." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

She giggled and moved to the table where he set a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of her and him. The orange juice was already there, thanks to her magic, and they settled down to eat.

He paused after a few bites and glanced at her. She noticed his stare and lifted her eyes to his. "What is it, Master?"

He swallowed his bite and leaned back. "I've done some thinking, Caroline."

"Oh?" She stuttered, lowering her fork to her plate. "About what?"

He sighed and lowered his eyes for a brief moment. "About what you started to tell me last night."

She opened her mouth to speak, her heart still in her chest. Fear flashed in her eyes, but his hand lifted to stop her words.

"I know you are not supposed to tell me, but…" He paused, leaning forward to place his arms on the table. "I figured out enough to know that you could lose your powers if you sever ties with your Genie world." He continued, his face giving away nothing.

She sat frozen in her seat. He had figured it out. What was she to do? As much as she loved him, she wasn't sure if she could give up her powers for him. They were a part of her, not to mention that she needed them to protect him.

He swallowed and slowly reached to grasp her hand with his. Lifting his eyes to hers, he continued speaking. "I would not ask you to do that, Caroline." He paused, watching her carefully. "If I had found this out after you first got here, I would have been all for you losing your powers." He confessed and she smiled, faintly, knowing he was right. "But now…now I realize they are a part of who you are. If there is a chance for you to keep your powers and break free of the Djinn's control or whatever, I want you to do it."

She swallowed and bowed her head a fraction. "Are you sure, Master?"

He smiled and rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. "As sure as I'm sitting here."

She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but something held her back. Isn't this what she wanted? "You won't force me to give up my magic?" Her voice was shaky.

He smiled and stood up, bringing her with him. "Caroline, your magic, though unusual, is what makes you…you." He explained, pulling her closer. "I wouldn't trade it for anything."

She smiled and gave a soft laugh before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Oh, Master…"

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her body, holding her close. "We just have a few kinks to work out."

She nodded with a laugh. "I promise to not let you regret it."

He stiffened and pulled back to look into her eyes with affection. "There is nothing to regret, Caroline." He revealed, searching her eyes. In his mind, he realized that he was right. There was nothing to regret. He would not regret her being in his life. As annoying as her magic was at times, he knew she was trying. He could not ask for more than that. Not to mention that her magic was what made her special.

He couldn't ask or want her to let it go. After all, love meant accepting everything about the person, not just the parts he wanted.

Her eyes sparkled with joy at his words and he couldn't resist. With a small amount of passion, he crushed his lips to hers and moaned when she melted into his embrace, allowing him to show his acceptance.

They were so caught up in each other, with their hands moving over their bodies with ease and familiarity, they didn't hear the doorbell or even the door opening.

Stefan turned his head and cleared his throat.

Klaus pulled back with a low growl from his throat and glared at his best friend.

"Sorry," Stefan apologized with a shrug. "But there is a case and the Captain wants us downtown in thirty. He tried to call, but apparently, your phone was off the hook."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Of course, I always take it off the hook." He stated, sarcastically.

Stefan smiled, knowing that the Captain didn't call Klaus. "Anyway, I'll be waiting outside."

"Good morning, Stefan."

Stefan bowed his head with a bright smile. "Good morning, Caroline."

She smiled but refused to let go of Klaus. As Stefan left the house, she turned her attention back to Klaus. "Your Captain didn't call, did he?"

He shook his head. "No, he doesn't like to call me, because he says that I'm always snarking an attitude with him."

She tilted her head to the side, curiously. "You give him an attitude?"

He chuckled, brushing his hand over her face. "I'm honest with him. He doesn't like it, not to mention that I'm British and he hates Britain. Claims too many foreigners come over and take jobs from Americans."

She opened her mouth and slowly nodded. "Oh, I see."

He smirked, showing off his dimples. "I'll explain it later tonight when I get home."

She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him quickly. "Be careful."

He winked at her and separated from her before heading towards the door, stopping only to grab his sidearm and badge. He turned back and caught her eyes.

She smiled and lifted her hand to kiss it and blew it in his direction.

He chuckled and bowed his head before heading out. When the door closed behind him, Caroline sagged.

The truth hit her hard. He knew. He discovered the truth about her or at least some of it, and still, he didn't care. He didn't want her to change.

With that, she smiled.

Perhaps he did love her.

After all, what's love got to do with a genie, except give her freedom.

And freedom was what she wanted more than anything.

~XXX~

Her bottle was opened. He felt it. He growled in the darkness and was tempted to go to her, but he couldn't.

She was freed from servitude to her master and still, she stayed. He sneered as he replayed the events in which he had witnessed in his isolation.

She was in love with this man…this human.

Did the man love her? He shook his head. The man couldn't. He would see to that, but he couldn't interfere.

At least not directly.

He smiled, darkly, as he thought of the perfect plan. Turning in the darkness, he called to the one who could and would take the young Genie's master from her and destroy any hope of severing her ties with him and the Genie world.

He was not letting Caroline go.

Please be kind!

As I stated above, the loss of Bill Dailey aka Roger Healey from "I Dream of Jeannie" got me to revisit this story. I have missed writing it, but I couldn't find my inspiration.

Yesterday, if you've read "La Fleur et la Bete", was my birthday, and I couldn't think of a better gift that day or for the rest of the week than to work on updates since I have a week off between papers.

Next Chapter: Nothing Will Take My Master From Me

Until Next Time...