Hey Guys! Sorry it's taken so long to get this final chapter up, but I've been sick and I work two jobs. It's kind of hard to get motivation to write when all I wanna do is rest.

This is a MONSTER of a chapter, like 8k words. But it is also the last :( Thanks to Sophie (justanotherfiveminutes) for taking one for the team and beta'ing!

I really appreciate all the reviews, follows, and favs on this story. I know loving Klaroline is hard with what canon has done to my beloved characters, but I will always love fanon for reigniting my KC fangirl passion.

There is some very very mature content in here. Just saying ;)

See you guys at the bottom!

Hands slightly trembling, Caroline gripped the arm rests of the plane seat as the pilot began his descent into Charles de Gaulle airport. She'd had a somewhat long flight to get used to the fact that she would be seeing Klaus after over a full year of not seeing his face. The whole five hours from Dubai to Paris really wasn't that long to be honest. The champagne in first class helped a whole lot.

She was calm, collected, and ready to hit the Parisian streets.

Not.

It was one thing to talk to him on the phone for hours on end, but face to face? The idea of it was terrifying.

Plus, it had been a couple of days since she'd showered and that was so gross. It figured she'd smell like an airplane the next time she saw that devilishly handsome hybrid.

Well that was a surprising thought, Caroline reflected as she nervously bit her lip and peered out the window.

Klaus had flown to Paris a few days earlier to arrange their visit and had assured her that she would be picked up the minute that her flight landed. She was actually kind of glad he hadn't offered to pick her up himself because she'd need the whole ride to the hotel or wherever he'd arranged for them to stay to psych herself up to seeing him again.

Because obviously the five hour flight from Dubai and the week leading up to it wasn't enough.

Sighing loudly, Caroline grimaced a little at the annoyed businessman sitting next to her who shot her a look. Apparently, she had be subconsciously sighing and jiggling her leg nervously for the past three hours. Something the business man was all too happy to let her know.

If she wasn't so nervous she might have flashed her fangs at him to scare him.

Before eventually compelling him to forget that, of course. A little fear never hurt anybody.

The plane landed and Caroline disembarked off the plane way too quickly for her taste.

Don't get her wrong, she was excited to finally get to see Paris, and Klaus too. But this was the first time in the past year that she had seen anybody she was familiar with, and it was Klaus of all people.

Oh God.

Could vampires throw up?

Caroline immediately made a beeline for the airport bathroom and for the nearest sink. Splashing some cool water on her face, she took a few deep breaths before peering at herself in the mirror.

She looked...different.

Happy.

Nervous.

Excited.

Smiling slightly at herself in the mirror, Caroline reached into her bag for her thermos for a few sips of blood. (TSA agents weren't on vervain, thank God).

She decided that once she got into the car, or whatever Klaus had arranged to have her picked up in that she would refresh her makeup. Most girls wouldn't attempt to put makeup on the car but Caroline had a lot of practice back in Mystic Falls with traveling to cheer competitions, dance recitals, and vampires had great steady hands.

And she was the former Miss Mystic Falls, hello.

Following the signs to the baggage claim, (Klaus had attempted to teach her French a little bit over the phone last Fall, but gave up before sending her a link to the Duolingo app), Caroline picked up her pace. She was starting to get excited.

She was IN PARIS.

PARIS, FRANCE.

She was going to see the FUCKING EIFFEL TOWER.

(With Klaus, but he didn't have to know how excited she was about that).

Spotting her suitcases (she stopped traveling light about halfway through her year in Australia), Caroline made a grab for them and tugged them off the conveyor belt as gracefully as she could.

Checking to make sure none of the bags were damaged, Caroline felt a heated gaze on the back of her neck. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and instantly her arms were covered with goose bumps.

It wasn't just any gaze that she felt.

This one was familiar, intense.

Breathtaking.

He was here.

Turning around slowly, Caroline clenched her fists tightly as she met the gaze of the one person she'd been thinking about for months (years if she was being honest).

Klaus.

He looked exactly the same as she remembered, if not more handsome. He was wearing his staple henley and black jeans (God, had his pants always made his ass look that good?). His hair was a little longer than it had been since she had last seen him in Mystic Falls, not that she was paying much attention to anything other than his surprisingly soothing voice after her switch flipped back on. His eyes were blue-green as ever, if not more piercing.

And he was looking at her like she was the sun.

She was breathless.

Her feet had apparently forgotten how to walk because next thing she knew, he was walking over to her with a slow smirk branding his face. He stopped in front of her and she was consumed with that wonderful woodsy, spicy scent that was all Klaus.

She had missed it so much.

"Hello, Caroline," he smiled at her and Caroline let out the breath she had been holding since she had first seen him (well, since she had boarded the plane to Paris if she was being honest). His smooth voice washed over her and Caroline's undead heart stuttered.

"Klaus," she breathes. Before she knew it, a huge smile was stretching across her face as she took in his features for the first time in what felt like forever. They stood there for a minute grinning at each other like idiots before someone bumped into her and muttered something angrily in French. Klaus made a motion to reach for the person and Caroline yanked his arm back, secretly reeling from the feeling of his strong arm in her hands.

"Let's not start with threats just yet, it's barely noon," Caroline teased and Klaus pursed his lips at her as he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I thought I was meeting you at the hotel, or whatever," Caroline began, lifting up the handle of one of her suitcases. She swatted Klaus' arm away as he tried to take the suitcase from him and he immediately grabbed the other suitcase behind her before she could reach for it.

"I decided to surprise you," he explained, pulling her suitcase after him as he began to walk towards the baggage claim's automatic exit doors. "I know how much you like surprises."

She hates surprises because you can't plan for them.

Except this one.

This one she doesn't mind at all.

He looked back at her over his shoulder and she mockingly glared at him. He sent her a dimpled smile and Caroline's breath caught.

"If I had known that, I would have put makeup on in the bathroom," Caroline muttered to herself.

"I think you look just as beautiful without it," Klaus quipped, turning his head back around and started navigating them through the crowd.

Caroline blushed, remembering that she had to watch what she said under her breath now that she was traveling with someone with supernatural hearing. She'd have to keep all of her thoughts about how fabulous his ass looked in those pants in her head. Because damn, had it always looked that good? Caroline wondered, her eyes following him as he continued to walk ahead of her. He looked back and shot her a bemused smile.

"As good as the day I turned, love," he winked.

Oh God. Did she say that out loud?

He shakes his head with a smile, and turns back around, confirming her suspicions. Her face flushed crimson as they continued to walk, but she couldn't seem to peel the stupid grin off her face.

"Oh, wait love," Klaus reaches and grabs her hand to keep her from walking into a crowd of people. Her heart constricts at the feel of his warm hand wrapped around hers and she swallows heavily. One quick look at him and she could tell he was equally affected if the nervous tick of his jaw was any indication.

"Don't want to lose you," he nervously purses his lips, Caroline's eye widening at the underlying meaning at his words. She squeezes his hand and smiles up at him.

"Where to first?"

"OH. MY. GOD."

"You like that?" Klaus smirked down at her. She nodded her head vigorously in agreement and bit her lip coquettishly.

"More please?"

He bit his lip to keep a dimpled grin from coming out and speared another piece of his chocolate filled crepe on his fork. She opened her mouth and took another bite of the chocolately goodness off his fork, moaning in satisfaction.

Was it possible for crepes to make your eyes roll back in pleasure? Because this one was giving her a borderline orgasmic experience.

She opened her eyes, smirking at the dark lustful glare he was bestowing on her. She made it a point to lick her lips slowly before smiling slyly.

"That was delicious," she remarked, reaching for her latte and taking a sip.

"Well, I did tell you I knew where the best crepes were in Paris," Klaus gloated, taking another bite of his food.

She watched him chew, totally not focusing on how tantalizing his raspberry lips were. And she totally missed his tongue dart out to lick at the bit of chocolate on the corner of his mouth.

Nope. She wasn't paying attention. At All.

"Mmm," She hummed contentedly, distracting herself with another bite of her own strawberry filled crepe.

"When was the last time you were here?" Caroline asked, leaning back in her chair.

"I think it was about five or six years ago," Klaus furrowed his brow as he tried to recall the time. "Elijah and I were in the middle of one of our tiffs so I took off for about a week and stayed here."

"By yourself?" she asked, him nodding in agreement.

"I mean, I get the appeal of Paris," Caroline started, gesturing around her in the little cafe they were sitting in. "But I feel like it'd be kind of lonely by yourself."

Klaus was quiet for a minute before taking a sip of his own coffee.

"It can be," he admitted quietly. "But, there is something about the lights at night that make you feel surrounded, comforted. It's the only place in the world where I could be alone and content."

They sat there in quiet contemplation. The rare insight to Klaus' thoughts and feelings was always welcome. Every little thing she learns about him makes her crave for more. She's learned a few things about him over the past year, the things that made him tick, what he sounds like when he blushes over the phone, the way his voice goes up in pitch when he gets excited, how low his voice gets when he threatens Kol for listening on their conversations. She knew more about his past, things he's seen and experienced.

She couldn't help but want to know more, desperately.

"Where to now?" she asked, wiping her mouth with her napkin. Klaus smirked and her and leant forward.

"How about we go to the hotel, love?"

She had to hand it to Klaus, he knew how to pick out his hotels.

He had managed to get them a great suite with separate bedrooms, but they still shared a bathroom. A fact that Klaus was all too keen to let her know. She huffed and stomped into her own bedroom, muttering something about shower schedules as he chuckled his way into his room.

To be honest, she was more worried about not being able to control herself if she accidentally stumbled into the bathroom while he was showering.

Not that she was planning on it.

Yet.

(Down, girl. It had been a while).

Walking to her bedroom window, Caroline pulled out her camera to snap a few pictures.

About a month after getting to Australia, Caroline had purchased a DSLR camera because her phone was just not cutting it anymore. She stood there quietly for a few minutes, snapping at the view and basking in the Parisian sun that was flitting through her window. She heard a soft knock at her door and Klaus stuck his head in.

She smiled at him softly before continuing to snap pictures. He walked in and gingerly sat on the bed, watching her in quiet contemplation.

"You've become quite the photographer," he remarked. She smiled to herself and snapped another picture before turning off her camera and put it down on the windowsill.

"I guess I'm starting to have a thing for capturing beauty," she shrugged, tossing herself on the bed, lying down next to where he was sitting. He laid back somewhat rigidly, uncomfortable with the relaxed atmosphere.

"I understand that," he whispers quietly. Her eyes snapped to his and she was lost in the mystery that was his eyes.

He looked back at her just as intensely, like he was searching for something. She held her breath, noticing just exactly how close his face and those wonderful lips she'd been dreaming about were.

But, it still wasn't the right time.

The next time she kissed Klaus, or did anything with him, she wanted to be in control. She's on this journey to find herself and she knew she wants to be ready for it.

She needed it to be the right time.

Klaus seemed to read her own mind and sat up with a sigh.

"Dinner?" he held out his hand hesitantly, as if waiting for her to roll her eyes and push it away.

She looked at him and smiled hesitantly before grasping his hand, waiting for him to pull her up.

"Lead the way."

Klaus knows a lot of things.

Well, duh, Caroline. He's over a thousand years old.

But he really knew a lot about art.

He walked her through the Louvre, pointing out famous paintings and sculptures. She can't help but smile at the rare sparkle in his eyes when he talks about his personal favorites and the little anecdotes about some of the famous artists he'd run across over the years.

This was when he was in his element.

Not killing people, or compelling them.

Not when he's the King of New Orleans, threatening people, or even sitting across from her at a dinner table eagerly waiting for her to take a bite of escargot.

Art was his "thing."

He had such a deep passion for capturing and creating beautiful things in life. He's drawn to the light and beauty that could come out of a piece of art even though he'd been driven by the darkness for so long. Caroline sometimes thought that was why she was so drawn to him. It wasn't the allure of darkness that drew her to him. It was the tiny bit of light that she saw in him. The same light that he seemed to show to just her.

Ever since turning it off, Caroline seemed to just get him more. She understood what it was like to be a monster, and to not to know who you are anymore. She knew what it was like to lose herself.

And she was scared to death that she was falling more and more each day for him.

"Love?" Klaus' voice broke into her thoughts.

Caroline blinked and looked up at him, his brow furrowed in concern.

"What? Sorry," she apologized hastily. He quirked an eyebrow at her but motioned his head towards the landscape they were currently standing in front of.

"What do you think of this?" he pointed at the painting. Caroline leaned forwards and peered at the landscape.

It was somewhat simple, a picture of a body of water with the sun with a harbor surrounding it. Two people were walking around in the harbor, paying no attention to a man in the sky with wings flying towards the sun.

"What painting is this?" Caroline asked, cocking her head to the side.

"It's a copy cat painting of Landscape with the Fall of Icarus," Klaus stated. "It was recently loaned to the Louvre after the artist ran out of places to put it. Or so I heard. Originally, the landscape was created by Pieter Bruegel. The story of Icarus is-"

"His father made him wings of wax but warned him not to fly close to the sun," Caroline interrupted. "He didn't listen so his wings melted and he fell and drowned."

Klaus nodded silently as Caroline shuffled closer to the painting.

It was more beautiful up close. She could see the precision in the lines, and the despair in Icarus' eyes as his wings melted, falling to certain death. Klaus was silent next to her, patiently waiting for her to move on, as she caught the familiar initials on the edge of the painting.

"Wait a minute," Caroline breathed out. "Did you do this one? Are you the painter?"

Klaus looked at her out of the corner of his eye anxiously and nodded. Her jaw dropped open in surprise and she let out a shocked laugh.

"Oh my God, seriously?" Caroline squealed. "I know someone who has a painting in the Louvre? How cool is that?"

"And the Hermitage, but who's counting?" Klaus shrugged nonchalantly, and she playfully hits his shoulder.

"I cannot believe you didn't tell me!"

"I'm not one to brag, sweetheart," Klaus looked down at his shirt and brushed a non-existent piece of dust off it. She gave him an incredulous look and rolled her eyes.

"Seriously?" she threw at him and he gave her a cheeky smile.

"Why this painting?" she gestured, picking up her camera to snap a picture of it.

He shrugged again and looked back at the painting, his ears tingeing slightly red at her exuberance.

"I understand his story," Klaus said, peering thoughtfully at the painting. "The curiosity about the sun, being drawn to the light. The fear that exposure to too much light will cause utter catastrophe. Fear that being too close to a good thing will cause ultimate downfall."

Caroline continues to look at the painting, feeling his gaze turn to her. She swallows at his quiet confession and takes a deep breath. She didn't have to read his mind to know exactly what he was thinking.

The story was somewhat a metaphor for their relationship, or whatever you could call them right now. Klaus was Icarus and Caroline was the sun. He was drawn to her almost as much as she was drawn to him. He was afraid to get too close for fear of drowning.

Drowning in her.

"How long ago did you paint this?" Caroline whispered.

"A year and a half ago," he confessed and Caroline's heart pounded. That would have been around the time that he made his "promise" to never come back to Mystic Falls.

"It's beautiful," she said in a quiet voice. She looked at him and he smiled tentatively before reaching out to wrap his fingers around hers.

"To the Mona Lisa?" he offered and Caroline smiled widely.

"Please tell me you have a story about that," she teased. He chuckled before tugging her away from his painting.

"Sweetheart, you can only imagine the things I saw with Leonardo."

"Whoa," Caroline breathed, looking out at the view from the top of the Eiffel Tower.

She had begged Klaus to do something more touristy for weeks and he had finally agreed. They'd been in Paris for about two months and he had shown her what he called "his Paris." They had been to a million of little cafes, shops, vineyards, and Caroline had spent way too much money. Of course Klaus had helped her foot the bill the entire time, but she still felt slightly guilty that he was paying for it all. But then again, she looked at her new Louis Vuitton bag and she figured she deserved it for being able to travel with the Original hybrid for the past couple of months.

Not that she was complaining.

"Stunning isn't it?" Klaus' voice was behind her. She nodded numbly, taking in the amazing view. Lights were surrounding them, lighting up the streets. The atmosphere felt, just so...magical.

She turned to look at Klaus and she noticed that he was watching her, not the view.

"You meant the view right?" she elbowed him lightly and he smirked, coming up close behind her to where she could feel his chest come into contact with her back.

"I didn't," he admitted.

Caroline turned to look at him.

He was close, too close.

Her body was pressed against his, the heat radiating off him on her back. His eyes were trained onto hers, the blue-green eyes sparkling with something she couldn't figure out. Klaus' scent washed over her and it took everything in her not to close her eyes and get lost in him.

Her eyes dropped down to those full lips of his that she had been dreaming about for weeks, so close to hers. She licked her bottom lip, not noticing the tightening of his jaw when her tongue darted out. She leaned her head in a little closer, him subconsciously scooting forward until she was all but tangled up in him.

His eyes flickered down to her lips, her eyes fluttering as they began to close as he leaned in and-

"Excuse me!"

A slightly tipsy tourist bumped into Klaus and he stumbled forward, accidentally pushing Caroline into the railing. The moment lost, Caroline snatched Klaus' arm as he turned to snap his fangs angrily at the oblivious tourist who was drunkenly crowing over the view to their group.

Caroline pulled Klaus away and took him further down the railing, far away from the tourist group. She scoffed to herself and shook her head. Of course something like that would happen right then.

"What is it?" he asked, propping his elbows up on the railing as he leaned forward. He looked out towards the view, his forehead wrinkled in concentration and was that frustration?

"Just- thinking," Caroline sighed, shaking her head. They really had the worst timing when it came to whatever it was between them.

Whether it was Stefan barging in on a heated moment, crazy Silas!hallucinations breaking at inopportune times, or a slightly drunk tourist stumbling into them, they were forever cockblocked by the world. The next time he tried to kiss her, a fire alarm would probably go off.

She smiled a little before giggling to herself, the visual too funny to ignore. Klaus's brow furrowed in confusion as he watched her giggles turn into a full on laughing fit.

"What's so funny?" he asked, trying to keep a smile from creeping across his face.

"It's not even funny," she giggled. "It's-"

She giggled a little bit more before clearing her throat as she noticed the other tourists starting to give her weird look.

Klaus looked at her bemusedly and she gave him a 1000 watt grin, which instantly lit up his features. Sucking in a low breath, she hesitantly moved closer towards him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and she made herself comfortable in his arms. He was quiet, but his heart was rapidly beating against her back. Caroline looked up at his content expression before deciding that it was her turn to finally confess something to him.

"I've always had this fantasy growing up," she began, Klaus moved his gaze down to watch her intently.

"I'd grow up, graduate from high school, and take a year off traveling the world. I'd stop in Paris on my way to London, just so that I could come up to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I'd be standing here looking at the view and this tall, handsome stranger would come and stand next to me," she continued, shyly tucking her hair behind her ear. "He would stand there next to me in silence, before looking at me like I was the only woman in the world. He'd lean in and give me the most mind-blowing kiss of my life."

She ducked her head, embarrassed. She didn't dare look up at Klaus, almost ashamed at the total soul-baring moment.

Now that was a fantasy she had never, ever thought she would admit to anybody but herself.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I just told you that," she muttered to herself, running a hand down her face. He still didn't say anything and she didn't have the heart to look at him and see the expression on his face. She backed away from the railing slowly, mentally kicking herself. She had almost made it behind him before his hand shot out and latched on to her wrist.

"I'm not a stranger, but what the hell?" Klaus shrugged minutely before tugging her forward and crashing his lips down to hers.

She melted into his embrace as his lips moved against hers, slow and languid. She pressed herself up against his body, reaching with her left hand to latch onto the curls on the back of his neck. He wound his arms around her waist, pulling her soft body closer to his. His soft lips pressed onto hers, tilting his head to the side as he swiped his tongue across the seam of her lips.

She sighed into the kiss, opening her mouth to let his tongue tangle with hers. Her hands moved from his neck to his chest as she clutched the collar of his henley as his tongue continued to explore her mouth, re-familiarizing himself with her. His stubble scratched her chin lightly, the light sting shooting through her entire body.

God, she had forgotten what it was like to kiss him. She lost herself in the feel of his hard chest against hers. Her head was fuzzy with the feel of his lips moving over her own, his tongue sweeping into her mouth.

She felt fireworks, heat, chills, and passion all at once and her head would probably have exploded if he kept kissing.

She never wanted him to stop. Like ever.

Eventually, he pulled back when the need for air (who needs air really when you're immortal?), was too great. Their breaths mingled nicely as he searched her eyes waiting for something. For her to slap him, kiss him, throw him off the tower, something.

What he got was a brilliant smile and a giggle as she pulled him down for another mind-blowing, passionate kiss.

"Fantasy fulfilled."

She couldn't sleep.

Ever since they got back from the Eiffel Tower, Caroline had been hopped up on adrenaline. She and Klaus had adopted the "don't ask, don't talk about it" approach ever since they got back down on the ground.

The truth was, she's scared.

She was scared because of how much he made her feel again.

When she left Mystic Falls, all of her emotions were messed up. She had spent nearly a year hung up on Stefan, thinking that what she felt for him was true, pure love. Now that she'd been away, she knew that wasn't the case. She loved him, but as nothing more than friend. Caroline hated the way she'd changed in those months, which is why she'd be forever grateful to Klaus for this past year.

Klaus.

The eternal thorn in her side.

Well, at least her feelings for him were.

She didn't know how to explain what she felt for him. He made her laugh again, he understood her, never pushed her to be something she wasn't. He challenged her in a way that she had never thought possible, and she liked to think that she did the same for him.

But was that love?

Who even knew what real, actual love was anymore?

Frustrated with her thoughts, Caroline threw back the sheets on her bed. Forfeiting sleep, she got up and tip-toed to the door separating her and Klaus' rooms. She turned the handle, relieved that she had left it unlocked before bed and opened it.

She could tell he was still awake, his eyes snapping to her form as she walked into the dark bedroom. Without saying a word, Klaus pulled back the sheets on his bed for her. She climbed in, reveling in the spicy scent of his that surrounded her in the sheets.

They didn't speak for a while. He rolled over to where he could face her in the dark and they laid there in silence. Unsurprisingly, her eyes adjusted quickly to the dark. Perks to being a vampire, she guessed. She gazed at Klaus' face as he peered back at her just as curiously. He looked more at peace just lying there. His face didn't seem anywhere near as tense, his eyes less stormy, and she didn't feel like he was carrying a thousand years of baggage around. He looked...normal.

"Can I ask you a question?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

He swallowed, almost anticipating the heavy question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Of course, love," he whispered. She sighed, unsure as to what his reaction would be.

"When did you realize that you were in love with me?"

Just like that, all of the air out of the room just seemed to evaporate. He drew in an uncharacteristically shaky breath and Caroline's cheeks flushed crimson.

Way to tip-toe around the subject, Care.

"Is there a particular reason why you need to know this at 3 am?" he asked, his throat tight with tension.

She was quiet before she shrugged in answer.

"I've spent the last year rebuilding my life, rebuilding myself. I had to learn to re-compartmentalize my emotions and try to distinguish every single feeling that I have inside me. I had to rediscover what joy felt like, anger, disappointment, s-sadness," She swallowed, suddenly overcome with images of her mother. She sighed, biting her lip as she tried to push down all of the awful memories of her mother's death.

"I still don't understand what actual love feels like. The kind where someone makes you the best version of yourself. Someone who loves you more than they love themselves, selfless love.

"I loved Tyler and Matt, but that was just typical high school love. You've been around for centuries, and you were capable of loving something-someone. You loved me in the way that I always wanted to be loved. Where I was the only girl in the room, where you sacrificed your own vendettas for me. You were selfless with me," she confesses in a whisper. "I used to be so scared of the way you acted around me because I knew I'd fall hard for you."

He didn't say anything in response, Caroline's cheeks blushing at his apparent rejection.

"Unless, you never loved me. Then this whole question and moment is so completely embarrassing," Caroline babbles, mortified.

Caroline burrowed herself more under the covers, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable. She bit her lip and felt her heart start to sink down to her stomach as he lay there in silence, the familiar sting of rejection starting to creep over her.

"Maybe I was wrong," Caroline bit out, cheeks flaming in embarrassment as she made a move to get out of the bed.

Klaus immediately latched onto her wrist and he yanked her forward into his arms. He didn't kiss her, but he pressed her to his chest almost desperately. She shivered as her soft body was flush against the hard planes of his chest, all too aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"It was the night I bit you in the doppelganger's living room," he murmured. Caroline's eyes widened in surprise but she didn't interrupt.

"I had spent the entire day wondering why I couldn't bear to see you lying there on the floor in pain. I had been so in tune with just killing the collateral damage for so long that the fact that I couldn't just let you die, baffled me," he admitted.

"Then you told me that you knew that I was-" he hesitated, taking a deep breath. "In love with you. That's when I knew it. That painful, heart stopping, miraculous feeling in my chest that I always had with you, was love."

Caroline took a shaky breath, remembering the hazy memory. She vaguely remembered trying to understand why he had bitten her. She was so angry with him that night, but so hurt too.

"I was angry about what happened to Kol, that I lashed out. I'll never forgive myself for making you suffer all day," his grip tightened on her, clearly reliving the painful moment in his mind. "I knew that if I had let you die, your death would have haunted me for years, just like my mother's."

She couldn't breathe.

"The way you would stand up to me, how you never let me off the look. Your smile whenever I made you laugh or when something made you happy, were everything," he trailed off.

"I would do anything to have you look at me like that every single day."

His confession stunned her and shattered her walls into a million pieces at once. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that someone would make an admission like that to her. Even when he made his promise to be her last love, it hadn't affected her as much as his admission of loving her.

"You really love me?" she whispered, stunned.

"I don't think I will ever stop," he admitted gruffly, the vulnerability settling in.

And then she was kissing him.

He matched her stroke for stroke, pressing her flush against his body. He devoured her mouth as she sighed into the kiss, wrapping her leg around his waist. He groaned into the kiss, pressing his hips against hers and heat flooded Caroline's core. Breaking the kiss, Klaus nipped her jaw as he dragged his tongue down her jawbone to place a hot kiss behind her ear. She shivered at the feeling before running her nails down his back, triumphant at the growl he let out.

He pulled back from her ears and rolled on top of her, thrusting his hips down against hers and Caroline could feel his stiff length grind against her hot center. She moaned, reaching down to take his glorious ass in her hands and squeezed it. She'd been waiting for months to do that.

Klaus' hands fluttered down to the hem of her night shirt and slipped under to feel her soft skin. At the touch of his hands on her bare skin, Caroline gasped as the space between her thighs grew hotter and wetter. Caroline panted as he began to palm her breasts and bit down on his shoulder when he tweaked her nipple. Her skin was burning, everywhere. If she thought kissing Klaus made her hazy, this made her lose her mind.

"I need to feel you," she panted, running her hands down the planes of his chest to the top of his sweatpants. He swatted her hands away and yanked her shirt off in response.

"Me first," he smirked at her incredulous expression.

He peppered her chest with hot kisses, moving down towards her breasts. He took a dusky pink nipple into his mouth between his teeth and Caroline whined in response. She clutched his head to her chest, her fingers tangled into his curls. His hand massaged the other breast before he switched, nipping at the skin between them. She threw her head back and shamelessly tried to grind her hips against his length. He chuckled before lowering himself down her torso. Her eyes widened as he situated himself between her thighs.

Carefully pulling off her shorts and soaked underwear, a far cry from the last time he ripped them off in the forest, Klaus began placing wet, open mouthed kisses on her inner thigh.

"I've been thinking about this for ages," he admitted, his eyes trained on her wet core. Caroline swallowed heavily at his confession, instantly growing wetter at his low tone. He ran his tongue up her slit lightly, and Caroline groaned as he teased her clit, his fingers circling her wet opening.

"Stop teasing," Caroline huffed as he swiped his tongue over her opening without going in. He chuckled against her core, the vibrations sending shockwaves through her body. He nipped at her clit as he thrust two fingers into her wet heat. Caroline moaned, moving her hips to meet his fingers. She grabbed his hair and all but ground her core against his lips as his fingers picked up the pace. The telltale coil of her orgasm beginning to form low in her belly as her walls clamped down on his fingers.

"I'm so close," she gasped and Klaus thrust another finger in, sucking harshly on her clit. She panted wildly, feeling herself lose control. He gave her one last flat lick on her clit and she tipped over the edge. She whimpered Klaus' name as he continued to thrust his fingers gently into her to help her through the aftershocks of her orgasm.

She lay there for a minute with her eyes shut, completely sated. Klaus hummed against her belly, kissing his way back up her torso. She peeked out of one eye and saw the smug grin across his face. Giggling as he lightly rubbed his stubble against her collarbone, Klaus nipped at her jawbone with his human teeth. She felt him still hard against her thigh and she ground her hips up towards his.

His breath caught in his throat and she pulled his lips up to her, nibbling at them. He growled into her mouth as she reached into the top of his sweatpants to take him into her hand. Pumping him in her hand slowly, she broke the kiss to flip him onto his back. She grinned at him victoriously as he stared at her in wonderment. Caroline quickly rid him of his sweatpants before straddling him, positioning herself on top of his cock.

"Wait," he grunted. She stopped her motions immediately and looked at him in confusion.

"What's wrong?" she asks asked. Didn't he want this?

"Are you sure?" he asked, sitting up. In rare Klaus fashion, he cupped her cheek with his hand and swiped his thumb across it. She felt a small smile grow on her face at the affectionate gesture and she leant in to kiss him gently. Pulling back, Caroline pressed her forehead against his before meeting his gaze. He was looking at her like he couldn't quite believe that she was there with him; like he was almost afraid to blink in case she'd be gone if he did.

"I want this more than anything," she admitted, wrapping her fingers around the curls on the back of his head. He smiled, a real genuine smile before he positioned her over his length and she sank down. They both gasped as he filled her completely.

It had been so long and he felt way too good.

He thrust up slowly, Caroline pulled his face forward to lean her forehead up against his again. She needed to be close to him.

The first time they had done this, it had been hard and fast, up against a tree. The rest of the afternoon was spent rolling around on the ground, trying to get enough of each other to make the memory last.

That was nothing compared to the intimacy they shared right now.

She rolled her hips, groaning as he hit the sweet spot inside her. His thrusts were uncharacteristically slow, like he was trying to prolong the intimacy of the moment. Crashing her lips onto his, she shoved her hips down faster to quicken the pace. He gripped her hips roughly, pulling her down faster as she rode his length. Still feeling the aftershocks of her first orgasm, it didn't take long for the second one to build. Klaus gasped into her mouth as she nipped at his bottom lip, him reaching between them to touch the bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs.

Feeling her begin to clench around him, Klaus flipped them and began to pound into her. Caroline let out a high pitched whine at the change of position, frantically rolling her hips to meet his. Their bodies moved faster, rougher as both of them continued to chase their high. She pulled him flush up against her and he bit her shoulder roughly.

"Come with me," she gasped and he lost all restraint as he tipped over the edge, Caroline quickly following him into orgasmic bliss.

He continued to pump into her as they both rode out their orgasms, kissing her forehead as she panted into his chest. He rolled off her, both of them slightly wincing at the loss of contact and pulled her to where she was cuddled up to his chest.

"That was-"

"Amazing," he finished. She giggled before placing a kiss on his chest.

"So what now?" she asked, pulling her head back to look at his gaze. His face was contemplative as he ran his hand gently down her smooth back.

"Now, we go to sleep. Wake up. Make love. Eat breakfast. Make love in the shower. Get dressed. Go for a walk. Make love in a national monument. Eat lunch-" he ticked things off his fingers, Caroline laughed into his chest, pressing herself as close as she could against his chest.

"Is this what eternity will be like with you?" she teased.

"Well I am trying to make a good case for it," he joked back. His tone was light hearted, but she could hear the slight apprehension in his tone.

"Well," she shrugged nonchalantly. Her heart was frantically pounding, breaking her cool facade.

This might be the dumbest thing she'd ever done.

Or the best thing that would ever happen to her.

"I'm game," she breathed out, her voice cracking at the end.

His eyes snapped down to hers in surprise. She could see the shock and anxiety in his gaze, and was that hope?

Right then and there, Caroline knew that she was falling in love with him.

Real love.

Fast.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice thick. Placing her soft hand on his stubbled cheek, she leant in to kiss him softly.

"Completely." His answering smile blinded her and suddenly he's kissing her, sleep the furthest thing from his mind.

"I love you," he whispered, so quietly that she almost thought she had hallucinated it. She kissed him in response, her breath caught in her throat.

Before losing herself in him again, Caroline's last thought was that she could really get used to feeling like this for the rest of eternity.

"Sweetheart, this is something tourists do," Klaus complains. She rolls her eyes before tugging him over to the chain fence.

"Well, I am a tourist so it's perfectly fine for us to do it," she shrugs, searching her purse for the little lock she had bought earlier that day.

"I own a vineyard a few hours from here. I am not a tourist," he responds, looking around utterly bored.

"First of all, I am a tourist. Second of all, you own a vineyard and this is the first time I'm hearing about it?" Caroline places her hands on her hips and glares at him.

His answering smirk causes her to roll her eyes and she yanks him towards the fence. They were standing by Pont des Arts, a pedestrian bridge where lovers from all over the world come to put a lock on the chain fence with their names on it and throw the key into the Seine River.

It was their last day in Paris, both of them ready to move on to the next adventure. The next day they were heading to Italy, Rome to be exact. Caroline was planning on holding onto the key so that she could throw it into the Trevi Fountain, leaving a little bit of them in both countries.

They planned on staying in Rome for a while. Klaus had convinced Caroline to take a few classes there; particularly some art classes since she had a somewhat renewed interest in school again after being in Paris and visiting all the historical monuments and museums.

Caroline takes a sparkly glitter glue pen from her bag and painstakingly put the initials "N.M. + C.F." on the lock, adding a little heart at the bottom for good measure. She hears Klaus snort behind her and she turns to glare at him. He tries to look annoyed, but his eyes betray him as they shine.

Blowing gently on the lock to dry the glue, Caroline waves it back and forth to speed up the process. Klaus leans in and kisses her temple, a rare form of PDA. She flushes a little, still not used to the affectionate gestures from him.

She freaking loves them.

Satisfied with the glue, Caroline carefully places the lock on the fence. She snaps it shut and tugs gently on it to make sure it will stay, Klaus kissing the back of her head once more.

"There," she says. "A little piece of us will stay here forever."

She turns to look at Klaus and his smile knocks the breath out of her.

His eyes are shining like the sun, and his dimples are in full bloom. He's looking at her in wonderment, like she's the ocean with a sunset and he's desperate to capture it. He looks happy.

And it hits her.

She loves him.

Oh, God she loves him so much.

She just so happy, and he makes her feel that way. When she's with him, she feels beautiful, confident, and sexy. He pushes her to see the world in a different light, to learn to love the fact that she's got forever to live. He accepts her for who she is and he loves her for it. She loves that she makes him want to be a better person, that she can make him smile again, laugh. She loves how much he fiercely protects her, how he loves her more than she can imagine.

They bring out the best in each other, as a team.

Forever.

He saved her from the council, from Alaric, her prom dress.

He saved her when she was drowning in her grief over her mother. He saved her from ruining her life with her emotions off. He saved her from being stuck in the same small town she'd been in for years.

That's what he's always does.

He saves her.

"Love, is anything wrong?" Klaus asks, blinking at her confusedly.

She shakes her head a little, her epiphany rocking her to the core. Her eyes have grown wet with tears. She's always heard about the kind of love that Elena used to describe with Stefan, or the kind of love that happened in movies. The part where you love someone so damn much that it literally makes you want to cry because they make you so happy.

That is exactly how she feels now.

She is terrified, in the absolute best way.

But if she doesn't tell him how she feels now, she's going to burst.

"I love you," Caroline whispers.

He sucks in a low breath, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. If she wasn't so absolutely terrified, she probably would have laughed at the image. Klaus sways on the spot, almost like her confession has nearly knocked him off his feet. He gapes at her, dumbfounded. Caroline meets his shocked expression evenly, hoping her eyes convey what her mouth can't seem to say.

"A-are you sure?" Klaus asks when he is finally able to muster up some courage to say something.

She chuckles a little, a little tear running out of her eye. He immediately wipes it with his thumb and she leans into his hand.

"Positive," she beams at him. His answering smile is the sun and she leans in to kiss him, him deepening the kiss immediately.

"Thank you," she whispers, breaking away from the kiss.

"For what?" he asks, his eyes still closed. She leans forward, bringing her forehead to his, PDA patrol be damned.

"Saving me."

"Always," he grins, pressing their lips together again. She melts into his kiss, lost in his arms.

Their eternity was getting off to a good start.

She couldn't wait to see where they ended up next, as long as it was together.

Forever.

And that's all she wrote, folks!

So tell me, was it too fluffy? Did you like it? Was the smut okay (Cuz I'm sooo out of my usual comfort zone there)? Please review and tell me what you thought!

I hope it was worth the wait :)

I will see you guys in my next story!

Until Next Time

Kaitlyn