"She's gone," the brunette named Elena told him with a shrug of her shoulders, "Haven't you read the papers?" she asked her eyes averting to the left instead of facing him directly.

Klaus beat his fingers on the kitchen table at the end of his rope with her to annoy him deliberately, "Where has she gone?" he asked tersely giving her one last chance.

Elena looked up once tucking her hair behind her ear, "I cannot say," she told him with a look that said she wouldn't reveal to him what he'd come for.

He stalked to her setting aside the pudding mixture setting a hard look across his features, "I have little patience," he warned her making her gasp.

He leaned closer his voice a low murmur so only she could hear, "And the fact that you helped her leave both saves you and makes me want to snap your neck, now speak."

Elena dropped the wooden spoon she had been using, probably plotting to smack him with it given the opportunity as she realized who he was her eyes widening as she exhaled.

She leaned in looking left and right making sure no one else was around before she whispered, "She's trying to get to the bay -she's trying to get back."

She bopped her head asking him to understand where as he shook his head his eyes suppliant, "Back? Back to where?" he beseeched her.

"To you Sir," she replied lifting her spoon off of the ground as she began mixing once more waiting for the understanding to set in on his part.

"You're her friend Elena," he asked curiously having herd of her before in small antidotes Caroline would let slip as she mused out loud.

Elena smiled a first true smile as she worked, "I am," she responded, "Caroline is trying to get back to you," she informed him.

"She's been gone close to a month," she told him offering him a pastry with a frown that matched his own at the information she had shared with him.

"Fantastic," he muttered, slipping a few coins into her hand, "Thank you," Elena nodded once before she stepped away towards the oven.

"I hope your travels are safe and once more reunite you both," she told him as he made his leave of her and her kitchen Klaus smiled once hoping her words came true.

"This man," Enzo, one of her most trusted contacts asked, "Why did you leave him?" with a quirked brow that had Caroline smiling despite the serious question.

She groans when he doesn't relent his eyes telling her just so until she flat out gave up, "Be-Because I was afraid," she confesses Enzo's eyes going dark.

He doesn't in fact know that Caroline didn't go willingly but was taken by force and endured a great deal of ridicule before she made it to where she was.

Instead she went with another answer, one that had been plaguing her since she started to feel things for the man with his name imprinted on her heart.

She quickly reassures him, knowing Enzo is a protector at heart, "Not of him, of the life I had been born into I was expected to honor and breed."

Some of the tension in her back releases, "I let myself believe that who I was born to be was more important than loving him," she admitted.

Her eyes blinked as she finally said it out loud, why she was oddly at peace in the first few days at home before finding out Lockwood was married.

Before figuring out her father had concocted a ruse that kept her and Klaus in place, they were like chess pieces, she thought.

Enzo seemed to catch that she was in her own mind smiling as he pulled her from it, "Why go back now? He might not be waiting for you," he said truthfully.

Caroline smiled in return ready with the answer, "I already know what it feels like for a man to not wait," she told him Enzo agreed with a shrug.

She went on, "But Kl-he's different. He'll wait," she said knowing she sounded completely ridiculous almost like a naïve maid gushing to her friend.

"It looks as if he will by the glimmer of your eyes," Enzo told her pinching her cheek making her swat him like the brother she never had.

"If I see him again," she says making a face as Enzo laughs agreeing with her as he runs in the other direction with Caroline right on his tail for doing so.

"Have you seen a blonde woman about this height?" Klaus inquired further describing Caroline to a man behind the bar as he settled in at the last place he could think of.

The entire day he walked into one of the lesser known tracks outside the city on foot making his way around trying very hard not to be noticed.

"I see a lot of women going through here with men on their arms," said the barkeep already uninterested as he served Klaus a drink.

Klaus nods once his lips forming a duck pout as he looks at his drink then back up at the man, "This one was alone," he said sitting up leaning over the bar, "Think hard," he said waving a coin in his face.

Suddenly the man's eyes went alight his teeth showing from the mile that encased his face, "Must have been here about two weeks ago, he said his eyes greedily eyeing the coin.

Klaus made another coin appear tempting him, "Inquired about a certain ship," the man said dramatically as Klaus bit back a dark chuckle, "A certain captain."

Klaus pursed his lips, "Anything else?" he asked as he set one coin down at the edge of the bar far from the man's grasp as he sipped his drink.

The man cleared his throat uncomfortably, "I told her what I knew and she vanished the next day," Klaus tossed the coin at him and was gone before the man caught it.

A FEW DAYS LATER

She fumed from her edge of the table, "You can't do that," Caroline shouted as he took more than they had previously agreed of the items she had collected.

"Oh but I can," Damon said after he finished stuffing his bag with candle sticks and the few broaches she had collected over value, "Unless you have another way you'd like to pay me?"

"Get off," Caroline said shoving him away, "Tomorrow," she warned him like a hellion, "I'll come back and you'll regret this," she told him.

"I can hardly wait," the man muttered leering at her Caroline huffed but kept her mouth shut trying to avoid both attention and more problems as she scurried back to her lodging for the night.

Klaus arrived quickly, more quickly than many thought possible to the last place on Earth he might find her he arrived early in the morning taking up residence by the bay.

His hope was to spot even a glimpse of her, working alone came easy to him, it was almost as good as the first days when he was a mere junior.

No one recognized him as he heard talk but nothing of use only chatter of a young one making a name of themselves on the exporting trade.

Klaus thought that when this was over he might take up the idea of forming a partnership while in the area so he tucked it into the back of his mind for another day.

He shopped the quiet streets for more trinkets and the like for his sister and a few things for Elijah who should soon be returning with his wife.

After perusing a few book stores for his brother Kol he disappeared into the quiet inn he had rented for the evening and quite possibly a long as it took to learn news of Caroline.

As soon as he was alone he undressed and washed quickly his body weary as he grew sleepy his eyes shutting as he fell against the pillow.

He dreamed of soft blonde curls and smiles that danced along the sunlight, he dreamt of fights that lead to lovemaking and how that might lead to smaller versions of them.

The next morning he woke to the soft humming of a woman in the room next to him, his forehead creased as the voice felt more and more familiar.

Caroline, he asked himself as he got off of the bed not bothering with his shirt as he bolted from his room retraining himself from pounding on her door as he knocked.

He heard her singing stop some rummaging around and he vaguely pictured her nude as he heard her dress herself and reach for the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, Klaus felt himself grin his body rushing with emotion, his heart pounding in his ears at the elation.

It was her, the thought registered as he knocked again this time more softly, shutting his eyes in quiet thanks his mouth parting and closing unable to work.

"Caroline, Love," he said his voice low hearing her unlock the door and swing it open with the same smile that destroyed him the last morning he saw her.

She took a deep breath feeling as if she was flying, falling, "It is you?" she practically exclaimed tugging on his hand giddy with joy as she dragged him inside.

Caroline kissed him quickly, "I nearly thought I was dreaming," she said as he shut the door with his foot her body hugging him closer to her body her face buried in his chest.

Her body was warm as his hands found themselves on her waist, her robe the only barrier between them as he held her to him

Smelling her scent the feeling of her solid and happy against him like he often dreamed himself," I could be dreaming myself," he murmured in agreement.

"Klaus, I found you, this mustn't be a dream," she said leaning up to kiss him, "Kissing you doesn't feel this way when we sleep," she said kissing him again and again, "My lips spark."

"My body ignites," she told him as her hands ran down his bare chest, "Lights up as you look at me, don't stop," she asked as she wrapped her arms loosely at his neck.

Klaus held her eyes to his as his hands deftly worked at the knot of her robe undoing it revealing the patch of skin from her sternum to her pelvis.

His hand felt at her neck dancing down the valley her breasts tickling slightly as he watched her reactions his other hand moving to her hip holding her under her robe.

She bit her lip her eyes hooded as she felt him reacquainting himself with her skin, Klaus nearly felt himself fall apart as his hands touched the soft hair between her legs.

"I missed you," he whispered against her lips before he kissed her lips devouring all thought as he felt, as he saw stars behind his eyes felt her moan against him.