Epilogue: Young and Beautiful

"You should let, Rebekah go," Caroline told Klaus gently as they went back to the road leading back to the small town. It was as if a major relief had been lifted from them. Mikael was dead. They were safe. No one was going to chase them again and for that Caroline was grateful.

She saw that Klaus stiffen and she put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Klaus, I know you're angry, but try to forgive her. She made a mistake and she was wrong. Her being daggered and you not letting go is not going to help anymore."

Klaus didn't say anything, but she saw the muscles in his jaw relax. "Forgive Klaus, if not for her, then for yourself. You both suffered so much, but now Mikael is dead. Think of this as a new beginning."

"I hurt Rebekah, didn't I?" Klaus asked slowly. "That's why she's so angry at me. That's why she did it, didn't she out of desperation?"

Caroline didn't say much, but she squeezed Klaus' shoulder. "Let us make a fresh, new start. Wont we?"

Klaus nodded as he nuzzled his lips against her forehead. "We will."

"Klaus." Klaus and Caroline turned around and saw Elijah staring at them. His face was pale and he looked out of breath. "I went away and I lost sight of you. I thought the worst. I thought- "

"Mikael was here." Caroline said as she put a hand against Elijah's chest to reassure him. "He was here in Mystic Falls and he attacked us, while we went searching for the white oak stake."

Elijah's face went paler. "Did he, were you- "

Klaus put a hand on Elijah's shoulder. "All is well, brother." A slight smile crossed Klaus' face. "Mikael is dead. I killed him." Elijah looked at him in disbelief. "You killed him, you killed Mikael how is that possible?"

Caroline and Klaus exchanged gazes. "He tried to kill Caroline right in front of me. I snapped, I managed to take the white oak stake and placed it against his miserable, cold heart. He won't bother us ever again, Elijah. We're free."

Elijah smiled and Caroline saw as the color returned to his cheeks. He hugged Klaus tightly and kissed Caroline on the cheek. "We're safe and we're free after a lifetime. What do we do from here?"

Klaus smiled. "Well, I suppose we should wake up our dear sister and give her the good news shouldn't we?"

Elijah nodded. "Yes, we should. And after?"

Klaus looked at Caroline. "After that I believe that each of us, should make our own lives. Our own choices. You're free brother, you and Rebekah. You can do as your please, you can stay. Or you can go. This is your choice, for I have made mine."

Elijah, Klaus, and Caroline headed to where Klaus had stored the coffins for each of his siblings. Klaus brought forward Rebekah's coffin and opened it. There laid Rebekah's cold gray body. He removed the knife and then he feed her some blood from a small blood bag. Rebekah's eyes flew open as the color returned to her cheeks. She looked hurt as she sat up in her coffin as she looked at her older brother. "You daggered me!"

"You send our father after us, almost resulting in our deaths, Rebekah and Caroline as well."

Rebekah didn't say anything for a moment. "Fair enough, Truce?"

"Truce."

Caroline shook her head. "That's it? You two are unbelievable, first you two have a shouting match and almost kill each other and then you act like nothing happened. Where is the sense is that?"

Elijah shook his head, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Don't bother understanding, Caroline. Believe me I've tried and failed for years. Father is dead, Rebekah."

Rebekah's eyes widened. "Father is dead, for real? What in bloody hell happened?" Klaus and Caroline told Rebekah what had happened and that he was now dead for real. "I still can't believe it, all that time running away and now we can just actually live." She looked up at Klaus and Elijah. "What happens now, Nik?"

Klaus squeezed Caroline's hand. "Now we're free."

"I can't believe you are getting married in a stupid courthouse," Rebekah said as she smoothed down Caroline's plain, white dress the following day. "You and Nik's wedding day should be glamorous and full of expensive things. I thought you had your heart set out on a big, fancy southern belle wedding."

Caroline laughed as she fixed the flowers in her hair. "That was decades ago, Bekah. Things change. Besides these are the twenties and no one has fancy weddings anymore. Klaus barely asked me last night. We wanted to be married before we left Mystic Falls."

Rebekah frowned. "Still, you might as well have shown a little resistance or at the very least picked a nicer venue."

"Bekah."

"Sorry, but as you're almost sister in law I'm telling you don't let Klaus win every time."

"Believe me, I won't." Caroline fiddled with her dress. "How do I look?"

Rebekah kissed her cheek. "You look perfect and I do hope that you're happy, Caroline. Very happy." She opened the doors which led them to a small office where the Justice of Peace was. Elijah and Klaus were already waiting. Caroline couldn't help but think that Klaus looked hot in his suit.

"Welcome," the justice of peace said. "We are gathered here today to join two people in holy matrimony. Have you prepared your vows?"

They nodded. Klaus cleared his throat. "Caroline, love. You have been such an important part of my life. The time that we were apart, felt like a piece of me was missing. You are a beautiful, courage's woman and I'm lucky that you're mine. I swear that I will do everything in my power to make you happy and give you the life you deserve."

"Klaus," Caroline whispered. "We both been through tough situations, but we always seem to end up back together. You are the man that I love, even if we don't always agree. I promise to be faithful to you and love you for the rest of my eternity."

"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the justice of peace said. "You may now kiss the bride."

Caroline and Klaus exchanged smiles as they kissed. Klaus slipped a simple, gold ring on her finger. He hadn't had time to shop for a proper one. "Always and forever, my wife."

Caroline touched the gold wedding band. "Always and forever, my husband."

"Where do you want to go?" Klaus and Caroline as they stood in the middle of the train station. The wedding band glowed on her finger and he gave himself a mental reminded to buy her a much bigger and expensive one when they reached their destination.

After the brief wedding they had said their goodbyes to Elijah and Rebekah. Despite their always and forever promise they agreed that some time apart might be good for them. Elijah had headed to England and Rebekah to Chicago to see Stefan.

"Back to Chicago?" Klaus raised an eyebrow. "Rebekah, won't be happy but I suppose it would be easy to avoid her. Besides Chicago is your home."

Caroline shook her head. "No, I don't think I want to go back to Chicago." She clutched Klaus' jacket lightly while leaning on him. "I was thinking perhaps we could go to New Orleans, your father is gone and perhaps it would be nice to go to our own home. I'm sure it's not the same as when we left it."

Klaus looked at Caroline in amazement. "You want to go back home? Do you really, love?"

Caroline nodded. "Of course I do. It was once my home too. It makes sense that I would return one day. Back home to the French Quarter."

Klaus kissed her softly. "The French Quarter. That is where you and I will make our home, Caroline and we will never be apart."

Caroline raised her head slightly. "Do you swear it?"

Klaus nodded. "I swear it."

The End

So we reached the end of Young and Beautiful, thank you very much to everyone who read, reviewed, and favored. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.