The Scars Not Seen: A Klaroline Fanfiction

Epilogue

New Orleans, Louisiana 2013

Caroline's eyes fluttered open, her mind still drowsy with sleep. She rolled over, planning on going right back into dreamland when she noticed her usual sleeping companion was not beside her. She reached over, her hand drifting across the now-cold silk sheets. He's been gone for a while then. Looking towards the window, she saw the afternoon sun as it filtered through the curtains, shining across the wedding band on her finger.

Caroline wasn't surprised at how long she must've slept in, considering yesterday's late night… activities. Still, she wished Klaus had woken her up when he did; she hated being alone in their bed. It reminded her too much of their painfully long separation. She knew for a fact that Klaus felt the same but, as she had learned in recent months, it took a lot more work that either of them had expected to control the supernatural population of New Orleans. Still, Caroline sighed lightly, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep without him by her side and the blonde vampire was quick to get up.

After making herself look presentable, she flitted downstairs, going straight to the kitchen for her daily blood bag. Though her husband constantly tried to wean her off the things, wanting her enjoy some fresher blood from the source, the younger vampire refused; her moral compass was still very much intact, thank you, and the thought of harming people like that, even if they were compelled and enjoyed it, bothered her too much. Klaus tried, she knew, for her. He tried his best not to return his ripper ways, to the killing and slaughter he had been so grievously accustomed to but old habits died hard. For nearly three years now though, he had not killed a single innocent. Still there was no way he was giving up fresh blood, Caroline knew that and she accepted it, just like she was accepted everything else about him. She had known from the get go that Klaus would not just be able to completely change, not after a thousand years.

To her, it was the fact that he still tried that mattered… the fact that he seemed to want to better himself for her. She had never even asked him to change, not since the days she was human, and still he did.

He knows me too well, knows that it would have hindered my happiness if he kept on killing people with so much ease.

Caroline took a long sip of her blood bag, brows creased as she remained deep in thought.

The last three years had gone surprisingly well from them all. After Esther's death, it seemed everyone could finally take a breath. The threat of the Original siblings' parents was gone and they could finally live as they all had always wanted to. Yes, there were still dangers out there for them; Katherine was still on the loose much to her disgust. For the most part, however, she knew they could live safely, without the fear of death hanging over their heads at every minute. This was especially true considering the fact that her friends had finally decided to put down their proverbial stakes after their combined efforts in Esther's ultimate demise. Klaus and his siblings no longer had anything to fear from them; the Mystic Falls gang wasn't going try anything, however futile it would have been.

The day that everything had worked for her was still one of the best in her life, though. After everything being so crappy for such a long time, it had truly been a relief to her.

Caroline opened the door warily, surprised at the fact that it had rung so early in the morning. She was cautious, her mind and body still going haywire after her near death experience with Esther. Only last night did Caroline believe that the Original Witch was going to kill her, that she had already killed Klaus, her Klaus. It had been, to say the least, one of the longest days she had ever had.

Sleeping had been difficult though. She had found herself trying to keep her eyes open all night in order to reassure herself that Klaus was still beside her. In return, he had held her close, his arms tight around her naked waist even as his breathing evened in sleep.