"Has it really been that long?" When Klaus Mikealson asked Caroline Forbes to come to New Orleans, he never expected that she would actually take him up on the offer.

As he took the blonde in, he realized everything that had changed with her and between the two of them. After all, it had been years, but there was one vivid memory that stood out to him the most.

Stefan had made an impromptu trip to New Orleans without letting Klaus now, but the hybrid wasn't that surprised, especially given their past. However, his shock went up massively as his life-long friend pulled out a velvet box that could have only meant one thing. "I love her. I know you did once too. Because of that, Klaus, I was wondering if it was okay that I ask her to marry me."

Klaus nodded, trying to keep the hurt he was feeling from breaking through on his facial features. He even had to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill over. He wanted to tell Stefan no, for both his own reasons and for the fact that he wouldn't be fair to Caroline, considering it was clear the green-eyed boy's feelings for Caroline couldn't even hold a candle for what he felt and always would feel for Elena. However, as he looked back at him and the hope that was on his face, he couldn't help but sigh. "Of course you can marry her. I wish nothing but happiness for the both of you."

Caroline's snapping voice that he came to appreciate so much brought him back to the present. "Klaus? Hello? Are you even listening? I'll ask you this one more time. Why did you invite me here?" There was something about the fact that he was actually talking to her that brought a smile to his face.

"I fancy you. Is that so hard to believe?" He couldn't stop smiling. There was just something about the blonde that brought out the best and happiest side of him.

"Yes." Caroline didn't know why, but she wanted to give him an honest answer. After all, her history with boyfriends wasn't the best. Damon compelled her, raped her and insulted her on countless occasions. Matt was just using her to get over Elena and possibly make her jealous. Tyler chose his revenge on Klaus over her when she needed him the most. As for Stefan, as much as she loved him, in a completely platonic sense, they were better off as friends. After he died, the more she thought about it, she realized that their relationship was just built off of humanity-less lust and they only stayed together because they were both two of the closest people in Elena's life and didn't know how to live without her.

To say Klaus was baffled by her response was an understatement. "Why? You're beautiful, strong, full of light. I enjoy you." He was speaking from the bottom of his heart, which was something he hadn't done in a long time. She must have noticed too because a small smile made its way to her lips and she looked down as her cheeks flushed pink for a moment.

Seeing how Klaus and Caroline were now, so much had changed between the two of them. They went from being enemies to friends to whatever you would call the friendly banter they had going on. Caroline went from being absolutely terrified of him to going to him whenever she needed him and whenever he needed her. She chuckled softly to herself, not knowing what she would be without him in her life. The sound of Klaus' voice made her look up.

The oldest Mikealson wasn't sure what came over him, but being there with Caroline caused him to voice all those feelings he had harbored all those years ago. "Admit the truth. Admit you want me." He looked back at Caroline and he wasn't sure if he made the right decision, considering her expression was unreadable. He had seen a lot of scary things in his years of living, but there was nothing scarier than not knowing what was going on in the blonde's head.

Running a hand through her hair, Caroline spun on her heel to face him. "Is this supposed to be easy?" She wasn't sure what to do. Coming back to New Orleans and seeing him had stirred up feelings she hadn't felt in years and now, he wanted her to add a confession to the mix? She hated her brain for flash-backing to the day in the woods when that thought entered her mind.

"Yes, yes!" Klaus exclaimed. He had tried so hard to keep his feelings in check, but he couldn't with her standing so close to him.

He closed his eyes for a moment, but the moment he opened them, Caroline had already vanished from his eyesight. He let out a scream of anger and punched the nearest wall in frustration.

Caroline Forbes knew that Rebekah Mikealson would be aware that she was in town, but she never expected that the fellow blonde would want to meet with her. So, here she was, faced with the girl she found equally beautiful and terrifying.

"Caroline, I want to be serious with you. I know you have a history with my brother and he had experienced his fair share of pain. With that being said, I really have no clue what he sees in you," Rebekah said and her eyes never left the blonde she was talking to the entire time.

Caroline knew how much the Mikealsons cared about each other, especially when it came to Rebekah and Klaus, but she was taken aback by the speech that she was just given. She understood Klaus and he understood her like they were two halves of the same coin. The day Caroline would hurt Klaus would be the day she would never forgive herself. Because of that, she turned back to the girl who shared so many features with the man she had just spoken to. Smirking, she replied to the last comment she made, "Maybe he sees a challenge."

Meanwhile, Klaus was hanging out in the French Quarter. After everything happened earlier, he just needed to get away from his thoughts for a while. He had driven her away, which was something he promised himself that he would never do if she ever came back to him. Someone grabbed his attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. He turned around, not really in the mood to talk to anyone, so he hoped that they would just get over with whatever they needed quickly. However, what they said to him was something that he never expected someone would ever ask him. "Who would you rather spend forever with: Rebekah or Caroline?"

The hybrid was a bit taken aback by the question at first. After all, there weren't a ton of people that knew of his history and the effect she has on him. He could only think of a few people that would be capable of exposing such a vulnerable part of his life: Marcel or his siblings. He figured that it would be best to figure that out later, considering he had a major question to think about. He loved Rebekah; she was his sister and they had spent thousands of years together. His thoughts kept on going back to Caroline. She was kind and she brought out the best parts of him, made him the person he wanted to be. Deep down, he realized that he had a few weaknesses, but one of them was the girl who happened to be Miss Mystic Falls. That was when he realized how much she meant to him and that was what he said. "Caroline is my weakness."

Klaus and Caroline had somehow found their way back to each other on a bench that wasn't too far away from the local pub. "Love, first of all, I just want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I guess I was just shocked that you came back here and all those old feelings got stirred up."

Caroline looked up at him in surprise. She wasn't sure when the last time it was when Klaus Mikealson apologized to someone. After staring at him for a while, she finally came up with the perfect reply and a way to show exactly what she felt. "Hey, it's okay. I would be lying if I said that seeing you hadn't affected me in some way. I've missed you, Klaus," she admitted, biting down on her bottom lip. Her lips parted slightly when she looked down and saw that he had intertwined their fingers together.

"Caroline, I've missed you too," he said, a smile on his lips. "You have no idea how much I've waited for you to come back to me. Because of that, I will make sure that no one will ever harm you. After all, the only person I care about more than you is Hope." This caused the blonde to smile and she was able to realize just how much she loved him.