What Happens In Mystic Falls
Author's Note: Never thought I'd end up writing Vampire Diaries anything, but here it is. Mixed with Supernatural of course, because that's all I seem capable of writing these days. This was supposed to be longer, but I don't have the patience for it.
Spoilers/Timeline: For Supernatural, this takes place shortly after 7.03 "The Girl Next Door" with specific spoilers from 4.13 "After School Special". For the Vampire Diaries, this contains general spoilers up to 3.08 "Ordinary People". For the purposes of this fic, everything in the Vampire Diaries took place in the early to mid-nineties.
x X X x
Mystic Falls, Virginia
Sam and Dean were two towns away from a wendigo when they ran out of gas. Well, 'ran out' wasn't entirely accurate. They had enough to get to the camping ground nearest the wendigo, but one misread sign would mean they wouldn't be able to get back. And of course, the farther into the forest they went, the less likely they were going to be able to get the good stuff. Dean's baby was not going to drink any of that watered down crap environmentalists seemed to think was the way to go.
The town was called Mystic Falls. Sam and Dean probably wouldn't have noticed if not for the fact that the town's name was plastered on every single building, and at the gas station, every single pump. Figuring they might as well eat something while they were taking a break, they went to the town's main street and found a little restaurant called the Mystic Grill. They were waiting for their food to arrive when they heard someone call out, "Dean Winchester? Is that you?"
Dean looked up to see the last face he ever would have expected. Or rather, the last face he'd ever expected to see completely unchanged. Because standing before him with the exact same smile on her face she'd had back in high school was Amanda Heckerling. Dean rose to his feet to greet this new threat, and Sam followed a second later. "What the hell are you?" he asked.
She just smiled at him and said, "I'm a vampire." As though it was no big deal. And judging from the nearby patrons' curious but unafraid looks, they seemed to think it was. "Don't worry, I'm not going to suck your blood. I get it exclusively from the blood bank."
"You're a vampire?" said Dean, wondering how long it would take him to get to the Impala to find a machete.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it when we were dating, but I didn't really think you'd be able to handle it."
"Dude, you dated a vampire," said Sam, unable to help himself.
Amanda's head swivelled as she took in Sam. "Oh my gosh! Sam? You got so tall!"
"And you didn't grow a millimetre," said Sam.
"Yeah," said Amanda. "It's one of the side-effects."
"Okay," said Dean. "You're a vampire. And you're telling me this, why?"
"This is where I grew up," said Amanda. "I'm safe here."
"Safe?" said Sam.
"Well it wasn't always that way, but some of my friends started campaigning for equal rights and the Founders Council took it to a vote and so here we are."
"Okay," said Dean, again. "I'm going to need a drink."
"Let me," said Amanda, and she swept over to the bar.
Dean and Sam sat down and a waitress arrived with their food. "So I'm thinking, angels," said Dean. "This is just another weird fake-reality."
"And why would they turn your ex-girlfriend into a vampire?" asked Sam.
"I don't know," said Dean. "But I'm thinking that makes a lot more sense than whatever this is."
"Here you go," said Amanda, setting a couple of beer bottles down in front of Sam and Dean. She had one too, despite the fact that she didn't look a day over seventeen. She sat down with them. "So I guess this is kind of a lot to take in. We don't often have to explain it to other people."
"We know that feeling," said Sam.
Dean nudged him.
"What?" asked Sam. "We do."
"So what brings you to Mystic Falls?" asked Amanda.
"Stopped for gas," said Dean.
"Did you know it looks like you've got a wendigo not far from here?"
"A wendigo?" said Amanda, staring at them like they were crazy.
"You know," said Sam. "A human who ate another human and turned into an immortal spirit with a taste for human flesh."
"Is this because I told you I was a vampire?" said Amanda. "Because I don't appreciate being made fun of."
"You'd think a supernatural creature would keep track of the others in her backyard," said Dean.
"There's a list," said Amanda. "Of all the vampires, werewolves, hybrids, ghosts and witches in this town. I've never heard of a wendigo."
Sam and Dean suddenly looked around the Grill, wondering exactly how many of the people in here weren't actually people at all. "So this town is full of people who aren't people and everyone's okay with that? Why haven't we ever heard of this place before?"
"It took a while before people were really okay with it," said Amanda. "There are still always people protesting outside the vampire blood bank. But what happens in Mystic Falls stays in Mystic Falls. You can't tell anyone about anything that happens here unless you're actually here. The second you get outside, you can think it, but you can't say it."
"That's just plain creepy," said Dean.
"It was the only way we could get it work," said Amanda. "Can you imagine what would happen if it got out that there were all these vampires and werewolves here?"
"Uh, yeah," said Dean. "Because we're hunters."
"Oh," said Amanda. "That's why you were only at school for like a month."
"It doesn't bother you that we kill vampires?" said Sam.
"Well I know you're not going to do it here," said Amanda. "And neither of you have done a thing since I told you."
"Because I'm still not sure this is real," said Dean.
"You don't seem like you're hurting anyone," said Sam.
"You know what?" said Amanda. "Let's take this back to my house. I'll tell you my story and you can tell me yours."
"No offence, Amanda" said Dean. "But we'd rather do this someplace neutral."
"Guess we're staying here, then," said Amanda. "I guess I should start by saying that my name's not really Amanda. It's Caroline Forbes. My family was one of the ones they say founded this town, but before them it was vampires, and before them it was werewolves. I guess you could call the Founders hunters, because one of the first things they did in this town was kill all of the vampires. Anyway, two years before I met you, I was turned accidentally after I got into a car accident."
Dean breathed a subconscious sigh of relief as he realised that Caroline wasn't centuries older than him, but was instead only a couple of years older. It was also kind of reassuring that she hadn't specifically set out to become a vampire.
"How do you get turned accidentally?" asked Sam.
"I was going to die," said Caroline. "So one of our friends, Damon, gave me some of his blood to drink so that I would recover from my injuries. But the vampire who turned him decided to kill me, so I came back as a vampire. Anyway, I graduated from high school with my friends, then realised it wasn't long before people were going to realise I wasn't getting any older. So I left."
"And went back to high school?" said Dean.
"My senior year was hell," said Caroline. "I wanted to do it over again the way I'd wanted to since freshman year."
"So when you wanted me to meet your parents," said Dean. "They were actually your parents?"
"Well," said Caroline. "It was my dad and his boyfriend. Actually, my dad's probably the only reason why you never figured out that I was a vampire. He taught me how to control the urges. When I get hungry, it's just like if I was human. My fangs don't come out."
"And sunlight?" asked Sam.
Caroline showed them the ring on her finger. "Bonnie spelled it. But you're right, I don't really need it."
"Who is Bonnie?" asked Sam.
"One of my best friends," said Caroline. "She's a witch."
"Of course she is," said Dean.
"If you're going to be rude to my friends," said Caroline. "You might as well leave town now."
"Sorry," said Dean, but Sam could tell he didn't really mean it.
"When did you come back here?" asked Sam.
"Not long after I graduated the second time," said Caroline. "Bonnie had permission to use the spell, so she did. I haven't left much, since. It's a lot easier being myself." She finished the last of her beer. "So how did you two get into hunting?"
"A demon killed our mom when I was a baby," said Sam. "First it was payback and now it's just saving the world."
"That sounds ominous," said Caroline.
"There are these things called Leviathans," said Dean. "They eat people, they shapeshift and they can't be killed."
Caroline frowned. "I thought you said you were after a wendigo."
"We kill a lot of things on the way," said Sam. "Uh, you said the Founders were hunters? Did they write things down? Do you think we could look at it, see if they knew anything?"
"Most of those things are in the supernatural history museum," said Caroline. "But since you are currently talking to the curator, I think I can let you take a peek."
"Thanks," said Sam. "I guess we'll come back after we've taken care of the wendigo."
"We've already spent too much time here," said Dean.
"I totally understand," said Caroline. "I'll give you my number. We can talk later." She looked specifically at Dean.
"Yeah," said Dean, reaching for his phone. They needed to talk.
x x x
Two days later, and two wendigos down, Sam and Dean returned to Mystic Falls. Sam was in geek heaven, checking out the museum. They'd set it up in one of the old houses that the older vampires swore was exactly the way it was in the nineteenth century, except for all the supernatural stuff in plain sight instead of hidden.
Sam was looking at the Founders' family trees on the wall. "Hey Dean, check this out."
Dean walked over. "Campbells, huh?"
"I wonder if we're related to them," said Sam.
Caroline picked up the conversation. "There haven't been Campbells in Mystic Falls for almost a hundred years," she said. "And they weren't strictly one of the founding families, as the rest had already moved in. One of the Fells called them in because of the vampires and the Campbells taught the Founders what they knew. Most of the family picked up and left once the vampires were under control. They left behind a son, but his line died out two generations later."
"Do you have any of the Campbell journals?" asked Sam. "I think that would be the best place to start."
"Just the one," said Caroline, going to unlock the appropriate case. "They took most of their things with them when they left."
While Sam immersed himself in the journal of a distant relative, Dean and Caroline had a moment to talk privately.
"The last time we met you cheated on me with some slut because you didn't want to meet my parents."
"Yeah," said Dean. "Sorry about that."
"I'm over it," said Caroline. "And I'm sorry, too. I should have realised there was something else going on."
"You were right about what you said back then. About me," said Dean. "I shouldn't have treated you like crap because I was insecure about myself."
"I get it. I'm the queen of insecurity. It must have been tough," said Caroline. "Not letting people know who you really were."
"It must have been just as tough for you."
"Not that year," said Caroline. "That year, I was who I was. I knew what I wanted, and I always got it."
Dean smiled softly at her. "I don't think I deserved you," said Dean. "You were so smart and I never noticed."
"I was the older woman and you never noticed."
Dean smirked.
"You've aged really well," she said. "I bet if we were still together I'd be totally insecure about my own wrinkles."
"You're beautiful, Caroline," said Dean. "You'd always be beautiful." He leaned in and kissed her.
They broke it off shortly after that. "That was weird," said Caroline, amusement sparkling in her eyes.
"Too weird," said Dean. "Friends?"
"Just try to get rid of me, Dean Winchester."
x X X x
A/N: Well, that's that. P.S. there was nothing in the Campbell journal.