Title: The Bigger Monster
Author: pkdisrupter
Summary: "The Sheriff said she needed us alive." "And I needed my mom unharmed. We don't always get what we want, do we?" Sheriff Forbes is kidnapped.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything TVD.
Rating: M
A/N: The timeline here doesn't really fit the series, so we'll just call this AU.
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Flashing blue and red lights and yellow crime scene tape greeted Caroline when she returned home from the library. Parking her car haphazardly she run to the driveway.
"What happened?" she asked the deputy who stepped forward to stop her. Searching frantically for a familiar face, scared when she couldn't find the one she was looking for. "Mom! Where's my mom?"
"Caroline..." Deputy Addison tried to calm the young woman down. "We're not sure yet what happened, but we're doing everything we can to find the Sheriff... your mother."
Her mother's patrol car was on their driveway, its door open, and was that...? Caroline's eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze to the reddish smear just next to the patrol car. Taking a surreptitious sniff, Caroline had to suppress a gag. Blood.
Making a visible effort to calm herself down, Caroline nodded once. "So, what do you know?"
"It appears Sheriff Forbes came home for something..."
"Lunch." Swallowing a little, Caroline explained, "I was at the library, doing research for my history paper but we were supposed to have lunch together today, 'cause mom worked through all the dinners this week..."
"Did anyone know of your plans?"
"I don't think so. But, it's not like it was a secret or anything, so maybe she mentioned it to someone? I don't know."
"All right." Deputy Addison nodded, jotting down a few notes. "We got a call from Mrs. Matthews from down the road. Now, she's not positive of what she saw, her eyesight's apparently not the best, but she thinks there were two men here with the Sheriff. She saw a dark car drive away shortly afterwards, and we have a partial plate number. We're checking that right now. Would you happen to have any idea who those men might be?"
"We weren't supposed to meet anyone else for lunch." Caroline shook her head slowly. "What did the guys look like?"
"According to Mrs. Matthews, average height, average build, dark hair, and they wore suits." Addison's tone told her exactly how helpful that description was. Then again, Mrs. Matthews was seventy-eight years old and not in the best of health, so the fact that they had gotten even that much info from her was definitely better than nothing.
"Sorry, I've no idea who they could be." Caroline shrugged, feeling helpless.
Nodding, Addison gave her a small, tight smile. "That's okay. We're going to find them, and the Sheriff."
Caroline was her mother's daughter, and she knew the deputy shouldn't make promises he might not be able to keep, but she appreciated the words anyway.
"Is there someone I could call to be with you, or some place where you could stay until..." Addison asked.
"Yeah." Caroline gave him a quick nod. "I can stay at my friend's place."
"Good. Deputy O'Donnell here will escort you to the house so you can pack the things you might need for a few days." Addison motioned towards the tall brunette waiting nearby.
...
Caroline quickly packed an overnight bag while O'Donnell waited, and then hurried back to her car. She knew the Sheriff's Department would do everything they could to find her mom, but if anything supernatural was involved, they'd be in over their heads. But even if this had nothing to do with things that went bump in the night, she couldn't just sit tight and wait, she had to do something. Fishing out her phone as she started the car, Caroline called the first person she thought might be able to help.
Unfortunately, all she got was a recorded message telling her that the number could not be reached. Groaning in frustration, Caroline remembered that Bonnie had gone to the lake house with Jeremy for a romantic weekend getaway. Trying Jeremy's phone next, she got the same recording. Obviously they had both turned off their phones so they wouldn't be disturbed.
Great. Now what? Bonnie was the only witch she knew, the only one who could do a locator spell to find her mother. She could drive to the lake house, of course, but that could possibly waste precious time, time her mom might not have. Staring blindly through her windshield, Caroline tried to think of who to call next. Realizing she actually had very few options, she called Stefan. He and Damon were bound to know some witches, right?
...
Stefan met her at the boarding house's entrance. Caroline could hear Damon speaking on the phone in the living room.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, concerned.
"I'm not losing it, if that's what you're worried about." Caroline didn't think mentioning the moment she saw the blood outside her house was a good idea, because there had definitely been a moment she'd almost revealed her true face to Deputy Addison. "So, any luck, yet?"
"We're working on it."
Following Stefan to the living room, she took the drink he handed to her. Gulping down the shot of whiskey, Caroline listened in on Damon's call.
"... well, do you have any idea where she might be?"
"For all I know she could be dead, already. The old bat had to be closer to hundred the last time I saw her, and that was good twenty years ago."
"Great. Thanks for nothing." Damon finished the call with his usual finesse. Fixing his blue eyes on Caroline, he threw the phone on the couch. "What the hell happened, Blondie?"
"I told Stefan everything I know when I called."
"Which wasn't much," Damon snarked.
"Which is why I called you when I couldn't reach Bonnie," Caroline replied, trying to keep her temper in check. This was not the time to engage in not-so-witty repartee with Damon. "You two are like a gazillion years old, you must know other witches besides Bonnie."
Before Damon had a chance to antagonize Caroline any further, Stefan intervened. "You're right, we've known a few witches in our time, but we haven't really had much use for them lately, mainly because of Bonnie. And, the ones we used to know, well it's been a while and we haven't exactly kept in touch."
"Yeah, 'cause witches and vampires don't ordinarily mix," Damon added, pouring himself a drink. "One or the other usually ends up dead."
Caroline glanced at Stefan, who shrugged in agreement. "That, and witches can be a bit... finicky."
"Finicky?" Caroline arched her brow in question.
"Yeah, they think they're above us dirty vamps, so getting one to do you a favour usually takes some... persuasion," Damon explained with a grin.
Closing her eyes briefly, Caroline took a deep, calming breath. "So, do you or do you not know a witch you can get a hold of, and who'd actually be willing to help us find my mom?"
"Well, Lucinda would probably help us out if we could find her," Stefan replied.
"Is she the one Damon was talking about on the phone just now? The one you're not even sure is still alive?"
"Yes." At Caroline's look, Stefan motioned for her to let him finish. "You know witches have ways to prolong their lives, so she could very well still be alive."
"If you can find her," Caroline reminded him.
"Right." Stefan sighed.
"Aren't there any other witches you could try?" Caroline looked from one brother to the other.
"Yeah, I think there are a few we know of who are definitely still alive," Damon said setting his now empty glass down. "They'll just need a little work to volunteer their help."
At Caroline's defeated look, Stefan came next to her and gave her arm a comforting squeeze. "We'll find her, with or without a witch. Or, we could just go fetch Bonnie."
"Don't you think I already considered that?" Caroline asked, frustrated. "It takes time to get to the cabin, and I thought if there was another witch we could find somewhere close by..."
"Hey, we've only just started," Stefan said calmly. "Why don't you take your stuff upstairs, and we'll make some more calls, okay?"
Shrugging, Caroline went to get her bag from the car. She was grateful for Stefan and Damon's help but it seemed the only way forward was to just take the time and go get Bonnie.
Or, was it?
Sure, the Salvatores were older than her, but then, everyone was older than her. But didn't she know someone who was truly ancient?
Her mind already made up, Caroline turned on her heel and returned to the car.
...
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"What is this infernal ruckus..." Rebekah muttered to herself as someone apparently tried to bring down their front door.
Wrenching the door open, she was rather surprised to find Caroline Forbes on the other side of it. "Oh, it's you."
Ignoring Rebekah's snide tone, Caroline asked, "Is Klaus here?"
Turning her back to the other girl, Rebekah walked back in and hollered, "Nik, your concubine's here!"
Rolling her eyes at the Original's attitude, Caroline followed her in, muttering to herself. "So not the time, Rebekah."
Of course, their freaky vampire hearing ensured the other blonde heard her, just as Caroline had intended to. But before Rebekah had time to engage in another round of insults, Klaus appeared at the top of the staircase.
"Caroline. What a lovely surprise." Then, getting a better look at her face, Klaus flashed downstairs. "What's wrong?"
Looking into his eyes, Caroline could swear he actually appeared to be concerned. Of course, it didn't really matter to her as long as he was willing to help her. But it did add proof to her growing theory that he just might genuinely care for her, exactly as he claimed he did.
"I need your help."
Klaus steered her to his study while Caroline explained what had happened, and what she needed from him.
"Of course I'll help, love." As he spoke, Klaus was already scrolling through his contacts on the phone. Finding the name he was looking for, he made the call.
"Cassandra, dear. It's Klaus."
"Klaus." The voice on the other end of the call didn't exactly sound thrilled. "What do you want?"
"Now, is that any way to greet an old friend, Cassandra?" Klaus admonished lightly.
"We're not friends, Klaus. What do you want?"
Not deterred in the slightest, Klaus actually smiled at the witch's attitude. The smile, however, didn't disguise the underlying threat in his voice any. "I always did enjoy your moxie, but let's not be rude, love. And, all I want is a simple locator spell."
"That's all?" Cassandra's voice sounded distinctly suspicious.
"For now." Klaus smiled again. "So, get to Mystic Falls as soon as..."
"Klaus," Cassandra interrupted him. "I live in Santa Barbara now, it'll take a little time to arrange for a flight and to actually get there."
"Santa Barbara?"
Was that an almost growl Caroline heard in his voice? It was obvious the whereabouts of his witch were an unwelcome surprise to Klaus.
"Yes, but if a locator spell is truly all you require, my daughter still lives close to Mystic Falls. She could be there in an hour."
"Little Natalie?" Klaus frowned trying to remember the girl. "Is she competent?"
"For performing a simple locator spell? Yes. If you need something more complicated, then you'll either have to wait for me, or better yet, find someone else."
This time Klaus definitely did growl. "Just make sure she's here in one hour, not a second later. I trust I need not remind you what will happen if you fail me, Cassandra?"
"She'll be there," the witch bit out through her clenched teeth before ending the call.
Normally Caroline didn't particularly appreciate the methods Klaus used to get what he wanted, but right now she was glad he was on her side. Maybe she was being a hypocrite but with her mother's life in danger, Caroline didn't really care.
...
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"... of course I don't mind answering the door, it's not like I have anything better to do with my time..." Rebekah muttered loud enough to ensure her brother would hear her displeasure.
Throwing the door open dramatically, she revealed the two waiting Salvatore brothers. "And my day just keeps getting better and better."
"And it's good to see you, too, sunshine," Damon said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Ignoring his brother, Stefan addressed Rebekah, "We're looking for Caroline, is she here?"
Rolling her eyes hard enough for it to actually hurt a little, Rebekah turned her back on them and hollered, "Nik, your pet's keepers are here!"
"See, I told you she'd be here," Damon said, satisfied to be proven right.
Sauntering inside, Damon turned to meet Klaus and Caroline who arrived to the lobby from the study.
"What are you guys doing here?" Caroline asked a little bewildered.
"What are we...?" Stefan almost sputtered. "Caroline, you left without a word."
Widening her blue eyes in sudden realization, Caroline let out a little 'oh' sound. "Stefan, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think... I only thought Klaus might be able to help and I just took off."
Shaking his head a little, Stefan was simply glad that she was all right. "Care, it's okay, I understand." He gave her a reassuring smile.
"Well, I don't," Damon exclaimed. "I told you we were handling it, there was no need to run straight to the enemy."
"Damon!" Caroline gave a quick apologetic glance towards Klaus. "Klaus is not the enemy." At Damon's incredulous look, she rolled her eyes at him and shrugged. "Well, he's not. Not with this, anyway."
Klaus' almost triumphant smile dimmed a notch at her qualifier but he didn't lose it altogether. Small steps, he reminded himself.
"Now that we've got that settled, why don't we..."
Klaus was interrupted by a timid knock on the mansion's front door.
Biting his tongue to keep from muttering a few choice words, Klaus opened the door to reveal a delicate looking young brunette.
"Natalie?" He made an educated guess. At the woman's timid nod, Klaus motioned for her to step in. "So glad you could get here at such short notice."
As if she'd actually had any choice in the matter.
"My mother said that you needed to find someone, or something?" Natalie wanted to get this over and done with as soon as possible.
"Yes. My mother, she's been kidnapped." Caroline stepped forward.
Natalie's face softened at once. The blonde looked to be about Natalie's age, perhaps a few years younger, and just the thought of something happening to her own mother made Natalie feel for the young woman. Of course, this particular young woman kept company with Klaus so there was probably more to her than met the eye, but she did appear genuinely distraught.
Klaus led the party to his study, and Natalie got to work. It didn't take her very long to locate Liz Forbes.
While Caroline thanked the young witch profusely for her help, Klaus studied the maps Natalie had been using. It would take them about an hour and a half to get to where Sheriff Forbes was being kept.
He took a brief moment to glance up at Natalie. "Yes, thank you. I trust you'll have a safe trip back home."
Natalie gladly took that as her invitation to leave. Caroline walked her to the door, and thanked her once more.
As Caroline returned back to the study, Rebekah had joined the rest of the party there.
"Why wouldn't I be going?" Rebekah challenged Damon, arching her brow.
"Just never realized you were so fond of the Sheriff, sunshine." Damon smirked at her.
Shrugging nonchalantly, Rebekah twisted a strand of her golden hair around her finger. "I'm bored, and there's a decent chance of bloodshed, so I'm in."
"Since we don't know who we're up against, a little extra help won't hurt, as long as we all remember that the priority of this mission is to get Sheriff Forbes out of there unharmed." Stefan wasn't really looking forward to playing referee between Rebekah and his brother, but he also acknowledged the advantages in having another Original on their side, just in case.
...
After a brief squabble over who would ride with whom...
"I'm not going to watch Nik make googly eyes at you for an hour and a half!"
"Forget it! Too much sunshine's bad for my complexion. Why can't she ride with evil dead number one? After all, they are related."
"There are more than just these two cars we could use..."
"Well, I'm certainly not going to drive by myself!"
"We're wasting time. Just pick a car, and let's go!"
"I'm going to dagger everybody who won't shut up get in a car - any car - right now."
Caroline felt a little bad for abandoning Stefan as she and Klaus drove off, but really, it was better than risk leaving Rebekah and Damon by themselves, that would've definitely been a bloodbath waiting to happen.
...
It was late afternoon when they reached their destination. The address Natalie had pinpointed for them turned out to be a small, derelict warehouse at the edge of town. Parking the cars a little further up the street, the little group carefully made their way closer.
Sniffing the air furtively, Klaus knew they were definitely at the right place. For Caroline's sake, he hoped they weren't too late.
As if to answer him, they could all hear the sound of a fist hitting its target, and a painful grunt right after.
"Mom," Caroline breathed, at the same time afraid at what had to be happening inside, but also grateful that her mother was still obviously alive. Moving at inhuman speed, she was stopped by Stefan not a second later.
"What the hell are you doing? Let go of me!" she hissed, struggling to free herself from his grip.
"Care, stop it. I know you're worried about your mother, but we don't know who they are, so let's be smart about this," Stefan quietly reasoned with her.
Realizing that her friend was right, Caroline took a deep, calming breath and fought to regain her control.
"Well, we can be pretty sure they're not vampires or werewolves, because they definitely would've heard your ruckus if they were," Rebekah said, sounding bored.
Damon was loath to agree with her, but knew she was probably right. "Pretty sure they're not witches, either, since the locator spell worked."
Rebekah was a little disappointed that they were apparently just up against a couple of everyday humans, but then, blood was blood. Or, maybe they would turn out to be hunters or something, just to make things a little more interesting... She'd really been looking forward to some excitement.
...
Liz Forbes concentrated on trying to breathe, and to not throw up. That last punch had almost knocked her over, along with the chair she'd been tied to.
"Now, be reasonable, Sheriff. Just do Mr. Flynn this one small favour, and we can stop with the unpleasantness." Milo Disher inspected his cuticles as he spoke, fast growing weary of the stubborn Sheriff.
"Go to hell," Liz wheezed. She knew they couldn't let her live, not when she could so easily identify them later, so the only hope she had was to just try and tough it out for as long as she possibly could in the hopes that she'd be found while she was still breathing. Though right now, things weren't looking, or feeling, so good.
Sighing in mock disappointment, Milo shared a look with his associate, Gary Beckett, who'd been doing most of the hard work with the Sheriff so far. They'd been trying to persuade her to make the call that would free Mr. Flynn's wife's stupid brother, to no avail. Milo knew Mr. Flynn wanted this matter solved quickly, and he himself didn't want to spend any more time in another podunk town than he had to, but the Sheriff was proving to be more difficult than expected.
Shaking his head a little ruefully, Milo couldn't help but silently curse the idiot brother. He was supposed to have disappeared until Mr. Flynn had the chance to take care of what ever the moron had messed up. And he had, only to be apprehended by the Mystic Falls Sheriff Department on some old warrant when he'd been passing through town. The guy had the worst luck, and now he was dragging Milo down along with him.
Turning to face the battered Sheriff, Milo decided he'd been courteous for long enough. It was time to up the pressure, and then get rid of the troublesome woman. Drawing his Beretta M9, Milo motioned for Gary to move aside.
"Time's up, Sheriff. You either make the call, or we'll have to go find your lovely daughter and have this chat with her."
Milo couldn't understand why, despite the obvious pain she was in, the Sheriff looked like she was about to laugh.
...
The doors to the warehouse crashed open.
"Well, you found me. Now, let my mom go."
A motley crew led by a lithe blonde woman stormed in.
Milo and Gary had swiveled their guns towards the newcomers the moment the heavy doors to the warehouse had burst open. Eyeing the young blonde in surprise, Milo recognized her as the Sheriff's daughter. Just how the hell had she found them...? Moving his gun from the group back to the Sheriff, Milo had to give it to the kid, she had balls coming here, with a few friends, sure, but apparently unarmed. Balls, or could be that she was just as big a fool as his boss' wife's brother. Either way, unfortunately, this meant there'd be more bodies to dispose of, afterwards.
"Sorry, kid, no can do until she makes the call." He almost managed to sound sincere.
Before Milo could take another breath, there was a... blur... and then he felt fingers of steel around his neck, and something lifted him in to the air by his throat. His hand spasmed, getting ready to fire his gun, when his eyes were captured by a glacial blue gaze.
"Drop the gun."
His fingers released the Beretta before she'd finished her order.
Clawing with both hands at the arm that held him steadily, Milo felt his heart speed up impossibly with fear. What the hell was wrong with the kid's face?
"You have no idea who you're up against," he rasped through her grip.
"Wrong." Caroline smiled grimly, the veins around her eyes dark against the pale skin. "You're the one who has no idea what you're up against. No matter how big a monster your boss is, believe me, I'm worse."
"What the hell!?" Gary hadn't seen anyone move but suddenly Milo was being strangled by the blonde kid, and he didn't seem to be able to get rid of her.
Moving his own gun towards Caroline, Gary was suddenly flying through the air and crashing against a far wall.
"Caroline." The quiet voice of her mother made Caroline finally release Milo and drop him to the ground.
"Stay put," she ordered him before hurrying to her mother's side.
While Caroline had been busy with Milo, Damon and Stefan had released Liz from her bindings and helped her stand up. Liz was having trouble standing up straight and kept herself slightly hunched forward to allow her to breathe a little easier, her left eye was swollen shut and her right pinky finger was dislocated. Adding to the gruesome image was the dried blood covering her face from the nose down.
Looking at the beaten-up form of her mother, tears clouded Caroline's eyes and she felt her control slipping. "Oh, mom... what have they done to you..."
Those bastards were going to pay.
Before Liz could say another word, Caroline had turned around and flashed to the man with the bloody knuckles.
Watching Caroline lift the semi-conscious man up by his throat, Rebekah grumbled quietly underneath her breath. She wanted to have some fun, as well, but Nik was being a party pooper.
"It's her mother, love. We'll let her handle this."
"Like you handled that man when you threw him against the wall?" she asked snidely.
"As if I was going to allow him to shoot her. Really, Bekah."
Klaus kept his eyes on Caroline in rapt admiration. She was, in a word, magnificent in her true form.
"Wha... what are you?" Gary wheezed in Caroline's deathly grip, watching in horror the monstrous face before him.
"I'm the last thing you'll ever see," Caroline ground out through her clenched teeth. Dark haze slithered on the edges of her vision, as her control wavered. She wanted this bastard to suffer. He had hurt her mother, and Caroline would make him wish he'd never been born.
"Caroline, stop." Liz touched gently at her daughters shoulder. "We need them alive."
Caroline didn't release her hold on the struggling man. "No. They must pay for what they did."
"And they will," Liz promised. "But for that, I need them alive."
Finally, Caroline turned to meet her mother's eyes. "Why? After what they did to you... Look at what they've done to you," she almost wailed in anguish.
"They're human. We'll need to do this by the book." Hearing her own words, Liz amended, "As by the book as we're able to. The Sheriff's Department is looking for me. If you rip their throats out, how are we going to explain that?"
"Then we'll just shoot them, that's easy to explain," Caroline countered with a near desperate hitch in her voice. She would not, could not, just let them go!
Liz looked at her daughter's vampire face, and felt her heart almost burst at the rage and sorrow she saw there. "Caroline, no, not for me," she said gently. "You're not a murderer."
"But I am!" she cried out, finally releasing the man she'd been strangling.
Gingerly, Liz hugged her crying daughter. "No, you're not. You're my baby girl, and it's my job to take care of you, not the other way around."
Caroline tried her best not to hold her mother too tightly as she clung to her almost desperately, but as careful as Caroline was, Liz still couldn't help the hiss of pain as her cracked ribs protested at the pressure.
Releasing her mother, Caroline wiped the tears from her eyes and bit at her own wrist. "At least I can help with the pain. Here."
Liz was honestly tempted, she didn't particularly relish the pain she was in, but she had to refuse. "Honey, I can't, or we'll lose the evidence."
Caroline thought she'd endured torture before. But this, this agony was truly more than she could withstand. The feeling of utter despair was almost paralyzing, freezing her to the core, until a rage unlike she'd ever felt before burned its way through her.
Klaus watched as Caroline balled her fists tightly enough to draw blood, her whole body shaking, taking several harsh breaths in a desperate, losing battle to stay in control. The veins around her eyes returned with a vengeance. She couldn't avenge her mother and now she was forbidden to take away her pain. Caroline's eyes moved from person to person in search of... something. Finally her gaze stopped at the two strangers who had taken her mother, but that was no good. Her mother had made it clear that they would live, so she couldn't use them.
Klaus knew exactly what was happening, what she needed. After all, he'd been there many times himself. He had wiped out entire villages once upon a time in the throes of that same, all consuming need to destroy the source of his pain. The need to release all that fury and rage on somebody, anybody. But there was nobody around she could rip to pieces.
"Sweetheart." Moving closer, Klaus drew her attention to himself. "It's all right, Caroline." He spoke to her softly as if she was a spooked horse he needed to calm down. "Let me help you."
"How?" Caroline locked her dark, desperate eyes with his, her voice shaking with the effort it took to try to keep herself still. She was like a volcano, about to erupt at any second.
From the corner of his eye, Klaus saw Rebekah restrain Damon from interfering, and Stefan steadfastly steering Liz out of the warehouse. Good, Caroline would not want her mother to witness what was about to happen. Focusing on Caroline, he ignored the arguing taking place around them. "You can't take it out on them." He nodded towards the two mortal men. "And you can't take it out on them, either." He nodded towards her mother and her friends. "But you need to release it while you still have some control left, or you'll do something we both know you'll regret. So, take it out on me."
Her harsh breaths stopped as Caroline, for a moment, forgot to breathe altogether. Not daring to take her eyes off him, she shook her head. "I... I can't. You're not the one I..."
"But I'm the one you can use," he interrupted her. Much as her refusal to deliberately hurt him warmed him inside, he was doing this for her, and she was running out of time. "There's not a white oak stake anywhere in sight. You won't be able to kill me, love."
Caroline's shaking was getting worse as her control was slipping away from her. The dark haze threatened to take over her vision, and she so desperately needed... something.
"Allow me to do this for you. Please."
With a tortured scream, Caroline felt the last of her resistance snap.
...
TBC