The Allure of Darkness

by Erin Salvatore

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Okay, I was originally going to do a series of one-shots, but a different idea popped into my mind while I was asleep. This is an AU/AH and the plot is this: Caroline Forbes was saved from a fire that killed her parents when she was ten by a Good Samaritan. Throughout her life, she is mystified by his idenity and longs to find him. Her search leads her to a troubled artist named Klaus Mikaelson.

Don't ask, just follow along on this strange journey my muse is sending me on.

Chapter 1

Mystic Falls Medical Center – After the Fire...

Caroline Forbes clutched onto the teddy bear the hospital staff had given her, rocking back and forth. Her young life as she knew it was forever changed just hours ago, when her house was engulfed in flames. That was a lot for a girl of ten to endure, and the thing she didn't quite understand was how she survived and her parents didn't. She tried to ask what happened, but no one could really give her a straight answer.

She was still thinking about it when the door to her room opened and a woman walked in, dressed in a black suit dress and matching pumps. Caroline scowled at her curiously, not sure what to make of it. The woman smiled at her and tried to give off a motherly vibe, but Caroline couldn't see past the suit.

"Hello, Caroline," she said. "I'm Lydia Thatcher."

Caroline slowly nodded at her. "Hi."

Lydia saw the girl scowling at her again, thinking that she wanted to know why she was here. "I'm here from the Department of Children and Family Services. They told me to come for you."

Now, Caroline was really confused. Why would this woman want to take her? "Why? Am I in trouble or something?"

"No, sweetheart, you're not in trouble," said Lydia. "I'm here to help you find a new home and a new family. According to what they gave me, you don't have any other relatives that can take you in." She saw the panic in the little girl's eyes. "You're going to be okay, Caroline."

Caroline didn't quite believe her, but she had no other choice but to trust her. After all, there was really nothing left for her in Mystic Falls anymore. Lydia then placed a bag on the bed, which contained fresh clothes for Caroline to wear. Reluctantly, she took the bag and went toward the bathroom to change. When she was half way there, she turned and looked at Lydia.

"Did they find him yet?"

"Find who, Caroline?"

"The man who saved me," she replied. "I want to know if they found him."

Lydia didn't quite understand, but decided to answer anyway. "No, Caroline, they haven't found him. Why do you want them to find him?"

"I wanted to thank him," said Caroline. "He made sure I got out of the house and he was gone before they put me in the ambulance." She sighed. "But, if they haven't found him, it's okay. I guess he doesn't want to be found."

That being said, Caroline opened the door to the bathroom, walked in, and shut the door. A few minutes later, she returned, wearing the fresh clothes Lydia had given her. While it was good to have fresh clothes, it still felt strange. Her innocence was taken from her in one fell swoop and now, she was going to have to go on without her parents. Where would she go? What sort of direction would her life take now that she was going to be living somewhere else and with people that she had never met before?

These and other questions went through her mind as Caroline then took Lydia's hand and let her lead her out of the room. After what seemed like forever, they got out to the parking lot, Caroline got into Lydia's car and they drove away, off to the Family Services main office.

As they drove off, neither Lydia nor Caroline were aware that a man was watching them from the bushes outside the hospital. He had been there since the ambulance arrived and no one knew. Had Lydia not taken Caroline away, he would've shown himself and let her thank him for saving her from the fire.

"I hope you have a good life, Caroline," he said quietly. "Maybe our paths will cross one day."

Note: With that, another AU/AH begins. Don't worry, Caroline will meet Klaus again, but not until she's older. Until then, enjoy this first chapter!

Reviews are love!