The ocean roars as the water cracks along the cliffs and sandy beaches that separate land from sea. On one of those cliffs sits a girl who appears to be 17 years old, she has hair kissed by the sun, eyes cut from the sky, and pale skin the color of white sand on a summer day. She is wearing a simple white dress that complements her skin, and her flats lay next to her as her long legs dangle off the side of the cliff. She kicks her feet as the spray grazes her toes, watching the deep blues and greens of the ocean dance across the horizon. The salty breeze kisses her cheeks and threads through her sun kissed hair as she tilts her head back and closes her sky eyes. She takes in the moment to breath in the sea before a boy around her age runs up to her.
"Caroline!" He yells.
She sighs at the sound of name and opens her eyes, she sees forest green eyes looking back at her. The green eyes belong to the boy, he has skin tanned from countless hours in the sun, sandy blonde hair bleached from the sun's rays, broad shoulders he hasn't quite filled in yet, and pearly white teeth. He is wearing black slacks, a white button up that has the first two buttons undone, and is barefoot with dress shoes and socks hanging from his hand.
"Are you going to jump?" He asks.
Caroline looks down and sees the angry ocean below her, she tilts her head back and meets his green eyes again, "Will it get me out of the reaping?"
He chuckles faintly, shaking his head slightly side to side, "Yeah, but then I'd have to go in after you."
"We can't have that, Damon would bring me back from the dead to just kill me again for your death." Caroline says.
He chuckles again, but soon the light atmosphere is darkened and his shoulders slump forward holding the weight of today on them.
Caroline notices the change in his mood, she sighs and reaches a hand out to him, "We better get going Stefan, or Damon really will kill me."
Stefan nods, his mood somber from the thought of what they are going to do, he reaches a calloused hand out and helps her up. She bends down to grab her flats before linking her arm with Stefan's. They walk barefoot away from the cliff, and down a path that leads to a town on a grassy hill beside the ocean.
Once the reach the outskirts of town they untangle their arms and put their shoes on. They are soon greeted by a tall man with coal black hair, crystal clear blue eyes, pale skin, and a scowl. He has broad shoulders that fill his navy blue shirt up, long legs that are covered in black slacks, and a lean body that is muscular from all the swimming he does.
Stefan looks sheepish, he runs a hand though his hair, messing it up, and says, "Hey Damon."
The man looks livid, "Don't 'Hey Damon' me, where were you? You left me here to cover for you while Giuseppe grilled me on you whereabouts! All so you could meet up with your girlfriend before the reaping?"
Stefan blushes, and glances at Caroline who looks like she wants to rip Damon's head off, he glances back at his brother, "She's not my girlfriend, and I'll talk to Dad."
Damon snorts, "We all know you'll be fine, Dad would never hurt his 'precious son'."
Caroline giggles and covers her mouth with a hand while Stefan says, "Damon."
Then Stefan sends Caroline a curious look, she shrugs and says, "What? We all know your his favorite."
Damon grins at Caroline before getting serious, "And you," he points at Caroline, "Do you know how terrifying it is to have the head peacekeeper show up at my door and ask where her daughter is? She threatened to lock me up if you didn't show." Damon looks at the sun, "Speaking of which, lets hurry up or you two will be late."
The three walk to the middle of town, their walk filled with dreadful silence as they think of what could happen today.
Once they reach the center, they watch as hundreds of children line up to get their blood taken and then get herded off into pens like cattle off to slaughter.
Stefan grabs Caroline in a fierce hug and whispers in her ear, "We'll be fine.
Caroline hugs him just as fierce and nods her head in his shoulder as she suppresses her tears. They pull away and Damon stands off to the side, shifting from foot to foot, "Good luck blondie."
She rolls her eyes and wipes at them before taking two steps forward and throwing her arms around him in a bear hug, "Thanks."
Damon hesitantly wraps his arms around her before squeezing her as if it's the last time he will see her, and it may be, he whispers in her ear "You will be fine, you both will."
A few tears leak out and trail down her face and drop onto his shirt, "Thank you Damon." She says.
They pull away and Caroline smiles at both boys, she radiates light and both boys instantly feel a little better. Caroline watches as Damon leads his little brother to the line to get his blood taken, she knows he aged out of the system 3 years ago, leaving him powerless to save his baby brother.
Caroline wipes her eyes and rushes over to the line where someone pricks her finger and then sends her to the back of the pen, where the girls 17 and 18 stand. Caroline's sky eyes search the crowd and land on a girl who is waving her over. Caroline smiles slightly and begins to push her way through, murmuring 'sorry' and 'excuse me' until she reaches the girl. The girl has grass green eyes, a dark complexion, dark brown hair that almost seems black, and she is wearing a worried smile.
"Where were you? I though you weren't coming." The girl hisses under her breath.
Caroline looks at her, "Sorry Bonnie, I just wanted to see the ocean one last time, just encase."
Bonnie sends her a fierce looks, "We are fine, Michelle is going to volunteer as tribute this year."
Caroline looks over her shoulder and spots the 18 year old girl, she is standing in the very back near the edge so it is easier to get access to the stage. Michelle has dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. She is very muscular due to all her time spent fishing, and the illegal training that goes on in District 4 for the careers. Damon and Stefan both talked about how brutal it was, how they turn your body into a weapon. Thankfully Damon did well, he ranked 3rd in his class, but not to well so he wasn't reaped when he was 18. Stefan on the other hand is not doing to well, he is physically fit and has the ability to preform at the top, but his good nature and hesitancy toward fighting keeps him ranked at 11. Thankfully Caroline's family was well off so she didn't need the extra food the training offered, and that her parents didn't force her to like Giuseppe Salvatore did with his sons. Caroline tried it for a year because the Stefan was doing it, but when she beat someone in a fight it caused her to cry and she got kicked out, it was probably for- Caroline's brought out of her thoughts by fingers gripping her right forearm, Caroline turns her head and sees Bonnie staring at the stage, "What?" Caroline whispers.
Bonnie glances at her from the corner of her eye, "They are about to call the names."
Caroline blushes, she was daydreaming again, "Oh." Caroline says.
Bonnie rolls her eyes and moves her hand to Caroline's hand, they both grip each other for dear life.
Their capital representative, Skipper, has blue hair with sparkles, silver eyeliner, and a reef inspired tuxedo. "Now to the time we've all been waiting for!" He says in a cheerful tone.
Nobody in District 4 cheers, not even the careers. Caroline gives Bonnie a sympathetic squeeze, and Bonnie returns the favor.
Skipper clears his throat, "Let begin with the girls." He dramatically waves his hand around before plunging it in the bowl. He pulls out a crisp white paper that is folded in half, he gasps and looks around the audience before slowly opening the paper. He leans toward the microphone, "Caroline Forbes."
Caroline freezes, the air from her lungs escapes but does not come back, she sure the only reason she hasn't fainted was the pressure of Bonnie's hand. Bonnie wraps Caroline in a tight hug, as the other girls part for her to go through, "It will be okay, Michelle will volunteer."
Caroline puts on a bright smile and gracefully walks to the stage as people stare wide eyed at her. Caroline briefly glances at the victors, Mags looks sad, Mason is reserved, Bay looks bored, Drake looks indifferent, Alaric is displeased, and Finnick appears worried, a new look on him she thinks.
Skipper motions Caroline to join him, she steps next to him and he says, "Good morning Miss Forbes."
"Good morning Skipper." Caroline politely replies.
Skipper smiles at her, Caroline notices how he smells of something she can't identify but it makes her want to curl her nose in disgust. "Are there any volunteers?" Skipper asks, probably hoping for something dramatic to entertain the Capitol.
Caroline makes eye contact with Michelle, and a pit in her stomach begins to form, she's not going to volunteer. Michelle looks away from Caroline, in shame, and Caroline feels like throwing up all over Skippers atrocious shoes.
Caroline's eyes flicker to Bonnie, who is glaring at Michelle, then to Stefan who is looking through the crowd for volunteers, and finally on Damon who is looking straight at her. He knows what everybody else seems to be figuring out, no one is going to save Caroline. Caroline keeps eye contact with Damon, trying to keep herself grounded as she hears the confused mumbles of the victors behind her. She chances a glance over her shoulder and sees Finnick Odair glaring at Michelle while the rest of the victors talk among themselves.
Caroline quickly turns around and looks to Damon, but he's looking at Stefan who seems to be thinking something that both Damon and Caroline won't like. This years tribute is suppose to be Tyler Lockwood, the mayors son and top of his class. Caroline knows he is fierce, strong, and loyal, he will help her out until he can't, but she also suspects that Stefan will do something stupid. Another looks at Damon's infuriated face confirms that.
Skipper clears his throat, obviously not expecting this outcome, "Now the boys."
A hush comes over the crowd, they obviously expected Michelle to volunteer, Caroline looks at her and sees her holding her head in shame as she stares at her feet.
Skipper is quick with the boys and reads, "Tyler Lockwood." The audience breaths a sigh of relief, but Caroline holds her breath.
Before Tyler could even step out of the pen Stefan is yelling, "I volunteer as tribute!"
Tyler is shocked and livid, he's 18 so this is his last year to be in the games and bring pride to his family like his uncle Mason did 10 years ago. Caroline feels a bubble of worry form in her chest, she knows Stefan's has a hero complex and will die for her. She also pities Tyler, he was her boyfriend of 2 and a half years and she knows how much this means to him.
Skipper seems to be the only one who is pleased, he got his drama, "Come on up here Stefan."
Stefan walks up, his face is flushed with worry as his green eyes take in Caroline's surprisingly calm form.
Caroline looks over at Damon, he is red in the face and gripping the bar in front of him with so much force his knuckles are white, she knows how useless he must be feeling in this moment.
"Alright, we have our tributes, Stefan Salvatore and Caroline Forbes." Skipper proudly announces.
Stefan reaches his hand out for Caroline to shake, instead she embraces him in a hug, Stefan is to shocked to return it and by the time he's wrapping his arms around her they are pulling apart as Skipper is motioning for them to leave. Caroline grips Stefan's hand as the walk to the city hall, once there they are placed in two different rooms.
Caroline notices the sea foam walls around her, and the sandalwood furniture. It's quaint and simple, Caroline loves it, she starts planning her future house to distract her. The door opens and her mother walks in, dressed in her peacekeepers uniform. Caroline can tell how worried she is despite the professional front she is keeping up.
"Caroline." Elizabeth says, her voice cracking a little.
Caroline smiles, "Mom."
They hug, and Caroline feels her mother crying, her strong mother who has never cried. To Caroline this shows how little hope this situation has, if her own mother thinks this is the last time she will ever see her daughter then Caroline has no chance of making it out alive.
"Mom it will be okay." Caroline says.
Elizabeth composes herself and stands back, she grips her daughters face and rubs her thumb over her face, "I love you Caroline, I know I don't say it a lot, but no matter what happens remember that."
Caroline nods, "I know you do mom, I love you too."
Matt Donovan sticks his head in, he's one of Elizabeth's deputies. He clears his throat, "Ma'am you times up."
Elizabeth nods and looks her daughter over once more before exiting. Caroline sits gently on the couch, awaiting her next visitor.
Bonnie breaks through the door, looking like a storm, "You better not die Caroline Forbes, or I'll need to find a new maid of honor."
Caroline laughs, but her laughs soon turn into tears, she stands up and embraces Bonnie.
"I'm going to miss you." Caroline says.
Bonnie nods, "But we will see each other soon."
Caroline sniffles and leans away, still holding Bonnie, "Please keep an eye on my mom and Damon while I'm gone, I don't want them to do something stupid."
Bonnie nods, "I will."
Caroline sighs and hugs Bonnie one more time, "I love you."
Bonnie squeezes her, "I love you too."
All to soon Matt is coming in and taking Bonnie away. Caroline composes herself, hoping her next visitor is her dad.
But it's someone she doesn't expect, Tyler Lockwood. He walks in hesitantly, looking anywhere but at her, Caroline gives him a watery smile. Tyler focuses on her, and his hard face softens into a gentle smile, one she's glad that she was able to bring out of him when they were together.
"I'm sorry." He says. She knows it means 'I'm sorry you were reaped', 'I'm sorry it won't be me by your side' and 'I'm sorry we didn't work out.'
"I know." She says.
She opens her arms for a hug, knowing he won't initiate it, Tyler rolls his eyes affectionately but steps forward and embraces her in a bear hug. She feels safe for a second before she pulls away and says, "I love you, and I know your dad will understand. Don't let him get under your skin."
Tyler smiles sadly, "I love you too, and you better come back."
Caroline always envisioned this going the other way, her staying back to hold down the fort while he went and won.
They kiss, her salty tears run down her face, she knows this is good bye in more then one way. They pull apart when Matt comes in and clears his throat, Tyler kisses her forehead gently and slowly pulls away before exiting. Caroline sit on the couch and begins sobbing, she didn't think saying goodbye would ever be this hard and she's really wishing she had more time.
"Blondie, you can't be giving up already." Caroline snaps her head up and sees Damon Salvatore.
She runs up to him and throws her arms around her neck, he catches her by the waist. "I'm so sorry, I never meant for this to happen."
Damon gives her a gentle squeeze, "I know, Stefan's always been to self sacrificing for his own good."
Caroline sighs, "Is my dad out there?" She hesitatingly asks, because she knows out of all people Damon understands her strained relationship with her dad.
She can feel the no in the way Damon's body tenses, "Sorry barbie, but I'm your last visitor. There are a bunch of people out there who want to thank you for your seemingly infinite kindness, though." Caroline laughs, knowing Damon is being sarcastic in a nice way.
"I saw Stefan and he's determined to save you." Damon says, and the mood changes to somber.
Caroline's glad she has her head pressed to Damon's neck, she doesn't want to see his face. "I'll save him Damon, don't worry. I will kill myself if I have to."
Damon pulls her away from him, his hands rest on her shoulders and blue eyes lock with her's, "No, I appreciate it but no. You are the little sister I never wanted, and I can't lose either of you." the part about only one of them coming back stays unsaid.
"Fight until your dying breath Caroline, I know you can." Damon says. His use of her first name shocks her, tears start falling down her face and she nods up and down.
"I love you." She says.
Damon smirks, "Who doesn't?" He pulls her into another hug and kisses the top of her head, "I love you too, Caroline."
They pull away by the time Matt opens the door, Damon nods to Caroline before exiting. All Caroline wants to do is curl up into a little ball and cry, cry for all those who have been in her very place. But she just stands frozen in the middle of the room, staring at the door. When it opens she startles, Finnick Odair walks in, he is lacking his usual charming smile. He looks at her and sighs, "Come on, and cry a little."
Caroline is confused but does what she's told, he's the victor after all. Caroline walks to him as big, fat, salty tears leak from her eyes, he wraps an arm around her and she inhales the ocean which relaxes her. She knows that he's trying to appear comforting to her so she will gain sympathy with the Capitol, and hopefully sponsorship.
They walk out in the harsh light and camera's flash all around her, the only thing that keeps her moving is Finnick's arm around her. She spots Bonnie, Damon, and Giuseppe off to the side, Bonnie is holding Damon's arm as if to restrain him and they both look infuriated, while Giuseppe looks proud. Caroline is sickened by him, she momentarily forgets to look sad, but Finnick's hand rubbing up and down her arm reminds her to get back into character.
She sees Stefan a little ahead of her, and she is immediately filled with relief to know that Alaric is his mentor. Alaric is Damon's best friend, he was the one who beat Damon as top student and won. She knows that Alaric will give him the best chance at survival, because now it's personal.
They pause before boarding the train, Caroline elegantly wipes her eyes, adding to the 'pity me' facade before waving to the crowd while giving them a watery smile. Stefan looks in shock as he waves goodbye to district 4. Once the train doors close, Finnick rubs her arm once more before letting her go, "Nice acting out there. We can use that."
Caroline doesn't know what to say, so she just remains quiet. Finnick glances at her, she feels as if his sea green eyes are looking at her soul, before he looks at Stefan with a fake smile on his face, "You need to work on your acting skills. But the little volunteering thing you did was good, it should help you out."
Alaric flops on the couch and pours himself a drink, "Just our luck, we have two strong tributes that could have won this thing, but instead we get these two."
Stefan looks irritated, "I've been training for this since I was 12."
Alaric barks out a harsh laugh, "I know you Stefan, you can't even hurt a bunny much less another human being."
Caroline knows how close District 4 was last year, Annie Cresta was in the top two but she died after the other person, a boy from district 5, beat her to death in her sleep. Caroline shivers at the thought.
Finnick smiles, and it seems odd to Caroline after the thought she just had, "Do you guys know each other well?"
Caroline nods, Stefan's says, "Yeah, we're best friends, practically siblings. We were raised together."
Finnick looks' slightly put off by the sibling part, "Well after that greeting on the stage, people are going to want to know that backstory, we can trick them into think you guys are in love, dating secretly for awhile now. Stefan volunteered to save you from death, even at the cost of his life. The capital will fall in love with you two, after all you are 'star crossed lovers'."
Alaric nods along, "That may work, but I'm not sure he can pull it off." Alaric points to Stefan for emphasis.
Finnick thinks for a moment, before commenting "He could be more 'reserved' about his love," Finnick turns to Caroline, "But that means you will have to pick up the slack, be all touchy feely and always giggling and telling him how much you love him.
Caroline nods, "That will be easy, we always say we love each other."
"Plus Caroline hugs everyone." Alaric adds.
Finnick nods, "Okay, now we have the beginnings of a plan.
Skipper walks in, he looks happy, "The foods ready."
Caroline perks up, she hasn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday, to afraid of the reaping, but now she's starving, her stomach grumbles loudly in agreement. Caroline blushes as Stefan and Finnick laugh, Alaric just smiles.
Skipper looks concerned, "Come on dear." He puts his hands on her shoulders and leads her to the dining area, she looks over her shoulder and see Finnick shrug at her and Stefan grin at her. Alaric drowns his drink before standing up, "Let's go, I'm starved."
The five of them settle down for dinner, Caroline eyes the food and thinks out loud, "Is there a way we could get some of this back to District 4? A lot of people could use the food," She motions to the food laying out, "and there has to be enough to feed 20 or more people."
Skipper, who sits to her left at the head of the table, places an hand on her arm, "Don't be silly, just eat whatever you want, throw up, and come back for more."
Caroline's mouth hangs open, she's appalled by the thought. She looks across from her to Finnick, he sympathetically shrugs, knowing there's nothing they can do. Stefan, who is sitting to Caroline's right, brings her out of her shock, "Care, you got to try the grilled Salmon, its phenomenal."
Alaric, who is sitting across from Stefan, helps out, "And the seaweed salad taste great with it."
Caroline sighs understanding what they're trying to do, and picks at her plate. The rest of the meal is spent in awkward silence with some even more awkward conversation between Skipper and Stefan. Skipper, totally oblivious to the atmosphere, "Everyone should get some rest, we'll be at the Capitol tomorrow. Good night!" Skipper then makes his way to his room.
Finnick finishes and stands up, "I'm going to watch the final reapings, see you all tomorrow."
Alaric sighs, "I'll show you two to your room." Alaric pushes his chair back and starts walking away, Caroline leaves her unfinished plate and follows him. Stefan stays seated for a moment, looking at all the waste around them, before taking his napkin off his lap and getting up. He has to jog to catch up to them, but soon they are slowing down and stopping.
"This is mine," Alaric gestures to a cabin on his left, "Across from me is Stefan's, then Caroline, and Finnick's. Skippers is over here." Caroline's room is in between Finnick's and Stefan's room, and Skippers is down the hall.
"What are all the empty ones for?" Caroline asks.
"The other victors, it's for when they mentor or have to take a trip to the Capitol." Alaric explains. "Well I should probably go help Finnick, see what we are up against." Alaric waves at them before walking in the opposite direction they came from.
Caroline looks down at her dress, Stefan chuckles, "They have clothes for us."
Caroline smiles and then hugs him, Stefan hugs her back, "Care, I'm not going anywhere."
"I know you idiot." She says, then she pulls away and walks into her room. She looks in the closet at all the extravagant outfits, none of them something she would wear in public much less to bed. It takes her a few minutes, but she finds some shorts to wear, she guesses she'll have to ask Stefan for a shirt, hopefully his closet isn't like hers.
She walks out and sees Finnick heading toward his room, he smiles tightly at her and notices the shorts in her hand, he chuckles softly, "The closets are pretty awful, come here." He gestures with his head, she looks over at Stefan's door before following Finnick. His room is neat and simple, there is a huge bed in the middle with two nightstands, one of which has a book and a glass of something, Finnick disappears in his massive closet and comes out with a plain t-shirt, "It may be a little big, but it should work." Finnick says as he hands it to her.
"Thank you." She says.
She leaves his room and heads toward hers to change. Her room is like his, except more extravagant and brightly colored. Caroline lays on her to big, to soft bed and tries to get some sleep. After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she gets up and puts her hair in a messy bun. She leaves her room and hears some noise, she follows the noise and finds Finnick and Alaric watching the reaping, well Alaric is slumped in the couch sleeping but Finnick is watching it.
Finnick looks at her, his sea eye are full of empathy, Caroline is not use to this side of Finnick all she sees is the arrogant playboy side of him, one she's starting to think is fake. "Can't sleep?" He asks.
"No." She says.
Finnick's eye glance at her outfit briefly before returning to the TV, Caroline is suddenly aware of what she's wearing or lack of what she's wearing. Finnick's shirt reaches mid thigh covering her short's and it hangs off her shoulder, she's also barefoot.
Finnick looks at her again, and his eyes make her long for home, "The last reaping is about to start, if you want to watch."
Caroline nods and settles in a chair, knees to her chin as she watches. District 1 is unlike District 4, everyone there cheers and is lively, they look like the won the lottery instead of being sent to the their death. The first girl reaped is predictably replaced by a volunteer, a girl of 18 years with blonde hair and light green eyes. She looks strong, her face is emotionally blank and her eyes are angry, Camille O'Connell. But the next tribute is utterly terrifying, he has a slight Capitol accent and dimples. His hair is a light brown almost blonde, hie eyes are hazel with flecks of gold, and his smile is deadly. Caroline admits he's attractive, but utterly terrifying, Klaus Mikelson. Caroline knows he comes from a line of victors starting with his father, Mikel, then his two older brothers, Finn and Elijah.
Finnick swears under his breath and starts scribbling on his notepad. After the final reaping, the highlights of the day are replayed, two hours later they are done showing the tributes and now are making predictions. Caroline's eyes are heavy with exhaustion from her busy day and lack of sleep the day before, and her brain is overfilled with the new information she was trying to absorb about the other tributes.
A while later Caroline opens her eyes and blinks as hers head lolls and hits something hard, the smell of the ocean and something else Caroline can't identify lets her know it's Finnick. She makes a noise that's between a yawn and a groan, Finnick says, "It's okay, go back to sleep." He kicks Alaric awake on the way by, Alaric moans and rolls over on the couch.
Caroline falls back asleep to the sound of Finnick's steady heartbeat and the smell of home. She wakes again when he places her on her bed and pulls the covers over her, her last sight before she falls asleep is Finnick closing her door, his bronze hair reflecting the light from the hall. Her eyelids close and darkness surrounds her. She dreams of the ocean and her family and friends.
A/N I was inspired by two Finnick/Caroline stories I read recently and just had to write this, when I should really be doing homework. The stories are Smile Like You Mean It by Seph Meadowes and Hard to get by behindmyhazleeyes
Please review to let me know what you think!
Also I hate sea food, so I don't really know anything about it.
Until next time!