GOD'S KINGDOM
why waiting isn't hard
Why had Klaus promised to leave Caroline alone for all of eternity, something that probably ranked last on his list of things he'd like to do? Easily, it was because they were immortal. And there was no such thing as staying away from someone for eternity. It may have taken a hundred years or a thousand years, but Caroline would evolve to a point where she realized that moral goodness was not necessarily the only criteria she should use for judging a potential mate. She would evolve to a point where she realized that his loyalty to family, his strength, his ability to lead and love—they were qualities she would see for what they were.
Little did Klaus know that he would not have to wait the ten centuries he thought he would. He would only have to wait a few months.
Caroline was at a dark place. Her mother had died not too long ago, and consequentially, Caroline switched her humanity off. Luckily, she was brought back. But coming back from the things she had done meant living with herself, and this was something Caroline Forbes struggled with greatly. Her mind was weak and vulnerable, and a skulking witch who had made an enemy of Niklaus Mikaelson saw this. This witch had spied on Klaus continuously, and when he left Mystic Falls, the witch remained.
Because Caroline remained.
And Caroline was the key to hurting Klaus.
The witch understood Klaus's love for his family, but what she witnessed between he and Caroline was something greater. So the magic-user waited patiently in the shadows, and when Caroline's mind was at her weakest, she struck.
Dark thoughts pervaded Caroline's mind. She became self-loathing and constantly anxious. The voices in her head refused to stop, even when she slept. Hallucinations, at first auditory and eventually visual, plagued her until she became stark raving mad. This went on for months, and she hid herself in her house all the while. Her friends attributed her reclusive nature to her depression regarding her mother's death and her own actions.
Turn it back off.
No. Please don't make me do it again. I don't want to do it again.
You are a monster, Caroline. Why not embrace your true colors?
I don't want to hurt anymore people.
You've already hurt everyone who matters. They hate you now. You must do it.
Caroline was not a weak-willed woman. In fact, she was one of the strongest in her group. She may have been a control freak and a girl riddled with sarcasm, but she was more stable than any of them. But months of voices and images planting self-deprecating thoughts into the mind of a girl who had just lost her mother and killed many innocent people was enough to whittle down even the most iron-made person.
She shut her eyes, and it was off again. And finally, the pain was gone.
Marcel and Klaus sipped bourbon as they sat next to each other at a bar in New Orleans. "Now, tell me what has gotten that bright big smile of yours turned so far upside down," Klaus said with a humorous smirk.
Marcel let out a breath of a laugh. It took a lot to break his normally cheery countenance. "A girl, actually."
"Ohh, say it isn't so. Little Marcel is having trouble in paradise. Cami, I presume?"
Again, a brief laugh. "Not exactly. There's a vampire in South Carolina that killed a few of my men who went to seek out a witch to help Davina." He took another sip. "I'm not exactly in the right place to leave New Orleans right now, but they were my friends, you know?"
"Ah." Klaus held his chin in his hand and rested his elbow on the bar top. "I understand, my friend. You didn't mention sending any of your men to investigate the deaths, so I'm assuming you don't entirely trust their ability to handle the vampire."
"That's the thing." Marcel turned to face Klaus a little more. "I've done my research on her. Had someone go up and scout her out, gather information. She's some no-name, new vamp. My guys were way older than her." He rubbed his face and laughed a little, his bright, white smile lighting up his face. "Caroline Forbes. College student with no special history. Record clean as a whistle." Marcel didn't really pay attention to the souring of Klaus's face at the mention of Caroline. "But she hunted them down, one by one, and on different nights. They were targeted. And someone like that is going to answer to someone like me."
Klaus could easily discern Marcel's intentions. He would have Caroline killed one way or another. "You know what, mate. I'm going to help you out. Who better to send than an Original to kill of a vampire that hunts vampires?"
Marcel's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but his smile remained. "Oh man, I can't let you do that... But, I can let you bring her back to me. I'd like to be able to talk to her one-on-one before I decide what to do with her—or rather, how to do it."
Klaus forced a rueful smile. "Sure thing, mate."
Klaus battled with himself. Was this fate drawing them back together, or was it Caroline? He couldn't help but feel like she somehow knew who Marcel's men were and of Marcel's connection to Klaus. If she knew of that, she knew that Klaus would be the one to come after her to prevent her from being tortured and killed. And yet, the description of how she killed Marcel's men was very unlike Caroline. She only killed in defense of herself or her friends. She did not hunt. Caroline was never prey, but she most certainly was not a predator, either.
Klaus would keep his distance and watch her. He was not ready to break a promise to the woman he loved. In fact, he had no plans of it. He intended to somehow scare her into never coming into contact with Marcel or his people again without revealing himself. And then he would return to Marcel and inform his young friend that Caroline had already met an unfortunate end.
This plan might have worked...if Caroline had been the same Caroline he once loved and knew.
But as Klaus lingered on the streets, staying in the shadows, he saw that horror had befallen Caroline. She was without her humanity. She ripped through several humans, uncaring if she would be spotted or not. Caroline was not just a threat to Marcel's men; she was a threat to the entire vampiric race. It needed handling now. Klaus could always compel her to forget their encounter. He would lose no sleep over it. After all, this was not his Caroline, so he had no remorse for what he did to her.
As the blonde vampire turned, blood dribbling down her chin and staining her clothes, she came face to face with the oldest vampire.
"Good evening, love. I see you've decided to try dining out for a change," he offered her with a twisting, playful smile.
Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, didn't you like—promise me you'd never, ever see me again? That you'd stay away for all eternity? If I'm counting correctly, it hasn't even been a year."
"Oh, come now, love. Caroline without her humanity on? I wouldn't miss this for the world. There has only been one other vampire to interest me with their humanity turned off, and I dare say, you might even beat Stefan in that department."
"Right. Well, if you'll excuse me, I wasn't quite done eating yet." Caroline turned, but Klaus easily used his speed to block her path yet again.
His playful smile remained. With a tilt of his head, he narrowed his eyes slightly. "What is it that drove darling Caroline to turn off her humanity? One too many friends wind up dead by trying to play hero?"
Caroline waved her hand dismissively. "I was done playing the part of the nice girl." She shrugged her shoulders and offered a chipper smile. "This is much more fun."
A lie, Klaus knew for sure. Caroline was the last person who would turn off her switch, so her doing so meant something grave had happened. Klaus had no interest in revisiting Mystic Falls, however. A decision had to be made as to what to do. "Would you excuse me for a second?" He reached into his jacket and pulled out a cellphone.
Caroline merely scoffed and walked away. Annoyed, Klaus groaned and sped toward her, grabbing her head with one hand and twisting it swiftly. Her neck cracked, and her body slumped downward. Before she could hit the floor, he caught her in his free arm. During this entire ordeal, he listened to the phone ring until his sister picked up. "Rebekah, darling. Listen, I'm going to need you to watch over Haley for a little while. I'm attending to some business." Of course, the female Original spouted back something sarcastic. "You always did have a way with words, sister. Thanks again," he said and hung up the phone.
His eyes lingered down to the blonde vampire in his arms. Her face was marred with blood. Klaus frowned as he lifted her into his arms and glanced around the street warily. Without much more thought, they were gone.
Author's Note: Okay, so as you can tell, this story takes place after Caroline gets her humanity back. Timelines may not always exactly add up between this story and the series, but any variations will be insignificant. This is also my first VD fanfic, so go easy! I'll try to get another chapter out in a few days. Tell me what you think!