Salvation

Caroline Forbes finds herself growing up through the redemption of war and salvation of Klaus Mikaleson.

This story has been inspired by Everythursday's fic 'The Fallout' if you are a Dramione fan (Draco/Hermione - Harry Potter) you will enjoy it. It is probably the best Dramione fic out there and I have had the honest pleasure of reading it. You will find it on ' ' check it out! But if any of you feel that I am copying her story please feel free to message me, otherwise read this; The story is much different, and has a whole different plot to Sage's. I was however inspired to write this by her as the idea of war and Klaroline appealed to me and i feel as though it would make a fantastic story. Especially since the plot has not been revised in TVD universe, if otherwise i have never come across it.

I would like to add that Kol is not dead in this, it will be explained later, its pretty self explanatory though. I started this ages ago, I think right after 4x11, I'm not sure. But it's completely AU, takes a completely different turn. Also, Bonnie does not ressurect Jeremy from the dead, since in my story Katherine never killed him that night, however, Elena does loose her mind when she realizes all that hard work was for nothing. But Bonnie does resurrect someone ;) You're going to find out who very soon.. I just felt the story would not work with all the deaths that happened in Mystic Falls, it was so unnecessary.

It's my own story to how the series went after Silas is raised from the dead just in case you want to know what this story is about.

It includes: War, Character death, Explicit sexual situations, Graphic violence, Strong profanity, Physiological trauma, and Torture.

Also, there will be a slow build up, I don't want to jump to a cliche fic full of fluff and unicorns. I am not saying that they will have minimum moments together, and awkward confrontations just stating that fluff is rare in this fic.

Oh and please, there is no Delena/Stelena ship-wars here. This fic is about WAR. Although if you squint really hard you will find hints of Delena/Stelena.

Disclaimer: In its use of intellectual property and characters belonging to the producers and writers of The Vampire Diaries, The CW, etc. This work of fiction is intended to be transformative commentary on the original. No profit is being made from this work.

"That's the problem with people today – they've lost faith, and in that loss, they no longer know who they should fear." - Kol Mikaelson

Caroline Forbes found herself wondering how she managed to go from planning high school dances to orchestrating plans that belong to the shackles of war, in the equivalent of just two years.

Her mind turned into a library of memories that trailed to the first moment where her war began. Caroline, contemplating where it all started, considered that it all commenced when Stefan first moved to town following a series of events because that was the beginning of it all, the long journey of consistent battling between the good and bad. Or even long before that, when Elena's parents died in that ill-fated car accident, along with a part of Elena's soul and Jeremy's constant inner demons tearing him apart consequently leading to Vickie's fall the night when she tried to kill him. Or maybe it all began when Caroline was caught in an unfortunate crossfire between Katherine and the Salvatore's resulting in her death and vampirism. Or perhaps it began when the search for the cure started, but the more logical explanation to where and when war began was when Silas sired from the dead, causing havoc and destruction to the small and delicately structured town of Mystic falls.

Caroline can almost hear the muffled cries of her mother when she found out Caroline had to leave, she can even feel the chill that ran down her spine when she departed her hometown, sometimes when she closed her eyes really tight, she can even see it. The memories that danced around her, were almost mocking her.

Alaric, well Alaric was like the ring leader. Ever since Bonnie resurrected him from the dead on that hectic night when doom touched upon Mystic Falls, Bonnie made sure she kept Alaric in this world. His alter ego, the dark side of him, only managed to come out during missions. Where he killed and killed. But during the day, when he surrounded himself around his loved ones, only his somber and jaded side was visible. Him and Damon usually worked together, as he was the only one, apart from Stefan, who could see right through him. Alaric was still the same, taking care of everyone, but the seriousness that was carved right into his tone was hard to miss. He was always the father, that took care of the children.

Damon would bitterly state how pathetic it is, to cry over the past, to cry over war instead of fighting it. But sometimes, she would hear him cry, even the darkness of the night was not strong enough to hide his tears. It scared her. The complicated thought of Damon crying, because of the impact of war. Was the blow of it that hard? That it made the one with most walls and bravery, even though she would never dare admit it, to break down to tears? He would always pungently say how this war would never end, how the core of it was Vampirism. The second the Mikaelsons were turned into vampires. Thats how he puts it. Making it seem like he was blaming them, even though there was no one to blame but himself and everyone who ignored Kol's warning. It made her laugh, that Kol was a Martyred hero, that tried to stop the search for the cure and thus awakening Silas. Caroline would resist the urge to cover her ears when Damon talked about it. It scared her that much, it made her ears want to bleed and her heart want to cry as cliche as it sounds.

Elena shakes all the time. At the end of each battle, she would just shake uncontrollably until Damon would wrap his arms around her and allow her to cry loudly into his neck. He would cradle her gently and sing lullabies into her ears until she calms down. His voice would crack halfway through, and his shoulders would slump as though he had given up on everything. Sometimes Elena shakes for no reason at all, sometimes when someone would mention Jenna, or her parents, or any other victim of war and misery, she would just shake. Elena's frigid state had managed to affect all of us, even though she would still fight with us, her screams in the night would never go unnoticed.

Jeremy's condition was worse than Elena's. The hunters mark permanently stained his perfectly sculptured body. The mark that led to the cure that never existed, instead it led to Silas. The cause of the terror they were forced to live with. Caroline found herself wincing at the unpleasant memory of Jeremy trying to claw the mark off his skin. It took 3 vampires, herself being one of them, to hold him down. She could still remember how she was so frightened she managed to ignore the thick strips of blood that ran down his chest and edges of his finger nails, as though they were not there. He yelled how it was his fault, and that he killed innocent beings for no reason. In the middle of the night, as if on cue with Elena's screams, he used to walk around the house whispering how he was so sorry. But that was before. Now he is showing a few signs of improvement. He no longer tries to claw his skin off, or whisper to himself apologies, like the innocent could hear him.

Stefan managed to hold himself together. Sometimes. More than the rest. He was less talkative than he was before, and the warmth that surrounded his eyes was replaced by hardness and cold stares. The outlines of stress and sleep deprivation edged around his face. His hair was always a tangled mess, and his smile was rare. But even though his affection was buried underneath the layers of deep sadness, he was everyone's therapy especially when Alaric was not around. Whenever someone would loose it, or break down, he would always be there to calm them down and whisper soothing words into their ears, until they would fall asleep. Stefan was not sane though. Stefan was still another victim of war, so even he lost it sometimes. To everyone's surprise, Katherine was the one to calm him down. She would tenderly place both her palms on his cheeks and look him straight in the eyes telling him to calm down and that he was okay. She would kiss away his tears and allow him to bury his face in the crook of her neck. No matter where they were.

'I don't care about any of you. I will never care about any of you. It was your stupidity that led to this, this war. But Stefan cares about you people. So I am going to have to help you. Keep in mind, the only reason I am here, is for Stefan. So my top two priorities are him and I. If anything happens to him.. I will be gone faster than you can say Silas'. Those were Katherine Pierce's exact words when she stepped foot into the group's headquarters. But even she, didn't expect what was coming for her. She didn't expect to have to plot death plans nearly every day, or have to stay alert 24/7 or not be so sure about whether or not she will live to see the sun the next day. War had even tainted her appearance. Her once perfectly structured curls turned into a loose and unkempt mop of waves. Her eyes, had softened from their sharpness, she no longer looked scornful or full contempt, just tired. Even though she was naturally beautiful, no matter how disheveled she may of seemed, the tiredness that surrounded her face was contained with pure depression. She was still that bitch that everyone disliked yet secretly needed, her malevolence by virtue of being spiteful kept that sense of normality. Her arguments with Damon and constant nagging had that homely affect. A small part of Caroline, considered Katherine as family, no matter how much she hated the bitch.

Bonnie cries herself to sleep. Ever since she watched her mother die before her eyes something inside of her snapped. She was the one to kill Shane. It was in the midst of a battle, fallen bodies, coils of smoke, buildings collapsed, fires winding in a continues yet tightening curve seeming to set every few minutes. But somewhere amid all the dread, Shane had grabbed a stake and plunged it through Abby's heart. To his unfortunate yet deserving luck, Bonnie had saw what he had done, and slowly tortured his mind till he fell to the floor with sickening cracks of blood dripping down the edges of his forehead. Stefan had been the one to calm her nerves down when the battle ended, he had let her cry in his arms, and let her destroy his bedroom. She locked herself away for 2 weeks. Not participating in any of the missions for that short period of time or comunicating with anyone except for Stefan or Caroline, despite how limited it was.

Matt was brave. When he found out his friends were leaving, to fight a war, he begged to go with them. When Caroline questioned why he would put his life in jeopardy like that, he firmly stated that he had nothing to lose, his sister was dead, his mother ran off, and he was living on his own barely able to even pay for the bills that constantly arrived at his doorstep. But the one thing that Caroline would never be able to forget was when he added that he would never be able to forgive himself, he would never be able to look at his reflection in the mirror without wanting to kill himself, if he didn't at least try to help, it would eat him alive. The guilt. Damon had reluctantly allowed him to join them, rolling his eyes at Matt as his loaded his bags in the car. The blonde haired boy, with soft blue eyes and a sweet smile was merely a ghost. Matt had fought, and fought. Bruises covered his back, and handsome face. Elena always offered her blood, to heal them, but Matt always refused, admitting that he wanted them to stay there, to remind him that he was fighting as well.

Tyler and Caroline decided that that their relationship was going no where. Tyler felt that after his mother died he just was not ready to uphold such commitment for a relationship. Caroline was not as upset as she expected herself to be, considering how distraught her life already was, she accepted that being sorrowful over her broken relationship was not worth it. Tyler felt that he still loved Caroline, but the spark that they had once shared was very faint, almost on the verge off disappearing. He concluded that the best option was to end their already fractured relationship and return to having a strong friendship. Tyler's sanity had disappeared along with his relationship. He would have nightmares of his mother drowning, except his mother would morph into him, so it would feel like he was the one slowly dying. Sometimes he wished it was. Sometimes he would break down and scream that it was his fault, that his mother lost her life because of him. Caroline would just stare at him, because that was all she could do.

The originals left, they went into hiding. Deciding that their lives were too valuable to be risked because off teenage stupidity and open defiance. Elijah apologized for leaving them to fend for their own, and promised that one day he will return to support them, but at the moment his family was his main priority. Rebekah looked shameful when she left, as her eyes refused to meet anyone else's, you could almost say she seemed guilty since she was one of the many who helped find the 'cure' or a more detailed way to put it, Silas. Kol spat hateful words at them, saying how he warned everyone and that that they were ignorant fools that deserved what was coming. He almost killed the small group of friends, Caroline remembered distastefully, but stated how it was too merciful for his taste, that war would take its toll on the group. Klaus didn't show his face, just took off with his family. A part of Caroline died at that, she even cried that night because of it for a reason that ceased to exist, along with Kol's words echoing in her mind.

Year: Two ; Day: One ; Hour: One.

It had been exactly two years since Caroline had moved into hiding, along with the rest of her small group of friends. The place Caroline had moved to, was dull. The sun rarely shined, the clouds usually hung low in the sky, gray and ominous as though they were absorbing all the happiness from the world and just dangled above the small house she had been living in for the past year. It was a small, but not too compressed. Dare she admit, it had created a sense of comfort. There were 10 rooms, everyone had their separate bedroom, except for Stefan who shared a room with Katherine, and Damon who shared a room with Elena. Everyone laughed at that, the irony. It was a lighthearted moment shared between the group. The place that they had moved to was somewhere deep in west Virginia, it was mostly abandoned and basically in the middle of no where.

It was a massive shock when Bonnie located a hidden house, that was only seen by the supernatural. The group had been driving for hours in West Virginia, looking for a good home they can live in, after they compelled the owner of course. Bonnie obviously on the look out for the supernatural sensed magic, a strong kind and led them to the home. 'Bonnie where the hell are you taking us? Are we even in Virginia!' Damon challenged, Bonnie not being able to tolerate his constant complaining chanted a spell that put him on mute. It was a hilarious action that led to the group laughing so much that they found themselves at the verge of tears.

No one had any idea to who the house belonged to, it contained no evidence that supposedly allowed them to find the owner, to say there even was an owner would be out of place. There were very few signs of anyone living there. The kitchen was small and conceded, with a small wooden table placed in the middle, a few chairs, a glass door that led to the back garden and other kitchen tools that were expected to be found. The rest of the house was simple. And full of dust and dirt that resulted in grey walls. The living room was plain, with a small fireplace, old television, an ugly green couch that would sink down when sat on in the corner, and dust. The house radiated with bleakness. Caroline had refused to live with those conditions, saying that she would rather take her ring off and sit in the sun than live like that. It had taken them 7 months to make the house worth living.

Caroline sighed as she sat down on the Melbourne three seat couch, the extra thick cushioning and feather filled loose scattered cushions made her sign in comfort. Her notebook firmly in her hand and warm mug in the other. After a long day off planning she decided that she deserved a few hours of relaxation, placing her mug and notebook onto the coffee table she snatched the remote and turned on the T.V, making sure she had taken charge off it before Damon or the other boys took ownage. It was after all, one of the main cause of their arguments.

At that moment, Stefan walked into the living room and sat onto the arm chair horizontal to her.

"I see you managed to get to the remote.."

"Shut up, Stefan. You had it last time."

He chuckled at her response. Today was a long day. There were no battles or people dying, just tons of planning. Massaging his temples with his fingers. He sighed longingly, as though he was reminiscing about the past, something that he did quite often.

"What are you thinking about?" Caroline asked inquiringly whilst flipping through channels, knowing that if Damon, Matt or Jeremy, were there they would probably nag at her till no end.

"Nothing. Just this thing I have next week." His voice sounded distracted, and indistinct. Caroline knew that whenever he sounded vague, he would let her in or whatever was going on later, so she decided to shrug it off.

"Its been a year." Caroline reminded him.

"Since?"

"We left Mystic Falls."

"Ah."

The room was silent after that, except for the telivision playing ridiculous cartoons, that no one was actually paying attention to.

"I told you. It wasn't going to work." Jeremy's loud voice interrupted the saddening silence. Both Stefan and Caroline looked up at the two boys who looked like they just got sucker punched in the face. Caroline shared a humerous look with her bestfriend before looking back at Matt and Jeremy.

"How was I supposed to know, it looked promising." Matt sounded dissapointed, the kind of tone that made it seem like his mother confiscated his favourite toy, it almost made Caroline laugh. As he sat down on the couch beside her, Jeremy sat on the carpet, oposite the T.V. They both just shook their heads, with guilty looks on their faces.

"I'm guessing this is my turn to ask what happened" Stefan said, with a hint of humor in his tone.

"We built a trap."

"A trap that went wrong"

"You mean, really wrong."

"Jer. I told you already. It looked promising!"

"Elaborate please." Caroline looked at the two boys with worry and curiosity. A flash of thoughts elapsed through her mind as she wondered what had happened.

"We built a trap -That we tested on Katherine" Jeremy said the last bit so fast it made Caroline thankful for her vampire hearing. Gasping slightly she flinged a cushion at his head. Stefan threw back his head and laughed — a shameless, throat-baring laugh. One would say that it was not that funny but even though, the room still erupted into laughter. Caroline knew that it was one of those moments, and that in a hundred years or so, she could recall exactly how that moment went, as her toes curled in the warmth of the fire burning fiercely, she felt a surge of hope running up her body, a hope for victory.

Year; Two. Day; 7. Hour; 6

"So you mean to tell me, is that, we are on our way to a meeting, but I am not allowed to know who its with until we get there?" Annoyance was evident in Carolines voice as she spoke to Stefan.

"Care, you have every right to be skeptical about this but please, just trust me." Seriousness was laced in his voice as he drove to an unkown destination.

Caroline relucantly sighed in her seat as she stared outside the window. They had been on the road for almost two hours.

"Are we there yet?"

"For the hundreth time, I will tell you when we are there. Stop pestering me"

"Stop being so vague then."

"Who's being vague?"

"You are"

"So not"

"So too"

"So not"

"So too"

"So- There! Happy, we have arrived." Stefan practically jumped out of his seat, breathing in the fresh air and sighing with relief as he finally managed to get out of the car.

Caroline on the other hand was far from relieved, as she stared up at the oversized house. Slightly gaping at how dangerously perfect it was. It even towered over her, as though it was attempting to intimidate her, The cream coating of the paint shined as the sun beat down on it, causing Caroline to have to squint. Uniquely twisted fencing kept the house enclosed, neatly trimmed hedges surrounded the house. The roof was peaked, slanting down at an angle. The windows had royal purple curtains hanging on the other side of them, drawn so that the sunlight could stream through. As both of the vampires stepped onto the sidewalk, Caroline noticed a marble fountain sitting towards the right side of the lawn. A water foutain with a flower perched onto the top, looking up towards the sky. Water spurted from it, gently towards the crystal blue pool beneath it, causing ripples to form and wave out until they were no more.

There was something artistic about it, something that Caroline could not put a finger on.

"Well, then." Stefan strided past her and banged onto the door.

Confusion arched over her face, as she stared at Stefan. As she ran over to him, she grabbed him by the shoulder.

"What the heck are you doing?" She hissed at him.

"Come on! Open up! I know you're in here" Ignoring her, he rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, Stef-" Caroline was cut short as her stomach rolled as acid burned the back of her throat. Her eyes wide as they were now trained on the image of Klaus Mikealson standing before her.

I hope you enjoyed! It's a re-upload, since the first time I uploaded it, there were way too many errors for my liking. Sorry, I'm bit of a perfectionist :) Feel free to review!

- Aya xo