Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries and all characters are the property of their creators. I own nothing and make no profit from writing this. Writing fanfiction is one way I hope to show appreciation for and spread the word about this show.

"Oh, isn't it incredible, Caroline?" Elizabeth Forbes exclaimed, looking up at the massive ship before her.

Caroline found herself following her mother's gaze. It was all she could do to keep her mouth from opening wide in awe. It was incredible, just the sheer size of it. It was difficult to believe that she would be living in it for the next several days.

"It is," she said finally, her voice soft. There was something glorious about it; speaking too loudly would feel disrespectful, somehow. Still, her mother's excitement was contagious. She wished that the line would move more quickly so she could get on the ship already, lean against the balcony rails and wave goodbye to Southampton as she sailed away.

"It will be good to be home again," said Caroline's fiancé, Tyler Lockwood. His father was the mayor of their hometown of Mystic Falls in Virginia.

"Yes," Elizabeth agreed, "but do not forget that we will first be touring New York for a few days."

"Of course," Tyler said. He rested his hand on Caroline's shoulder, and she turned to look into his eyes as he said, "Forgive me if I am overly excited to marry your daughter."

Elizabeth blushed, as though Tyler were paying her a compliment. Caroline rolled her eyes, after turning around so neither Tyler or her mother could see her. Honestly, sometimes Caroline wondered why she should be the one to marry Tyler when her mother seemed so completely infatuated with him.

As for Caroline's own thoughts about her fiancé? Well, he was handsome enough, with dark brown hair and brooding eyes the colour of milk chocolate. His mouth was nearly always quirked up in a cocky grin. He had good reason to be cocky; he came from one of the richest families in Mystic Falls.

It was this money that had caused Elizabeth to select him as a potential suitor for her daughter, and wasn't she just ecstatic when it turned out he had had his eyes on the blond middle-class young lady for a while now.

Without Tyler, Caroline and her mother would likely be standing in the second-class line right now, instead of the line for first class in which they currently waited. In other words, Tyler had been their ticket for the Titanic, though not without Caroline's somewhat reluctant help.

Yes, Tyler was handsome and wealthy, but his personality left much to be desired. Caroline had nearly had it with his overly inflated ego. He threw his money around constantly, usually in attempts to impress Caroline with expensive gowns and jewellery. It all seemed so generic, though, and although they had been courting for nearly two years now, Tyler had never shown any evidence of actually knowing whom she really was. All he seemed to know of her was her beauty.

"No need to apologise for that," Elizabeth said, laughing in a manner that made her sound like a puppy lovesick child. "I know the feeling is mutual. Isn't that right, Caroline?"

Caroline turned around to smile at her mother, and then at her fiancé. "Of course, Mother." She hoped that neither one of them could hear the bitterness in her voice.

The line began moving, and the first-class passengers started shuffling forward. Tyler's family servants pushed their bags on carts, and Tyler took Caroline's hand, leading her toward the ship. Her gaze was drawn upward, her neck craned as far back as it could go. The next seven days aboard the Titanic would sure be luxurious.

Then she remembered it was only seven days. A few days after that would be spent in New York, but then it would be back to Mystic Falls, where only a couple more days would remain until her marriage.

She sighed loudly, feeling ungrateful. Any other girl would be happy to marry him. He just was not right for her.

He heard her sigh. "Something wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head quickly. "Oh, no. Just tired of standing."

He gave her hand a squeeze. "We'll be on the ship soon enough, drinking champagne in the dining hall."

She forced a smile. "Sounds great."

###

"It's not nearly as luxurious as I imagined it to be," Rebekah Mikaelson whined from her perch on the blue velvet sofa.

"It's the grandest ship that currently exists, Rebekah," her brother Klaus responded from where he stood by the fireplace, admiring the painting that hung above it. He reached out to straighten the frame just a bit. "It does not get any more luxurious than this."

Rebekah sat up, pouting, crossing her trouser-clad legs. "Well, then, I find that rather pathetic. We've lived in castles, Nik. Of course this could never compare."

Klaus gave her a smirk. "Castles can't float on water, sister. This is the nicest way to get us to America, we are traveling in the finest of style, and we didn't need to pay a penny. Now, would you like to go back on deck to watch the launch?"

Rebekah sighed, staring at her fingers. "Not particularly."

Klaus walked over to her and sat beside her on the sofa. "Come now. I will let you choose dinner."

She smiled slowly at him, the thought of blood revealing her fangs, her skin growing paler and her eyes turning red. "You're very good as persuasion, Nik," she conceded, standing up. "Let's go then, shall we?"

Klaus stood up as well, taking her arm and leading her out of their chambers. Out in the corridor were other travellers who had had the same idea. Klaus and Rebekah moved effortlessly past them all.

Suddenly, a door opened and a young woman turned out of the room, walking right into Klaus. She stepped back, startled. "Oh, God, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, staring down at her feet. "I didn't expect it to be so. . . ." Her voice trailed off as she looked up at his face. He flashed her a smile and she blinked quickly, looking absolutely mesmerized.

"Busy," she finished breathlessly.

"Not at all," Klaus said smoothly. "It was my fault, really."

The woman rolled her eyes and laughed breathily. "That's kind of you to say, but no, it wasn't. Anyway, I need to go. Sorry, again."

She took of down the hall, her heels making a muffled sound on the carpet as she made her way to a different door. She knocked and was let in after just a brief wait.

"Did you see the flush in her cheeks?" Rebekah mused as they continued down the hall. "I'd love to take a bite out of her. Wouldn't you, Nik?"

"Oh, yes," Klaus agreed.

Although perhaps not in the way his sister was suggesting.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I will update as often as I can, so long as school work does not completely drown me. Thanks for reading!