Hello, my lovely readers. Welcome back! We're taking a little time jump from where we left things in The Mystic Falls Dare Club. Where MFDC ended at the beginning of the summer, we're now at the end. For the ages of the MFDC clubbers check out my profile page later today. I hope you enjoy this first chapter. On with the show…

Chapter 1: Trying Times

2019:

"Klaus, what are you doing?" my wife, Caroline, called. I looked up from the computer screen to see her coming to sit next to me on our bed. She peered over my shoulder and nodded with a serious look while her eyes sparkled. "Ah, I see back to telling the story of our childhood. So, when do the rest of us get a peek? Damon is dying to see what horrible things you've been saying about him." Biting her bottom lip, Caroline tried to keep from laughing as she looked up at me with her head on my shoulder.

Staring back at the woman who was still a girl in my story, I could still not believe my good luck that I should have eternity with the beauty by my side. "Caroline, I adore you," I told her, placing a long kiss to her lips before returning my focus to our story.

"You had better. Otherwise, I would have to wonder why it is that I wanted to keep you alive forever," Caroline murmured, snuggling into my shoulder.

I smiled contentedly. My and Caroline's story has run into more obstacles than any in our group as far as I can recall but we have made it through each to find that we love each other more than ever. This book is a story of one of the many times that we were drawn apart and of how we found each other once more.

2001:

The summer before I began middle school was a remarkable one. Caroline and I spent unlimited time together. Oddly, we were never able to share another kiss. It seemed that there was always someone there to interrupt us. Many members of our group were suffering from the loss of Damon from our ranks. In spite of Caroline's efforts to bring Damon home she was incapable of swaying Giuseppe. Of course it was Elena that was hurting the most from Damon's absence and this became one the contributing factors to my never having time alone with Caroline.

To add to my personal misery of losing my best friend and having no time alone with Caroline, my family was falling apart. Elijah had taken two after school jobs. He was tutoring for both the lower level history classes at Mystic Falls High and the middle school. In addition, he had taken a job working at the Mystic Grille as a busboy/waiter. It was rare for anyone in our group to see him except for Katherine, Rose and Andie who went to Grille regularly while Katherine attempted to gain points with Elijah. The day that I came home Finn and Sage left town and we had not seen them since. Elijah had filled out a missing person's report but we still had no word by end of summer. Kol had been traumatized by our mother's actions and had very little to say. Rebekah was another story, she had become sullen when she found out that Damon and Stefan would not be returning from the boarding school and had begun to act out. Henrik, was a happy child who did not appear to be bothered by the actions of any of us with the exception of an occasional "Where is Father?"

Today, Elijah arrived home early. It was a Sunday and he looked exhausted. "I dare you to -" I began when Elijah held up his hand warily.

"Enough, Niklaus; it is time to go," Elijah told me as he walked across the living room to get dressed. I followed my older brother across the living room and into our shared room. I felt a desire to run out the front door and hide in the house of one of my many friends. Of course that is a recourse that I had already used far too many times.

Pulling his shirt off, Elijah looked through the hamper to find a clean one or at least one that did not smell. This was a system we were adjusting to, but not well. After Father had been indicted for income tax evasion, terms I was still struggling to understand, we had stayed with the Lockwoods until Anna had had to explain that she could no longer compel Mrs. Lockwood to open her house to us. "It would look too suspicious," is how Anna had phrased it. Yet again, I felt as if my lack of experience in adult matters was working against me.

"Niklaus, are you ready?" Elijah called to me with a sober gaze.

"Yes," I replied.

"Right then," Elijah murmured with a deep frown. Straightening his tie, he looked in the mirror attached to the closet door and sighed. "Good enough," he muttered. Walking out of the room, he led me to his car. Lexi had bought it for him. Although I am not sure that "bought" is the appropriate term.

I took my seat beside my brother and stared at the windshield silently. This was the first time that I would see him since Elijah had brought me home and I was incredibly nervous.

We rode in silence until he arrived at a large intimidating structure. To be honest, the place scared me worse than my old boarding school the first time I entered it. Looking up at Elijah, I could see that he was frightened as well, but doing a good job of trying to hide it. A stranger might not even notice the way that he stuffed his hands a little too deeply in his pockets or the way that his eyes narrowed to disguise fear with anger. "Let's go," Elijah called to me.

I entered the building to see that there were others like us standing in a line. They had to offer up their property to be led into a room with a closed door and to then come out looking even more enraged before they were told they could see their loved ones.

Elijah and I were led into the room together. I felt strange about being "patted down." You see I was still a child and was not sure why this was important since my father was not in one of the jails like you see on TV but Elijah told me that it was "procedure." We were allowed to go into a large room where other families were sitting at tables, talking. Father had his back to us but I would recognize him anywhere.

"He's over there," Elijah informed me but I could not force myself to speak. Elijah was forced to place his hand on my shoulder and to guide me toward the table. Coming to stand in front of the table, Elijah offered Father a tight smile. "Hello, Father."

"Elijah. You brought Niklaus," Father replied with a smile of his own that did not reach his eyes when he looked at his eldest child.

Looking at me, Father's eyes softened. "How have you been, my boy? I see that you have grown a bit. Coming into the Mikaelson height nicely. Are you still spending time with that Salvatore boy?" Father inquired and I looked back at him.

I shook my head and swallowed with difficulty before responding to his question. "Damon is staying at the Academy for the year," I told him as politely as I could. I did not follow my remark with "And it is your fault that he is there. He would have never gone if not for you sending me. Now, I will be losing close to a year with my best friend so that I could come home."

Father did not look disappointed by my comments. "And you will be returning to school soon, without young Miss Forbes since she is too young," Father stated with his gaze pinning me to my seat and I swallowed back bile. He was correct. I would be spending a year at the middle school before Caroline would be joining me. It felt like an

eternity. The fact it that it had not occurred to me upon my arrival that we would not be joined in our school adventures was a thorn that I tried to not toy with.

"Yes," I replied with a tremor in my voice.

Father smirked at me. "There are plenty of young girls that you will meet. You will move on with time. Ask Elijah. He learned that lesson far too well for my taste." Pinning Elijah with his glare, Father leaned back and stared at him for the moment before he continued. "How is your… what would you call her, Elijah?"

"Hayley," Elijah snapped. "You're referring to Hayley, yes, Father?" I wondered why Father was interested in the topic of the girl. She did not play a large part in our lives. Yes, she lived with Caroline and, yes, she was carrying my brother's child, but she had her own life. It did not seem as if this was the time to bring up old wounds.

"Yes, the girl that you have impregnated," Father told Elijah who's eyes widened. Elijah did not seem to be aware that Father knew of the child's existence as he visibly paled.

"That is no concern of yours," Elijah said as he resumed his outwardly calm façade. "If we may then I would like to keep that subject closed during this visit."

Father smiled slowly at Elijah before nodding. "Then may we discuss Katherine Gilbert? She will not be another matter that you are unable to control, will she, boy?"

Elijah gritted his teeth. "I think that this has been a long enough visit," he snarled as he got up to leave. I got up with him. Father reached out and grabbed Elijah by the wrist. "Sit down, boy, we're not done yet."

"No touching," one of the guards called, coming toward us with quick strides. Father held up both his arms with a serene smile.

"Elijah, please, sit," Father implored.

Resuming his earlier seat, Elijah looked to me and I sat as well. "What more do you want to ask me?" Elijah inquired with a deep frown.

"Oh, I do not have a question for you," Father said with a slow smile. "I have answers for you. You see I have people who collect information for me while I take a 'rest' from my previous life. A rest that I have found that I have you to thank for, Elijah." My gaze flicked to Elijah whose eyes narrowed.

"I can assure you that you are wrong," Elijah replied.

"Oh, yes, well then my informants must have gained the wrong information," Father replied and then grinned, leaning closer to Elijah. "But they assure me that they are not. Now, where was I… Oh, yes," Father placed his elbow on the table and placed his fingers to his temple. "I have obtained information about where Miss Marshall's adoptive family resides. You see, when I called the residence they were so very happy to find that Hayley is alive and well and residing in Mystic Falls. I was even kind enough to provide them with the Sheriff's home address."

"You what?" Elijah yelled, jumping to his feet. "When? When did you do this?" Elijah bellowed as he lunged across the table to grab Father by the shirt collar.

"Let go," a guard yelled at Elijah as he restrained my brother who was seething.

"You have no idea what you've done," Elijah snarled as the guard escorted us out of the room. I followed them out into the hallway knowing what Elijah would do the moment that we left the jail. Whipping out his phone, Elijah began to dial a number. "Hayley, answer the bloody phone," he growled into his own phone. His face was beginning to turn red as he got into the car and slammed his door shut. "Move, Niklaus," he yelled.

"Hey, this is Hales, I can't pick up right now because my sis is driving me nuts," she began to laugh as Caroline said something unintelligible. "So, leave a message at the sound of the beep."

Elijah began to curse and dialed a different number. "Katherine, pick up the damned phone," he thundered as he drove around a corner far too quickly.

After the first three rings, Katherine answered. "Hi, Elijah. What's up?" she asked in a teasing tone.

"Are you at Caroline's party?" Elijah replied quickly. He was driving with the phone in his lap on speaker phone.

"No, I'm going later," Katherine said with a lazy yawn. "I'm just not in the partying mood. Unless you're going to be there."

"Go. Now," Elijah called into the phone and then there was a pause. "Katherine, I dare you to go to the party right now. It's very important."

"Why?" Katherine asked and Elijah looked like he was going to explode in rage.

"I dare you to not challenge me for once and just go," Elijah yelled.

Katherine sighed. "You don't have to yell and you can't just keep giving me dares unless you want to take some of mine," she called with a giggle.

"Katherine," Elijah snapped. "Just go and do not let Hayley out of your sight until I arrive."

"Hayley?" Katherine sounded offended. "Why would I do that? I mean she's my friend and all but if I hang with her too much people might start to think that we're going out. Which might gain me votes for prom queen from some of the pervy football players but I don't know how having a rumor spreading that I'm dating a pregnant chick will help. Although -"

"Kat," I yelled into the phone. "I dare you to go to the party and to stop questioning Elijah. I say that as the King of the Dare Club. Now, just do it!" I shouted into the phone. "And keep the phone on. We need to know what's going on."

"Whatever," Katherine snapped into the phone. "I'm getting in my car and putting the phone on the passenger seat. Can you still hear me?"

"Yes," we yelled into the phone.

"Okay," Katherine called back.

We waited for Katherine to get to the party. "Oh, gee, they're playing the worst music! You're right, Elijah it's a good thing that you sent me." Then Katherine got quiet and there was the sound of her car door opening and slamming closed.

Then there was the sound of a door opening. "Sorry, almost forgot you guys," she giggled.

"What's going on?" Elijah demanded and I looked at him with my stomach twisting.

"Nothing," Katherine replied. "I think that Mason is drunk again. Hey," she called. "Oh, who's that?" she was quiet for moment. "There's some guy that's talking to Hayley. Oh, my God. She's got Liz' shotgun. Hayley, what are you doing with that thing? You could hurt someone. Hey, get off of me!" Katherine shouted and then we could only hear shouting.

"Get off of her!" Hayley was shouting. "I swear I am going to put one of these right between your eyes if you don't let her go."

"You want her, honey, come and get in the car like a good girl," an unfamiliar man's voice called and then Katherine screamed when a shot went off.

"That was a warning," Hayley shouted. "The next one won't be." Silence reigned again when there was the sound of a voice that made my blood run cold.

"Hayley, don't," Caroline cried. "If you kill him than you'll wish you hadn't."

"I have to, Caroline," Hayley yelled.

"No, you don't," Caroline yelled back and then there was more silence.

"My God," Elijah groaned. We were only one block away. Just one stupid block away.

"I think I'll take my chances," the man said and then there was the sound of several screams.

"Get off of her," Katherine yelled.

"You're useless to me anyway. I hate fat chicks," the man said and then laughed harshly. "Come here, darling'."

"You son of a bitch," Hayley screamed. "Kat, get the gun," she shouted and I felt my hand going to the door handle as Elijah pulled into the driveway and jumped out. My nightmares were realized when I saw the man that I recognized as Hayley's adoptive father holding Caroline to him. He was trying to force her into his truck.

"Get off of her," I screamed, launching myself toward the man as Elijah ran toward the teen girls. The man must have shoved Katherine at Hayley because the pregnant teen was getting to her feet and taking the gun away from Kat.

Then several things happened at once. Elijah was moving out of the way as Katherine knocked him to the ground. Hayley lifted the gun to eyelevel and pulled the trigger. The man shoved a protesting Caroline into his truck. I arrived beside the door and found it to be locked. And my mother appeared.

"ENOUGH," Mother boomed. Raising her hand the bullet went flying toward her and dropped to the palm of her hand. She pocketed it before waving at the door to the man's truck, Caroline jumped out and into my arms. The man went flying through the air to land on his knees before Mother. "Leave this place before I allow the girl to kill you," she snarled at the man who got to his feet and climbed into his truck.

Our group looked at Mother with a mixture of shock and relief. "Mum," I cried.

"Niklaus," she replied. "Mother's home."

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Peace,

Jessica